Insight

Every so often a person comes to the crisis center not understanding why they need to take medication. So was the story of a client that came in today. Multiple hospitalizations, been on strong antipsychotic medication for years but didn't understand why. You would think that these people would know the obvious reasons for why they undergo regular psychiatric interviews and take daily medication but that just isn't so.

In one of my placements as an intern I worked with the Learning Disabled. These clients were young adults and on the surface looked normal. In fact they could carry on a pretty good conversation to a point. The conversations seemed to flow normally but something was just lacking. I learned that the learning disabled knew their limitations and did everything to avoid talking, thinking, or even dealing with it. When a counselor like myself made them look at their frailities, it didn't make them too happy.

Perhaps it is natural to cover up our frailities, but to not even being aware of them, when it is obvious to everybody else we say they lack "Insight." Being self aware is the first step towards enlightenment. In the school of Spiritual Psychology, everything centers on self awareness. "Everything outside of us is just an illusion". This focus is an inside out focus on change. In fact if you want more peace in the world, foster more peace within you. In doing so, as you wander out into the exterior world (being peaceful on the inside), like a magnet other people can get swept into your peacefulness and will follow suit. If you were alive in the 1960's this way of thinking was popularized in commercials and in theater.

As a therapist, our hands are tied. We can only work with a person at where they are at. If somebody has no insight, they are this way for a reason. This could be a brain ailment, a result of an extreme trauma that has been supressed into the unconsciousness. Or, as Freud would say, "the person is in denial" and doesn't want to acknowledge it.

Oh yes, the vast percentage of people admit that they don't want to deal with past issues. They figure if they box it away and avoid thinking about it, it will just disappear. But will it? If we continually sweep things under the perverbial rug, after a while all you see is rug. This is when you are constantly anxious, panicking, or angry all the time! The key is removing the old baggage you believe isn't there at all, or have no clue about as this client portrayed.

One final thought: Baggage can be viewed as a blessing. In working through our past hurts and trauma, we become better and grow spiritually. Pay attention to more on this in future blogs.