So Much Beauty In the World!

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American Beauty is one of my all time favorite movies.

The film won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (for Spacey), Best Original Screenplay, and Best Cinematography.

It’s basically about an average white middleclass American family going through their various crises – clichés like the angry teenager and the classic male/female midlife crisis.

Using these clichés, the movie exquisitely reveals some of the most difficult phases in life, and demonstrates for us  just how wisdom can be cultivated through personal growth.

In one of the best scenes, Ricky, a teenage boy, is talking to his new friend, Jane.

“Want to see the most beautiful thing I’ve ever filmed?”

On the video, the scene was in a parking lot on a cold, gray day. Something is floating across the screen… it’s an empty plastic bag, seemingly dancing with a life of its own. The wind carries it in a circle, sometimes whipping it about violently, or, without warning, sending it soaring skyward, then letting it float gracefully down to the ground.

Ricky is smiling as he watches, and he says:

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” It was one of those days when it’s     a minute away from snowing and there’s this electricity in the air,    you can almost hear it…    right?

And this bag was just dancing with me.    Like a little kid begging me to play with it.    For fifteen minutes.

And that’s the day I knew there was this entire life behind things,   and …   there is this incredibly benevolent force  …   that wanted me to know there was no reason to be afraid.   …Ever.

Sometimes there’s so much beauty in the world, I feel like I can’t take it, and my heart is just going to cave in.”

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Intense emotion is part of what marks life’s transition to ‘teenager’. It’s a stage of self-discovery and identity, and although it can be very exciting, these emotions can be overwhelming, sometimes to the point of contemplating suicide. Finding a way to handle them is one of this stages greatest challenges.

The film continues to take the viewer through various enactments that (can) lead to life changing decisions.

In the final scene of the movie, Lester, the main character, has similar observations about life as Ricky did, but he has the advantage of time and experience. He is content. And then he is shot. 

As his mind drifts, he recalls special moments in his life: …His wife, Carolyn, cutting roses from the garden… fresh-cut roses in a vase on the kitchen counter… the faucet as drops of water gather at the tip before falling…and the last drop is a shining sphere filled with light and beauty… his daughter, Janie, 7 years old, dressed for Halloween in a princess costume.

Next scene – it’s the video Ricky showed Jane earlier, of the empty white plastic bag being blown about by the wind. It carries it in a circle as it moves skyward   then letting it float gracefully down to the ground. He says:

“I guess I could be pretty pissed off about what just happened to me… 

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but it’s hard to stay mad, when there’s so much beauty in the world.

Sometimes I feel like I’m seeing it all at once      and it’s too much  …  

My heart fills up  like a balloon that’s about to burst …

And then I remember to relax  …

and stop trying to hold on to it  …

And then it flows through me like rain  …

 

And I can’t feel anything but gratitude   …  for every single moment  …  of my stupid   little    life…

 You have no idea what I’m talking about , I’m sure  … but don’t worry – you will someday.”

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Wow! Beautiful!

Brands of Therapy: “Psychosynthesis”

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Psychosynthesis: A Psychology with a Soul

Worth reading from off the Web!

This article is a synopsis of the writings by Sydney psychotherapist, Jodie Gale.

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Psychosynthesis is known worldwide as ‘a psychology with a soul’. It integrates the best that western psychology has to offer, along with eastern and western spiritual theories, practices and techniques; such as the art of presence, mindfulness, meditation and visualisation.  Psychosynthesis is a holistic approach and can include an exploration of the physical, emotional, psychological, social, sexual, cultural, ecological and spiritual elements and influences on health and well-being.

Exploring spirituality is linked with better health outcomes

Spirituality in this context is often used to describe the deeper essence of who we are, the innate part of us that continuously calls us towards growth and wholeness. This is the spiritual Self, also known as the deeper or higher Self (capital S). The Self is made up of will and consciousness – it is our life force. When connected to our deeper essence, it provides us with renewed vitality, a way of understanding and finding value, meaning and purpose in life.

Roberto Assagioli MD, the founder of psychosynthesis, was a psychoanalyst and neurologist.  Although heavily influenced by eastern and western spirituality, he was adamant that psychosynthesis would be accepted as a respectable scientific theory.

According to recent empirical research by MU College of Arts & Science, exploring spirituality is linked with better health outcomes. Dan Cohen believes that spirituality not only fosters better mental health but may help our relationships by decreasing self-centeredness and increasing our sense of connectedness and belonging to a larger whole.

The clinical psychology program at Columbia University is currently experimenting with integrating psychotherapy and spirituality in ways rarely seen at a major research university.

Do I need to be ‘spiritual’?

One critique of a spiritual approach in psychotherapy includes a fear that the therapist will not be neutral and may have expectations that we have to be spiritual. In their book, ‘A Psychotherapy of Love’, psychosynthesis authors Firman and Gila write that therapists ‘need to die to their own world in order to love their clients in their worlds.’ This altruistic, empathic, selfless and unconditional regard are the hallmarks of the psychosynthesis therapist. Because of its inclusive nature, psychosynthesis is perfect for people from all walks of life. Many people who do not consider themselves spiritual (including atheists) have transformed their lives throughout psychosynthesis therapy.

A model of growth and transformation for dealing with crises

The therapist holds the concept that within every crisis, something new is seeking to emerge.  The experience of suffering can eventually lead us to growth and transformation. Psychosynthesis author Stephanie Sorrel suggests that we cannot avoid all suffering in life, but through suffering, we can “enter into relationship with the world of soul and the potential richness of its wisdom (2009).” We don’t always have control over what comes our way, but we do have a choice about how we relate and respond to these events. Psychosynthesis therapy can help us find new life direction and a sense of empowerment even after the most unimaginable suffering.

Relationship is at the heart of psychosynthesis

Our relationship with our self is the premise for all further relationships. In neuro-psychosynthesis-psychotherapist Dr Stratford’s recent research, she found that a high therapeutic alliance impacted on brain and body; clients felt safer, anxiety was reduced, they gained insight and processed trauma. The empathic, unconditional love and acceptance experienced in therapy allows us to reconnect with our authentic self.  Psychosynthesis gives us a context of hope for resolving difficulties in all of our relationships.

In psychosynthesis therapy

A psychosynthesis therapist is interested in the potential of human nature rather than diagnosis and equating us with our illnesses. The therapist uses ‘bifocal vision’ to see that we are more than our problems. Psychosynthesis practitioner Diana Whitmore writes that we are perceived “as a Self, a being with a purpose in life and with immense potential for love, intelligence and creativity…also as a personality, an individual made up of a unique blend of physical, emotional and mental characteristics” (2000).

~ Jodie Gale

from: https://www.australiacounselling.com.au/mental-health-articles/therapeutic-approaches/psychosynthesis-psychology-soul/