Attention

Hello Clare,

I have to learn more about Gestalt therapy. I have been told that it especially useful in trauma survivors. I would like to give back from the growth and journeying that I have done.
Here are a few excerpts from a website (http://www.goodtherapy.org/Gestalt_Therapy.html)...

Gestalt therapy has at its core two key principals.The first maintains that experiencing the present moment in its entirety is at the heart of psychology, unlike techniques that give significance to the unknown or imagined. Second, each and every person is linked and connected to all things. Without acknowledging that we are in relationship with all things, we can never truly understand who we are.

Gestalt therapy teaches the client how to define what is truly being experienced versus what is merely an interpretation of the events. When the client becomes fully aware of this difference, he or she is able to identify the patterns and behaviors that need to be changed.

Gestalt therapy helps a client take the first step into this awareness so that they can acknowledge and accept these patterns. Through a journey of self-discovery, this form of therapy also empowers a client with the skills necessary to face stressful situations.

The concept does interest me, so I will probably investigate it at least.

You were viewing pictures from the Project Unbreakable I believe. I have shared that website several times since last spring. I am actually in contact with them trying to bring them to my university's campus next spring. We are trying to do it in conjunction with the domestic violence shelter to raise awareness about sexual assault.

I just watched a TED talk by a young filmmaker Julia Bacha, I believe that's her name. She has created a documentary about the nonviolent peace movement in Israel/Palestine. Her take home message is that Attention (media and public) is the catalyst for growth of and sustaining a movement. If the violent activists get media attention then they will persist and escalate. But if the attention is shifted towards the nonviolent movements and leaders then those actions will take hold and flourish.
This same concept is just as true for interpersonal violence as it is for international violence. If we focus our attention on the male role models who respect and treat women equally, then the media concept of the aggressive male will lose strength and vitality. Eventually the concept of what is masculine behavior made be redefined.

I was woken up last night by a strange noise. I found my beautiful dog seizing in my bathroom. She had urinated on the floor and was convulsing on wet tile. Luckily the seizure activity lasted less than 5 minutes, but she was disoriented and uncoordinated for a time following it. I had to clean her fur and the floor as best I could. This morning she seems timid and not quite sure of herself. I took her to the vet and they drew some blood. So I should know more tomorrow.

Until tomorrow.
Love and Light,
Maggie