Changing the Stories We Live With By Our Own Efforts (Revised Version)

I will once again define what I call Psycho"therapy" suggesting that it is a process in which individuals examine the type of life narratives which create much of their misery without adding to their problems by becoming ensnared in the destructive narratives of the "mental health industry." Tonight I will join with the famous Psychoanalyst Karen Horney by suggesting that many aspects of a personal therapy can be achieved by individuals themselves if they understand some of the principles contained in the stories that guide their lives and the choices they make because of these principles. Such an examination includes the differences between judgments and descriptions, the nature of self and identity, and the relationship between the brain and behavior. Finally, I will suggest that an important mode of changing destructive life narratives involves continuing their personal education including reading fiction and nonfiction stories that deal with the lives of other people.