So at my workshop, Michael, an ex-fire-fighter, ex-Brooklyn DA said: “That title doesn’t work — too long.”
Now, Michael is an amazing writer and I do look forward to his book being published and watching folks read it on the subway — but about this he is wrong. That’s the whole point of my book, of my life in fact. Psychology needs to be a bridge and not a tower.
People think that the world of psychological health and fitness is its own little planet — like a star shining down illuminating what we can’t see within ourselves. Or they think it’s a meteor crashing down: “blowing that shit up,” as my kids like to say. But my book stamps its foot in a tantrum of: “No! No! No! It’s not either” or.” It’s not: you’re a writer, or an activist, or a trauma therapist.” My life –like my book is an ingathering of stories that heal.
I knew my friend Milton got it when he said: “I guess psychology is like G-d; it’s there even if you don’t believe in it.” I know that Milton believes in G-d, so that takes care of that.
A therapist, a social worker, a shrink; a bleeding heart, a hug-a-thug, words like sniper fire, bullets killing any hope that a therapist in the trenches, on the bus that will explode seconds after they get off, the therapist that is not trapped in the consulting room can instill hope, or find the hope that eludes.
My book Here but Often There: The Clinical Adventures of a Bulletproof Therapist, is about the advantages of dissociation. Dawn in the desert is everywhere at once and trauma does not belong to geography. Transcendent moments cannot pave the way to peace if they go unrecognized, and sometimes it takes a clinical eye to recognize transcendence.
Robert Jay Lifton was throttled when he undertook his writing of The Nazi Doctors. They said that by getting their side of the story he was giving it legitimacy. But that’s not what clinical understanding does. The trauma lens takes a picture so we can stop, breathe, figure out which problem it is that we are trying to solve. The trauma lens gives us the opportunity to change the outcome.
Embedded in the story, embedded in the predicament, embedded in a clinical relationship; there is no anthropological detachment. There is the challenge to make meaning of the story behind the violence — those split seconds of hope where transcendence is a possibility.
—
The Good Men Project is different from most media companies. We are a “participatory media company”—which means we don’t just have content you read and share and comment on but it means we have multiple ways you can actively be a part of the conversation. As you become a deeper part of the conversation—The Conversation No One Else is Having—you will learn all of the ways we support our Writers’ Community—community FB groups, weekly conference calls, classes in writing, editing platform building and How to Create Social Change.
◊♦◊
Here are more ways to become a part of The Good Men Project community:
Request to join our private Facebook Group for Writers—it’s like our virtual newsroom where you connect with editors and other writers about issues and ideas.
Click here to become a Premium Member of The Good Men Project Community. Have access to these benefits:
- Get access to an exclusive “Members Only” Group on Facebook
- Join our Social Interest Groups—weekly calls about topics of interest in today’s world
- View the website with no ads
- Get free access to classes, workshops, and exclusive events
- Be invited to an exclusive weekly “Call with the Publisher” with other Premium Members
- Commenting badge.
Are you stuck on what to write? Sign up for our Writing Prompts emails, you’ll get ideas directly from our editors every Monday and Thursday. If you already have a final draft, then click below to send your post through our submission system.
If you are already working with an editor at GMP, please be sure to name that person. If you are not currently working with a GMP editor, one will be assigned to you.
◊♦◊
Are you a first-time contributor to The Good Men Project? Submit here:
◊♦◊
Have you contributed before and have a Submittable account? Use our Quick Submit link here:
◊♦◊
Do you have previously published work that you would like to syndicate on The Good Men Project? Click here:
Join our exclusive weekly “Call with the Publisher” — where community members are encouraged to discuss the issues of the week, get story ideas, meet other members and get known for their ideas? To get the call-in information, either join as a member or wait until you get a post published with us. Here are some examples of what we talk about on the calls.
Want to learn practical skills about how to be a better Writer, Editor or Platform Builder? Want to be a Rising Star in Media? Want to learn how to Create Social Change? We have classes in all of those areas.
While you’re at it, get connected with our social media:
- To join our Facebook Page, go here.
- To sign up for our email newsletter, go here.
- To follow The Good Men Project on Twitter, go here.
◊♦◊
However, you engage with The Good Men Project—you can help lead this conversation about the changing roles of men in the 21st century. Join us!
◊♦◊
We have pioneered the largest worldwide conversation about what it means to be a good man in the 21st century. Your support of our work is inspiring and invaluable.
The Good Men Project is an Amazon.com affiliate. If you shop via THIS LINK, we will get a small commission and you will be supporting our Mission while still getting the quality products you would have purchased, anyway! Thank you for your continued support!
—
Originally Published on The Bulletproof Therapist
—