Yalom: “It’s a joy to see other people unleash the wellsprings of wisdom within them…”

“I rarely hear my fellow therapists complain that their lives have no meaning.

The life of the therapist is a life of giving, in which we daily transcend our personal desires and turn our gaze towards the needs and maturation of others. We delight not only in our patient’s maturation but also in the phenomenon of concentric circles – the life-saving effect our patients have on the people they relate to in their lives.

This is a great privilege. And a great satisfaction.

Speaking earlier about the dangers of the profession I described the persistent, endless self-observation and inner work that our profession requires. But this very requirement is more a privilege than a burden, for it is an inherent protection against stagnation. The active therapist is constantly evolving, ever growing in terms of self-awareness and awareness.

How can one guide other people in an examination of the deep structures of mind and being without simultaneously examining oneself? Nor is it possible to ask a patient to focus her attention on the way she relates to others without examining your own corresponding ways.

Our work gives us not only the opportunity to transcend ourselves, to evolve and mature, not only the privilege of a clear look that leads us to the true and tragic awareness of human fate, but it offers us even more.

We watch our patients let go of old self-destructive behavior patterns, distance themselves from things they’ve always complained about, develop a zest for life, learn to love ourselves, and through that, reach out with love to others.

It’s a joy to see other people release the wellsprings of wisdom they hold within. Sometimes I feel like someone who shows his patients around in their own house, from room to room. What an amazing gift to see them open doors to rooms they’ve never been in before, to discover new wings of their home where exiled pieces of themselves – wise, beautiful and creative components of their identity – reside.”

Irvin Yalom, THE GIFT OF PSYCHOTHERAPY