Religion can provide a sense of meaning and purpose in people's lives, but it can also have a dark side when it comes to cults. The news out of Kenya about mass deaths due to cults is tragic and a reminder of the dangers of blindly following a charismatic leader. As a clinical psychologist, we believe in the importance of critical thinking and maintaining one's individuality while embracing or seeking help on religious beliefs which brings balance and prioritizes human rights. If you or someone you know has been affected by religious or cultic trauma, reach out to True North Consulting for support and guidance. Remember, religious beliefs should never lead to death or the violation of essential freedoms, so let's stay alert and focused on individuality while approaching religious practices.
What can possibly be happening in the minds of men sitting in female dominated space, box of tissue at their side, with a woman saying “tell me how you feel” about this or that? Even worse, asking such probing questions with the implication that he is an empty emotional vessel in need of her redemption. Lea Winerman, a staff writer for the American Psychological Association asks us to “imagine the Marlboro man in therapy.” Imagine instead a therapy office in the boiler room of a ship, in a workshop, a park, a building site, mechanics shed or a sports locker room, with seating arrangements that allowed men to sit at 45 degree angles or side by side — engaged in some kind of task if they wished. Imagine too if we were to engage in some kind of typical male play or industry – not just Jungian sandplay or water-color art therapies as suits the more effeminate sensibilities of women, but hands on therapy – while driving a truck, fixing the engine of a ...
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