Inessa Manevich,Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist
310.804.6339
  • Home
  • Services
  • Rates and Insurance
  • Blog
  • Publications
  • Office Location
  • Contact

Unraveling Assumptions

10/9/2012

0 Comments

 
Upon reading this recent opinion-ed in the New York Times, I could not help but think about how the concept of decision-making based on intuition versus decision making based on reason plays out in psychotherapy. It is not uncommon for an individual to make decisions in their lives that simply "feel right" to them. However, when it becomes reasonably clear that the decisions that feel "so right" continually lead to less than desirable consequences, it may be time to reconsider the reasons behind these intuitive feelings. It is important to consider that while something that may feel like a "gut feeling", may simply be our habitual ways of acting that are based on simple conditioning, modeling or even familiarity. 

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/07/reasons-matter-when-intuitions-dont-object/?src=me&ref=general

Let's say, for argument's sake, that you find yourself always taking care of your significant other, to your own detriment. There may be many reasons why you may find yourself in this situation. Perhaps you have spent your childhood being solely recognized for taking care of others in your family, and on some level feel that this is the most valuable aspect of yourself. Or maybe you simply watched your mother taking care of everybody and felt that this was the only way to be in a real relationship. Or perhaps you have a particularly strong desire to be needed, and hence you unconsciously choose the kinds of people that will always need you to take care of them and hence will never abandon you. 

No matter what the reason is for one's thoughts, feelings, beliefs or behaviors, it is often important to evaluate one's patterns in order to examine what is really behind the decision-making process, and whether the reasons behind our actions make rational or intuitive sense, or both. It is then vital to ask yourself if you like the patterns that you are enacting, and if not, to see if there is something that you can do to change them. Psychotherapy is a unique place where one can safely examine one's assumptions and have the opportunity to experiment with different ways of being and relating to the world.


0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Author

    Dr. Inessa Manevich

    *Information in this blog is for educational purposes only and should NOT be used as a substitute for professional therapy*

    Archives

    May 2019
    April 2017
    January 2017
    August 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    September 2015
    May 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

1150 Yale St, Suite 1 | Santa Monica, CA 90403 | 310.804.6339 | dr.imanevich@gmail.com
Photos used under Creative Commons from Horia Varlan, mccun934, NDrewC, Drew Selby, Digo_Souza, Ryk Neethling, thetaxhaven, Tim Geers, Kurayba, James Jordan, Benimoto, juliejordanscott, AZAdam, _Zeta_, Mae Chevrette, DryHundredFear, oxcnpxo, h.koppdelaney, Renaud Camus, ePublicist, Bev Goodwin, Skyline Group, One Way Stock, lydia_shiningbrightly, OpenSkyMedia, LadyDragonflyCC - >;<, Nina J. G., Sarahsvati #1, arnold | inuyaki, Identity Photogr@phy, jking89, A. Pagliaricci ♦, wwarby, rselph, symphony of love, Milica Sekulic, Renato Ganoza