“
As your satsang deepens, the debris starts floating to the surface bringing much discomfort to the body-mind. Now is not the time for therapy or analysis. Simply leave it to the Sovereign Power whose benevolence washes away all delusion. Remember this!
”
”
Mooji (Writing on Water: Spontaneous Utterances, Insights and Drawings)
“
I don't know why you would even bring up the internet. The xeno-intelligence officer responsible for evaluating your digital communication required invasive emergency therapy after an hour's exposure. One glance at that thing is the strongest argument possible against the sentience of humanity. I wouldn't draw attention to it, if I were you.
”
”
Catherynne M. Valente (Space Opera (Space Opera, #1))
“
Tempting as it may be to draw one conclusion or another from my story and universalize it to apply to another's experience, it is not my intention for my book to be seen as some sort of cookie-cutter approach and explanation of mental illness, It is not ab advocacy of any particular form of therapy over another. Nor is it meant to take sides in the legitimate and necessary debate within the mental health profession if which treatments are most effective for this or any other mental illness.
What it is, I hope, is a way for readers to get a true feel for what it's like to be in the grips of mental illness and what it's like to strive for recovery.
”
”
Rachel Reiland (Get Me Out of Here: My Recovery from Borderline Personality Disorder)
“
What daily life is like for “a multiple”
Imagine that you have periods of “lost time.” You may find writings or drawings which you must have done, but do not remember producing. Perhaps you find child-sized clothing or toys in your home but have no children. You might also hear voices or babies crying in your head.
Imagine that you can never predict when you will be able to have certain knowledge or social skills, and your emotions and your energy level seem to change at the drop of a hat, and for no apparent reason.
You cannot understand why you feel what you feel, and, if you are in therapy, you cannot explore those feelings when asked. Your life feels disjointed and often confusing. It is a frightening experience. It feels out of control, and you probably think you are going crazy. That is what it is like to be multiple, and all of it is experienced by the ANPs.
A multiple may also experience very concrete problems, even life-threatening ones.
”
”
Alison Miller (Healing the Unimaginable: Treating Ritual Abuse and Mind Control)
“
Choose a color that reflects how you’re feeling today. 2.Draw a circle with that color. 3.In that circle, use lines and shapes to draw an image or images to identify how you’re feeling today. 4.Name your art.
”
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Leah Guzman MA (Essential Art Therapy Exercises: Effective Techniques to Manage Anxiety, Depression, and PTSD)
“
Another technique developed by Jung was that of “active imagination.” Jung encouraged his patients to enter a state of reverie in which judgment was suspended but consciousness preserved. They were then enjoined to note what fantasies occurred to them, and to let these fantasies go their own way without interference. Jung encouraged his patients to draw and paint their fantasies, finding that this technique both helped the patient to rediscover hidden parts of himself and also portrayed the psychological journey upon which he was embarked. Jung was the first analyst to supplement verbal exchange in this way; and the increasing use of painting, modelling and music in therapy bears witness to Jung’s prescience.
”
”
C.G. Jung (The Essential Jung: Selected Writings)
“
Roland knew the story and said nothing. It was Eddie who didn’t know the story, an Eddie who was really clear-headed for the first time in maybe ten years or more. Eddie wasn’t telling the story to Roland; Eddie was finally telling the story to himself.
”
”
Stephen King (The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower, #2))
“
People with an entertaining rigid structure are brought up in environments in which the parents are uncomfortable with expressing feelings. This is not to say that the parents do not care, but they do not express feelings like affection, warmth, and caring or feel comfortable with expressing such feelings (Keleman). The experience within the family is not one of intimacy and true interchange of feeling. To contend with the situation, the child may learn to draw out the parents by being cute, entertaining, or charming. Although being charming is something most children do naturally to some extent, the difference in the case of people with an entertaining rigid structure is that this becomes the primary mode of relating.
Furthermore, the entertaining rigid structure pattern is reinforced as the parents respond primarily to the child's charm, rather than to their own feelings. Therefore, such children effectively learn that they will not get the reaction they crave without using that behavior. At the same time, these children are also developing or have developed a discomfort with intimacy that is similar to that of their parents. As a result, people with an entertaining rigid structure as adults act out this pattern in which they are energized or emotionally fed by being able to cause another person to be attracted to them, but they become anxious if the person becomes too close or expresses "real" feeling. Love is what they are really craving, and they think they are getting it, but are not. In other words, they have mistaken the energy of attraction for love.
”
”
Elliot Greene (The Psychology of the Body (Lww Massage Therapy & Bodywork Educational Series))
“
The patient brings with him into therapy all the failures and suspicions and losses he has experienced through his life. The defensive forms of insecure attachment - avoidance, ambivalence, disorganisation - will be brought into play in relation to the therapist. There will be a struggle between these habitual patterns and the skill of the therapist in providing a secure base - the capacity to be responsive and attuned to the patient's feelings, to receive projections and to transmute them in such a way that the patient can face their hitherto unmanageable feelings. To the extent that this happens, the patient will gradually relinquish their attachment to the therapist while, simultaneously, an internal secure base is built up inside. As a result, as therapy draws to a close, the patient is better able to form less anxious attachment relationships in the external world and feels more secure in himself. As concrete attachment to the therapist lessens, so the qualities of self-responsiveness and self-attunement are more firmly established in the inner world.
”
”
Jeremy Holmes (John Bowlby and Attachment Theory (Makers of Modern Psychotherapy))
“
... we might be drawn into a more left-centric way of hearing ... and experience the promotion of safety as a somewhat mechanical process in which A inevitably leads to B-- [ie: the belief that 'my being in a ventral state will automatically draw you into one, and if it doesn't then there is something wrong with one of us'.]
Viewing it that way encourages us to turn social engagement into a technique, even a manipulation of the other person's nervous system toward what we view as a more desirable state. Ironically, when the left hemisphere is dominant rather than supportive of right-centric attending, we have already moved out of social engagement and thus are in no position to offer safe space to another. When we make an effort to return to it, we have forgotten that neuroception is continually arising automatically and not under the control of our will.
The very pressure to activate ventral makes the space between us unsafe.
”
”
Bonnie Badenoch (The Heart of Trauma: Healing the Embodied Brain in the Context of Relationships (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology))
“
I dial her mum's number, then sit down cross-legged, facing the wall. When she comes on the line, she sounds uncertain, hesitant.
'Hey! Guess where I am?' I ask, my voice loud with false cheer.
'Rami told me. The Wellesly Hospital in Worthing. What's it like?'
'For a loony-bin it's actually quite decent,' I reply. 'I don't have Sky or an en-suite, and the menu isn't exactly à la carte, but you know...' I tail off.
There is a silence.
'Do you have your own room?' Jenna asks,
'Oh yeah, yeah. I have a lovely view of the sea between the bars of my window.'
She doesn't laugh.
'Have you started' -there is a pause as she searches for the right word -'threatment?'
'Yeah, yeah. We had group therapy today. Tomorrow we'll probably have art therapy - maybe I'll draw you a hourse and a garden. I know, perhaps they'll teach us to make baskets! Isn't that why they call us basket cases?'
'Flynn, stop,' Jennah softly implores.
'And we'll probably have music therapy the day after. Maybe I'll get to play the tambourine. Or the triangle. I've always wanted to play the triangle!'
'Flynn-'
'No, I'm serious! I'll ask for some manuscript paper and see if I can write a composition for tambourine and triangle. Then I can post if off to you to hand in for my next composition assignment.'
'Flynn, listen-'
'Hold on, hold on! I'm making a note to myself now: Find fellow insane musician and start composing the Flynn Laukonen Sonata for Tambourine and Triangle.'
'Flynn-'
'And then, when they let me out, if they ever let me out, perhaps you could pull a few strigns and organize for me and my tambourine buddy to give a recital. I'm not sure where though -how about the subway at Marble Arch tube? Nice and central, good acoustics-'
'What are the other people like?' Jennah cuts in, an edge to her voice. I notice she doesn't use the word patients. Clever Jennah. For a moment there you almost made me forget I was locked up in a mental institution.
'Round the bend, just like me,' I reply. 'I'm in excellent company. We'll be swapping suicide tips in no time at all!' I give a harsh laugh.
”
”
Tabitha Suzuma (A Voice in the Distance (Flynn Laukonen, #2))
“
As I let it out, layer by layer, Dr. Driscoll helped with the bumps and valleys. He knew just how much to draw out of me and how much I could handle. He is such an expert in his profession. He told me that the guilt I was feeling was not guilt, but regret. Guilt is a good thing. It is a mechanism by which we shouldn't make the same mistake twice. If you do something questionable, then the next chance you get to do it, guilt should stop you. I had no guilt. I had regrets, many regrets, but no guilt. It took some convincing, but he prevailed. There was always a nagging in my head, that if only I had had the guts to kill Neary myself, it would have stopped him from harming others, but that was not to be as a small boy. It does hurt that, maybe, just maybe, if I had carried out one of my many plans to kill him and myself then I could have saved victims younger than I. As victims come forward from almost all the churches where he served—and some are twenty—five plus years my junior—I feel that they would have been spared, if only I hadn't chickened out as a boy. Therein lies the answer; I was a little boy, a ten—year—old boy. Other victims of Neary were as young as six.
”
”
Charles L. Bailey Jr. (In the Shadow of the Cross: The True Account of My Childhood Sexual and Ritual Abuse at the Hands of a Roman Catholic Priest)
“
Drawing and other forms of visual art can be an amazingly powerful tool for inner child healing. Drawing, painting, and playing with clay are things that children do spontaneously, happily, and naturally. We only lose our artistic inclinations as adults, when we are made to feel ashamed of something that we've created. Drawing is so ingrained in our natural human development that it comes well before writing. Art therapy is often used with children who refuse to speak or who feel they cannot verbalize their feelings. Inviting your inner child to color and draw can give you the freedom to finally say thins you were never able to put into words. If you are artistically inclined as an adults, you know that the process of creating visual art breaks you out of rational, analytical mental states. If you suffered with very restrictive parents or an education that prioritized verbal logic, drawing can help you reconnect with your natural, childlike creative impulses. Everyone is capable of making art. It's a natural, necessary part of our development. The stifling of creativity through shame or criticism leaves very real wounds on the inner child. Drawing through our self-doubts, self-criticisms allows us to speak with the child in its own language.
”
”
Don Barlow (Inner Child Recovery Work with Radical Self Compassion: Self-Control Practices and Emotional Intelligence; From Conflict to Resolution for Better Relationships)
“
More or less the same can be said for Art Therapy, which is organized infantilism. Our class was run by a delirious young woman with a fixed, indefatigable
smile, who was plainly trained at a school offering courses in Teaching Art to the
Mentally Ill; not even a teacher of very young retarded children could have been
compelled to bestow, without deliberate instruction, such orchestrated chuckles
and coos. Unwinding long rolls of slippery mural paper, she would tell us to take
our crayons and make drawings illustrative of themes that we ourselves had chosen. For example: My House. In humiliated rage I obeyed, drawing a square, with a
door and four cross-eyed windows, a chimney on top issuing forth a curlicue of
smoke. She showered me with praise, and as the weeks advanced and my health
improved so did my sense of comedy. I began to dabble happily in colored modeling clay, sculpting at first a horrid little green skull with bared teeth, which our
teacher pronounced a splendid replica of my depression. I then proceeded through
intermediate stages of recuperation to a rosy and cherubic head with a “Have-a-
Nice-Day” smile. Coinciding as it did with the time of my release, this creation truly
overjoyed my instructress (whom I’d become fond of in spite of myself), since, as
she told me, it was emblematic of my recovery and therefore but one more example
of the triumph over disease by Art Therapy.
”
”
William Styron
“
But one can see exactly why Dr Ali is so successful - he seems to offer a solution within the individual's grasp: you may not be able to change deadlines and workloads, but you can make yourself more efficient. Ancient wisdoms can be adapted to speed up human beings: this is the kind of individualised response which fits neatly into a neo-liberal market ideology. It draws on Eastern contemplative traditions of yoga and meditation which place the emphasis on individual transformation, and questions the effectiveness of collective political or social activism. Reflexology, aromatherapy, acupuncture, massage - these alternative therapies are all booming as people seek to improve their sense of well-being and vitality. Much of it makes sense - although trips to the Himalayas are hardly within the reach of most workers and the complementary health movement plays an important role in raising people's under standing of their own health and how to look after themselves. But the philosophy of improving ‘personal performance' also plays into the hands of employers' rationale that well-being and coping with stress are the responsibility of the individual employee. It reinforces the tendency for individuals to search for 'biographic solutions to structural contradictions', as the sociologist Ulrich Beck put it: forget the barricades, it's revolution from within that matters. This cultural preoccupation with personal salvation stymies collective reform, and places an onerous burden on the individual. It effectively reinforces the anxieties and insecurities which it offers to assuage.
”
”
Madeleine Bunting (Willing Slaves: How the Overwork Culture Is Ruling Our Lives)
“
We are cradlers of secrets. Every day patients grace us with their secrets, often never before shared. Receiving such secrets is a privilege given to very few. The secrets provide a backstage view of the human condition without social frills, role playing, bravado, or stage posturing. Sometimes the secrets scorch me and I go home and hold my wife and count my blessings. Other secrets pulsate within me and arouse my own fugitive, long-forgotten memories and impulses. Still others sadden me as I witness how an entire life can be needlessly consumed by shame and the inability to forgive oneself.
Those who are cradlers of secrets are granted a clarifying lens through which to view the world—a view with less distortion, denial, and illusion, a view of the way things really are. (Consider, in this regard, the titles of books written by Allen Wheelis, an eminent psychoanalyst: The Way Things Are, The Scheme of Things, The Illusionless Man.)
When I turn to others with the knowledge that we are all (therapist and patient alike) burdened with painful secrets—guilt for acts committed, shame for actions not taken, yearnings to be loved and cherished, deep vulnerabilities, insecurities, and fears—I draw closer to them. Being a cradler of secrets has, as the years have passed, made me gentler and more accepting. When I encounter individuals inflated with vanity or self-importance, or distracted by any of a myriad of consuming passions, I intuit the pain of their underlying secrets and feel not judgment but compassion and, above all, connectedness. When I was first exposed, at a Buddhist retreat, to the formal meditation of loving-kindness, I felt myself much at home. I believe that many therapists, more than is generally thought, are familiar with the realm of loving-kindness.
”
”
Irvin D. Yalom
“
My stutter started soon after, and the doctors said it was from the head injury. My mom said that when I stuttered it looked like my brain and I were trying to say ten things at once. My voice just wouldn’t work. “You can’t focus on the one idea you need to talk about,” she told me. “Just say the one thing, Jess.” She is the youngest of three—the Drew girls of McGregor, Texas—and her middle sister Connie was a speech therapist. Aunt Connie advised her to get me to calm down. “Take a breath,” my mother would say, getting down to my level to look me in the eye. That only worked so well. If you want someone to calm down, try telling them “calm down” and see where it gets you. But Connie had another idea, something that worked with other people who stuttered. Singing. “What you’re trying to say,” Mom said to me one day, “sing it to me.” I turned the phrase over in my mind, smoothing the edges of its consonants and vowels until the words became the breaths of a song. A lyric I could control. “I want Cheeeeeeri-ohhhhs,” I sang. I can’t describe that release. The rush of simply being understood. “Yes, you can have Cheerios,” my mother yelled. “You can have whatever you want! You sound so beautiful.” For the next two years, singing was the only time I didn’t stutter. I sang for everything I wanted, like some Disney princess making a wish. Around four, the stutter became more pronounced and my parents took me to a therapist. He used art therapy and asked me to draw myself in the family. I drew my parents standing in front of our house, then put myself inside looking out from a window. He told my parents I had a fear of abandonment. Looking back, I know my parents never left me alone, and maybe I was even around them too much. But somehow, I still had a fear that they would leave me.
”
”
Jessica Simpson (Open Book)
“
In the world of mental health, the lowest-functioning clients and the highest-functioning clients receive the worst care. The lowest-functioning clients typically struggle with serious mental illnesses that are maintained more than cured. And, because of downward drift that draws a disproportionate number of such patients into the lower income brackets, these clients often do not have access to top-notch care. The highest-functioning clients, on the other hand, usually have a lot going for them, including family or schools that connect them with private therapists when needed. These high-functioning clients are what therapists call YAVIS—young, attractive, verbal, intelligent, and successful—and these qualities bestow all sorts of social and psychological advantages. Being young means, as a colleague once put it, “that you haven’t completely screwed up your life yet.” Being verbal allows you to easily exchange a common currency with friends and bosses as you parlay being talkative into social status. Intelligence aids achievement and problem-solving, and even leadership. Successful people are generally brimming with confidence. And, as Aristotle said, “beauty is a greater recommendation than any letter of introduction.” So, YAVIS clients are well received nearly everywhere they go, and many therapists light up when one comes walking in the door. Still, there are two paths to being smart and charming when you are young: Life has been good or life has been bad. When life has been good, maybe someone goes to see a therapist for a while because some isolated thing is not currently going well. Most likely, the difficulty will be resolved quickly and the client will be on his way. When life has been bad, someone goes to see a therapist because even though things look pretty on the outside the person feels horrible on the inside, and this is a discrepancy that even many therapists cannot hold. Sometimes it is just too jarring to imagine that someone who seems so perfect has lived a life that has been so imperfect. What results is a therapy where the client’s image gets in the way of the help that he or she needs. The client has come to focus on what has not gone well, but the therapist is blinded by what has. Too often, being successful when you are young is about survival. Some people are good at hiding their troubles. They are good at “falling up.
”
”
Meg Jay (The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter—And How to Make the Most of Them Now)
“
Draw a floor plan of the house you lived in as a child, including all the floors.
”
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Jean J. Jenson (Reclaiming Your Life: A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Regression Therapy to Overcome the Effects of Childhood Abuse)
“
I’d have to agree. Some children are so neglected or stifled that they learn to be careful and watchful before they can talk. These early learnings affect our view of the world for the rest of our lives unless careful therapy roots out the problem and heals it. Even babies, however, can communicate discomfort, and small children, when frightened, draw back or say “No.” That first “no,” that first drawing back, may be the child’s last, but it is an honest defense. If the child is abused for his natural response, he quickly learns to squelch it. We are naturally inclined to defend ourselves from harm and we must be frightened into accepting harm. If, as children, we learn to accept harm, as adults we see harm to ourselves as the way of the world.
”
”
Anne Katherine (Boundaries Where You End And I Begin: How To Recognize And Set Healthy Boundaries)
“
Riding, balancing, and walking on a seesaw. Balancing on a Teeter-Totter—Center a board over a railroad timber. (See The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun for ideas.) Sitting on a T-stool—A T-stool helps improve balance, posture, and attention. (See The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun for ideas.) Balancing on a Large Therapy Ball—Your child can lie on her stomach, on her back, or sit and bounce. Some balls have handles for bouncing up and lower (hippity-hopping). Tummy Down, Head Up—Have the child lie on her stomach. On the floor, she can rock to and fro to “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”; draw on paper while listening to music, using crayons, which require her to bear down to make a mark; and play with small toys. On a swing or therapy ball, she can “draw” on the ground or carpet with a stick; throw sponges into a basket; and bat a suspended ball with a cardboard tube. Jogging—Run around the block together!
”
”
Carol Stock Kranowitz (The Out-of-Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping with Sensory Processing Disorder)
“
Since the beginning of humankind, loved ones have put a hand on each other for support. Massage is our oldest form of therapy, and it remains to this day one of the most powerful methods of healing. A quality 45-minute full-body massage will promote circulation throughout your body and help draw out toxins, especially from your liver. The massage is likely to boost your adrenal glands and kidneys, relax your heart, and ease tension. Ideally, drink two 16-ounce glasses of fresh lemon or lime water directly following your massage. This will optimize the detoxing benefits of your session. CASE HISTORY: Alzheimer’s Under Arrest It had long been a family joke that Whitney was forgetful.
”
”
Anthony William (Medical Medium: Secrets Behind Chronic and Mystery Illness and How to Finally Heal)
“
He hates sin. But he loves you. We understand this, says Goodwin, when we consider the hatred a father has against a terrible disease afflicting his child—the father hates the disease while loving the child. Indeed, at some level the presence of the disease draws out his heart to his child all the more. This is not to ignore the disciplinary side of Christ’s care for his people. The Bible clearly teaches that our sins draw forth the discipline of Christ (e.g., Heb. 12:1–11). He would not truly love us if that were not true. But even this is a reflection of his great heart for us. When a body part has been injured, it requires the pain and labor of physical therapy. But that physical therapy is not punitive; it is intended to bring healing. It is out of care for that limb that the physical therapy is assigned.
”
”
Dane C. Ortlund (Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers)
“
The idea here is that we have only a limited amount of self-control or willpower to draw on, and when our reserves are drained we have a harder time resisting temptation. Fatigue, mental strain, stress, and hunger can all work as drains on our self-control resources.48 Research shows that stigma or the threat of rejection can also reduce self-control through ego depletion,49 so stereotype threat can be a trigger for overspending if you use retail therapy. However our egos get worn down, the effect is the same: We have less self-control. So, when we are ego depleted, just trying harder to resist temptation will only work against us, making us more tired and more ego depleted. Instead, if we want to resist the temptation to shop when our egos are drained, the solution is not to be hard on ourselves, but to focus on replenishing our resources. This is where affirmations come in.
”
”
Sarah Newcomb (Loaded: Money, Psychology, and How to Get Ahead without Leaving Your Values Behind)
“
Creating a life history book can be a useful activity in therapy to help children process and understand the various moves that they have made ... includes all the childs' families (birth, foster, adoptive, etc.), but follows the child's lead for the details of how it will be made (such as going backward from the present time or forward from the time of the child's birth). The child's feelings and memories are explored as the child or therapist draws or paints each family member.
”
”
Richard p. Barth, Madelyn Freundlich, and David Brodzinsky
“
Play therapy is one of the most frequently used individual therapies for young children or older children who do not easily verbalize their feelings. Older children who are able to express themselves more typically participate in individual talk-based therapy. Play therapy is considered an individual therapy because it involves only the child and therapist, not the parent. Play therapy involves the use of dolls, drawings, sand play, or other manipulatives, which allow children to reveal their feelings through the play modality.
”
”
Mary Hopkins-Best (Toddler Adoption: The Weaver's Craft Revised Edition)
“
Simone Simmons
Simone Simmons works as an energy healer, helping her patients through empowering them rather than creating a dependency on the healer. She specializes in absent healing, mainly with sufferers of cancer and AIDS. She met Diana four years before her death when the Princess came to her for healing, and they became close friends. In 2005, Simone wrote a book titled Diana: The Last Word.
I realized Diana had been born with an extraordinary ability, which had only been waiting to be released. By 1996, when she was fully in control of her life for the first time, she was able to give a great deal of consolation and encouragement to so many people. She received scant attention for this at the time. Everyone seemed to concentrate on the negative aspects. Instead of seeing how genuinely caring she was, they accused her of doing it for the publicity. That was utterly untrue. I often joined her when she returned from a day’s work, and she would be so exhausted, she found relief in crying. She was anxious about what she had seen and experienced and was determined to find something she could do to help.
Her late-night visits to hospitals were supposed to be private. She knew how frustrating it is to be alone in a hospital; the staff and patients were always very surprised and pleased to see her. She used to make light of it and say, “I just came round to see if anyone else couldn’t sleep!” Although Diana saw the benefits of the formal visits she also made, and she did get excited when money poured in for her charities, she much preferred these unofficial occasions. They allowed her to talk to people and find out more about their illness and how they were feeling about themselves, in a down-to-earth way without a horde of people noting her every word. She wasn’t trying to fill a void or to make herself feel better. To her, it was not a therapy to help other people: It was a commitment born of selflessness.
Diana was forever on the lookout for new projects that might benefit from her involvement. Her attention was caught by child abuse and forced prostitution in Asia. We had both seen a television program showing how little children were being kidnapped and then forced to sell themselves for sex. Diana told me she wanted to do everything she could to eradicate this wicked exploitation taking place in India, Pakistan, and most prevalently in Thailand. As it turned out, it was one of her final wishes. She didn’t have any idea of exactly how she was going to do it, and hadn’t got as far as formulating a plan, but she would have found a way. When Diana put her mind to something, nothing was allowed to stand in her way. As she said, “Because I’ve been given the gift to shine a light into the dark corners of this world, and get the media to follow me there, I have to use it,” and use it she did--to draw attention to a problem and in a very practical way to apply her incredible healing gifts to the victims. In her fight against land mines, she did exactly that.
If anyone ever doubted her heartfelt concern for the welfare of others, this cause must surely have dispelled it. It needed someone of her fame and celebrity to bring the matter to the world’s attention, and her work required an immense amount of personal bravery. She faced physical peril and endured public ridicule, but Diana would have seen the campaign to get land mines banned as her greatest legacy.
Helping others was her calling in life--right to the very end.
”
”
Larry King (The People's Princess: Cherished Memories of Diana, Princess of Wales, From Those Who Knew Her Best)
“
The images that emerge when we spontaneously draw are the language of the unconscious, offering insights into our emotional states. These drawings are capable of “speaking” when our voice cannot, Jung found, and when it comes to anxiety and stress, working with imagery stored in our brain and connected to our somatic experience has profound results. Seeing and Believing Therapist Jacqueline Sussman uses aesthetic imaging as the center of her practice called Eidetic Imagery Therapy.
”
”
Susan Magsamen (Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us)
“
A CURE FOR THE SELF “The person who has practiced philosophy as a cure for the self becomes great of soul, filled with confidence, invincible—and greater as you draw near.” SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 111.2 What is “a cure for the self”? Perhaps Seneca means that, through nature and nurture, we develop a unique set of characteristics—some positive and some negative. When those negative characteristics begin to have consequences in our lives, some of us turn to therapy, psychoanalysis, or the help of a support group. The point? To cure certain selfish, destructive parts of ourselves. But of all the avenues for curing our negative characteristics, philosophy has existed the longest and helped the most people. It is concerned not just with mitigating the effects of a mental illness or a neurosis, but it is designed to encourage human flourishing. It’s designed to help you live the Good Life. Don’t you deserve to flourish? Wouldn’t you like to be great of soul, filled with confidence, and invincible to external events? Wouldn’t you like to be like the proverbial onion, packed with layers of greatness? Then practice your philosophy.
”
”
Ryan Holiday (The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living)
“
We present it this way: It’s not okay to take your emotions out on someone or something else. It is especially not okay to hurt them, damage them, or draw blood in the expression of that big feeling.
”
”
Gwenna Laithland (Momma Cusses: A Field Guide to Responsive Parenting & Trying Not to Be the Reason Your Kid Needs Therapy)
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One The number ONE means so many things in every aspect of our lives. We are born to ONE woman. We are focused on being number ONE in sports, school, politics, etc. We love to be number ONE. As a Christian, we believe that there is ONE Lord, ONE Savior and ONE church. We bond with others in our cities, states, nations and all over the world that call on the name of Jesus. We can use this number to focus our efforts to improve our lives. Instead of looking at life as half-empty and the things you can’t do, try looking at how ONE can make a difference in your life. If you are battling an il ness, acute or chronic, try doing ONE more thing today. Take ONE more step, try ONE more rep in physical therapy, smile ONE more time at those who are helping you. Sometimes even though you are sick, you can make such an impact on others by how you handle your ONE issue. Maybe you are an athlete; try doing ONE more rep at the end of the set. ONE more interval on the bike, track or trail. ONE more sprint if you are in the middle of football practice. The person who has the “just ONE more” mentality will always beat the other person and be number ONE. If you are dieting and trying to get your physical body back where you want it; try eating one LESS dessert, one LESS fast food lunch, one MORE salad, one MORE veggie and one MORE lap around the block after dinner. If you want to draw closer to God, read ONE passage a day if you are out of the habit. It doesn’t matter which one, just spend time listening to the Word of the Creator. Say ONE more prayer than just the one to bless the food. ONE more good deed to help your fel ow man. ONE more smile for your spouse, child, sibling or parent. What if we all did ONE good deed this week for a lonely neighbor or a shut in from church? 2 Thessalonians 3:1 (MSG) One more thing, friends: Pray for us. Be that ONE person who makes a difference in this world by doing ONE more thing to progress the love of God!
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Mark K. Fry Sr. (Determined: Encouragement for Living Your Best Life with a Chronic Illness)
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CHANGING YOUR OUTLOOK This chapter will explore the ways in which Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) techniques can be applied to difficult situations to relieve emotional suffering. Moreover, by taking a more intensive approach than that traditionally outlined in CBT, you can look at the core subconscious beliefs that you are projecting onto a situation and which may be causing undue pain. This approach allows you to truly create long-lasting change in all areas of your life and helps you to truly address the underlying wounds that your attachment style may exhibit. The approach that I have created follows a series of steps that draw on fundamental aspects of CBT, as well as the trends I have seen in thousands of clients. It is as follows: • Begin by reflecting on the situation and identifying emotional patterns. • Ask yourself what meaning is being assigned to the situation and what core wound it activates. • Look for proof of the opposite and reflect.
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Thais Gibson (Attachment Theory: A Guide to Strengthening the Relationships in Your Life)
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Come back into the here and now, opening your eyes. Use the pens and paper to draw your experience of releasing your cares and worries into the sky using your kite. Objectives This simple yet effective visualisation can help clients to anchor a way to release their cares and troubles. By bringing to mind the picture of the kite flying high in the sky, the client has a concrete way to let go of difficulties, that are then figuratively, and hopefully in reality, ‘carried away’.
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Roger Day (Stories That Heal: 64 creative visualisations for use in therapy)
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What to Do Tonight Spend private time with your child, ideally without electronics. Take turns with each child if you have more than one, so that the ratio is one-on-one. It is remarkably healing for kids and will help you to enjoy them. It also makes them feel like they are your number one priority. If you’re highly anxious, do something about it. Treating anxiety is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your family. Consider participating in cognitive behavioral therapy: you can learn very effective strategies for identifying and “talking back to” the distorted and unproductive thoughts that contribute to high anxiety. Learn to meditate. Take a yoga class. Be very regular in your exercise routine. Spend time in nature. Get more sleep. Socialize more with friends if it helps you feel calm. Avoid making decisions for your child based on fear. If you find yourself thinking, “I’m afraid if I don’t do this now, then—” stop. Do what you feel is right now, not what you feel you have to because of what you’re afraid will happen if you don’t. If your child is struggling, schedule a short time every day for you to worry about his or her problems. Literally write it into your planner. This will let your brain know that it is safe not to worry all day long. Remember who’s responsible for what. It cannot be your responsibility to see that everything goes well for your children at all times. If you are very worried about your teenager and have talked through the issues together many times, write your child a short letter summarizing your concerns and offering any help the child might need. Then promise that you will not bring the issue up again for a month. When you break your promise (because you will) apologize and recommit to it. Get out a piece of paper and draw a vertical line in the middle. In the left-hand column, write statements such as the following: “It’s okay for Jeremy to have a learning disability,” “It’s okay that Sarah doesn’t have any friends right now,” “It’s okay for Ben to be depressed right now.” In the right-hand column, write down the automatic thoughts that come to your mind in response (likely rebuttal) to these statements. Then question these automatic thoughts. Ask questions such as, “Can I be absolutely sure that this thought is true?” “Who would I be if I didn’t believe this?” This kind of self-questioning exercise, developed by author and speaker Byron Katie and others, can serve as a useful tool for discovering the thoughts that trap you into negative judgments.18 Create a stress-reduction plan for yourself. Can you get more exercise? More sleep? What calms you down and how can you do more of it? Don’t make yourself available to your kids at the expense of your own well-being. Wall off some “me” time. Model self-acceptance and tell your kids what you’re doing.
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William Stixrud (The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives)
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Dr. R. observed that we should talk a great deal with deranged patients; and we should always in the early & violent stages of mania, seem to agree with their notions. We should admit their premises, but draw a different inference; which may generally be done. To oppose them at first would be like opposing a northeast storm.
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William Darlington (William Darlington notes on the lectures of Philip Syng Physick 1802 [Leather Bound])
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a. Train yourself to recognize and write down the self-critical thoughts as they go through your mind; b. Learn why these thoughts are distorted; and c. Practice talking back to them so as to develop a more realistic self-evaluation system. One effective method for accomplishing this is the “triple-column technique.” Simply draw two lines down the center of a piece of paper to divide it into thirds (see Figure 4–1, page 63). Label the left-hand column “Automatic Thoughts (Self-Criticism),” the middle column “Cognitive Distortion,” and the right-hand column “Rational Response (Self-Defense).” In the left-hand column
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David D. Burns (Feeling Good: Overcome Depression and Anxiety with Proven Techniques)
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Ask yourself these questions: What would I say to someone else in this situation? If I didn’t feel depressed, how would I look at the situation? How would someone who isn’t depressed or anxious look at the situation? Is there any objective evidence that my thought is true? In your notebook, draw up a table. Make four columns: “Thought,” “Evidence for This Thought,” “Evidence Against This Thought,” and “More Helpful Way of Thinking About the Situation.” Stick to facts, not subjective opinions.
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Olivia Telford (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Simple Techniques to Instantly Be Happier, Find Inner Peace, and Improve Your Life)
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I write notes in sessions (and often ask the person I am seeing to write or draw things out on pieces of paper as well). This helps me to remember what has been said, and helps me in the moment also to think about some of the most important things that are being told to me. Other schools of therapy wouldn’t write notes like this, preferring to direct all their attention towards the person in the moment and write notes afterwards. Either way, we’re all still trying to really hear what the person is coming with, both what they are saying and also in some respects what they are not saying.
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Lucy Maddox (A Year to Change Your Mind: Ideas from the Therapy Room to Help You Live Better)
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Exercise: Understanding Your Cycle Make a list of your obsessions, anxieties, and compulsive behaviors. How do they relate to one another? Draw up a diagram showing how your personal OCD cycle works.
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Olivia Telford (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Simple Techniques to Instantly Be Happier, Find Inner Peace, and Improve Your Life)
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Rosebush Visualisation (Allan, 1992). In brief, this involves inviting the client to become a rosebush, imagining the kind of bush, the type of flowers, the form of protection and nourishment, and the rosebush's location. Clients then draw or paint their imagined rosebush and discuss it with the therapist. This visualisation can be used for assessment or for therapeutic change. Our own visualisations have a similar aim. Each visualisation and therapeutic story in this book has an activity to go with it. This is to help clients think through and express what they have come to realise about themselves or their situation, past or present. We have used eight different techniques to enhance the experience: drawing, writing, clay, movement, paint, drama, collage/3D and human sculpting. These techniques are interchangeable. A particular client may find a preference for one type of activity, such as paint. If that is the case, the
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Roger Day (Stories That Heal: 64 creative visualisations for use in therapy)
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As with drawing, using the nondominant hand to write after a visualisation can help to anchor in the creative part of the brain any changes decided. Research has shown that script changes are more effective when the
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Roger Day (Stories That Heal: 64 creative visualisations for use in therapy)
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Horror has always been a popular genre, captivating audiences with its ability to scare and thrill. But what is it about horror that draws us in? Why do we willingly subject ourselves to fear and terror? These questions are at the heart of the philosophy of horror, which seeks to understand the nature and meaning of horror.
One of the key ideas in the philosophy of horror is that horror is a way of confronting our deepest fears and anxieties. By exposing ourselves to the worst-case scenarios that we can imagine, we are able to face our fears in a controlled environment. In this way, horror can be seen as a form of therapy, allowing us to process and overcome our fears.
However, there is also a darker side to horror.
Some philosophers argue that horror is not simply a way of confronting our fears, but is actually a way of creating new fears. By presenting us with terrifying scenarios that we had never considered before, horror can actually create new fears and anxieties that we had never experienced before. This can be seen as a kind of psychological manipulation, where the horror genre plays on our most primal instincts to create fear.
Another key idea in the philosophy of horror is the idea of the uncanny. The uncanny refers to the feeling of unease that we experience when something seems both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. This feeling is often created in horror by presenting us with images or situations that are just slightly off, creating a sense of discomfort and unease. The uncanny can be seen as a way of destabilizing our sense of reality, making us question what is real and what is not.
Ultimately, the philosophy of horror raises profound questions about the nature of fear and the human psyche. Why do we seek out fear and terror? What does it mean to be scared? And how does horror impact our understanding of the world around us? As we continue to explore these questions, we may discover that the true horror lies not in the stories we tell, but in the darkness of our own minds.
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The Philosophy of Horror: When Fear Becomes Reality. By D. L. Lewis
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I crack jokes and pull pranks to draw people toward me, to entertain friends without ever having to share anything intimate. I keep everyone at a bit of a distance, so it’s not as crushing when they do inevitably leave.
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Lamya H. (Hijab Butch Blues)
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These two choices are particularly good for people who are seeking healing. These allow self-expression but they allow more than that. The words of a poem may be positively healing. Poetry is a way to put words and thoughts into something more constructive than keeping them locked inside where they can do harm to your mental state. If you are angry, get the words out into a poem and illustrate it, even if you’re not talented at drawing. Add decoupage, which is cut out images stuck to a page to make the poem look really presentable. If you practice poetry for therapy purposes, you can actually get good at it and start to use it for really positive purposes like greetings cards and sharing with friends and family.
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Mary Solomon (HEALING : Heal Your Mind, Heal Your Body: Change Your Life)
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raising the skin’s temperature, increasing circulation, and encouraging blood and lymph flow to the affected area. The hardening clay draws toxins from beneath the skin, aiding in the release and removal of plant and insect poisons, minor to moderate infection, small splinters and bee stingers, ingrown hairs, and hardened sebum. After the clay pack is washed off and circulation returns to normal,
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Stephanie L. Tourles (Hands-On Healing Remedies: 150 Recipes for Herbal Balms, Salves, Oils, Liniments & Other Topical Therapies)
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Whatever the theory, it is important to note that clinicians such as Kluft draw attention to the clinical error of insisting that all alters talk as one or that only the alter with the legal name should be validated. 'Such stances are commonly associated with therapeutic failure'.
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Valerie Sinason (Attachment, Trauma and Multiplicity: Working with Dissociative Identity Disorder)
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As mandatory reporting laws and community awareness drove an increase its child protection investigations throughout the 1980s, some children began to disclose premeditated, sadistic and organised abuse by their parents, relatives and other caregivers such as priests and teachers (Hechler 1988). Adults in psychotherapy described similar experiences. The dichotomies that had previously associated organised abuse with the dangerous, external ‘Other’ had been breached, and the incendiary debate that followed is an illustration of the depth of the collective desire to see them restored. Campbell (1988) noted the paradox that, whilst journalists and politicians often demand that the authorities respond more decisively in response to a ‘crisis’ of sexual abuse, the action that is taken is then subsequently construed as a ‘crisis’. There has been a particularly pronounced tendency of the public reception to allegations of organised abuse. The removal of children from their parents due to disclosures of organised abuse, the provision of mental health care to survivors of organised abuse, police investigations of allegations of organised abuse and the prosecution of alleged perpetrators of organised abuse have all generated their own controversies.
These were disagreements that were cloaked in the vocabulary of science and objectivity but nonetheless were played out in sensationalised fashion on primetime television, glossy news magazines and populist books, drawing textual analysis. The role of therapy and social work in the construction of testimony of abuse and trauma. in particular, has come under sustained postmodern attack. Frosh (2002) has suggested that therapeutic spaces provide children and adults with the rare opportunity to articulate experiences that are otherwise excluded from the dominant symbolic order. However, since the 1990s, post-modern and post-structural theory has often been deployed in ways that attempt to ‘manage’ from; afar the perturbing disclosures of abuse and trauma that arise in therapeutic spaces (Frosh 2002). Nowhere is this clearer than in relation to organised abuse, where the testimony of girls and women has been deconstructed as symptoms of cultural hysteria (Showalter 1997) and the colonisation of women’s minds by therapeutic discourse (Hacking 1995). However, behind words and discourse, ‘a real world and real lives do exist, howsoever we interpret, construct and recycle accounts of these by a variety of symbolic means’ (Stanley 1993: 214).
Summit (1994: 5) once described organised abuse as a ‘subject of smoke and mirrors’, observing the ways in which it has persistently defied conceptualisation or explanation.
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Michael Salter (Organised Sexual Abuse)
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Angela Liberatore Melbourne says, In the realm of digital marketing for therapy centers, the debate between Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Paid Advertising often sparks discussions about effectiveness, budget allocation, and long-term growth. Both SEO and Paid Advertising offer distinct advantages and challenges, making it crucial for therapy centers to understand their differences, benefits, and suitability for achieving marketing goals. This article dives deep into the nuances of SEO and Paid Advertising, drawing from personal experiences and specific anecdotes to help therapy centers navigate this critical decision.
Understanding SEO: Building Long-term Visibility
SEO involves strategies aimed at improving a therapy center’s organic (unpaid) visibility in search engine results. It’s a marathon rather than a sprint, focusing on optimizing website content, structure, and authority to rank higher for relevant keywords over time. When I first started my therapy practice, I invested time in understanding SEO basics. It was a gradual learning curve, from optimizing my website with relevant keywords to earning backlinks through collaborations and content marketing efforts. Over time, these efforts paid off with increased visibility in search engine rankings.
Benefits of SEO for Therapy Centers
Long-term ROI: SEO efforts can yield sustainable results with continuous investment in quality content, technical optimizations, and backlink building.
Trust and Credibility: Higher organic rankings often equate to perceived authority and trustworthiness among potential clients searching for mental health services.
Cost-effectiveness: Once established, organic traffic from SEO requires minimal ongoing investment compared to Paid Advertising.
Practical SEO Strategies for Therapy Centers
Keyword Research: Identify relevant keywords (e.g., “therapy near me,” “counseling services,” “mental health support”) to target potential clients actively searching for therapy options.
Content Optimization: Create informative, engaging content addressing common mental health concerns, therapy approaches, and client testimonials. Optimize content with targeted keywords and meta tags.
Local SEO: Optimize Google My Business listing, solicit client reviews, and ensure consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) information across online directories.
Understanding Paid Advertising: Immediate Visibility, Controlled Budget
Paid Advertising, such as Google Ads or social media ads, offers therapy centers the ability to target specific demographics, interests, and behaviors with ads displayed prominently in search results or social media feeds. Early in my practice, I experimented with Google Ads to promote specialized therapy programs. The immediate visibility and precise targeting capabilities helped attract inquiries and appointments quickly, albeit at a cost.
Benefits of Paid Advertising for Therapy Centers
Immediate Results: Paid ads can generate traffic and inquiries almost instantly, making them ideal for short-term campaigns or promoting time-sensitive services.
Targeted Reach: Precision targeting allows therapy centers to reach specific demographics interested in mental health services, maximizing ad relevance and ROI.
Flexibility: Ads can be adjusted in real-time based on performance metrics, allowing therapy centers to optimize campaigns for better results.
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Angela Liberatore
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Angela Liberatore Melbourne says, In today’s digital age, social media platforms like Instagram offer therapy centers powerful tools to connect with potential clients, build community, and share valuable insights into mental health. With its visual appeal and engaged user base, Instagram presents unique opportunities for therapy centers to showcase their services, educate their audience, and ultimately attract new clients. This article explores affordable Instagram marketing strategies tailored specifically for therapy centers, drawing from personal experiences, anecdotes, and practical insights.
Harnessing the Power of Visual Storytelling
Instagram’s visual-centric platform provides therapy centers with a compelling medium to tell their stories and connect with audiences on a deeper level. Visual storytelling through photos and videos allows centers to showcase their facilities, introduce therapists, and highlight the compassionate care they provide. At our therapy center, we started sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses of our therapy rooms, therapist profiles, and client success stories through Instagram posts and Stories. These visuals not only humanized our services but also resonated with our audience, sparking meaningful conversations and inquiries about our therapy programs.
Creating Educational and Inspirational Content
Educational content on Instagram can position therapy centers as trusted resources for mental health information and support. By sharing tips for managing stress, insights into different therapy techniques, and inspirational quotes related to mental well-being, centers can engage their audience while providing valuable content. We launched a weekly series called “Wellness Wednesdays” where we posted practical tips for improving mental health and self-care practices. This series not only garnered positive feedback from our followers but also attracted new followers interested in holistic wellness solutions.
Engaging with Followers through Interactive Features
Instagram‘s interactive features such as polls, quizzes, and Q&A sessions provide therapy centers with opportunities to engage directly with their audience and foster meaningful interactions. By encouraging participation and responding promptly to comments and messages, centers can build rapport and trust with potential clients.
Example: We hosted a live Q&A session with one of our therapists where followers could ask questions about anxiety management techniques. This interactive session not only educated our audience but also showcased our expertise and approachability, leading to increased engagement and inquiries about our therapy services.
Leveraging User-Generated Content and Testimonials
User-generated content (UGC) and client testimonials are powerful tools for building social proof and credibility on Instagram. Encouraging clients to share their therapy journey through photos, videos, or written testimonials can provide authentic insights into the positive impact of therapy services. We created a hashtag (#TherapyJourney) and encouraged clients to share their progress and experiences with our therapy programs. Reposting UGC on our Instagram profile not only celebrated our clients’ successes but also demonstrated the effectiveness of our services to potential clients considering therapy.
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Angela Liberatore
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The Thousand and One Nights" draws on a sea of pre-existing legends, from lands stretching from Egypt to China. But the name “Shahrazad” is Persian, and as folklorist Maria Tatar explains, the material she conveys “made its way from Persian to Arabic manuscripts in the second half of the eighth century CE.” Reportedly, Shahrazad has a library of a thousand books, knows all their stories, and weaves them together like a classic bard. The tyrant who reportedly commands her love while threatening her life is a typical ancient warlord, who assumes that mercy is weakness. In countering his murderous egotism, she wields the power of myth and the beauty of empathy. Azar Nafisi explains it as a kind art therapy: “the heroine … must rely on ‘woman’s guile’ to survive a madman’s clutches. She turns his nights with her into an unfolding drama, spinning a spell of fantasy that finally restores his sanity.” In her survey of female heroes throughout history, "The Heroine with 1,001 Faces" (2021), Maria Tatar describes this sort of spell-casting as a chief characteristic of women’s art: “it gradually dawned on me that the heroines [of most folk stories] were habitually bent on social missions, trying to rescue, restore, or fix things, with words as their only weapons,” Maybe that is the ultimate function of all these legendary Persian “romances,” and the main goal of women’s popular folklore through the centuries.
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Zhinia Noorian (Mother Persia: Women in Iran's History)