January/February 2002
Feature Articles
What's Newz?
by Dee J. Findlay
Holistic Health Q & A
by John DeCosmo, D.O.
Of September 11, stress, getting back
to basics, and God is in the details.
What are... Sweeteners?
by Robert Roman
Not all sweeteners are "equal."
A healthfood store manager guides us through some of the options.
EnergyUpDate
by David Findlay
UNCOMMON SENSE ! - Who's next?
David Findlay
Minerals from Mother Earth
by Judy Power
Featured stones for January and February:
Onyx and Opal.
Your Astro Guide
by Janet Sciales
Articles on the theme "Freedom"
Freedom From Fear
by Kelly Menges
Freeing ourselves from limiting beliefs
to become connected with our true nature.
No Limits
by Yvette Monet
The freedom to live life as an expression
of love.
Spiritual Freedom
by Rev. Pat Cross
The inner freedom that comes with the
recognition of our divine nature.
Psychological Freedom
by Patrick Plaskett
Increasing our freedom by changing
the reality in our minds.
Hormonal Freedom
by Lela Lilyquist
Of the harmful effects of synthetic
hormone treatment for menopause and the growing awareness of more natural
approaches.
Free To Create
by Ken Sutton
The freedom to create our own lives...
both the good and the bad.
Freedom Within Bounds
by Rev. Stephanie Kubilius
How the boundaries of a relationship,
such as marriage, can actually provide greater freedom to grow.
Seven Basic Freedoms
by Rev. Linda Lou Kearns
Seven ways to exercise our freedom
to become what we really are.
A Free Mind
by Charles Larsen
How we as individuals may restrict
our inner freedom.
The Age of Freedom
by Jan Carter
Of plants and asteroids, gods and goddesses.
The Freedom Solution
by Constance Joy Angeles, Esq.
A nine-step approach to freedom
Psychological Freedom
by Patrick Plaskett
Everyone likes their freedom. Everyone likes to be self-determined. We like the option to choose as we may, to do as we wish. Unfortunately, everyone occasionally finds that events aren't going as well as they had planned, or exactly as planned. We suddenly feel less free, less in control.
Let's take a look at freedom from a psychological perspective to see how and why our exercise of freedom gets fouled up.
There are some things that we are free to do and some things that we are not. This is determined by the plane of existence we live in, the world. For instance, we are not free to breathe underwater without special apparatus, or jump fifty feet into the air. There are certain constraints that we live with. What we are free to do is partially determined by the options that are available to us. Therefore, we only have freedom within a system of limitations.
Along with that system of limitations is the set of options that we actually have, which are those actions that are really possible. We are only aware of so many of these options. With a limited knowledge of what the options are, we are limited indeed, and therefore less free than we know. This knowledge of what is available is not enough to make us free, for it is actually a multi-layered affair: first of all we must intellectually know an option exists to be able to consider it, and second we must be psychologically ready to consider it as something we might do. For example, an abused spouse might know intellectually that he or she might leave a bad relationship, but might also be unable to emotionally connect with the idea of making it happen. A person can be a hundred pounds overweight, yet have no idea how to relate to the idea of changing his or her eating habits. Without psychological preparedness, the person is still not free.
Many of the psychological constraints that limit freedom come from a person's self image. If a person defines himself or herself in some limiting way such as poor, timid, or high-strung then such a person will never look at the options that might be readily available to behave differently. People are not even aware that they have spent a lifetime defining themselves in their own minds.
There are other psychological constraints that may reduce a person's freedom which come from a life of simple conditioning. If a person believes that every physical malady must be met with some kind of drug, then that person will never consider alternative health care. If a person believes that he or she could never rise above a particular social or economic level, they will never even try.
How do we find the power to be really free? The first step is to realize that what is possible for one person may be possible for you. Next, all preconceptions of what we can or cannot do must be subject to question. There are people with chronic depression and anxiety, who live with a distorted perception of reality that takes away their freedom. Cognitive therapy has been proven by Dr. David Burns, M.D., author of Feeling Good, to be more effective for such people than more popular drug therapy.
We don't have to seek relief from such an obvious dysfunction before we move to increase our freedom. Many people are now afraid to board aircraft after the attacks of September 11th. Many people would like to move to another city, yet they are afraid that they'll not make new acquaintances. Many people would like to start a business but are afraid that they'll fail. Many people are simply afraid of asking someone out on a date. Since other people can successfully do these things, their problem is mainly in the mind.
We live first and foremost in our minds. We respond to all situations differently, according to that model of the situation in our minds. In fact, we all have a complete model of the world in our minds or rather completely different models. If we recognize that this reality is more intimate to us than any other reality, then we have a chance of increasing our freedom. Moreover, we will then have the capability of granting more freedom to those around us, for we will recognize the reality they function in and grant them the right to do so. And, as if by magic, the more psychological freedom we grant to other people, the more we have ourselves. We can be free to argue any point with another person, but most often people feel compelled to argue. It is a higher degree of freedom to know that you don't have to argue, since you don't stand much of a chance of influencing another person's reality by argument alone anyway.
If you want more freedom, you can start by examining the model of reality that you have in your mind, and ask yourself if you're happy with it. Ask yourself if you're getting what you really want. Also notice that you can be in a comfort zone that has nothing to do with real comfort. Many people are living in a true comfort zone, and quite rightfully so, for their lives and circumstances are in harmony with their inner selves. Other people have a comfort zone of tolerable anxiety or malaise. If it were not tolerable, they would do something to change it, or die trying. If your model of the world is not giving you what you want, you might see if you can change the model. If what you want does not seem possible, examine the lives of others who seem to be able to get it. Above all, use your imagination. If you don't imagine, you don't actively create your life, and you don't use your freedom. Imagine yourself confident or rich or healthy or whatever else strikes your fancy, and then you will sensitize yourself to whatever exists that might help you attain your desires. Change your mind and change your freedom!
Patrick Plaskett is a member of the Florida Association of Professional Hypnotists and holds a bachelor's degree from USF. He can be reached at the Center for Healing in St. Petersburg, FL. (727) 381-9101.
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