Projective techniques have a lengthy and vital history in personality assessment, but they have evoked a minimal degree of interest on the part of counselors. Psychometric limitations, lack of training opportunities, and the obscure qualities of the instruments have restricted their use among practitioners. The author proposes a method to stimulate the use of projectives as an integral part of the counseling process and provides justification for the expanded use of the technique as a counseling tool.

Almost 50 years ago, Harold Pepinsky, a pioneer in the counseling profession (Claibom, 1985), urged counselors to use informal projective techniques in counseling as a means to advance the counseling relationship and to increase an understanding of clients (Pepinsky, 1947). Despite the greatly expanded role of the counselor, the increasing diversity of clients served, and the escalating challenge and complexity of issues facing the counselor, Pepinsky's early call has largely gone unheeded. Projective techniques in the counseling profession today are more commonly known for caution and prohibitions in using the instruments than for the potential benefits the devices offer as therapeutic tools (Anastasi, 1988; Hood Johnson, 1990). Given the urgency of equipping the counselor with as broad a repertoire of skills as possible, it is time to revisit Pepinsky's recommendation and to consider the role of projective methods in counseling. The purpose of this article is to review the qualities and practices of projective techniques, describe the value of projectives in counseling, suggest procedures for using the techniques in counseling, and illustrate applications of the methods with selected projective devices.

Distinguishing features of projective techniques include ambiguous directions, relatively unstructured tasks, and virtually unlimited client responses (Anastasi, 1988). These same open-ended characteristics contribute to a continuing controversy about the relative merit of the instruments. Projectives may be perceived as esoteric devices with subjectively determined evaluation procedures, particularly by counselors who seek empirically precise appraisal standards (Anastasi, 1988). A fundamental assumption of projective techniques is that the client expresses or "projects" his or her personality characteristics through the completion of relatively unstructured and ambiguous tasks (Rabin, 1981). A large number of projective instruments are available, including association (e.g., Rorschach tests), construction (e.g. , Tbematic Apperception Test), completion (e.g., sentence completion), expressive (e.g., human figure drawings), and choice or ordering (e.g., Picture Arrangement Test) (Lindzey, 1961).

The use of projective instruments assumes prerequisite psychological knowledge (Anastasi, 1988), with formal training and supervision (Drummond, 1992). Advanced course work is essential for some devices, including the Rorschach and the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) (Hood Johnson, 1990), and computer-assisted and computer-adaptive testing (Drummond, 1988) is becoming more common. Training for counselors in projective techniques at the master's degree level is infrequent, with a clear majority of programs surveyed (Piotrowski Keller, 1984) offering no courses in projectives, although most of the training directors indicated that counseling students should be familiar with the Rorschach and the TAT. A recent study of community-based counselors suggests that licensed counselors are not frequent test users of either an objective or projective type (Bubenzer, Zimpfer, Mahrle, 1990). Counseling psychologists in private practice, community mental health centers, and counselors in hospital settings used projectives with relative frequency, but those in university and college counseling centers generally used objective assessments, with minimal employment of projectives (Watkins Campbell, 1989).

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VALUE OF PROJECTIVE TECHNIQUES IN COUNSELING

Although reservations about projective techniques may be recognized by researchers and practitioners (e.g., questionable psychometric qualities, a multitude of various types of devices, and considerable training required for most techniques), such issues are of less concern if projectives are used as informal, hypotheses-generating tools in counseling. This position will be amplified after examining how the skilled use of projective techniques may advance the counseling experience in ways that are both substantive and economical.

Enhancing the Counseling Relationship

As a component of the counseling process, projective techniques offer a means other than direct verbal disclosure for the client to express him-or herself. The projectives may be administered after a discussion about the purpose and application of the techniques. The client is asked to draw human figures, complete sentence stems, describe early memories, or partake in related approaches. The focus immediately shifts from the client's oral expression to the completion of a task, and interaction between the client and counselor occurs through an intermediate activity that elicits the involvement of the person. The instruments themselves are interesting to most individuals, and they offer a multimodal freedom of expression (Anastasi, 1988). While the client is completing the devices, the counselor is able to observe the person, make supportive comments, and offer encouragement. As a client responds to the ambiguous and relatively nonthreatening projective methods, his or her defensiveness often diminishes because of the participatory and absorbing nature of the tasks (Clark, 1991; Koruer, 1965). Pepinsky wrote about the projective effort by individuals: "The counselor has been able to employ these materials informally in the counseling interview, without making the client suspicious or hostile to what he might otherwise regard as an intrusion into his private world" (1947, p. 139).

Understanding the Client

As individually administered assessment devices, projectives allow for a relatively standardized observation period of the client while he or she completes the tasks (Cummings, 1986; Korner, 1965). Samples of behavior, such as the client's hostility, cooperation, impulsivity, and dependence may be noted by the counselor. The content of the client's projective responses may also be contrasted with his or her actions. As an example, an individual may verbally express positive feelings towards his or her mother that are contradicted with the sentence completion, "My mother . . . is a spiteful person." Personality dynamics are revealed through the indirect methods of projectives, as individual differences are ascertained through the unique constructions by the person. Potential information gained from the projectives includes the dynamics of client needs, values, conflicts, defenses, and capabilities (Murstein, 1965).

Treatment Planning

Treatment plans for the process of counseling may be clarified with information derived from projectives (Korchin Schuldberg, 1981; Rabin, 1981). A decision can be made as to whether the counselor should continue to work with the client, consider a more extensive evaluation, or refer the client to another counselor or related resource (Drummond, 1992). Perspectives developed through the instruments, when combined with collateral information from various other sources, may be used to establish goals and objectives for the counseling process. Hypotheses about the client's personality dynamics may be incorporated into a therapeutic treatment plan (Oster Gould, 1987). In numerous instances, the delineation of pertinent client issues early in the counseling relationship can save time and accelerate the counseling process (Duckworth, 1990; Pepinsky, 1947).

Projective Counseling as a Tool in Counseling

How is it possible to reconcile the concerns about projective methods with their potential as a measure to enhance the counseling process? Once again, it is enlightening to consider Pepinsky's balanced perspective in integrating projectives in counseling. He viewed projective techniques more as informal assessment methods than as precise, empirically established appraisal instruments. Pepinsky stated: "The hypothesis is advanced that responses to such materials need not be standardized since they form a part of the dynamic interview process and they vary from client to client" (1947, p. 135). Information obtained through projectives can be evaluated from an idiosyncratic perspective that focuses directly on the client as a person.

Hypotheses Development

As individualized procedures, projective techniques are based on a client's unique frame of reference for the development of hypotheses. This information is tentative, providing leads or indications about a client's behavior that may be later confirmed or invalidated. Anastasi supported this position when she wrote about projectives: "These techniques serve best in sequential decisions by suggesting leads for further exploration or hypotheses about the individual for subsequent verification" (1988, p. 623).

For counseling purposes, the hypotheses generated are continuously tested and modified as new information and insights are gained. Material about the client is a part of the working notes of the counselor rather than data to be included in a formal written report. In no instance should a particular hypothesis be used singularly or as a final observation. It must be supported by substantiating information; even then, leads should be open to further inquiry and modification (Anastasi, 1988). This approach is supported in the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing, in reference to projective techniques as one of the methods that "yields multiple hypotheses regarding the behavior of the subject in various situations as they arise, with each hypothesis modifiable on the basis of further information" (American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, National Council on Measurement in Education, 1985, p. 45).

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Collateral Information

A single means of evaluating an individual always has potential for distortion and misrepresentation in any appraisal, and even the most reasonable hypothesis generated through projective devices requires substantiation from multiple sources (Anastasi, 1988). A "counseling perspective" derived from projectives employs a blend of "developmental, health-oriented, conscious factors with clinical, dynamic, and unconscious factors to obtain a more comprehensive picture of the client" (Watkins, Campbell, Hollifleld, Duckworth, 1989, p. 512). Corroborating information may be obtained from other projectives, behavioral observations, expressed statements of the client, school or employment records, interviews with parents, spouses, or other individuals, objective tests, and related resources (Drummond, 1992; Hart, 1986). Once counseling has begun, the most important means of assessing hypotheses is the client' s behavior in the counseling process.

Applications of Selected Projective Techniques

Considering the busy work schedule of most counselors, most prefer appraisal methods that are more economical in terms of administration and interpretation. The instruments should also yield a maximum amount of information to be of value in counseling (Koppitz, 1982). Of the numerous projective techniques available, three will be examined that can be integrated in a single counseling session, and each contributes to building rapport, understanding clients, and planning treatment. Counselors trained in projectives are likely to be familiar with human figure drawings, sentence completion devices, and early recollections. When more extensive information is necessary, the Rorschach, the TAT, and related assessments may be used by a qualified counselor or completed through a referral to another professional.

Human Figure Drawings

For most clients, the counselor's request to draw a picture of a person is a relatively nonthreatening starting point for fostering the counseling relationship (Bender, 1952; Cummings, 1986). For many individuals, particularly children, drawing has a pleasant association (Drummond, 1992), and the effort is typically completed with a reasonable degree of interest (Anastasi, 1988). Drawings may also be administered with relative ease and in a brief period of time (Swensen, 1957).

Karen Machover's (1949) Personality Projection in the Drawing of the Human Figure: A Method of Personality Investigation is one resource for understanding human figure drawings. Koppitz (1968, 1984) has written more recent volumes that are useful for evaluating child and early adolescent human figure drawings. Urban's manual (1963) is a compiled index for interpreting the "Draw-A-Person" (DAP) technique, and a recently published screening procedure using the DAP assists in identifying children and adolescents who have emotional problems (Naglieri, McNeish, Bardos, 1991). General references on projective drawings are also pertinent (Cummings, 1986; Swensen, 1957, 1968), and Oster and Gould (1987) related drawings to assessment and therapy. Of particular interest to counselors are findings about human figure drawings related to self-concept (Bennett, 1966; Dalby Vale, 1977; Prytula Thompson, 1973), anxiety (Engle Suppes, 1970; Sims, Dana, Bolton, 1983; Prytula Hiland, 1975), stress (Stumer, Rothbaum, Visintainer, Wolfer, 1980), learning problems (Eno, Elliot, Woehlke, 1981), overall adjustment (Yama, 1990), and cross-cultural considerations (Holtzman, 1980; Lindzey, 1961).

In spite of numerous attempts by researchers to lend precision to what essentially is an art form, the interpretation of human figure drawings continues to result in a limited number of clearly established personality indicators (Anastasi, 1988). Furthermore, any single characteristic, such as figure size, must be considered cautiously to avoid overgeneralizations and inaccurate judgments. (Cummings, 1986). A more conservative method of interpretation is to consider the personality indicators as "soft signs" in combination with collateral information to discern patterns or themes.

The quality of the client-counselor relationship and an understanding of the client, at least in preliminary terms, are essential factors in considering plans and goals for counseling. Personality indicators from human figure drawings are useful in preparing for the continuation of the counseling process (Oster Gould, 1987). For example, profile and stick figures relate to evasion and guardedness (Urban, 1963), significant issues that influence establishment of the counseling relationship. One factor to consider in evaluating the human figure drawings is the client's cognitive level of development and the possibility of neurological impairment (Protinsky, 1978). Stick figures, for example, are frequently drawn by children in early childhood.

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Early Recollections

Requesting a client to provide several early memories lends relation- ship-building continuity to the human figure drawings, as most people respond positively to recalling at least three memories from their early childhood. Individuals often are intrigued and challenged by the counselor's request (Watkins, 1985), and the procedure promotes a nonthreatening, empathic relationship (Allers, White, Hornbuckle, 1990). Although there are variations on directions for the early recollections, simplicity and clarity are important features: "I would like you to think back to a long time ago, when you were little. Try to recall one of your earliest memories, one of the first things that you can remember." The memory should be visualized, described as a specific single event, and have occurred before the person was 8 years of age (Mosak, 1958).

No definitive volume exists for interpreting early recollections; an edited edition (O!son, 1979) covers a variety of topics, and a more current publication (Brahn, 1990) relates to clinical practice. Various attempts have been made to develop a scoring system for early memories, but none have been widely accepted (Bruhn, 1985; Lungs, Rothenberg, Fishman, Reiser, 1960; Last Bruhn, 1983; Levy, 1965; Manaster Perryman, 1974; Mayman, 1968). A recently published manual, The Early Memories Procedure (Bruhn, 1989), includes a comprehensive scoring system. The high number of potential variables, possible scoring categories, and differences in theoretical orientations has resulted in methodological difficulties in developing coding procedures (Bruhn Schiffman, 1982a). Specific findings for early recollections are of particular interest to counselors for lifestyle (Ansbacher Ansbacher, 1956; Kopp Dinkmeyer, 1975; Sweeney, 1990), self-disclosure and interpersonal style (Barrett, 1983), locus of control (Bruhn Schiffman, 1982b), depression (Acklin, Sauer, Alexander, Dugoni, 1989; Allers, White, Hornbuckle, 1990), suicide (Monahun, 1983), delinquency (Davidow Bruhn, 1990), and career counseling (Holmes Watson, 1965; Manaster Perryman, 1974; McKelvie, 1979).

Certain psychological variables are discernible in early recollections that serve to generate hypotheses about the dynamics of an individual' s personality (Clark, 1994; Sweeney, 1990; Watkins, 1985). For example, in a series of memories, the activity or passivity of a client suggests how the person responds to life experiences. A client who passively accepts unfavorable circumstances, in memories, rather than acts to improve conditions, likely responds in the same way to actual life situations. The psychological variables are expressed as questions about a person's .functioning in memories, as adapted from Sweeney (1990):

Active or passive?

Giving or taking?

Participant or observer?

Alone or with others?

Inferior or superior in relationship to others?

Existence or absence of significant others?

Themes, details, and colors?

Feeling tone attached to the event and outcome?

The psychological variables may be applied to clarify goals and plans for counseling. A hypothesis, for example, about a client's qualitative involvement in counseling may be derived from a combination of the psychological variables of active/passive, participant/observer, and inferior/superior in relationship to others. Further clarification may be added by considering a client's self-disclosure and interpersonal style (Barrett, 1983), and locus of control (Bruhn Schiffman, 1982b). Goals in counseling for understanding the client may be linked to the lifestyle (Kopp Dinkmeyer, 1975) based on the uniqueness and idiosyncratic quality of the early memories (Adler, 1931/1980).

Sentence Completion

Incomplete sentences provide a concrete task for a person and an opportunity for the counselor to observe the client in a writing effort. Interaction between the client and the counselor occur once again with this projective method, and individuals respond with varying degrees of interest. Koppitz (1982) viewed the incomplete sentence technique as a useful "icebreaker" with reluctant and unspontaneous adolescents. Directions for completing sentences usually require the client to "complete each sentence by giving your real feelings." The sentence stems include a variety of personally referenced topics, such as, "I like . . ., ""People are . . ., "and, "My father.... "

The Rotter Incomplete Sentences Blank (Rotter Rafferty, 1950) is the most well known of the interpretive systems for the sentence completion, with forms for high school, college, and adult populations. The Forer Structured Sentence Completion Test (Forer, 1957) is also published in a manual format with a structured scoring procedure. Hart (1986) has developed a sentence completion test for children. The content of the sentence stems, number of stems provided, and scoring procedure vary with each of the systems. A review of the sentence completion methods in personality assessment (Gold-berg, 1965) and more current research findings (Rabin Zltogorski, 1985) are available. Specific issues of interest to counselors have been examined for scholastic achievement (Kimball, 1952), attitudes towards peers and parents (Harris Tseng, 1957), classroom social behavior (Feldhusen, Thurston, Benning, 1965), careers (Dole, 1958), egocentricity (Exner, 1973), safety and esteem (Wilson Aronoff, 1973), self-actualization (McKinney, 1967), and defense mechanisms (Clark, 1991).

Sentence completion devices may also be constructed by counselors and tailored to the needs of various populations (Hood Johnson, 1990). As an example, a school counselor in a middle school could develop a device that focuses on topics specifically related to early adolescence. Hypotheses may be derived directly from responses of the sentence stems. An obvious example is a student who has conflicts with learning and school and responds to the sentence stems: "I like . . . to get in trouble." "Teachers are . . . a pain." "School . . . is for losers." Appendix A lists the sentence stems used by the author in counseling children and adolescents.

Goals and plans for counseling are also directly related to the content of responses to the sentence completion technique, and specific issues introduced by the client often produce productive leads for exploration in counseling. Goals are suggested by patterns of responses in which the client indicates clear needs. A person in late adulthood, for instance, depicts strongly manifested isolation and abandonment issues with the following sentence stems: "I feel . . . very lonely." "What bothers me . . . is the constant time by myself." "I am afraid . . . of dying alone." The pattern and number of client issues may also be clarified, which assists in judging the estimated length of counseling and predictions about continuation (Hiler, 1959).

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Case Illustration

Tim, a 12-year-old middle-school student, entered the counseling office in a quiet and hesitant way. He had been referred to the school counselor by two of his teachers because of "withdrawn" behavior. Tim's school records indicated that he received below average to average grades, with similar ratings on his standardized tests. He had moved to the town late in his previous school year, and the counselor had observed Tim walking alone to class and eating by himself in the cafeteria. In addressing Tim's withdrawn behavior, the counselor was understanding about a sensitive topic. Tim responded that, "It doesn't bother me to be alone," but his pained facial expression contradicted his words. In a supportive tone, the counselor probed further about Tim's discomfort in school. Tim appeared to become even more tense with this discussion, and the counselor diverted the subject to Tim's life before coming to the town.

The session ended with a minimal degree of involvement on Tim's part, and the counselor needed to learn more about him. In a meeting arranged with Tim's mother, she related that his father had left the family years ago, and Tim was just like him: "quiet and slow." A more thorough review of Tim's cumulative records indicated that his previous teachers had also been concerned about the amount of time he spent by himself and the teasing that he received from other students. The counselor was concerned that she had not learned more about Tim that would assist her in the next counseling session, and she decided to administer several projective instruments to Tim in order to increase her understanding of his personality dynamics. The counselor also hoped that interacting with the instruments would lessen the tension that Tim demonstrated as he talked about himself.

Soon after Tim began his second counseling session, the counselor explained how the assessment would assist her in learning more about him, and she briefly described the three instruments that would be used. She observed Tim as he completed the human figure drawing in a deliberate but precise way. Tim's figure was less than 2 inches in length, high on the page, with arms reaching in the air. Tim commented that he liked to draw, but "I'm not very good at it." Next, the counselor asked Tim about his earliest memory, and he stated: "I'm standing on a street corner and people are walking by just looking at me. I don't know what to do." Tim provided two more mere-odes, including: "Kids are pushing me around on the playground, and nobody is helping me. I don't know what to do. I feel scared and sad." The counselor next asked Tim to respond to the sentence completion, and his tension was evident while he worked on the task. Tim's responses to several sentence stems were far more revealing than his expressed statements in the first counseling session: "I feel . . . sad." "Other people . . . are mean." "My father . . . doesn't call anymore." "I suffer . . . but nobody knows." "I wish . . . I had one friend." "What pains me is . . . other kids."

After Tim left, the counselor was struck by his sense of isolation and futility as she looked over the projective material. At the same time, the counselor was hopeful because she finally had more of an understanding of Tim--information that could be used in counseling. From the human figure drawing, the counselor hypothesized: Tim has a lowered self concept (small size of drawing); he desires social interaction (arms up in the air); conditions in his life are uncertain (figure high on the page); and he has an interest in drawing (expressed statement). In the early memories Tim's reduced self-concept ("I'm lost, pushed around") was also evident as well as the uncertain quality of his life ("I don't know what to do"). Tim's recollections also clarified his attitude towards other people ("ignore me, hurt me") and his feelings towards experiences ("scared, sad").

Tim's sentence completion provided further hypotheses about his behavior. His statement in the first counseling session about not minding being alone was contradicted by: "I need . . . someone to hang around with. " Tim's history of being rejected was confirmed by several sentences: "Other people . . . are mean" and "What pains me . . . is other kids. " Tim's reference about his father not calling anymore could be construed in various ways, but it could provide a starting point to talk about his father.

In her third meeting with Tim, the counselor felt more prepared. She decided to provide a highly supportive and nurturing climate that would be encouraging to Tim. She also considered placing Tim in a counseling group, after an appropriate number of individual sessions. that would provide him with a structured and supportive social experience.

Summary

Although projective techniques are enduring and provocative methods of personality assessment, the methods have been underused by counselors. Questionable psychometric qualities, infrequent training experiences, and the obscure characteristics of the devices has limited their use by counselors. A hypotheses-generating procedure supported by collateral client information is endorsed. Projective techniques could be an integral part of the counseling process for purposes of enhancing the client-counselor relationship, understanding the client from a phenomenological perspective, and clarifying the goals and course of counseling. Leads derived from projectives are instrumental in the counseling experience, and specific topics appraised through the devices are pertinent to a broad range of client issues.

Although developing the skills of the counselor in projectives may well require some changes in the counseling curriculum (and this is an issue with which we have yet to deal), it is clear that projective techniques can be viably used in the counseling process. Almost half a century ago, Pepinsky recommended that the time was fight for a match between counselors and projective methods; his counsel is just as relevant and compelling today.

Sentence Completion Stems 1. I feel . . . 2. I regret . . . 3. Other people . . . 4. I am best when . . . 5. What bothers me is . . . 6. The happiest time . . . 7. I am afraid of . . . 8. My father . . . 9. I dislike to . . . 10. I failed . . . 11. At home . . . 12. Boys . . . 13. My mother . . . 14. I suffer . . . 15. The future . . . 16. Other kids . . . 17. My nerves are . . . 18. Girls . . . 19. My greatest worry is . . . 20. School . . . 21. I need . . . 22. What pains me is . . . 23. I hate . . . 24. I wish . . . 25. Whenever I have to study, I . . .

REFERENCES

APPENDIX A

Sentence Completion Stems 1. I feel . . . 2. I regret . . . 3. Other people . . . 4. I am best when . . . 5. What bothers me is . . . 6. The happiest time . . . 7. I am afraid of . . . 8. My father . . . 9. I dislike to . . . 10. I failed . . . 11. At home . . . 12. Boys . . . 13. My mother . . . 14. I suffer . . . 15. The future . . . 16. Other kids . . . 17. My nerves are . . . 18. Girls . . . 19. My greatest worry is . . . 20. School . . . 21. I need . . . 22. What pains me is . . . 23. I hate . . . 24. I wish . . . 25. Whenever I have to study, I . . .

By Arthur J. Clark is an associate professor and coordinator of the counseling and development program at St. Lawrence University. Correspondence regarding this article should be sent to Arthur J. Clark, Atwood Hall, St. Lawrence University, Canton, NY 13617.

Copyright 1995 by American Counseling Association. Text may not be copied without the express written permission of American Counseling Association.

Clark, Arthur, Projective techniques in the counseling process.., Vol. 73, Journal of Counseling Development, 01-01-1995, pp 311.

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Meditation Course
by Adrian Newington © 1991

DOWNLOAD A VERSION OF THIS COURSE IN ADOBE PDF FORMAT

A meditation course based on the philosophy of the book I Am the Heart ©, by Adrian Newington

Download the MAIN book now or Read the book ONLINE

In enabling the reader of this topic to gain a solid understanding of the material presented, it is important to be prepared witha clear understanding of "The Sense of Self".

This will be most helpful if you feel that the references to the "sense of self" on this page are unclear in your mind.

Table1: The levels of Self Identification.

Through the various stages of a persons human , social and spiritual development, the sense of WHO a person is (that is, the inner identification where self fulfilment, and the recognition of self worth emanate from), should progress to new meanings as the individual experiences life more completely. I purposefully use the word "should" to indicate that many people do not necessarily progress to a more refined view of their existence beyond a basic sense of self identification aligned with the physical or mental levels.

From the table above, we can examine each level of being and see how the human psyche matures in life. Each level of existence re-defines and matures the sense of self through relative experiences, associations, comparisons and other qualifications. These can all serve us by ultimately allowing a revelation, that one day we can cast aside the need for external qualifications and rest in the knowledge that we exist because we exist. Such an attitude is devoid of comparisons and analogies, since we see ourselves as forever being complete. Our true self is a spiritual being and to paraphrase, "we are spiritual beings on physical journey"

Let us walk through each section of the table and briefly expand on its meaning.

Physical

From day 1 of human existence, an individual grows up in a 3 dimensional world, initially learning about spatial relationships and the conditions of environment,

Examples:

• The understanding of Up, Down, In, Out, including Distance.
• The sense of the physical body reaching out and touching something.
• Things that threaten physical safety and survival.
• A sense of what is physically pleasing and comforting.

These impressions are fundamental to the understanding that "I am a living being" because my body and its sensations validate my experience as a living entity.

In various stages of life, a person can derive a sense of personal power as well as feelings of fulfilment and competency from positive physical achievements like sports and athletics. On the other hand, a negative use of physical attributes like "Bullying" may also bring about a sense of personal power or self. However, to continue the use and cultivation of ones personal power in this way will lead to problems, as one day such a person may encounter someone stronger and more assertive. Here the persons personal power or sense of self would be Taken Away.

Mental

As a person grows physically and develops mental faculties, a more refined view of existence evolves as powers of perception and reasoning mature. To gain the understanding that Self identification can be obtained through intellectual pursuits, advances the person in to a more meaningful understanding of ones humanity and potential.

Once again, in various stages of life, a person can derive a sense of personal power and feelings of fulfilment and competency from successful use of logic and intelligence. But mental abilities can fade, or people with grander capacities can be encountered, possibly leading to feelings of inadequacy. Such a thing could also take away personal power, or a sense of self.

Emotional

Having experienced 2 distinct aspects of human development, the encounter of emotional involvement and attachment to both people and objects further defines and matures the sense of self in the individual. From the experience of joy derived from something simple like a favourite toy, to the deeper connections to living things like a pet or more importantly people, a still higher sense of self arises from the experience of... "I know I exist because of the feelings I have for things and people, along with the feelings that people have for me". A persons sense of self matures into something higher.

Further to this, the experience of love and more importantly un-conditional love brings a degree of release to the "sense of self" derived from the physical and mental experience linked to external dependence. From the experience of true or un-conditional love, the need for external validation from physical attributes greatly dissipates.

Yet again, in various stages of life, a person can derive a sense of personal power and feelings of fulfilment and competency from the experience of being loved by another. This too is vulnerable should the love or other emotional support of others not be forthcoming anymore.

Spiritual

Finding a "sense of self" from the spiritual experience is the goal of humanity. YOUR GOAL!

It is here that the noblest attainment of the inner human experience can be found. Serene and confident. Compassionate yet assertive. Self assured but humble. Wise and profound yet simple of heart and uncomplicated.

How can such an attainment be secured?

By purposeful contemplation of our spiritual nature.

And now, The Meditation

In this meditation course we strive to cultivate, nurture and permanently attain a sense of self which has an identification in our spiritual nature. It is not the purpose of this exercise to deny the "sense of self" built up from an identification of our physical, mental and emotional nature rather, we proceed to embrace them and bring them to unity with the spiritual nature. So long as we do not distort these identifications and allow them to be nurtured or maintained by external circumstances, we will not become dependant on them. They will not lead us, but rather we will lead them... we will lead them to wholeness.

The fundamental principle of this Meditation is based on the technique of Mantra Repetition, but with the cultivation of a high degree of awareness of its meaning.

"I am the Heart"

"I am the Heart"

"I am the Heart"

"I am the Heart"

Over and over, but always cultivating remembrance for the meaning of the phrase. This is absolutely vital for without that remembrance, the Mind will find no real motivation to seek and explore an elevated level of consciousness.

It is vital that your understanding of the phrase "I am the Heart" has been prepared in your mind by the reading of my book, "I am the Heart"

.(Read the book now) | (Download the book now)

This book is purposefully rich in metaphor and parable and delivers a lengthy yet absorbing discourse to prepare you for the journey of self discovery.

The word Mantra means, "That which protects the Mind". The ancient and time proven technique of mantra repetition serves to keep the individual focused on the object of the Mantra, (that being a conscious awakening to the true self). This leads to mental purification and elevation, from the utilisation of concentration empowered by the higher ideal of love of self.

The "protection" afforded by mantra repetition serves to assist in the elevation of consciousness into a more clearer and illuminated realm. This illumination is the ability to perceive spiritual realities which come in the form of insights, inner knowing, and more importantly, the goal of this meditation, the revelation of the intimate connection with God we all have, and that "God dwells within you as you"

It then makes beautiful sense to say "I am the Heart"

There are some other important points to keep in mind about this repetition.

When I say that the phrase "I am the Heart" is to be repeated over and over, I do not necessarily mean constant and without rest, or at a rapid fire pace. Sufficient is a cycle of repetition whereby you can allow for the all important remembrance of the meaning of what you are saying.

By all means incorporate this form of meditation whilst into traditional forms of meditative techniques as adopted by followers of yoga and other eastern traditions.

Even whilst walking down the street or in the park or riding on a bus... choose the remembrance of your essential nature and say,
"I am the Heart"

Consider these also:

Are you feeling afraid? "I am the Heart"

Are you feeling lost? "I am the Heart"

Are you feeling weary? "I am the Heart"

Are you feeling sad? "I am the Heart"

Are you feeling happy? "I am the Heart"

This, and your duty is all you have to remember.

Also, keep in mind these points.

Do not be distracted away from what is your daily duty,

for in duty there is concentration, and all concentration is meditation.

It is vital to maintain a high awareness of any thoughts you are about to express

as you consider using a sentence starting with the words "I Am".

For whatever period of time (weeks, months), that you are going to practise the meditation of "I am the Heart", activate your awareness and do not say such things as "I am sad", "I am happy", "I am lonely", "I am (whatever)".

Rather than say such things as "I am sad" replace it with, "there is sadness". This dis-empowers the potential of negative enforcement to swell in your consciousness, without the denial of your current state of being, (the truth that is yours for that time). Replacing such a thought with "there is sadness", protects the mind from illusive thinking. To also finish off that train of thought with "I am the heart", helps maintain the upward journey you are choosing.

Have periods of contemplation and look into yourself and gauge how you are progressing.

Do not become too anxious about your progress, but rather, know that success will be assured by your persistence. Please be patient with yourself. You are in the process of rising above a lifetime of conditional behaviour and worldly thinking. Your brave and dedicated efforts will not go unrewarded.

Pray for assistance and guidance of this mighty and very noble task.

Believe in the noble thought of wanting to attain an intimate union with God.

THIS ENTIRE WEB SITE IS TESTIMONY TO MY SELF EFFORT AND THE REVEALATIONS
PROCEEDING THAT HAVE UPLIFTED MY MIND, HEART, SOUL...

AND OF COURSE MY LIFE.

Download the MAIN book now ~ download the meditation course

back to: Still My Mind Homepage

Some people and studies report that natural or alternative ADHD treatments are helpful for various symptoms of ADHD. Here we look at Wild Oat Seed, ZAN, and zinc sulfate for ADHD.

Natural Alternatives for Treating ADHD

Wild Oat Seed - Avena Sativa

The following is excerpted from the Health Search newspaper published by Wilson Publications, Owensboro, KY 42303
Used in folk medicine for over two thousand years, modern science in the form of a German Kommission E monograph validates the usage of wild oat seed as a sedative in nervous disorders including acute and chronic anxiety, stress and excitatory states. Wild oat seed is excellent for strengthening the entire nervous system. Oats are used in treating nervous debility, exhaustion especially when associated with depression, and all types of disorders resulting from the body's inability to deal with stress. Wild oat seed is also reputed to help break habits such as drug and alcohol addiction.

Zan

Greta recently wrote to us with the following information about Zan.......

"I just wanted to say that your site is absolutely fantastic. My son has been diagnosed as ADHD since the age of 18 months, and went on to ritalin at the age of six. He spent a year on Ritalin, but always had trouble eating. Over this summer, I have taken him off Ritalin and started him on the natural alternative ZAN. He has now been taking ZAN for three weeks and the difference in him is remarkable. He is a happy, but bubbly child. I am not suggesting that zan is the total cure, but his first week back at school has brought comments like "terrific", "a happy day" etc. There is still some way to go, but he now feels in control of himself (something that he did not feel on Ritalin). Zan has had the effect of calming him without the side effects that he was suffering whilst on Ritalin. Please don't think that I am anti-Ritalin. As a parent, there were times when I think I would do almost anything to achieve a calmer son. Indeed this was the reason that I first put him on Ritalin. However, since taking Zan he is really happy. As he told me this weekend: " I feel better taking the one tablet (zan) than taking the white ones (Ritalin)".

Greta has just emailed us back to say that unfortunatly Zan does not seem to be working for her son anymore.............

"Unfortunately since last e-mailing you, the Zan compound that my son was taking is not proving to be effective. During the initial two weeks there were no major difficulties with his behaviour, but obviously I jumped the gun. During the third week, his behaviour deteriorated and he had now returned to a low Ritalin dose. I realise that this pattern may just apply to my son."

Linda wrote.............

"My son has been using Zan for about a year now. Although it doesn't make him perfect, it has really helped alot, especially with his social skills/ability to get along with people. With the help of Zan, together with homeopathy & avoiding food sensitivities, he is about 85% better. "

Zinc Sulphate

A Doctor in Tripoli, Lebanon, wrote to us recently with the following information about Zinc Sulphate .......
"I have been treating a 9-year-old girl with confirmed ADD with Zinc Sulphate 40 mg/day for 6 weeks and she showed an 80%improvement in her problems. Her school performances and her ability to concentrate were dramatically ameliorated.

This is a preliminary result of a prospective study and it is premature to draw any conclusions. It is premature at this time to recommend Zinc Sulphate as part of a treatment regiment for ADD."

The Doctor also asked if anyone had any data/research on the use of Zinc Sulphate in this way.

Martin wrote.......

"I have been viewing your excellent web site and was interested in the section on natural remedies, in particular the document about Zinc.

My son was diagnosed with ADHD in 1996 and he was given Ritalin, however we did not think it worked that well, in the sense that he was a bit vacuous after taking it and very hyper when it wore off. The child psychiatrist agreed and suggested that the behavioural therapy we were engaged in might be more effective.

About that time we read an article that suggested the use of Zinc supplements for hyperactivity. After consulting our GP who said that it wouldn't do any harm, we tried it and the benefits were apparent after a short period of time. The fidgets and squirms reduced significantly and he became more co-operative. I don't think that its a cure-all and it has less impact on the attention deficit. In fact, I would say that he is more the classic ADD rather than ADHD now.

Of course, you have to take into account that there are other factors such as the behavioural therapy, the co-operation with the school and the fact that he is growing up. Nonetheless, my wife and I do believe that Zinc has been very beneficial. Reducing the hyperactivity just makes managing the rest of it easier for us, the school and himself. He can pay attention more simply because he is less fidgety, even though you still have to engage his attention and keep him on task. I would recommend anyone with an ADHD kid to give it go, I don't think you have anything to lose.

As an aside, I was very interested to see the wealth of information that there is now on ADHD on the net and the general acceptance of the "condition". I first found out about ADHD through a Compuserve forum back in 1995 at a time when we were pulling our hair out about his behaviour. It was me who suggested to a child psychologist attached to his school that he may have ADHD and this was subsequently confirmed by the psychiatrist.

At that time, very few teachers had even heard of ADHD and it was a bit of struggle trying to convince them that he wasn't just badly behaved. In four years things have changed significantly, so much so that last summer I attended a seminar by an American psychologist about the 1-2-3 method of behaviour management, it was attended by at least 400 people over 60% being teachers. Progress indeed and its largely thanks to the voluntary groups like yourselves.

Its been an interesting time being a parent of an ADD child since things have improved, prior to that it was total pain. But of course its a self discovery process for us adults as well, especially when you realise that he is a product of your genes and you have the same issues to deal with as him. So I take zinc too and can confirm it does help, as I said its no cure-all but its all part of managing the process. "

Dr. Devan from India wrote to us saying...

"I have treated quite a few children with ADD with fish oil (docohexenoic acid -marketed as Maxepa ) and with zinc and iron...the results are very encouraging and many are fully cured. Those interested may come down to see my work.

In the light of these results, ADD is a disorder that children should not suffer.

A little explanation is in order.

The brain is primarily fat especially essential fatty acids....the best source of which is fish oil extracts.Neuronal transmission is essentially therfore dependent on proper myelinisation just like in an electrical circuit.In multiple electrical circuits, when there is a short circuit, proper transmission gets impeded.When transmission is rectified, to focus attention, the transmitted data need to be collected and collated...for this memory has to be effective and for that the primary area in the brain where memory is concretized is in the hippocampus where zinc is an essential trace mineral.

Therefore ADD children must be treated by a combination of fish oil and zinc...the results are then incredible.

Please post this at your site..any concerned parent may contact me directly.

Thanks for the concern and help

With regards

Dr. Devan"

You can contact Dr Devan by email at: devanpp@vasnet.co.in

We have recently been advised of some concerns regarding Zinc and adverse effects at high doses. We have taken some extracts about this from http://www.cspinet.org/

"Zinc can impair the immune system at daily doses as low as 50 mg (in addition to the 15 mg in a typical diet). Vitamin A can cause liver damage and possibly birth defects at daily doses of 10,000 IU or more. Vitamin B-6 can cause (reversible) nerve damage at doses of 200 mg or more."

Please remember we do not endorse any treatments and strongly advise you to check with your doctor before using, stopping or changing a treatment.

next: You Know You Have ADHD When...
~ back to adders.org homepage
~ adhd library articles
~ all add/adhd articles

Overview of music therapy as an alternative treatment for depression and whether music therapy works in treating depression.

What is Music Therapy for Depression?

Music has an emotional effect on people and has been used to lift mood.

How does Music Therapy for Depression work?

Music is thought to influence the areas of the brain that control emotion. How it does this is not understood.

Is Music Therapy for Depression effective?

Researchers have looked at the immediate effects of music on the mood of depressed people. They have found that listening to music does not differ in its effects from listening to noise or just sitting quietly. However, a study that combined music with cognitive behavior therapy (which is a proven treatment for depression) did find positive effects on depression.

Are there any disadvantages to Music for Depression?

None are known.

Where do you get Music Therapy for Depression?

Choose any music you enjoy on radio, CD or live concerts.

Recommendation

There is no good evidence at present that listening to music in itself helps depression.

Key references

Field T, Martinez A, Nawrocki T et al. Music shifts frontal EEG in depressed adolescents. Adolescence 1998; 33: 109-116.

Hanser SB, Thompson LW. Effects of a music therapy strategy on depressed older adults. Journal of Gerontology 1999; 49: P265-269.

Lai Y-M. Effects of music listening on depressed women in Taiwan. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 1999; 20: 229-246.

back to: Alternative Treatments for Depression

Hi, I'm Roger and I'd like to tell you some things about myself. I am a 63-year old who has been involved with computers and the internet long enough that I remember having to get my first (winsock) program from a server in Australia.

My health history includes a lifelong battle with depression, including hospitalization, when I was young and many years of losing my battle with depression.

I have been a locksmith, a salesman and sales executive, and worked in a photo processing lab. I have been a maintenance man, worked in retail, owned my own business, been unemployed and homeless, done some carpentry, and sold seafood on a roadside from a truck. I have tried drugs and alcohol, and managed to stop; mental health professionals helped me for about a year with group therapy to get my life back together. I know what depression can do and what it does to people. I have had numerous significant others since my divorce in 1980, and I have someone in my life now that is so significant I'll probably keep her. We've been together for 6 (good) years.

My life has changed so much in the last 7 years that I almost don't recognize me. In July of 1995, my son David committed suicide. I had not been the father to him that I wish I could have been. Again, depression was a factor, and divorce was too. There are a lot of other factors, and the biggest was that David had depression too. He had married a German girl, and that marriage was failing. It seems that probably pushed him over the edge. When I looked back over his life, I saw a victim - over and over. I had not been there for him while he went through his teen years, and frankly, I didn't know how to help myself much less help him.

Although my parents are still alive, I can tell you that nothing in my whole life hurt more than my son's death. Suicide is a waste. A terrible waste. After his death, I began to research why he died. The "why" is an unanswerable question in suicide because there are so many different factors that add up to make a person feel so bad as to kill themselves. But I tried to answer "why". Why would he do that? Why?

There are too many answers, and there are no answers. I still searched. What happened was that I finally got some group therapy for suicide survivors (those who have lost someone to suicide). Other people shared their heartbreak with me, and I shared mine with them. It is an unbelievable help to be able to get those things about suicide out in the open and share them with people that understand our grief. The social workers/group moderators gave us guidance, and we used a lot of tissues soaking up tears. What I found was that you and I are in the same boat, and my pain and your pain are the same. Grief can be a great equalizer when it is shared, and the sharing helps us to go through the grief easier. Like someone said, you might have to go through it, but you don't have to do it by yourself (same applies to depression).

Well, I had a lot of knowledge about suicide, and my son was dead. What I knew couldn't help him. Nothing could help him. So what good did it do for me to learn about depression and suicide? I benefitted from what I had learned, but the knowledge would now be wasted. What was the use in my knowing it? I decided that since I had all this information about suicide, I would make a website and help people that were (are) in trouble and in danger of dying. So in 1995, I set up the Apocalypse site. One single page. The same page that is now the main or home page. Since then, there have been a lot of people helped by the site, and I have learned a lot from them about their feelings and their strengths and weaknesses. For the last two-and-a-half years, I have been semi-retired, and have helped other people "full-time".

Currently, I take medicine to help me overcome my depression. There are a lot of other ways I have changed my life and there are many tips that I can offer you to help you win your battle against your depression. My entire life has been so improved for the better because my understanding of the world and my place in it. Some of that picture has been changed because I see my world through the eyes of someone helping other people instead of seeing it as someone who is a taker, and is only out for himself. I have learned to defend myself from people who would take advantage of me. And then, well, just see the site, there is much more of me there and I hope you will understand more about who I am and by doing so, I hope to see you changing for the better also. We just have to unlearn some things that hurt us and then learn better ways of coping with the world. We can do that, and we can be much happier even if we have depression.

I appreciate you coming by and I hope to "see" you often.

Roger

next: Antidepressant Medications: Sample Directions For Taking Antidepressants
~ back to Apocalypse Suicide homepage
~ depression library articles
~ all articles on depression

This is a straightforward summary, from the psychotherapist's point of view, of what can happen when a person with any eating disorder starts therapy.

I am a psychotherapist in private practice. My job is to help make the unconscious conscious and support people as they learn to live with greater awareness of themselves and the world.

When people with eating disorders come for their first appointments they have a lot to say. Some know it and start talking openly right away. Some are so nervous they don't know what to do or say or expect. But it doesn't take long before they start to tell their story. It's often a relief to start talking.

So first, I listen. Sometimes I listen for a long time. People with eating disorders have little or no experience or knowledge in really trusting anyone. Some know they don't trust, and some think they do.

Some people who think they trust others often open too fast and pour their hearts out in the first few minutes. They may feel unbearably vulnerable after such an emotional release and begin making impossible demands (like "tell me what to do to make everything fine right now"). When they hear that recovery takes time, effort and resources, they panic or get angry or both. Then they disappear.

Some people are looking for someone to trust. They pour their hearts out hoping they are in a safe place. They are being brave and taking a risk. They feel a powerful sense of relief when the therapist is trustworthy and understands eating disorders. They stay to explore because they've already discovered that they can take an emotional risk in the service of their recovery and be okay.

The people who know they don't trust may be the most courageous of all. They come to therapy, sometimes in terror. They know they don't trust me anyone, but they know they need help. They expect the worst of their imaginations and hope for the best which is beyond their imaginations. They hope. They want to run away as fast as they can, but they use their strength and great desire to be well to stay to try.

The delicate part of this first issue is that people with eating disorders often put their trust in untrustworthy people long ago. Perhaps they had no choice. Sometimes the untrustworthy people were their caregivers.

So it's difficult for them to come to another caregiver, the psychotherapist, and develop a genuine relationship. They trust too fast, or they don't trust at all.

An early and important step that continues throughout therapy, is working with, talking about, living through, feeling and appreciating the complexity of trust.

When they say they don't trust me, I say, "Why should you? You just met me. It will take time for me to earn your trust."

You see, they feel isolated in what they experience as a distant, cold and dangerous world. So it often doesn't occur to them that someone, without pressure or manipulation, would accept their distrust and make an effort to be a reliable presence in their lives.

When they say, "Oh, I trust you." I say, "Why should you? You just met me. It will take time for me to earn your trust."

Some try to ignore their feelings of isolation and danger. After all, people with eating disorders try, often successfully, to ignore many of their feelings. That's the main function of their eating disorder. So, to prove that the world is safe, that there are no dangerous people in it and they have no need of fear or anxiety, they trust almost anyone very quickly.

When they know they don't have to trust me blindly or pretend to trust me, the pressure is off. They can relax a little. They may start to share more of what is going on inside of them.

Eventually, if all goes well, they will share with me not only things they've never told anyone else, but also things they didn't know themselves. This is when awareness and appreciation of themselves and their life situation begins.

People don't have eating disorders because of food. They binge, starve, compulsively eat and purge as a way of self medicating themselves. There are feelings they cannot bear to experience. Often they don't know this themselves. But when they eat to the point of emotional numbness, starve to an ethereal high, fill themselves up and get rid of it through vomiting or laxatives or excessive exercise, they are fighting off a terrible despair.

We don't try to find out what that terrible despair is right away. I doubt that we could succeed in a fast way if we did. But even trying in a focused concentrated way can be too threatening. The person might not be able to bear so much pain.

When a person feels more pain than they can bear they may choose self destructive behavior even more harsh than their eating disorder. Suicide can look like the only option to a person in total despair. The eating disorder helps the people to not feel their despair.

So the work proceeds gently.

As people become stronger and more aware, they develop an earned confidence in themselves. They are capable of accepting more realistic knowledge of the world and the kinds of people in it. They then can develop and use more tools for functioning well in the world. When they can do that the eating disorder is not such a crucial defense.

Because of this the person can begin to let go of their disorder without feeling that they are in unbearable danger. They are participating more in life, and they are beginning to develop trust in their ability to care for themselves.

At this point, even though they feel vulnerable and new, they start to rely on their new competence. They have proven themselves trustworthy to themselves.

In the therapy process, they learn how to live with their misgivings about the therapist and over time learned valid reasons for giving that therapist their trust. They learn what it takes to earn trust.

This learning extends over to their own internal experience. For the first time in their lives, they appreciate what it takes to earn their own trust. When they develop and discover their own trustworthiness they discover a strength and security they never dreamed possible before.

Overeating, bingeing, purging, starving, spacing out on sugar or massive quantities of anything can't compare to the freedom and security in relying on your own strength, judgment and competence.

People learn to let themselves feel, now that they trust themselves to be their own trustworthy caretaker. They learn to listen to their thoughts and feelings, now that they know what listening is. They make decisions that are in their best interest for health and a good life, now that they have tools and know how to use them.

An eating disorder is a pretty paltry, flimsy, time consuming and useless protector when you compare it to your own trustworthy, caring and responsible self. You integrate some of the relationship you had with your therapist into your own style of being in the world. You become your own caretaker. And before you take any action you remember that first step in therapy. You have confidence that you can feel, know what you are feeling and listen to yourself now. You recognize your frailties. You know how to draw on your own inner reliable and trustworthy sources of life affirming wisdom. That's where you find your freedom.

next: For Teens: When You Discover a Friend is Bulimic or Anorexic
~ all triumphant journey articles
~ eating disorders library
~ all articles on eating disorders

Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified includes disorders of eating that do not meet the criteria for any specific eating disorder. Examples include:

1. For females, all of the criteria for anorexia nervosa are met except that the individual has regular menses.
2. All of the criteria for anorexia nervosa are met except that, despite significant weight loss the individual's current weight is in the normal range.
3. All of the criteria for bulimia nervosa are met except that the binge eating and inappropriate compensatory mechanisms occur at a frequency of less than twice a week or for duration of less than 3 months.
4. The regular use of inappropriate compensatory behavior by an individual of normal body weight after eating small amounts of food (eg, self-induced vomiting after the consumption of two cookies).
5. Repeatedly chewing and spitting out, but not swallowing, large amounts of food.
6. Binge-eating disorder: recurrent episodes of binge eating in the absence if the regular use of inappropriate compensatory behaviors characteristic of bulimia nervosa.

There are variants of disordered eating that do not meet the diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. These are still eating disorders requiring necessary treatment. A substantial number of individuals with eating disorders fit into this category. Individuals with eating disordered behaviors that resemble anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa but whose eating behaviors do not meet one or more essential diagnostic criteria may be diagnosed with EDNOS. Examples include: individuals who meet criteria for anorexia nervosa but continue to menstruate, individuals who regularly purge but do not binge eat, and individuals who meet criteria for bulimia nervosa, but binge eat less than twice weekly, etc. Being diagnosed as having an "Eating Disorder not Otherwise Specified" does not mean that you are in any less danger or that you suffer any less.

Profile: "Not Otherwise Specified":

Having an "Eating Disorder not Otherwise Specified" can mean a variety of things. The sufferer may have symptoms of Anorexia but still have their menstrual cycle. It can mean the victim can still be an "average/normal weight" but still be suffering Anorexia. It can mean the victim equally participates in some Anorexic as well as Bulimic behaviors (referred to as Bulimiarexic by some).

The most important thing to remember is that Eating Disorders, Anorexia, Bulimia, Compulsive Overeating, or any combination of them, are all very serious psychological illnesses! They all have their physical dangers and complications. They all present themselves through a variety of disordered eating patterns. They stem from issues such as low self-esteem, a need to ignore emotional states such as depression, anger, pain, anger, and most of all. They have developed as a means to cope with one's current state. There is help and hope...

Diagnostic Criteria: EDNOS

The following definition of an Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified is meant to assist mental health professionals in making a clinical diagnosis. This clinical category of disordered eating is meant for those who suffer but do not meet all the diagnostic criteria for another specific disorder.

Examples Include:

1. All of the criteria for Anorexia Nervosa are met except the individual has regular menses.

2. All of the criteria for Anorexia Nervosa are met except that, despite substantial weight loss, the individual's current weight is in the normal range.

3. All of the criteria for Bulimia Nervosa are met except binges occur at a frequency of less than twice a week or for duration of less than 3 months.

4. An individual of normal body weight who regularly engages in inappropriate compensatory behavior after eating small amounts of food (e.g., self-induced vomiting after the consumption of two cookies.)

5. An individual, who repeatedly chews and spits out, but does not swallow, large amounts of food.

6. Recurrent episodes of binge eating in the absence of the regular use of inappropriate compensatory behaviors characteristic of bulimia nervosa.

Summary:

The diagnosis of an eating disorder can be difficult. The boundaries between normal and disordered eating are difficult to delineate at times. Many individuals with clearly disordered eating do not meet the formal diagnostic criteria for one of the specific disorders and are classified as having Eating Disorder NOS. The failure to meet formal criteria does not necessarily mean that the individual does not have a serious and significant disorder. Formal evaluations for diagnosis and treatment should only be made by qualified mental health practitioners.

next: Eating Disorders: Self Injury
~ eating disorders library
~ all articles on eating disorders

Self-Therapy For People Who ENJOY Learning About Themselves

It's the classic question of all time: "Who Am I?"

Am I the conscious me...
the guy who works and plays and thinks and is aware of himself?

Am I the subconscious me...
the person with deep, hidden desires I don't even know about?

Am I the spiritual me...
driven by spiritual forces and universal realities I can only guess at?

Am I the person I wish I was, or the person I fear I am?

Am I the person my friends think they know?

Who Is The Real Me?

Let's check out the possibilities.

AM I THE CONSCIOUS ME?

I know for sure that I'm not just the conscious me.

I can be aware of working and playing and thinking on a moment-by-moment basis but something deeper is driving me all the time too.

As I sit here writing this I'm aware of my thoughts about the topic and of the feeling of the keys on the keyboard and the look of the words on my computer screen. But I sure don't know all of the motivations that made me sit here and do this.

Something subconscious definitely nudges me into deciding what I do.

AM I THE SUBCONSCIOUS ME?

I know there must be motives and desires that are unknown to me and that lead me toward the things I do. Sometimes these things just pop out and shock me.

How can we explain an urge to suddenly call an old friend or to take a drive alone or even to just cross our legs when we are sitting? Sometimes we can find "triggers" for our impulses, but usually we just move from one subconscious impulse to another without any real awareness of why we do what we do.

So I know there are two "parts" of me, conscious and subconscious. But I can't know enough about them and how they work to form a good picture of who I am.

AM I THE SPIRITUAL ME?

Trying to discover the real me through speculation about historical and spiritual forces is futility to the infinite degree.

I can believe in this me but I can't know this me.

AM I THE PERSON I WISH I WAS - OR THE PERSON I FEAR I AM?

Wishes and fears are just fantasies.

I'm more than a fantasy.

AM I THE PERSON MY FRIENDS THINK THEY KNOW?

No... but we're getting closer now.

Our friends and acquaintances have a better look at us than we do! They aren't confused by our fantasies about who we are. They don't know what we fear we are, or what we hope we are.
They mainly know what they can see, hear, smell(!), taste, and feel about us.

They mainly know the REAL us!

An Important Caution Must Go Here Though:
Our acquaintances see us through their own fantasies, so their view isn't pure reality.

So, if all of your information about who you are comes from a group of people who share the same beliefs, they might be quite wrong. If they are all in the same family, or they all have the same religious beliefs, or they are all in the same profession as you, you will need a wider network of friends and acquaintances before you can hope to get an accurate picture of how you are seen by others.

SO WHO IS THE REAL ME?

The real me is what is observable, actual, and measurable through our senses. The external me is best known through the eyes and ears of the people around me. The internal me is best known through my own internal sensations - what I feel inside as I go through life.

I know I am tall and balding because that's what you see when we are together.
I know I have a deep voice because that's what you hear when I talk.
I know I care about myself and others because
I feel warm in my chest when I think about it.
And I know what excites me, and saddens me, and angers me...

YOU KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT WHO YOU ARE

You might not like what your friends think about you but if nine out of ten friends say you are too thin, you are!

You may be uncomfortable when people say good things about you but if nine out of ten people say you are kind, you are!

You might not want to believe your body sometimes but if you feel hunger, you are!

DON'T MAKE IT SO COMPLICATED!

You don't need to know everything about yourself to know the real you.

You don't need to gather all of the conscious and subconscious awareness you've ever experienced to figure it out.

You don't need to ask historians, or the gods, or the universe.

All you need to know about who you are is right there in your own senses. It's what the people you know have told you they see, and it's what you feel in your own body constantly.

Don't confuse yourself about it. Admit that you know who you are and can accept who you are!

We do!

Enjoy Your Changes!

Everything here is designed to help you do just that!

next: Do You Think You Can't?

Introduction

• Creating Relationships Homepage
• About the Author
• My Photo Gallery
• My Artwork
• My Writting Homepage
  • Intensity Seeker (poem)
  • Choices: A Story Of A Tomboy
  • An Amazing Coincidence
  • Radical Honesty, What A Concept
  • Dialogue With God On Money
  • Meditation Experience
  • Procrastinating
  • The Difficult Boss

Creating Relationships

• Be Self 'ish' in Love
• What is Love?
• Is Love Painful?
• Is What I'm Feeling Infatuation or Love?
• Different Types of Relationships
• Problems in Relationships
• The Ways We Fight
• Honesty Is Necessary in Love
• How to Improve Your Relationships
• It All Begins with You

Self Awareness

• It All Begins with Awareness
• Using Questions to Be More Self Aware
• Tips on Answering Questions
• Self Awareness Questions

Self Acceptance

• Self Acceptance
• Society and Acceptance
• What Is a Value Judgment?
• You Are Always Doing Your Best
• Does Guilt Work?
• Interview on Acceptance

Self Creation

• Recreate Yourself and Your Life
• Identify Your Wants
• Removing the Obstacles in Your Way
• How Creation Works
• Do What You Love to Do

Happiness

• What Is Happiness?
• Why Is Personal Happiness So Important?
• Happiness Is Everyone's Ultimate Goal
• Society and Happiness
• Using Unhappiness As Motivation
• 8 Ways to Happiness:
  
  1. Responsibility
  2. Deliberate Intent
  3. Acceptance
  4. Beliefs
  5. Gratitude
  6. This Moment
  7. Honesty
  8. Perspective

Books

• My Library books on Spiritual Growth, Personal Growth, Love Relationships,
  Success, Leadership, Money, Humor, Philossophy and more

back to: Creating Relationships Homepage

Self-Therapy For People Who ENJOY Learning About Themselves

MY KNOWLEDGE AND INTEREST

I'm not an expert on addictions but I do know a lot about how people change. And overcoming addiction is one of the biggest changes anyone can make.

So here are the beliefs and methods I find most helpful for people who are licking their addictions.

Since some people don't trust anyone unless they've been through it themselves, I will tell you that I overcame my own addiction to very heavy smoking. It was the most difficult thing I ever did until I learned what I'm going to tell you here.

THE DEPRESSION

Every addictive chemical makes us feel better emotionally - temporarily. Some chemicals directly stimulate our pleasure zone, and others make us feel numb when we are afraid of our feelings.
Everyone with a major addiction gets at least a little depressed due to these chemical changes, especially during the first few days after quitting.

We need to minimize this depression to be able to quit.

THE SCARE

Addicts depend on the distorted feelings they get from their chemicals. Their feelings scare them into thinking that they need the chemicals even though their brains know they don't. And their brains have been losing this battle ever since they became addicted.

So we also need to minimize or eliminate this fear to be able to quit.

WHAT TO DO SO YOU CAN QUIT

1) Get medication from an MD who is an expert on addictions.
2) Get all the physical and emotional support you can from your family, your support group, your friends, and from professionals.
3) Use up all your anger and fear energy safely - until you get full relief.
4) Treat yourself well if you experience failures along the way.
5) Treat yourself well every time you succeed.

1) GETTING MEDICATION FOR AN EXPERT MD

There are many excellent new addiction medications. Don't expect your usual family doctor to know about these. You need a specialist in addictions to help you discover what will work best for you. Call a therapist or any Family Service Agency for a referral to an addiction specialist who is also an MD.

2) GETTING PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL SUPPORT

Physical Support: You will need safe, warm touch now! Get non-sexual touch from anyone who offers or says it's O.K. when you ask. It's one of the strongest ways to feel your own worth.

Emotional Support: Don't spend time with people who want you to keep using! This may include some good friends. They are probably good people, but they are bad for you now. Stay away from them. Spend as much time as you can with people who are proud of you for quitting, and with those who cared about you whether you were using or not.

3) USING UP ALL YOUR ANGER AND FEAR SAFELY:

About Anger: You are going to be angry at a lot of things: the chemicals, the manufacturers, anyone who encouraged you to start, anyone who insists you have to quit, etc. If you don't notice your anger you will get very depressed. (When you start to think you are angry with yourself, that's the start of depression.)

About Fear: And you are probably going to be afraid - afraid you won't succeed, and maybe even more afraid that you will succeed and you won't know how to handle your life without the chemicals.

You need to USE UP your anger and your fear. If these feelings are as strong as they are for most people, you will need to use them up in a physical but entirely safe way. When you are scared you might just have to let yourself sit and shake. (I know this is painful, but it's so much more painful to feel like this and try to run away from it.) And when you are angry you might need to find a pile of wood that needs to be chopped, or a bunch of bottles you can smash safely in a junkyard, or something else that brings you safe and powerful physical relief.

A Caution About Anger: Most people who get hooked on chemicals have been badly hurt in their life. They were taught that all anger has to be used on people. This is absolutely not true. If you use such big anger on people, there will be more anger to deal with afterward. If you use it on inanimate objects you can get full relief.

4) TREAT YOURSELF WELL IF YOU FAIL ALONG THE WAY

Always focus on your successes, even when you fail. If you use the chemical again after avoiding it for a week, it's the successful week that matters, not the failure along the way.

5) TREAT YOURSELF WELL BY CELEBRATING WHEN YOU SUCCEED

Every time you pass up an opportunity to use, this is a major success. Celebrate alone when necessary, but celebrate with others who care about you whenever you can.

Reading this and thinking seriously about these things is already a major success!

So you can celebrate right now!

Enjoy Your Changes!

Everything here is designed to help you do just that!

next: About Joy