Threaded Mode | Linear Mode

Ky · 11-20-2013 08:19 AM

Feeling down? Need advice? If something's troubling you and you need a little bit of psychotherapy, DoA's got you covered.

There are two ways you can enlist my help:

1. If you're not worried about strangers reading what you have to say, leave a post in this thread, and I'll reply to it as soon as I can.
2. If privacy's your thing, then send me a PM, and I'll reply (via PM) as soon as I can.

So if you're in need of quick therapy, look no further than DoA's One-Stop Psych Shop.

General FAQ (frequently asked questions):

Hidden stuff:

Outdated and locked. Visit the new one, linked to in my sig.

brainiac3397 · 11-20-2013 09:46 AM

Ooh. Is there a grand opening discount?

Blast. I got no mental-munchers at the moment. How about you just psychoanalyze me based on everything you've seen of my posts?

Subb · 11-20-2013 01:34 PM

I always get distracted when I try to do my schoolwork, and I have a irrational fear of someone discovering something bad on my computer (I have nothing bad on it.) What can I do to solve these?

Sunbourn · 11-20-2013 02:14 PM

How do I stop masturbating without castrating myself?

Ky · 12-07-2013 06:50 AM

I have updated this thread to reflect that I do not do psychoanalysis - it makes people feel bad, anyway. I have deleted previous responses, and ask that people delete posts in which they ask for psychoanalysis. Thank you.

brainiac3397 · 12-07-2013 07:30 AM

No.
(note how I emphasize with the period)

Ky · 12-08-2013 05:47 AM

Suit yourself.

I had originally considered using the FAQ to answer common questions related to problems, but as it turns out I'm not clairvoyant. Oh well.

brainiac3397 · 12-08-2013 04:16 PM

You realize the reason I like psychoanalysis is because it lets me psychoanalyze you better than you do me?
(generally speaking, not being specific to you with the second you)

xcriteria · 12-08-2013 04:55 PM

(12-07-2013 06:50 AM)DoA Wrote: I have updated this thread to reflect that I do not do psychoanalysis - it makes people feel bad, anyway. I have deleted previous responses, and ask that people delete posts in which they ask for psychoanalysis. Thank you.

What do you mean by "psychoanalysis," vs. "therapy," vs. "a conversation?"

Ky · 12-09-2013 01:38 AM

Psychoanalysis is something that should be done as little as possible, or else it's bad clinical practice: You're basically telling someone what their motivations are, the way they think, and what's wrong with their subconscious without their direct input. This is an important part of actual therapy (the kind psychologists do), but for every hour of therapy, psychoanalysis should last no more than five minutes. In fact, if it does take an entire five minutes, it should be sugar-coated.

Therapy is treatment. It starts by having both sides identify the problem, brainstorm a solution to the problem, and devise mental exercises to keep it from becoming a problem in the future. For serious cases, psychoanalysis will have to come into play, but it absolutely must not be based on assumptions; rather, it must be based on that which the person being treated has shared.

A conversation is this thing people have to fulfill a psychological need without actually solving anything, necessarily; however, there have been a number of conversations of relative importance. While therapy might often follow a conversation format, it isn't quite a conversation in that the focus of the talk is concrete.

Many people think they understand psychoanalysis, and they might be right...but such people must be careful not to abuse it. Just imagine how hated they would be, even by those who care about them, if they made constant judgments like "You're breaking up with me because you're afraid of commitment", or "If you really wanted me to be happy you would let me have the TV", or "You send me to school because of your parental ineptitude and misplaced nationalism". Indeed, the people who are most intrigued by this are often the least likable.

I must be cautious, then, not to make snap assumptions about people. By all means, approach me with a problem, but don't ask me to tell you who you are. If you haven't figured it out, you need a more concrete opinion - like your own.

xcriteria · 12-09-2013 05:24 AM

(12-09-2013 01:38 AM)DoA Wrote: Psychoanalysis is something that should be done as little as possible, or else it's bad clinical practice: You're basically telling someone what their motivations are, the way they think, and what's wrong with their subconscious without their direct input. This is an important part of actual therapy (the kind psychologists do), but for every hour of therapy, psychoanalysis should last no more than five minutes. In fact, if it does take an entire five minutes, it should be sugar-coated.

Interesting. Where did you come to that conclusion?

Elyn Saks, who has chronic schizophrenia (and an excellent TED talk, has talked about how ongoing, 4-5 days a week psychoanalysis has helped her a lot, despite the widespread belief that therapy, especially "psychoanalytically-oriented" therapy, doesn't help with schizophrenia.

Here's a clip where Eric Kandel asks Elyn Saks (and Kay Jamison) about psychonalysis:

Hidden stuff:

It's important to be clear on what you mean by "psychoanalysis" here.

In its general use, psychoanalysis (wikipedia) is the approach to therapy developed by Sigmund Freud. Not so many people practice classical psychoanalysis anymore, but there are elements in it that I think are worth thinking about.

One way to think about psychoanalysis is in terms of Carl Jung's take. Jung worked with Freud for quite a while, but eventually Jung concluded that Freud's theory of the mind was dogmatically limited, and broke apart from him. (After that, Jung developed the theory of personality that was adapted into Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.)

This article provides a good bit of background, and some key quotes:

The Freud Files: How Freud engineered his own myth

Hidden stuff:

Lots to think about there... but I think part of "therapy" should be learning some about the story how different forms of therapy came about in the first place.

On that note, psychodynamic psychotherapy is common term for therapies derived from Freud, Jung, and others who think about the unconscious mind, inner conflicts, childhood, working through memories, doing free association, and the like.

(Jung developed a method he called "active imagination," which I see as similar to free association, but with more of an intentional focus. Jung's method led to many current forms of art therapy, sandplay, and the like.)

Psychodynamic psychotherapy can be distinguished from other approaches, like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Many therapists use a mix of approaches.

But, going beyond the label "therapist," a the end of the day, it's a matter of people interacting, getting to know each other, and possibly developing some kind of sustained relationship in the process. Just like what can happen in education, online, or in life in general.

But, going back to my question, what do you mean, specifically, by psychoanalysis?

xcriteria · 12-09-2013 05:24 AM

(12-09-2013 01:38 AM)DoA Wrote: Therapy is treatment. It starts by having both sides identify the problem, brainstorm a solution to the problem, and devise mental exercises to keep it from becoming a problem in the future. For serious cases, psychoanalysis will have to come into play, but it absolutely must not be based on assumptions; rather, it must be based on that which the person being treated has shared.

I'd add something to this. Therapy can also be about psychological growth, and even be a form of learning. In other words, it doesn't have to be focused only on problems, but on development of the self. A broad term for this is positive psychology.

This talk from Martin Seligman sums up the idea:

Watch on YouTube

"As it moves beyond a focus on disease, what can modern psychology help us to become?"

xcriteria · 12-09-2013 05:32 AM

(12-09-2013 01:38 AM)DoA Wrote: A conversation is this thing people have to fulfill a psychological need without actually solving anything, necessarily; however, there have been a number of conversations of relative importance. While therapy might often follow a conversation format, it isn't quite a conversation in that the focus of the talk is concrete.

Well, conversations can take on a variety of forms, and have a variety of motivations and purposes. Some conversations are specifically about solving a problem, or achieving an objective. A negotiation would be one example... at least some forms of interviews would count as another.

Jonathan Fields' Good Life Project interviews often feel, to me, like sitting in on a therapy session (of the positive psychology kind, and where both people are learning in the process.)

Fields worked as a lawyer for the SEC before opening a yoga studio and becoming a speaker, and author, and I think he applies some of that experience interviewing people in legal contexts to his GLP interviews. But, they're basically about getting to know the person, what they're about, their backstory, and how they look at things.

If what's going on in therapy isn't a conversation, what is it?

That reminds me of this Shark Tank segment, where the founder of a web-bsed therapy service called Pretty Padded Room pitched her business to the sharks:

Watch on YouTube

Note at the beginning how she depicts "a chat with a friend" (which may not really help with problems), and a Freudian psychoanalyst (which isn't what many people are looking for.) She then goes on to explain what she offers... which, of not, includes a text-based format where people write instead of (or in addition to) a voice conversation.

I'm intrigued by that approach, since I like writing so much. Smile

What therapist can you go to and ask them to read walls of text, or follow and discuss links?

Well, there's School Survival. Wink

Or, this guy who does story coaching, including "keeping you company while you write."

But that leads to a question... what about the intersection between learning, developing skills, producing output, and therapy? This is where the concept of metacognitive coaching comes into play. (More on that later.)

xcriteria · 12-09-2013 05:47 AM

(12-09-2013 01:38 AM)DoA Wrote: Many people think they understand psychoanalysis, and they might be right...but such people must be careful not to abuse it. Just imagine how hated they would be, even by those who care about them, if they made constant judgments like "You're breaking up with me because you're afraid of commitment", or "If you really wanted me to be happy you would let me have the TV", or "You send me to school because of your parental ineptitude and misplaced nationalism". Indeed, the people who are most intrigued by this are often the least likable.

A.k.a., using inferences about psychological motives as a form of manipulation. Or, phrased in the form of a question, you've got the trope, Armor-Piercing Question. Or, when these psychological explanations are used as excuses, you've got the trope Freudian Excuse.

This also reminds me of the the "games" described in Games People Play, by a psychiatrist named Eric Berne. He developed an approach to psychology called Transactional Analysis. (As it happens, in high school, I took a psychology class and the teacher was a fan of transactional analysis.)

Transactional analysis (TA to its adherents), is an integrative approach to the theory of psychology and psychotherapy. It is described as integrative because it has elements of psychoanalytic, humanist and cognitive approaches. (Wikipedia)

In 1964 Berne published Games People Play which, despite having been written for professional therapists, became an enormous bestseller and made Berne famous[4]. The book clearly presented everyday examples of the ways in which human beings are caught up in the games they play. Berne gave these games memorable titles such as "Now I've got you, you son of a bitch," "Wooden leg," "Yes, but...," and "Let's you and him fight." (Wikipedia)

One derivative concept from transactional analysis is the Karpman drama triangle.

In this clip, Ed Muzio describes this concept, which consists of 3 roles: victim, persecutor, and rescuer.

Watch on YouTube

Any thoughts on all that?

xcriteria · 12-09-2013 07:25 AM

(12-09-2013 01:38 AM)DoA Wrote: I must be cautious, then, not to make snap assumptions about people. By all means, approach me with a problem, but don't ask me to tell you who you are. If you haven't figured it out, you need a more concrete opinion - like your own.

Yes, making snap assumptions is a trap to watch out for. One good way not to make snap assumptions is to ask good questions. This is part of the challenge of any kind of coaching/counseling/therapy or problem-solving role. Sometimes the process of being asked questions can be quite therapeutic (and a good cognitive exercise, or form of learning) all by itself.

Here's a short clip on that topic, featuring a quote from Einstein...

Hidden stuff:

And here's another clip on asking questions, from Paul Kim's MOOC Designing a New Learning Environment about needs analysis, where he emphasizes that point, "never assume":

Hidden stuff:

Now, I don't mean to overload your thread with walls of content... but that's part of my problem. I think I've collected a lot of good content that I never found in school (and some bits and pieces I did find in school.) And, I've encountered a lot of situations in life where people's problems (and my own) followed, at least in part, from not having access to certain concepts, stories, examples, references, and experiences.

Therapy tends to begin with an in-depth psychiatric interview (wikipedia) about a person's backstory, life, and goals for therapy. Why are they there in the first place?

On these forums, most of us are here because of an issue that's virtually never discussed in therapy: school doesn't work for us, and it may cause or exacerbate psychological problems.

And then, of course, people tend to have other issues or questions in their lives... including that question of "how do I figure out who I am, what I might become, and what steps to take forward on the journey of life?"

That reminds me of Hansgrohe's thread, My relation to people at school and life, and Justin Schwamm's series of blog posts, starting with Steps on a Journey, I

Hidden stuff:

That gets into one problem I've long had in life: wondering why there can't be more to life than the hum-drum, make it through the day misery I've seen in so many people. Why is school set up to make people think that's what life is like?

I've long been interested in psychology, and helping people. I've also been to quite a few "people with degrees" for pricey "conversations." And, although it can help just to have a conversation, I think the whole profession of therapy is missing some key ingredients.

The front page of School Survival has long had a prominent quote from a psychologist about how it's understandable that people hate school, but this is hardly a conversation that's happening within the mental health professions at large.

I'd like to change that... but I don't quite know how. And, like you, "I don't possess a psychology degree (yet) and am not (yet) licensed to do this sort of thing for a living." (In fact, I was in college, majoring in psychology when I started participating on the forums here. I was learning more here, and digging through piles of academic articles on psychology, education, and the brain, than I was in my classes.)

But, I knew I needed to learn more, I needed to connect with others, and I needed to do something other than just getting a degree and being in the position of the various psychologists and psychiatrists I've talked to over the years, not really being in a position to address this problem of school.

(Much more recently, I've started to find a lot of coaches and consultants of various kinds, who don't even need to be licensed if they don't call themselves "psychologists." Many of them focus on helping people transform their careers from jobs they hate to ones where they're pursuing their passion, like Pamela Slim with her consulting and book, Escape from Cubicle Nation. But, how many of them help people with the kinds of school-related problems people come to these forums with?)

That's one thing I'd like to do. So, where do I begin? (Or, rather, what do I do next?)

There's so much more to explain, but I'll end it there. I won't ask you to "psychoanalyze me," but, any thoughts? Any questions?

(I realize this is a "one-stop" psych shop, but it's worth noting that many problems require some more in-depth approaches. Some of the problems people might bring to you, or that we all see in various threads on these forums, are, simply put, complicated.)

Ky · 12-14-2013 03:05 PM

Complicated isn't the half of it. It took me multiple reads before I could understand the various points you sought to address, mostly due in part to my tendency to skim.

Where you begin is where everyone should begin with just about anything; with the basics. If you don't quite know what I mean by basics, it is all the more critical you start with them. Common knowledge, really.

This doesn't just mean you should simply know the basics. In your case, I would ask you to share the basics; it would limit the size of your walls of text. While sticking to constructing basic arguments and sharing basic points might severely limit how much information you're putting out, you can offset this by encouraging others to ask you good, specific questions that will permit you to share the rest of your knowledge, parts at a time, in a way that people can more easily swallow in one reading.

This goes back to when I told you how I like my information; I want a summary first, followed by specific categories expanding upon topics covered in the summary. Sometimes, even sharing just the summary isn't so bad.

I know this isn't psychological, per se, but it's my two cents. What do you think?

vonunov · 12-15-2013 04:27 AM

Quote:This goes back to when I told you how I like my information ...

This reminds me of the inverted pyramid format -- an interesting thing to read about if you haven't. It can be vital in getting at least the core point across on the modern web of scanning and short attention span. Razz

Ky · 12-15-2013 05:53 AM

(12-15-2013 04:27 AM)vonunov Wrote:
Quote:This goes back to when I told you how I like my information ...

This reminds me of the inverted pyramid format -- an interesting thing to read about if you haven't. It can be vital in getting at least the core point across on the modern web of scanning and short attention span.

Yes, I've heard of the inverted pyramid. That is the technique I have to use for my articles in newspaper class; most important information first, least interesting information last, if at all.

**SoulRiser** · 12-16-2013 02:05 AM

Well this turned into an interesting conversation.

I tend to psycho-analyze people probably more than I should. I should really just ask them instead of try to figure out stuff based on things I've seen.

I'm always interested in learning more stuff about psychology, though. People fascinate me... even though I don't really like them in general. Hah. How weird is that?

So, here's a question for DoA.

What's the best way to approach starting a conversation with a person that might involve talking about a lot of deep personal feelings and stuff? Like, I want them to talk about this stuff because 1) I'm curious.. and 2) I think talking about it might help them figure out some stuff about themselves that I think might be helpful (I think this because I was being a nosy bitch and psycho-analyzing them probably too much)... and 3) it'd prove my theories either right or wrong, once and for all.

I also need to learn more about asking good questions that don't sound too much like "hello I'm creepy tell me all your informationsssss" ... erm.

xcriteria · 12-16-2013 02:47 AM

(12-14-2013 03:05 PM)DoA Wrote: Complicated isn't the half of it. It took me multiple reads before I could understand the various points you sought to address, mostly due in part to my tendency to skim.

That's something I've come here to therapy to work on. Razz

I'm glad you managed to make some sense of all that. What would you say the points I was trying to make were... or what struck you as most interesting or significant?

(12-14-2013 03:05 PM)DoA Wrote: Where you begin is where everyone should begin with just about anything; with the basics. If you don't quite know what I mean by basics, it is all the more critical you start with them. Common knowledge, really.

For me, I prefer to dive into challenging material and scenarios and make sense of them in a non-linear manner. So for me as a learner, starting with the basics and working through things linearly, like as in medical school, or much of formal education, is unbearable.

That's a key reason I never completed formal credentials.

Fortunately, some people are re-envisioning even medical school, but it's taking a while.

Here's one step in the right direction from a medical educator I found on G+ through a Hangout-on-Air with Sal Khan of Khan academy:

At our medical school... [w]e did away with all grades (no honors etc) and tests and lectures; students learn in small collaborative problem-solving groups and face-2-face time with faculty is spent in addressing difficult concepts.

(whole post...)

What do you think of that? Sounds like we're doing here. Smile

Btw, what would you say are the basics?

(12-14-2013 03:05 PM)DoA Wrote: This doesn't just mean you should simply know the basics. In your case, I would ask you to share the basics; it would limit the size of your walls of text. While sticking to constructing basic arguments and sharing basic points might severely limit how much information you're putting out, you can offset this by encouraging others to ask you good, specific questions that will permit you to share the rest of your knowledge, parts at a time, in a way that people can more easily swallow in one reading.

Yes, I totally agree. How can those good, specific (or general) questions better be facilitated?

That's one of the topics I've been discussing on G+, and lately in some Hangouts-on-Air that John Kellden, founder of the G+ Conversation community, is hosting. He tends to talk for quite a long time, sort of like how I can write long walls of text. He has a lot of interesting things to say, but the question is, how can conversation, interaction, and learning better be encouraged and facilitated?

I have a few ideas on that, but what do you all think?

Hidden stuff:

(12-14-2013 03:05 PM)DoA Wrote: This goes back to when I told you how I like my information; I want a summary first, followed by specific categories expanding upon topics covered in the summary. Sometimes, even sharing just the summary isn't so bad.

Right... it's interesting how some people (a lot?) prefer that, while others, like me, want a messier, more overwhelming scenario to make sense of.

But, I have been trying to get better at writing more coherent, well-structured, segmented walls of content. In general, there's this question of how people navigate the firehose of information out there. I do try to pick out key bits and share them, vs. say, scrolling through thousands or millions of search results or computer-suggested videos and links, or only paying attention to what gets highlighted by the news or spoon-fed in classrooms.

I wonder how it can all be done better.

(12-14-2013 03:05 PM)DoA Wrote: I know this isn't psychological, per se, but it's my two cents. What do you think?

I think it is psychological, because it has to do with cognition and the mind. Smile

xcriteria · 12-16-2013 02:56 AM

(12-16-2013 02:05 AM)SoulRiser Wrote: I tend to psycho-analyze people probably more than I should. I should really just ask them instead of try to figure out stuff based on things I've seen.

(12-16-2013 02:05 AM)SoulRiser Wrote: What's the best way to approach starting a conversation with a person that might involve talking about a lot of deep personal feelings and stuff? Like, I want them to talk about this stuff because 1) I'm curious.. and 2) I think talking about it might help them figure out some stuff about themselves that I think might be helpful (I think this because I was being a nosy bitch and psycho-analyzing them probably too much)... and 3) it'd prove my theories either right or wrong, once and for all.

I also need to learn more about asking good questions that don't sound too much like "hello I'm creepy tell me all your informationsssss" ... erm.

Good question. Are you thinking about people you already know in person, or people you only kind of know online... or all of it?

Does it make a difference?

I think when people are in "getting to know each other" conversations, it can be easier to ask various questions and just share things... vs. times that often occur where people have solidified patterns in existing relationships, and suddenly asking a question has that interrogation tone. (Not that relationships have to be like that, but they often are.)

And yet, online... asking too many or too deeply personal questions with people you don't know all that well can seem weird.

Lots to think about... but I'll leave it to DoA to give his thoughts on this rather than dumping out more walls of text. Smile

Ky · 12-16-2013 05:40 AM

(12-16-2013 02:05 AM)SoulRiser Wrote: What's the best way to approach starting a conversation with a person that might involve talking about a lot of deep personal feelings and stuff? Like, I want them to talk about this stuff because 1) I'm curious.. and 2) I think talking about it might help them figure out some stuff about themselves that I think might be helpful (I think this because I was being a nosy bitch and psycho-analyzing them probably too much)... and 3) it'd prove my theories either right or wrong, once and for all.

There is no best way, because the implication of such a conversation is that you want someone else to open up to you. Sure, you can try to rush them or paint yourself as someone they can turn to, but such a decision is theirs alone. The best thing to do is wait for them to confide something in you, and be a good listener...and if that's taking too long, you can probably find a good time to ask them if they want to.

Understand, though, that a lot of people will say "no". It's human nature not to want someone inside your head unless you really think it will help, and many do not realize they need help.

Sometimes we have to make assumptions about others, I guess...but be careful not to let those assumptions override the information they are giving you.

Ky · 12-16-2013 05:43 AM

I'll get back to you on that in a few days, xcriteria. My brain has already developed an instinctive delay.

l1qu1d · 12-18-2013 09:26 AM

I HATE EVERYONE Smile

Ky · 12-18-2013 09:55 AM

(12-18-2013 09:26 AM)l1qu1d Wrote: I HATE EVERYONE

Oh. Everyone?

Michael Merging · 12-19-2013 01:53 PM

So this an introduction and my couch session for DoA. Thought it would be a novel idea to post an intro here as this is more or less what you can do the first time you see a therapist. It's a kind of interview session that takes place. It's also good for creating stories of ourselves. And goes to Soulriser's guilty pleasures as well.

I was born on a Strategic Air Command Military base in Blytheville Arkansas during a heat wave. My parents were ’70s era hippies a la Dazed and Confused. My dad was the son of a brilliant Kansas University professor of Drama and Literature. He was somewhat privileged but rebelled against the education establishment especially after seeing what it had done to his father and entered the Air force instead. My grandfather became greatly disillusioned with the world of academia and retreated to the woods where he would live out the rest of life as a cantankerous hermit whose house looked as if a library had been hit by a tornado.

My mother was born in Brooklyn but moved upstate at age 9. She was typical working class and typical middle child. Her mother was an overbearing slightly mentally ill immigrant from Venezuela who hammered into her daughters that they should focus on finding a successful man with which to settle down. In keeping with this, she never thought she could attend college or do anything beyond “find a man” and entered the Air Force to gain vocational skills. Many young Americans did this during the late 70’s and early 80’s…it was “peace time.” It was into this picture that I was born.

In terms of being “on the couch” I’ll jump to the meat. My dad was very immature; he split the scene after a year because he was just too irresponsible and not ready for a child. My mother had to bear the brunt and pick up the slack. After moving back to New York City for a few years, my mother met another man. She married quickly, she needed to “find a man.” He ended up moving us to Ohio. He ended up being an abusive con man. For three years from 5 to 8 my mother and I suffered abuse at the hands of this man. The abuse ran the gamut from physical to verbal, emotional to sexual. By age 8 my mom finally began to see the light and we got away from him, but not before being beaten half to death one last time and watching my mother jump out of a moving car to save her life. After this we had to live in a battered women’s shelter for a year before we could get a place in the projects through the city.

We moved into the pj’s and I started fourth grade. It was in this picture that I began attending the “Child Guidance Center.” This was a place for “emotionally disturbed” children to be poked and prodded. From the age of 8 to 14 I was in this program in which I was constantly psycho analyzed and tested on drugs. It was also during this time that I began to experience extreme states of mood. I attempted suicide multiple times by strangulation. I remember my mom screaming and crying at the door while she broke it down. I remember my friend tommy who one day I saw being dragged through the waiting room screaming to get the bugs off him. I never saw tommy again. I remember my first and only girlfriend who I met there. She was a cutter and got real sad. I remember when I found her. And now she’s not with us anymore.

I always excelled in school. I saw its faults early on but took the individualistic view of I’m going to use it to get out of the cycle of poverty in which I found myself. I made it through my teens barley, spending the better part of 17 to 18 in a near catatonic state after losing Lucy. I was off meds and out of the hospital program and out of this world. I made it to college through my test scores alone. I ended up going to an alternative High School where we worked at our own pace but this was only after basically not going the first two years in regular school which meant drawing F’s. In the end all I could raise that to was a C. I made it back to New York City and was going to school, interning and working. It was in this picture that I had my first psychotic episode.

I always say it was stress. I was in Bellevue for a month. I got back on meds. The voices stopped. However, by the time I got through it all, I found myself without an apartment and without a scholarship. I was forced to leave school with no understanding for my situation. I was homeless and began squatting with some anarcho punks. I didn’t know what kind of world I was getting into. I got involved with community gardens and radical mental health but we lost our squat and I became really depressed and tried to swallow a bunch of pills. Back in Bellevue, I resolved to never let this happen again. I got out but was still homeless. I found a place called Fountain House that helped me with among other things finding an apartment in which I live to this day. In 2005 in the midst of all that I met xcriteria. We began working in a youth rights and arts collective. Fast forward to today. You know what xcriteria is working on. We work together still. Where else to go? Im back on meds after some more wild times. I didn’t want to end up in the hospital again. I had been off meds for a few years with varying levels of success. You do have to follow a much stricter regimen than just popping a pill. Im seeing a psychiatrist but not a therapist. I have been really depressed for some reason lately, been sleeping a lot, despondent, anxious, afraid to go out. But I wanna make short films! That’s something that gets me excited. X and I are working on that.

I put this here because this is what you do when you first sit down with a therapist you spill out your life in whatever way you see fit and then the game begins. You wanna be a therapist? They say I need it. Where would you go from here? What questions would you ask? How would you introduce yourself? Would you do/say something to make me feel comfortable, at ease?

Ky · 12-20-2013 05:08 AM

I would like to start by saying that, while psychiatry has kept you out of rock bottom, therapy can probably heal your mental and emotional wounds a lot better. You should definitely find a psychologist who has a degree, a considerable deal of experience, and knows what they're talking about.

But, in the meantime, perhaps I can be of some assistance.

To start off the questions on a light note, I'm interested in knowing about your friendship with xcriteria, and your plan to make short films. Can you tell me more about this?

xcriteria · 12-20-2013 03:17 PM

(12-20-2013 05:08 AM)DoA Wrote: To start off the questions on a light note, I'm interested in knowing about your friendship with xcriteria, and your plan to make short films. Can you tell me more about this?

I'll jump in and write a bit of backstory that's applicable to me as well.

Back in 2005, I started posting on the School Survival forums (Joined: Oct 2005.) I'd known about the site for a while... perhaps as early as 2002 in a general sense, and as a forum since 2004. But, in fall, 2005, I had returned to college, and I was majoring in psychology. As usual with me and school, the first month or two went well, but then I started looking elsewhere for more substantial learning experiences. I started spending most of my time digging through academic articles on neuroscience, personality traits, disorders, education, and individual differences.

I'd been interested in this whole question of how to transform education for a long time, as well as how to create some kind of produced content (documentary, series, etc.) about the kind of themes discussed here, among others. But I didn't know how to build a team or proceed with those ideas.

I posted a number of walls of text here about topics like learning, curriculum, and so on. Here are some noteworthy early posts from me:

lesson plans (Nov. 14, 2005)

documentary series (Dec. 24, 2005)

(Those threads show key parts of what I was thinking about back then, and actually much earlier, today, and going forward even now.)

Hidden stuff:

The rest is a long story, but that's a start.

As for the short films, my own preference is to create a series, or some kind of transmedia storyworld. But, there are a bunch of options for producing things, from short clips to multi-hour interactions, to multi-season series formats. Not to mention all the things that can be done with text, live events, and music.

But, for now, time for sleep. More later.

vonunov · 12-21-2013 06:03 AM

Sorry, I just have to jump in here to point something out. Maybe it's a bit pedantic, but I feel the need to mention it, and maybe if I do people will stop criticizing themselves over something they're not even doing.

This is a wall of text: http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Wall_of_Text

It's not a synonym for "TL;DR" -- you do yourself a disservice in describing a well-divided post of yours as a wall of text. This term is generally a negative evaluation of a post, and there's nothing wrong with having a lot to say as long as you use paragraphs. A lot of the posts that seem to describe themselves this way just aren't that terribly long besides.

No need to worry about it so much. Smile

Michael Merging · 12-23-2013 04:13 AM

Very good. I like what you did there DoA. Well played.

Our friendship is simple. We met in 05 when he left montana to come to new york. he sorta showed up our doorstep. and he never left. he wanted to be involved with what he thought would become a sprawlling youth rights and arts organization. that never happened. He's fairly smart but i like to toy with him. his just being there as a friend and an example of a human has helped me a lot. I know all about this site and a lot of the people on it as we talk about everything. A lot of what he writes has been bounced off me at various times.

Lately we are wanting to make short films. I recently got a canon rebel t3i. According to x its the best thing to get for short films and if you dont have $5000 laying around. I have an idea called waking days where i follow someone through the depths of a day in their life set to Bad Wings by the Glitch Mob with me cutting and scratching lines from full metal jacket. There is also the story I want to tell of my late aunt debbie who struggled with schizophrenia most of her life. She never came to terms with her mental health and didnt have the proper supports in her life. it would be a tragic story yes but a lesson that I want to impart about fighting stigma, finding support, community, and knowledge, education, for people to have insight and to admit their brains function differently.

SO ok ill stop there but yeah it felt really good to talk about that stuff, to write it down. i also was once a prolific writer but have struggled with that these past few years. in and out of depression and not feeling like i have anything to say that hasnt already been said. but anyway ill stop there for now.

thanks!

Possibly Related Threads...
Thread:		Author	Replies:	Views:	Last Post
	Writing and Creativity Psych Shop	xcriteria	3	4,268	05-15-2017 12:48 PM Last Post: James Comey

Threaded Mode \| Linear Mode DoA's One-Stop Psych Shop Archives
Author	Message