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-   -   What is evil then? (https://www.behavioronline.net/ericksonian-therapy/842-evil/)

Chayan Das June 12th, 2006 11:39 AM

What is evil then?
 
Milton Erickson neither could nor did treat all the patients he got - he selected. I wonder based on which criteria he selected! Gender, religion, caste, education, profession, behavior in relation to sex, money or power, or some deep personality characteristics - nothing seem unutilizable for him. What is evil then?

In modern times, bounded by socioeconomic and legal situation, right of a doctor to select his patients is greatly limited. I don't like all my patients and I have a feeling that every patient does not deserve therapy. Could you give me some practical suggestion so that my time and effort get utilized for the benefit of the good and not wasted for earning my living?

Thanking you,
Chayan Das

Stephen Lankton June 14th, 2006 12:43 AM

Re: What is evil then?
 
Erickson: What eveidence you do you have that Erickson was selective in choosing clients and turning others away? It is true that he refused to see a select few (I only know of 2) who he thought were just, I guess you'd say, criminal types who had no intention of changing.

You: You are free to tell certain individuals that you do not wish to see them - based on your own [even private] criteria.

Evil: A construct invented by the minds of certain people in history and unacceptable as a useful or accurate category by others.

Chayan Das June 23rd, 2006 04:22 AM

I will be glad not to make anyone unhappy.
 
Mr. Lankton,

Thanks for your answer. But I hope I did not want to ask the question which you answered. Or you have answered my question in such a way that I could not understand it.

I studied one or two stories where Dr. Erickson refused to see a patient, but I never read that he turned away a certain group or type of patients. It was purely my guess, because patients have endless sufferings and they hold the helping hand like a sinking person holding anything that comes in his hand, and because a therapist of his calibre would have an unmanageable number of patients, that he could not and did not see all his patients. I still think he selected, but there is NO reason to say that he refused to see some patients as they had evil qualities. It was my religious ideas that led me to think him something more than a psychiatrist who worked towards eradicating evils and there exist NO evidence to think like that. I personally think it is reasonable for a person who read some part of his work to have an impression that he wanted a society where life would be more comfortable and creative. In an article about his own experience of autohypnosis he expressed his regret that a thief with unproductive life could have a long life whereas a beautiful girl had a short life.

I can think of the beta cell of pancreas that go on secreting insulin according to blood glucose level - without ever knowing what the effect is of its action on the whole system and what can happen if it does not work or overworks. If I look at a hospital - like an workshop - peoples are coming, some standard protocol is applied to them, and they are discharged - and the flow CONTINUES. I really don't know whether that have any influence on the life as a whole. I know everyone is free to choose his action. But I am worried about the consequence of my action on ME and OTHERS. If I don't make any big mistake I may live for another 40 - 50 years but that the pain and suffering of life will persist as it was before, bothers me more. I have my own set of idea of good and bad, but I don't expect others to follow that as they have their own idea of good and bad. Moreover, my idea of good and bad is not a fixed one. Frequently I find what I used to think bad appears not so bad when seen from some other point of view - and when this happens I require some fresh idea to fill the emptiness in my frame of good and bad.

I remain in a place where uttering the words like 'hypnosis' or 'Erickson' makes people look at me in a peculiar way. The question was an effort to get an understanding etc.

Thank you.
Chayan Das.

Stephen Lankton June 25th, 2006 09:22 PM

Re: What is evil then?
 
It sounds like you are a very conscientious seeker. I don't want to discourage you from changing the world: One of my friends, however, said we ought to potty-train the world and then we wouldn't have to keep trying to change it! There is some wisdom in that.

I hope you find that funny in light of the fact that there is certainly a need to dig in and make change. Yet, please feel good about yourself in 40-50 years if your contribution is somewhat less than you hoped for. Jeff and I wanted to change the world in the 60s. I rather think we didn't. But we have really touch some individual lives and by training thousands of therapists, and since they see hundreds of clients, perhaps enriching even more. I guess that is a start.

Chayan Das September 22nd, 2006 02:20 AM

Re: What is evil then?
 
Nobody should ever neglect your contribution towards making life more comfortable. I feel if I can learn hypnosis I can also have significant contribution. But the way of true achievement is a long way and I don’t know whether I will ever reach the end and can start doing things that I really want to do.

Thank you.
Chayan Das.

Light94 July 15th, 2009 11:21 AM

Re: What is evil then?
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Chayan Das (Post 3737)
Milton Erickson neither could nor did treat all the patients he got - he selected. I wonder based on which criteria he selected! Gender, religion, caste, education, profession, behavior in relation to sex, money or power, or some deep personality characteristics - nothing seem unutilizable for him. What is evil then?

In modern times, bounded by socioeconomic and legal situation, right of a doctor to select his patients is greatly limited. I don't like all my patients and I have a feeling that every patient does not deserve therapy. Could you give me some practical suggestion so that my time and effort get utilized for the benefit of the good and not wasted for earning my living?

Thanking you,
Chayan Das

selective really? thats the first i've heard about it


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