– Using Our Imaginations When We are Stuck in Life

Last Updated on December 27, 2024 by Chris Roberts

By: Chris Roberts, MACP, LPC-MHSP (Masters of Arts in Counseling and Psychology.  Licensed Professional Counselor with Mental Health Service Provider designation) Two Trees Counseling Nashville.  Relational Psychodynamic Therapy Certified Therapist Trainer and Consultant.

 

ONE OF THE GREATEST THERAPISTS AND THINKERS OF OUR DAY

Stephen Mitchell is, in my opinion, one of the greatest writers and thinkers of our time.  Unfortunately, he died way too young and we are left with just a brief set of books, articles, and letters composed by his brilliant mind.  He was known for thinking outside the box and being creative and original in his interpretations of events and situations.  In one of his books, Influence and Autonomy, he writes this: “…psychopathology is viewed not as a product of illusion or irrationality, but as a narrowness in perception, a tendency to truncate new experiences into stereotyped patterns.  It is not so much that either the patient or therapist is wrong as that both lack imagination when caught in the perseverative enactments of familiar organizations of experience.” P.97.

It is always surprising that Mitchell wasn’t labeled more readily as a heretic, as his thoughts and ideas typically did not stay in line with mainstream thinking at the time.  However, most of his thoughts are widely accepted today as common parlance for thinking about the way the human mind works.  In this short passage, Mitchell goes as far to state that psychopathology, a word usually saved for deranged or dangerous people, is far more a failure of imagination, than it is illusion or irrationality.  And I believe this line of thinking could apply to all of us whenever we find ourselves in a stuck situation.

BEING STUCK IN THERAPY AND IN LIFE

In this particular statement by Mitchell, he is referring to the ways that therapists get stuck with their patients and lose the ability to see the path clearly ahead.  This happens all the time in good, solid, transformative therapy work.  But, rather than placing all of the blame on the patient for being “stuck” or being “resistant” or being “untreatable,” Mitchell declares that the therapist plays a part as well, in so much as failing to expand their own mind and doing so by being creative.  As a rule of thumb, if we are only able to see 2 courses of action for any moment where we find ourselves stuck, then more than likely we are not in a good place to be making decisions.  Meaning, there are always 5 to 10 options available to us in any moment, but if we can only “imagine” 2, or maybe 3, then it should indicate to us that our field of vision has become narrowed, and we aren’t able to be creative.  We usually feel some sense of panic or stress when we are in moments or situations where there seems to be only 2 or 3 options of choices.  And the more we fixate on the 2 or 3 options, the more panic and stress sets in.  This is due to no one’s fault!  It is the normal process our brain goes through when we feel stress or worry or fear.  It is actually adaptive in a healthy way when we are in the face of real danger.  We don’t’ want to be cycling through 14 options when our life is on the line.  But, in the same token, we usually don’t need to “feel” like we are in a life-threatening situation, when there is time and resources to sort through a dilemma. 

USING IMAGINATION AND CREATIVITY IN INDIVIDUAL THERAPY IN NASHVILLE

I like the idea of using creativity and imagination in therapy and in life.  Albert Einstein is quoted as saying, “If you want your kids to be smart, read them fairy tales.  If you want them to be even smarter, read them more fairy tales.”  It struck me as strange advice coming from one of the smartest people to ever live.  However, he was quite serious.  He truly believed that his imagination, and his unrestricted creativity, lead to some of his greatest discoveries.  I think this holds true in situations where we feel stuck, or anxious, or stressed about a decision.  As noted by Mitchell in the above quote, we unconsciously filter our new experiences through old lenses.  We funnel very unique and nuanced moments down into simple registers that help us process and put into categories we can understand.  Our brain must do this on a minute by minute basis, or we would be overwhelmed by the newness and intricacies of everyday experiences.  So, this is a basic and useful part of living.  However, when it comes to stress, or repeated cycles of poor decisions or relationships or work environments, then we need to slow down and give our minds space to let new thoughts and modes of living in.

HOW THERAPY IN TENNESSEE HELPS US SOLVE OUR PROBLEMS

I, like most therapists, don’t believe that direct advice or problem solving solutions is what actually helps us grow and change.  Those actions can certainly help in the moment and are not, in any way, harmful.  However, to truly change how we engage life and relationships and everyday dilemmas, we need a different set of rules, an expansion of our mind, in order to create true and lasting difference.  A therapist in Nashville can listen to your situation with an open mind.  Because the therapist isn’t in the throes of the particular situation, they can hear and validate the suffering and stuckness of the moment, but can access other parts of their mind, other experiences, other ideas than can be offered up for the client to consider.  But here’s the kicker- in order for true change to occur, it is the client themselves that must open up their own mind to consider the new alternatives in a way that actually makes sense to them.  This is very different than just following a set of steps proffered by the therapist.   Hence, the imagination of the therapist is borrowed by the client, but in a way that the client must actually expand their own mind to digest and make sense of the therapists words.

LOOKING FOR A THERAPIST IN MIDDLE-TENNESSEE?          

If you have been playing around with the idea of working with a mental health therapist in Nashville, TN or the surrounding area, then Chris Roberts at Two Trees Counseling Nashville would love the opportunity to speak with you.  Chris has over 15 years of working with individuals and couples in a therapy setting and would be glad to help direct you in the best way possible.  Chris can be reached at: chris@nashvillecounselor.net, or at (615) 800-9260

 

 

Source: by Stephen Mitchell. Influence and Autonomy in Psychoanalysis. 1997 .