iPodless me & San Francisco

 

The iPod is a great hit of the modern world. I am sitting here with my beat-up MP3 player; and still don’t feel like getting one. Looking at my MP3 player on the desk, I can’t help smiling at him (I think it is a boy) with appreciation.

My ‘boy’ has never been “cool” enough whenever an iPod was around. But it is just so “right” to me. Let me put it this way, not everybody prefers a supermodel. No matter how wonderful or sexy they look, they often are just not my people.

I got this player on the internet several years ago. It was on sale and fitted all my needs: It was quite light, had expandable memory and voice recording function. I could use one rechargeable AAA that would last 10 hours. What was so great about it which I did not realize then was its precious company.

I had lived in San Francisco for around 7 years. San Francisco was a very rough city for a foreigner like me, regardless of its beautiful look, incredible cultural depth, and amazing consciousness movement. On the way to where I worked and studied, I had great opportunities to encounter San Francisco’s rough energy: property, anger, violence, and craziness. I did not shut myself down when I experienced suffering. That was the way I chose to learn to be a human. I considered this to be one kind of spiritual practice for me. (Please don’t try to do this on your own. It is very important that you can protect yourself by shutting yourself down when you encounter something unsafe) Fortunately, it worked well for me. That experience made me the therapist that I wanted to be. It really assisted me to be able to see my clients’ sufferings more clearly without judgment.

This particular spiritual practice lasted for a few years. What accompanied me on this journey was this MP3 player and Michelle’s music, an album that I had waited for 7 years to hear.

 

Each day,

Michelle’s music met the suffering of the city in a very strange way.

Experiencing the chaos,

I was watching her dreamy music vibrated with

the tears

of San Francisco.

Technorati Tags: life, writing, Health and wellness, healing, vancouver

“Broken Words, perfect feelings” – What is Anxiety Disorder like?

Why did that waitress crunch her eyebrows at me?

Why didn’t I smile back to her?

 

Why did the new guy say that to me?

Why did I respond like that?

 

Why did that crazy thing happen to him?

Will it happen to me?

 

Why do they look at me?

Am I clean and neat?

Am I being normal and appropriate?

 

Is there something wrong with me?

Is it my hair?

Is it my shoes?

Is it my mind?

Is it me?

 

 

Am I the problem?

 

 

Will I be ok today?

 

 

Technorati Tags: life, poetry, anxiety, Health and wellness, therapy, vancouver

“Broken Words, perfect feelings” – What is Depression like?

It’s full.

 

A heart is filled…

 

with pain.

 

 

It’s full.

 

A heart is filled…

 

with confusion.

 

 

It’s full.

 

A heart is filled…

 

with numbness.

 

 

Then it’s empty.

 

A heart becomes emptiness…

 

Technorati Tags: life, poetry, depression, Health and wellness, therapy, vancouver

“Broken Words, perfect feelings” – Lyrics that I don’t understand

How did it start?

The unknown lyrics became enjoyment.

Having no idea about what they sing,

I come closer to the music itself,

and now am more capable of noticing its language.

Being here,

in the unclear realm between soul and emotion,

I am an easy guest,

allowing myself to vibrate with the moment where each note meets the voice…

Please don’t ask what music I listen to now.

I worry,

that you can’t help sending its translation to me.

I don’t want to know,

really I don’t want to know,

I want only this pure resonance in my chest to go on…

 

 

Technorati Tags: life, writing, Health and wellness, healing, vancouver

What is “Depression”?

The following article is from the “Understanding Mental Illness” segment of CMHA (Canadian Mental Health Associatioin)
Depression

Problems and misfortunes are a part of life. Everyone experiences unhappiness, and many people may become depressed temporarily when things don’t go as they would like. Experiences of failure commonly result in temporary feelings of worthlessness and self-blame, while personal losses cause feelings of sadness, disappointment and emptiness. Such feelings are normal, and they usually pass after a short time. This is not the case with depressive illness.

What are the signs of depressive illness?

What is “Transpersonal Psychotherapy”?

Transpersonal Psychotherapy is a gentle, humanistic, and holistic approach that allows you to heal through the development of personal growth.

Transpersonal Psychotherapy is a powerful healing approach that integrates eastern philosophies and western psychology. It does not only focus on mind conditions but also include other levels of our consciousness like body, heart, and spirit. It will expand our living experiences as human beings and open the possibilities for us to purse the depth of human experience.

 

In a safe learning environment, the therapist will help the client to co-explore the inner world and personal histories in order to cultivate self-realization. The avenue of Transpersonal Psychotherapy suggests that everyone has the power to liberate her/his psychic block.

 

The way the therapist guides the client is very humanistic and non-judgmental. It will thus assist the learner to advance her/his significant process more smoothly. Fundamentally, the therapist leads the client to access and to develop inner power and further to foster the competence of dealing with difficulties.

Technorati Tags: life, transpersonal, writing, education, vancouver