Relationships
When one thinks of relationships it usually has to do with talking about a mate, girlfriend, boyfriend or family member. We don’t really think outside the box when the term is applied and maybe we should. Without getting overly wordy and technical we should consider applying it to most anything because when it comes down to it, life is about "relationships".
How do we relate to events, substances or even animals says a lot about who we are? For example, a woman complains about her husband who might be cheating on her. She learns that he is out drinking with friends every Monday and Friday and states that she is satisfied that he really is not cheating. The fact of the matter is that he may be cheating on her with alcohol. A man learns that his wife is always shopping to the point that they are heading for bankruptcy. When confronting her she responds with a long spiel about how it is his fault and that she needs to get away from him so she shops. This becomes a form of addiction and a relationship issue. However she has a relationship, it's what we all term as being a shopaholic. The term doesn’t even come up in spell check!
Scientifically speaking and without trying to be funny we have relationships with ourselves. This means that self-talk, is actually the creation of such. This is a biochemical social interaction that develops over time and results in certain profound actions. It is how we exist or survive and it is based on our past experiences. What I mean to say is that our physical makeup becomes automated. Our reactions to others and events is programed and our response may be emotionally measured. Some of us get highly emotional some not. The point is that our body adopts chemically. The brain and central nervous system actually is conditioned to respond uniquely to the situation depending how we think, what we believe and how we acted in the past.
In short relationships are what is out there in the world and what is inside us. The cells in our body actually develop a conscious state of existence that began with self-talk. Interesting? You may agree then that this idea or concept may be affected if you attend therapy, change your thinking and create new ideas about life. After all isn’t that what medication does for us? It affects our brain and central nervous system. I am not saying throw away your Xanax but you should know that we, meaning our brain chemistry, make the same chemicals found in psychotropic medications.
That being said, if you change your thinking, then you change your emotional state, and you may not need medication to do so. Remember it is hard work and that is what therapy is about. It is to help open up our minds and use different avenues for thinking. I am not against medication but that alone is not the answer to real change.