From behind the scuba mask, by Lia Mandelbaum

Over the past few centuries, society has spent a great deal of time focusing in on discovering the magnificent wonders of life outside of oneself. Some of these wonders include the explorations of outer space, excavations deep into the earth, and exploring the rich inner space of the ocean. At this point in time, I strongly believe that for the betterment of society, there must be the commitment towards the journey of exploring and diving deep into our own inner worlds. This inward journey can help us to magnify our full presence as we engage within the world, and help us to discover the majestic universe within each of us. Although it is not easy, I have found the cliché to be true, of how the process of understanding how we are all an integral part of the divine, to be enlivening and fulfilling in a way that just looking outside of oneself does not.

From behind the scuba mask

When I was just a little kid, I used to love to put on a scuba mask and spend hours at a time just floating face down in our pool. Aside from the noise made by the pool filter, and the voice of my mother checking in on me to see if I was okay, there was a silence from fully immersing my head under water, which I loved and found to be incredibly soothing.

A few years ago, I made a piece of art from the perspective and angle of behind the scuba mask, and wanted to capture the headspace of silence and non-judgment I felt when floating under the water. This time however, I wasn’t just seeing the bottom of a pool on the opposite side of the glass, but rather an image and window into myself as I engage with the world.

On the opposite side of the glass

There was a sense of stillness from behind the scuba mask, however the view on the opposite side of the lens was an image of myself with the word fear written over my forehead. To relay my inner struggle, I inserted a tornado and lightening bolts coming from out of my mind and swirling above my head. I inserted words such as paranoia, resentment, anger, anxiety, and projection, blame and disconnect. It was a powerful experience for me to create an image of myself caught in a whirlwind of fear and relentless negative thoughts, but have the piece interpret myself from a non-judgmental perspective.

Trees and faces

I want to use the rest of this blog to focus in on the images I had placed directly behind me. There is a person with no face, and a tree that is just a green blob on top of a brown trunk with no details in the leaves or the bark of the tree. They are supposed to represent my observation of how when I am in that mental state of chaos, the lens in which I view the world lacks the ability to see the nuances in life. I believe these images are very relevant to most of society, and how we can get so caught up in the chatter of our minds and fears. We miss out on the blessing of getting to truly see others, as well as the deep beauty found in the physical and natural world.

Seeing the sunset

I can remember a time in my life when I would look out at some of the most extraordinary sunsets, yet I would feel nothing. Those moments were very depressing because it reminded me of how dead I felt inside. Today, I feel sunsets on an emotional, physical and spiritual realm. I am able to walk by and just gaze at a tree, and see its nuance, from the details of all the shapes and sizes of the leaves, to the very patterns and deep lines found in the bark. I love it when the sun is beaming directly over a tree, and illumines each individual leaf with a golden shimmer. Those moments remind me of how alive I feel today, and how my own self-awareness has helped me to connect to nature. When I walk by a tree, I can really feel the energy it omits, and the bond that is always there between people and nature. It is invigorating.

Everyone has a story

My mom has always told me, “everyone has a story,” and I have missed out on hearing far too many of them. I am continually learning to not be afraid to look into the eyes and souls of others, and risk the potential of them seeing my humanity as well. We live in a world where far too many people do not “see” one another.

Years ago, my inability to be present and look into the eyes of individuals who were different then me, and that I felt challenged by, was partially because of ignorance and insecurities, and the fear of having to face these hard truths about myself. I have come to find that the truth can truly set you free, and so regardless of how challenging it is sometimes to look deeper, I have dedicated my life towards pushing myself to see others as they truly are, and not what society or I have projected onto them.

Things are not black and white

I have learned that life at its essence is not the dichotomy that society always tries to frame it in, where things are just good and bad, right and wrong. It is often framed as a dichotomy when we feel threatened and don’t see the humanity in those who may not be like us, and/or challenge our belief systems. On my path towards wholeness, I have dedicated myself to opening my eyes to the nuances in life, and have the bravery to live in the grey. If we are open to it, we can find healing as we discover the beauty of how we are all interconnected when living from the place of the soul, rather then from a place of fear.

More then you previously perceived

Sometimes deep sadness can be the result of being unaware of or feeling disconnected from our own true nature. As you express unconditional love, you become more than you previously perceived yourself to be.

Such as how the leaves on a tree become illumined when the suns rays spread its golden light, we can illuminate our own souls when see ourselves through loving eyes, and as an integral part of the divine.

Drawing in the details

Right after I finished this blog, I felt inspired to go up to the perspective art piece I made years ago, and felt that it was time to draw on top of the glass with markers, the details of the leaves in the tree, and the details of the persons face. I crossed out the word fear on my forehead, and wrote in the word love, and drew a beating heart on my chest.

Social Media in Therapy, by Sahar Dorani, M.A.

In today’s world of explosive social media- where your family learns about your life via Facebook before you have an opportunity for disclosure- there are clearly less options for people to maintain their privacy. We may want to be present and feel connected- but perhaps not to some people who remain outside our social circles. In graduate school psychology courses, supervisors and professors may discuss the myriad of issues that can arise when running into a therapy client in a public place. Some ideas could be to act as though you don’t notice a client (unless the client acknowledges you), keeping discussion to a minimum and avoid talking about therapy content, and not disclosing your relationship to the client if interacting with individuals in your clients’ company. However, as a new clinician practicing psychotherapy in 2013, a true concern exists in considering how to be present on the internet for personal use without being fully accessible to your clients. If a client finds you on either of the numerous social media outlets or online professional networks, is there a way to avoid exposing your client to information about yourself (which likely blurs therapeutic boundaries) without leaving your client feeling rejected?

Multiculturalism, by Sahar Dorani, M.A.

Multiculturalism does not solely refer to differences in skin color or to different religious symbols worn around one's neck. Rather, multiculturalism encompasses many facets of one's identity- including age, sexual orientation, presence or absence of disability, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, religion, and any characteristic (potentially unique to the majority) that is shared by a group of people.  

Different Culture, Same Goals, by Sahar Dorani, M.A.

There are many incidences in daily life in which cultural differences between people may create tension or affect the working relationship they may have with one another. This tension can be incredibly heightened in the therapeutic alliance, being that it is an intimate (and in a sense fragile) relationship. In working with clients of various cultural backgrounds, I have witnessed how differences in age, gender, and ethnicity between client and therapist can contribute to intense moments in session.

Hysteria in Diagnosis, by Sahar Dorani, M.A.

In a day and age where diagnosing clients remains key to our work as therapists, and to our training as diagnosticians, many clinicians may have mixed feelings about assigning a diagnosis to clients in treatment. As my knowledge about (and experience in) the field continues to develop, I am quickly learning that the manual we use to diagnose our clients is simultaneously hated, yet needed, by many mental health providers in the field. The practical purpose of the DSM-IV TR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders- Fourth edition/Text Revision) is to be able to clearly identify and categorize symptoms. Originally created by the American Psychiatric Association in 1952, the DSM enables mental health providers to utilize the manual to better understand a client's potential needs, in addition to being a tool for assessment and diagnosis.

Silenced By Privilege, by Sahar Dorani, M.A.

In the field in psychology, I find that we are constantly being trained to be culturally aware and sensitive to the needs of underserved members within our communities. I have found that many times, our multicultural training focuses heavily on issues affecting non-American or nonwhite individuals and groups. While I clearly understand the importance in this, I did not realize until recently that there are many clients in need whom may get overlooked perhaps due to the assumed privilege that may accompany the lighter-skinned Caucasian individual. When working as a therapist in an outpatient drug treatment center for recently incarcerated males, my Caucasian clients tended to be the minority in our treatment program. One of my American clients approached me after group therapy and brought to my attention his feeling of invisibility in our group sessions and in the treatment center milieu. I noticed that this particular client tended to stay silent when uncomfortable; voicing his grievances was incredibly unlike him. Hence, when he spoke, I listened a bit more intently.

Once a ‘Disorder’, Always a Disorder, by Sahar Dorani, M.A.

The most recently used edition of the DSM, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental  Disorders- fourth edition- text revision, has gone through quite an evolution since the publication of its first edition in 1952. As a student learning how to utilize this diagnostic tool (while attempting to avoid ‘over-diagnosing’), I find myself captivated when discovering previous diagnoses that were actually viewed as legitimate "disorders", but then later were revised and no longer considered a disorder. The definition of ‘Disorder’ in the mental health field is explained as: 1. A lack of order or regular arrangement; confusion.; 2. An ailment that affects the function of mind or body. Given this definition and its use by us diagnosticians, it feels unnatural that the term ‘ailment’ seems to have a time-limited implication.  It makes sense logistically that some ailments may become alleviated over time, but it seems that I have been repeatedly dumbfounded that a group of professionals in the American Psychiatric Association decide what characteristics of “the human condition and development” are to be considered ailments or irregular to the ‘normal’ development of an individual. At the same time, I must respect that this is the best devised systematic way yet to assign mental health diagnoses to be treated.