Therapeutic Work and Self-Realization
El trabajo terapéutico y la autorrealización
A student asks whether offering therapeutic services is compromised by not yet having seen through the self, and the teacher clarifies the distinction between psychological work and self-inquiry.
Therapeutic Work and Self-Realization
A student asks whether offering therapeutic services is compromised by not yet having seen through the self, and the teacher clarifies the distinction between psychological work and self-inquiry.
I just wanted to say that the distinction you made between mental-emotional work and self-inquiry was really helpful. I've never heard it put that way before. I think I've stopped myself from offering any kind of therapeutic services because I felt that, since I haven't seen through to self-realization, I haven't got anything to offer. It's all still filtered through a sense of self. Do you see what I mean? Whereas what you're saying is that it's a separate thing that can still be helpful.
I totally understand. I think you might be throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Let me take it to an extreme: should a dentist stop offering dentistry because they aren't self-realized? It's no different.
The value of psychological work on its own terms
The psychological work, or therapy, is closer to the work we're doing here, which includes psychology and therapy. It's more related to the spiritual work, let's say. But it's still something that can be done to a very deep and valuable degree without the practitioner having realized the self.