#15. Embodied Cognition (Therapy Tip of the Week)
As psychotherapists, it’s easy to get lost in our heads. Our pet theories end up dominating and preventing us from being in touch with the person in front of us. In this Therapy Tip...
Tagged: empathy
To Be Altered
Renowned improv teacher, Keith Johnstone says the following: Instead of telling actors that they must be good listeners (which is confusing), we should say, ‘Be altered by what’s said.’ Good theatre is like tennis in...
Listening Into Speech: Will Say, Won’t Say, Can’t Say.
A version of this first appeared in The Network of Alcohol and other Drugs Agencies (NADA) newsletter in 2020. NADA is the peak organisation for the non government alcohol and other drugs sector in NSW....
Outrospection
This originally appeared in the book, The First Kiss: Undoing the Intake Model and Igniting First Sessions in Psychotherapy, Chapter 19. “What is Your View of the Problem?” “Curiosity never killed the cat.” ~...
It’s Not About You.
One common advice that is often given to someone preparing for a speech is to rehearse in front of a mirror. This is one of those common wisdom that is not helpful. What happens...
To Understand? Easy. To Help Someone Feel Understood? Difficult.
Recently, someone said something to me that cast doubt on my ability as a therapist. This person said, “It’s not that hard to help someone feel understood. With good eye contact, attentive listening sprinkled...
The Language of Inner Life
“The limits of my language means the limits of my world.” ~ Tractatus, Ludwig Wittgenstein. The language that we need to learn and to know, not so much as to explain things (see this...
Myths About Myth
A myth is the image we have of the world and our relationship with it, and the story we tell ourselves. A myth is not the opposite of fact. All of us carry myths—implicit...
The Paradox of Focusing on the Therapist
Empathy has a hard time seeing a bigger picture. That is why fundraisers for charities do better when they tell a compelling story of an individual child with no access to clean water, rather...
Recent Comments