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Psychology - "study of the soul," from Greek psykhe - "breath, spirit,
soul"
Therapy - The word
therapy has its origins in the Greek therapeia which means serving the
gods or carrying out their work. The therapist or servant believed that
healing can only occur through the soul. When healing occurs on a soul
level, then the deepest psychic divisions, the origin of all illness,
are made whole and the psychosomatic unity restored.
Ideally, a therapist provides guidance
which helps us heal the wounds from the past and confirms our own
ability to meet the challenges with which life presents us.
People have always had those they turned to when they sought guidance.
Whether it is the tribal elders, a priest, a well-loved grandparent or
the Delphic oracle. Many of these traditional sources of wisdom are, at
least in the Western world, no longer available to us or are no longer
reliable. To some extent, they have been replaced by therapists and
counsellors and fortunately the stigma previously attached to therapy
has largely disappeared.
Becoming conscious requires stamina
Seeing a therapist is still regarded by some as a sign of weakness.
However, those who mock, clearly underestimate the courage required to
take the step on the path of self discovery. And the stamina needed to
continue on the heights and depths of the journey. If psychology means
the study of the soul, then therapy is part of the journey of the soul.
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