dejerine
10-23-2005, 10:26 AM
Time has sort of put me in the state of saying whatever I think about central pain without much tact or sensitivity. Occasionally this causes someone to get upset or send me an email and I wondered if I should feel guilty. There isn't a lot of room for guilt in my pain, maybe I should try to keep more room open for it.
Gans at Harvard has published on the fact that courtesy in our society has evolved to mean we are expected to use value neutral (non passionate) language in groups. His point is that groups discussing a topic where everyone is polite often dodge a lot of important issues and go nowhere. He says he has to spend time giving people in group therapy enough courage to say what they really think. So I prefer to think I am courageous if I make fun of the "mind body" and things like that, knowing that the target of my humor may be precious to some few. I dont' really know what the rules are for discussing CP. It is a diverse area. As soon as you talk about how terrible it is, someone will say its not so terrible, and if you say a note of encouragement, it may be out of place for someone who wants to feel others at least understand even if they can't help. Pain is a desperate place.
Some of my biggest help has come from one psychiatrist, so I don't want to denigrate the profession, but so much harm has come from people who didn't believe a word and fed me into the sausage machine where they put everyone with "bad behavior" or "incorrect thinking" that I have come to rely on myself more and them less. I dont know any way to talk here except not to censor my ideas. To the one who sent an email I apologize for hurting your feelings, but I am trying to be accurate about my experience, not yours.
Gans at Harvard has published on the fact that courtesy in our society has evolved to mean we are expected to use value neutral (non passionate) language in groups. His point is that groups discussing a topic where everyone is polite often dodge a lot of important issues and go nowhere. He says he has to spend time giving people in group therapy enough courage to say what they really think. So I prefer to think I am courageous if I make fun of the "mind body" and things like that, knowing that the target of my humor may be precious to some few. I dont' really know what the rules are for discussing CP. It is a diverse area. As soon as you talk about how terrible it is, someone will say its not so terrible, and if you say a note of encouragement, it may be out of place for someone who wants to feel others at least understand even if they can't help. Pain is a desperate place.
Some of my biggest help has come from one psychiatrist, so I don't want to denigrate the profession, but so much harm has come from people who didn't believe a word and fed me into the sausage machine where they put everyone with "bad behavior" or "incorrect thinking" that I have come to rely on myself more and them less. I dont know any way to talk here except not to censor my ideas. To the one who sent an email I apologize for hurting your feelings, but I am trying to be accurate about my experience, not yours.