Sunday Musings - March 5, 202
Whether we are an individual, family, community, or country we humans tend to repeat behavior which is familiar to us. Some of us may desire to create a new path or pattern but find ourselves “automatically” repeating behavior which we know will not produce the results we desire. We may notice this pattern and severely chide ourselves hoping, perhaps, to create such discomfort it will surely lead to a positive change. Yet, it is often the case that this negative response feeds rather than starves the undesirable behavior.
This pattern is evident in all our relationships. What could possibly cause a perfectly rational, kind person to notice himself or herself pushing away a loved one with anger? Why would a community continue to build more and more prisons when the recidivism rate is extremely high? Why would an employer treat employees as “less than” when all research points to less efficiency, a higher quit rate, more sick days, and often passive aggressive behavior resulting in products which are, at best, poor quality? Why would government bodies outlaw the teaching of those parts of history which make some students uncomfortable? Why would the very same people who oppose abortion because they believe sacred life begins at the moment of conception, treat LGBT folks as sinful and unworthy, support the death penalty and promote violent responses by police and government bodies?
We humans like to think we are “individuals” and more evolved than other animals or plant life. Yet the simplest animal or plant system naturally engages in behavior which works well within the context of a system. When one part of the ecological system of which trees may be a part is deficient in some needed resource, the entire surrounding system makes needed adjustments. Many insects and animals make subtle changes in their behavior and/or their appearance to promote survival individually and collectively.
We humans must “know” at some level that our individual bodies are a magical, intricate system of parts, all of which strive toward balance and efficient function. We also “know” that we live in family, community, national, international, and universal systems. Our behavior affects all those parts of the system. If balance is not maintained the entire system begins to falter and will soon fall apart unless corrective action is taken. Yet we often act as if we can mistreat our bodies and each other without harming and eventually destroying the entire system. We know, or course, that individual human bodies are physically, emotionally, and spiritually parts of systems. We know energy waves, chemicals, atmospheric pressure, and a host of other factors affect and are affected by individuals and other parts of the system.
Some individuals have suggested that the creation of the technology such as circuit boards, the internet, google and the cloud have allowed some of us to appreciate systems more fully and the interdependent of parts.
As a mental health therapist, I never think I am doing individual therapy. I know that even if only an individual is present in my office that person brings his or whole history of interacting with others with them. I know what individuals and I do or do not do will profoundly affect all the systems of which they are a part in a positive or negative way. Thus, I am always aware I am working for/with entire systems; that I am always doing family/community work. I know that no matter what the presenting symptoms I must be aware of the entire system which makes up the human body and the other systems in which the person lives. I am acutely reminded of this when I study with Mark Taylor at the Mind Body Movement/connection. We may spend entire weekends being reminded how various body parts affect and are affected by each other and how the individual dance affects all connected systems, The subject for a session may be fascia but we are always aware this connecting tissue is part of systems.
I was recently talking to an individual whose primary presenting symptom is acute anxiety. We began to explore what the voice of anxiety is reporting about the entire system of his body as well a family and community systems. We need to know what anxiety is saying about the internal and the family/community systems. The anxiety is the spokesperson for the systems.
The Pre-Socratic philosopher Heraclitus is credited with reminding us humans we cannot step into the same river twice. The river bed, the sides and the water are constantly changing. Yet we can talk about something we will call the river. It is not the water, sides, stones, or bed and yet we share the reality of “the river”. All the parts are necessary to create the river and yet it is more than and less than the sum of its parts.
We too, as individuals, families, communities, states, nations, continents, and universes are more than and less than the sum of our parts. That is the nature of systems. We cannot mistreat our bodies, other people, or any part of the environment without affecting all connected systems.
Written March 5, 2023
Jimmy F Pickett
Coachpickett.org
Whether we are an individual, family, community, or country we humans tend to repeat behavior which is familiar to us. Some of us may desire to create a new path or pattern but find ourselves “automatically” repeating behavior which we know will not produce the results we desire. We may notice this pattern and severely chide ourselves hoping, perhaps, to create such discomfort it will surely lead to a positive change. Yet, it is often the case that this negative response feeds rather than starves the undesirable behavior.
This pattern is evident in all our relationships. What could possibly cause a perfectly rational, kind person to notice himself or herself pushing away a loved one with anger? Why would a community continue to build more and more prisons when the recidivism rate is extremely high? Why would an employer treat employees as “less than” when all research points to less efficiency, a higher quit rate, more sick days, and often passive aggressive behavior resulting in products which are, at best, poor quality? Why would government bodies outlaw the teaching of those parts of history which make some students uncomfortable? Why would the very same people who oppose abortion because they believe sacred life begins at the moment of conception, treat LGBT folks as sinful and unworthy, support the death penalty and promote violent responses by police and government bodies?
We humans like to think we are “individuals” and more evolved than other animals or plant life. Yet the simplest animal or plant system naturally engages in behavior which works well within the context of a system. When one part of the ecological system of which trees may be a part is deficient in some needed resource, the entire surrounding system makes needed adjustments. Many insects and animals make subtle changes in their behavior and/or their appearance to promote survival individually and collectively.
We humans must “know” at some level that our individual bodies are a magical, intricate system of parts, all of which strive toward balance and efficient function. We also “know” that we live in family, community, national, international, and universal systems. Our behavior affects all those parts of the system. If balance is not maintained the entire system begins to falter and will soon fall apart unless corrective action is taken. Yet we often act as if we can mistreat our bodies and each other without harming and eventually destroying the entire system. We know, or course, that individual human bodies are physically, emotionally, and spiritually parts of systems. We know energy waves, chemicals, atmospheric pressure, and a host of other factors affect and are affected by individuals and other parts of the system.
Some individuals have suggested that the creation of the technology such as circuit boards, the internet, google and the cloud have allowed some of us to appreciate systems more fully and the interdependent of parts.
As a mental health therapist, I never think I am doing individual therapy. I know that even if only an individual is present in my office that person brings his or whole history of interacting with others with them. I know what individuals and I do or do not do will profoundly affect all the systems of which they are a part in a positive or negative way. Thus, I am always aware I am working for/with entire systems; that I am always doing family/community work. I know that no matter what the presenting symptoms I must be aware of the entire system which makes up the human body and the other systems in which the person lives. I am acutely reminded of this when I study with Mark Taylor at the Mind Body Movement/connection. We may spend entire weekends being reminded how various body parts affect and are affected by each other and how the individual dance affects all connected systems, The subject for a session may be fascia but we are always aware this connecting tissue is part of systems.
I was recently talking to an individual whose primary presenting symptom is acute anxiety. We began to explore what the voice of anxiety is reporting about the entire system of his body as well a family and community systems. We need to know what anxiety is saying about the internal and the family/community systems. The anxiety is the spokesperson for the systems.
The Pre-Socratic philosopher Heraclitus is credited with reminding us humans we cannot step into the same river twice. The river bed, the sides and the water are constantly changing. Yet we can talk about something we will call the river. It is not the water, sides, stones, or bed and yet we share the reality of “the river”. All the parts are necessary to create the river and yet it is more than and less than the sum of its parts.
We too, as individuals, families, communities, states, nations, continents, and universes are more than and less than the sum of our parts. That is the nature of systems. We cannot mistreat our bodies, other people, or any part of the environment without affecting all connected systems.
Written March 5, 2023
Jimmy F Pickett
Coachpickett.org
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