There is a Haitian Proverb that goes, “Deye Mon Gen Mon,” which translates as, “Beyond Mountains There Are Mountains.” This has several different meanings, which vary based on context. Some such meanings are similar to other sayings, including; “Appearances are deceiving,” or “Don’t Judge a book by its cover.”
Now, as the old saying goes, “A conclusion is simply the place where you got tired of thinking.” Each time we reach hasty conclusions, we are barred from appreciating or experiencing the fact that “beyond mountains there are mountains.” We are likely to identify superficial instead of the root causes of a problem, and we are likely to adopt solutions that create more problems than we started with. As Einstein said, “We cannot solve a problem with the same mind that created it.”
In our field, anxiety is one of the most common examples of where we got tired of thinking. We typically only identify the superficial cause and adopt solutions that cause more problems than we started with.
For example, memory impairment, falls, fractures, and motor accidents, have been shown to be among the common side effects of benzodiazepines, which are frequently used to treat symptoms of anxiety. Those who use these medications to treat their anxiety have a 50% higher risk of dementia and are twice likely to die prematurely.
Yet, psychosocial interventions have also been limited in their effectiveness to help cease or mitigate suffering for those with symptoms of anxiety. In order words, we have been looking at the tip of the iceberg – the psychology and the biology and therefore only addressing what we can see above the waterline. With limited effectiveness on one hand and additional problems created, on the other hand, logic would follow that one would finally decide to look at the root of the problem and address it accordingly.
“A sum can be put right: but only by going back till you find the error and working it afresh from that point, never by simply going on,” reminded us, C.S. Lewis, in The Great Divorce. We have been looking only at half of the mechanism of anxiety, half of the explanation behind it, and this explains why we have been able to be successful at treating it only 50% of the time.
But, for us to effectively treat anxiety, it behooves us to “go back till we find the error and work it afresh from that point” This is exactly what we are going to do at our full-day CEU webinar on Anxiety on Friday, October 9, 2020 9am-5pm.
We will be looking at The 3 Fundamentals that are behind our biology and psychology. We will look at what has been missing, put it together with what we already know, and have a framework to treat anxiety once and for all.
As Abraham Maslow said, “If your only tool is a hammer, then every problem looks like a nail.” Please join us for some innovative tools to effectively treat anxiety and elevate yourself to a new way of practicing as a clinician.
We look forward to seeing you on October 9th.
Karen and Mardoche