Psychology has been a passion of mine since I can remember,
but it has surely come a long way since it first started
as psychoanalysis, historically founded by Sigmund Freud.
The field has changed so much in the last ten decades,
and there has been a real transformation and expansion
of concepts and ideas (from Sigmund Freud and Josef Breuer's
approaches to "curing" hysteria to the study of consciousness
and self-development, for example). It has also come a long way
since I started being passionate about this intriguing discipline
and science, which was.... well, let's skip that.

I noticed that many still hold the idea that psychotherapy
is for "crazy" people, it is shameful and if you need it you must be a "loony".
Surprise! Things have changed. Therapy can be a great tool
for self-discovery and personal support, for getting to know oneself,
or learning how to communicate better with others;
the possibilities are really endless. I believe that if one wants to heal from
old emotional injuries, or become whole by reclaiming "severed off" pieces of
one's self, or working through unaddressed issues from the past
because they are popping up in the form of derivatives (the various symptoms
of malaise, often related to unhealed hurt, we are all, more or less, accustomed to,
such as depression and anxiety, to name the basic ones), therapy is a legitimate,
honorable, good thing to do, and a great adventure upon which to embark.

Many illustrious psychologists (Jung, Winnicott, Maslow, Rogers and countless
others, believed the human pull to wholeness to be innate to the individual.
Freud's drive theory is not wrong, it's just a small piece of the story.
We are not just cut in endless conflicts of libidinous forces slamming,
more or less violently, against objects, intrapsychic or out there in the
environment, their impact hence determining one's behavior.
Beyond eros and thanatos, we are also born with a drive
to transcend this basic conflict, towards completion, individuation, or,
dare I say it, enlightenment.

Psychology has evolved to be a sophisticated movement/science
and it makes much sense that it naturally began to intertwine with spirituality.
If the pull to becoming whole, self-actualized, or realized, is real,
than this paths' crossing could not be avoided, and in fact
will have to be welcomed and supported in our clients.
As we review evidence of the strong link between spirituality and
psychological health, we ought to feel ethically obliged to at least
inform our clients of these data.

TO BE CONTINUED

• Self - Realization: