Chapter 42 Chapter 7 Make Your Life Fun

One fall, my assistant flew to Boston to take one of the most unusual medical courses in the world.The sessions are held weekly and participating patients undergo regular and thorough physical examinations prior to admission.But in fact, this course is a kind of clinical experiment in psychology. Although the official name of the course is Applied Psychology, its real purpose is to treat some people who suffer from anxiety, and most of the patients are mentally disturbed. housewife. How did this class for people with anxiety get started? In 1930, Dr. Joseph Pratt, a student of Sir Osler's, noticed that many patients who came to Boston hospitals with no physical problems at all thought they had symptoms of a disease.One woman was completely unable to work with both hands from "arthritis," and another suffered from symptoms of "stomach cancer."Others have back pain, headaches, and feel tired or achy all year round.They could really feel the pain, but after the most thorough medical examination, these women were found to be free of any physical ailments.Many old doctors will say that it is purely psychological - "the disease is in her head".

But Dr. Pratt knew that simply telling the patients to "go home and forget about it" wasn't going to do any good.He knew that most of these women didn't want to be sick, and if their pain was so easy to forget, they would have done so themselves.So how to treat it? He opened this class, although many people in the medical field were deeply skeptical about it, but there were unexpected results.In the 18 years since the beginning of the class, tens of thousands of patients have been "healed" because of attending this class.Some patients came to this class for years, almost as religiously as in church.My assistant once talked to a woman who went on for 9 years and rarely missed class.She said that when she first came to this clinic, she was convinced that she had kidney disease and heart disease.She was worried and nervous, and sometimes she would suddenly lose sight and worry about going blind.But now she is full of confidence, very happy, and in excellent health.She looked only about 40 years old, but she held a sleeping grandson in her arms. "I used to worry to death about my family problems," she said, "and almost wished I could die. But here I learned how bad worry can be, and how to stop worrying. I can now say that my Life is so blissful."

The class's medical advisor, Dr. Ross Hilferding, feels that the best medicine for alleviating worry is talking about your problems with someone you trust. They call it a cleansing effect.She said: "Patients come here and they can talk about their problems as much as they want until they get them out of their minds. A person who is worried and doesn't tell anyone about these things can create tension. .We all have to let others share our problems, and we have to share other people's concerns. We have to feel that there are people in the world who will listen to us and understand us.”

My assistant felt a rare relief after witnessing a woman express her inner concerns.She had many troubles about housework, and when she first started talking about them, she was like a compressed spring, and then she gradually calmed down as she talked.When the conversation was over, she was actually able to smile.Have these difficulties been resolved?No, things won't be that easy.The change she made was because she was able to talk to someone and get a little advice and sympathy.What really makes a difference is the powerful therapeutic power of language. In a way, psychoanalysis is based on the therapeutic function of speech.Since Freud's time, psychoanalysts have known that as long as a patient can talk, simply speaking can relieve his worries.why?Maybe it's because speaking up allows us to see our problems more deeply and see better solutions.No one knows the exact answer, but all of us know that "talking out" or "letting go of your sulking" can make a person feel much better in no time.

So, the next time we're having an emotional dilemma, why not talk to someone?Of course, I'm not saying that we can catch someone anywhere and tell him all our bitterness and complaints; we need to find someone we can trust and make an appointment with him.Maybe find a relative, a doctor, a lawyer, a priest, or a priest, and say to that person, "I want your advice. I have a question and I want you to listen to me." , you may be able to give me some advice. Maybe you can see angles that I can't see. But even if you can't, as long as you sit there and listen to me talk about this matter, it is equivalent to It helped me a lot."

But if you really don't think there's anyone to talk to, I'll tell you about the so-called "Life Saving League" - an organization that has absolutely nothing to do with that medical class in Boston.This "Lifesaving League" is one of the most unusual organizations in the world.It is composed to prevent possible suicides.In recent years, its services have expanded to provide comfort to those who are unhappy or in need of emotional and spiritual reassurance. Talking about it is the main treatment method in the courses arranged by Boston Hospital.Here are some of the concepts we picked up in that course.In fact, we can do these things at home.

First of all, it is recommended that you prepare a notebook and write down poems or famous quotes that you like or can inspire you.When you feel depressed or mentally decadent, look through this book, maybe you will feel better. Second, don't care about other people's shortcomings.Maybe your husband does have a lot that you can't stand.But imagine, if he were a saint, would he still marry you?There was a female patient in this medical course. She found herself becoming critical and demanding, so that she often had a long face, which was very annoying.So someone asked her: "If your husband died now, what would you do next?" She was taken aback, and then realized her own shortcomings, so she sat down quietly and objectively reviewed her husband's advantages one by one. After listing them out, it turns out that the husband has so many good things to list, that the list is very long.So, if you feel that you are married wrong again, you may wish to list all the strengths of your husband like this lady.Perhaps, after summarizing his advantages, you will find that he is exactly the person you are looking forward to marrying.

Finally, maintain a healthy and friendly interest in your neighbors and those who live on your street.One patient was once very lonely. She even felt that she was in a state of being isolated, and she didn't even have a friend.People said to her, you might as well try this method, take the next person you will meet as the protagonist in the story, and then make up a story for yourself.So she tried to make up stories for the people she saw on the bus, imagine the background and life of the person, and try to imagine his living conditions.Later, as soon as she met people, she began to take the initiative to chat with people.Now, her outlook on life is positive, she is a likable person, and her autism has disappeared.