Seamus Thinks

These two words describe what may actually be two aspects of the same Life-Force. We look at how Spirituality differs from something that is often confused with it, Religion. The talk also looks at several self-limiting ideas that prevent many from discovering and living a life " from the inside out" versus the rather toxic idea of deciding what to do and dragging the living organism along that agenda for which it has neither the talent or the passion.

Love is more than a feeling. In this cast Seamus talks about some of the aspects of love as a transformative practice.

The psychotherapist tells about his attempts to "get his mind" around the idea that some conditions may best be treated by a "spiritual" remedy. He describes: His education in subjects he assumed he understood: the difference between religion and spirituality; the ancient wisdoms of the Greek and Roman philosophers; and the discoveries of Prince Siddhartha, of which he had been abysmally ignorant. How these wisdoms are so much more compatible with today's scientific understanding of life and energy in the Cosmos than his previous - rather superficial - approach.

In this episode I look at time-tested ways of dealing with many common fears - whether we are calling them dreads, anxieties, worries, concerns, or insecurities. I look at how these are limiting our lives and undermining our good times. Overcoming these destructive and self-defeating tendencies is something humans have been pondering for thousands of years - leaving us their wisdoms.

Sometimes we are unaware of the degree to which our narrative - how we are describing things - is affecting our mood/feelings. We can become aware that often our catastrophizing descriptions are coloring our reactions and change them. Pain is inevitable; Suffering (my protest at having pain) is optional.

We're not corks bobbing up and down on the waves of life. The important connection between how we are describing situations and our resultant feeling/moods.

Given our tendency to worry in response to situations and often in response to our mere imaginings, is there anything we can do about this? Is there some way of looking at things; some wisdom - particularly in this Corona virus emergency - that will enable us to lead peaceful and productive lives while taking prudent measures recommended by health professionals? It is a time to revisit wisdoms that have been available for thousands of years.

Most of us have aspects of our lives we would love to change. But we somehow never get around to the process of changing them. In this first of a series I take a look at change in general. In subsequent talks I will look at more specific changes, some voluntary and some thrust upon us by circumstances or stages of life.

This is the final episode in the series in which the psychotherapist looks at what seems to make AA work for so many, namely: the path of steps leading an individual from the futility of "...bombarding one's problems with will power," to finding effective power by aligning the individual's will power with that of a higher power. That it is a purely empirical process without requiring any preceding beliefs - replicate the process, see if you replicate the results we report - may be one of its most effective aspects. Tune in here next week for the first in a New Series of podcasts dealing with Change.

In this episode the psychotherapist looks into some of the most puzzling steps: Steps 2 & 3. Though they may look and sound almost religious to those who have not studied them, the therapist was surprised to discover how down-to-earth they really are.

Continuing to look at 12 Step programs - AA in particular as the forerunner of the others. Attempting to gain some understanding of their essential elements (the active ingredients, so to speak). Uncovers some radical and often-overlooked aspects of their approach, concepts that harken back to ancient wisdoms and are far more profound than many trained in other disciplines imagine.

The therapist looks at the book, Alcoholics Anonymous - the guidebook for the 12 Steps - to see how it views alcoholism and what it provides as an answer to the problem of the alcoholic.

These are some observations of the program of AA from the point of view of a psychotherapist who has worked over the years with many people in recovery from addiction.

Emotions - properly understood - can be the most authentic guide to our Life Choices.

Some ways of dealing with reality that have been known for thousands of years and are even more relevant in today's world.

Gratitude is more than a feeling and it's evil twin, that free-floating Discontent, is the worm in the apple of our lives.

Making up one's mind is such an important skill it's amazing that nobody has ever told us all that goes into the process.