Profiling Mass Shooters

mass shooter profileWe watched – again – nauseated, stunned, horrified – hearing the grief-stricken wail of dying innocence — a six-year-old, a husband, a mother gunned down — for what? Communities — again – face the loss of precious life randomly killed, en masse, so that one sick shooter could play out his deluded fantasy and make it big — a final violent hateful suicidal splash that he knew would flicker across the news like an impotent light before it was extinguished, bleeding into darkness.

We speak our outrage and despair: “DO SOMETHING!”

(I will not discuss our negligent, reprehensible senators blocking responsible gun legislation in this blog).

I have culled snippets from the NY Times and other sources on the days the mass killings took place, to focus attention on the profile of the shooters. You will see similarities amongst all of them. These individuals have serious mental health issues that do make them dangerous. To be clear, most individuals with “serious mental illness” are not dangerous; many are medicated appropriately and others are simply not inclined to violent acting out.

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Summertime

Are all of you giving-in to the lazy, restful dog days of summer? Well if the kids are home — maybe not (but at least you are not managing homework).

We may be working then vacationing or enjoying a staycation as we sense and feel the warmth in the air that heats us inside. I am taking a break from blogging this month allowing me more spaciousness in the month of August. So read good fiction, curl up and nap and create digital room away from your devices. I hope you choose to walk in nature, hike, bike, go to the beach and most of all allow rest and a sense of well-being that summertime affords us with all its pleasurable opportunities.

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Archetype of the Apocalypse: A Deficit of Consciousness

deficit of consciousnessWe are living through a critical time; a deficit of consciousness and juncture that leads us ever closer to the edge of environmental catastrophe. We hear daily of new catastrophes taking place all over the world, and in state after state, or close-in within our own neighborhoods. We are drowning in flood water, leveled by fires, and our food and water supplies are already endangered in many parts of the world. Today I heard a PBS report on the California central valley that has been dramatically sinking due to a century of exploitive water extraction since the gold rush.

We may feel our inner alarm signals going off repeatedly as eccentric, unpredictable weather patterns become normal. Our planet is under siege. We know coral reefs, animals, forests, parklands — all living entities are threatened.

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How Time Passes: Aging

As time passes we age. We are presented with both challenges and satisfying plateaus. Throughout our life, on our birthdays or other significant events, we stop for a moment and take stock. We may ask: How do I feel about my life? What are critical considerations now? Have I accomplished the goals I have set? Do I experience satisfaction? Have I sacrificed meaning for money or sacrificed my emotional needs for security in an unsatisfying relationship? What are the changes I need to make? As we age these questions become more relevant.

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In Gratitude

My book event and signing occurred at 1:00 PM 2-24-18 at Book Passage, Corte Madera. I was deeply moved by all who came to listen, support and engage. The community of patients, students, professionals, and friends all present together celebrating the publication of my book was both thrilling and humbling. As I stated in my presentation, I carry a debt of gratitude to so many whom have been part and parcel of the arduous journey that lead to the exhilarating birth of my book.

First and foremost, I want to express my gratitude for each and every patient that came my way over 40 years in practice. The ones that were challenges taught me important lessons; they showed me my strengths and weaknesses. The intricate give and take with my many patients who stayed the course with perseverance, courage and diligence, I deeply respect their efforts. Many have worked with me for decades, healing significant traumas. The relationships run deep and create a reciprocal flow that evolves into a third synergistic field. At the event I reconnected with patients that long ago left my practice as they had completed their work or a chunk of it. I felt a warm satisfaction that they still held the gains of the work. The threads of deep connection remained over many years of absence.

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Getting Help Creates (some) Happiness

Do you feel exhausted at the end of the day, dashing from work to handle domestic tasks or personal business? Are your weekends absorbed in laundry, paying bills, running errands, cleaning house (or leaving it a mess!), cooking meals, and shuttling your kids here, there and everywhere?

Are you in-over-your-head running your own business or involved in a creative project and do not have the advanced skills of navigating social media, website development, database organization and other technological and organizing challenges now required?

Does the pressure and stress result in irritability and anger towards those you love? Or are you simply depressed as life has lost its glow and you feel stuck at an impasse.

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Making the Holidays Work for You

I was about to launch into another character type description but decided to opt for lighter faire for the holiday season. You all have been quite patient with my intellectual ramblings on character types so you get a break in December.

What to discuss? This season does invoke contented feelings for me as I always appreciate colder, hopefully moister weather. I like the earlier darker nights I have always appreciated the flurry of seasonal lights. Many people dread the darkness and much prefer the summer’s sunny light. There are a multitude of other reactions to this time of year as there can be ample provocative triggers. Some people react to commercialism, others are reminded of uncomfortable family issues or have to navigate through family gatherings fraught with issues. Or the general pressures of holiday events and demands take a toll.

How can you make the holidays work for you? There is always lots of advice on adjusting to the stress of the holidays. I will add to the kibitzing and suggest that reducing your ‘compliant pleaser’ might be a helpful idea. Of course, the holidays demand some accommodation with family and friends — that is realistic. But some of us can take it to extremes where we lose our self to others and end up resentful, frustrated and disappointed.

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Rest and Relaxation

[Written during my year-end vacation]

How is your transition going as you start the New Year? I am fortunate enough to have an extended transition period to mid-January to slowly slide into the start of activities in the New Year. So I decided to write on the topic of rest and relaxation. What I am noticing is how important it is to have time and a place to unwind completely. Do we allow ourselves that ‘luxury’? Our belief might be that we must remain dutiful and ‘busy’ or risk everything falling apart. Sometimes we don’t actually know how to relax as we maintain a constant state of low to high-grade activity laced with anxiety and worry. Hyper-busyness is a defense against slowing to the deeper feelings and states that exist underneath the restless surface.

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Reich’s Concept of Contact

My blog has focused lately on a delineation of armoring and the seven segments of armor. I will move on to another relevant concept and how Reich’s Concept of Contact has contributed to the field of psychology and psychiatry. Elsworth Baker in Man in the Trap aptly describes contact: “Contact requires movement of energy above a certain minimal level plus excitation. Where the organism is free of blocks there is a free-flowing plasmatic movement which gives rise to sensations (organ sensations) and a three-dimensional perception of the body.”

What does this really mean in our daily life? When we feel in contact with another, there is an exchange of energy, feeling, body sensation and excitation. An interesting personal, psychological, political or philosophical conversation can engender an experience of contact. Our cognitions, feelings, and body sensations intertwine and we feel ‘alive’ in the interaction. It can be a simple discussion between two people about prosaic items, like plans for dinner, an event you are going to, or a project you are taking on together, and you enjoy the mutual contact and exchange.Reich’s Concept of Contact

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Hey, What About Your Therapy Commitment?

Why is prioritizing your weekly therapy appointment the single most important factor to the success of your therapy? Many clients have difficulty managing their life; we can be driven by our own busyness. We can say, “There is always so much to do. I have children, a job, so many responsibilities to keep up with.” Sometimes, though, the busyness is really avoidance, by choice, albeit sometimes unconscious.

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