Perception and Reality – Page 2 – Jeffrey Noethe, Ph.D.

September 25, 2011Perception and Reality

The Deconstructionists

Every once in a while, I come across an anxious or depressed client whose symptoms appear to be grounded in a particular belief system, which I will call deconstructionism. The deconstructionist sees the inherent flaws in everything and uses this awareness to reject everything as worthless. Religion, career, community, culture, relationships, politics, philosophy, morality, and even life itself… To the die-hard deconstructionist, it’s all crap. […]

May 18, 2011January 21, 2020Expectations, Perception and Reality

A Story About Stories

Stories are powerful. At their most basic, stories are simply ideas or collections of ideas, and they can be as big as an epic novel or as small as a single thought, like “life is hard” or “I am fat.” There are stories we take in through books, movies, TV, advertising, other people, and our own experiences. There are also stories we tell ourselves in […]

October 24, 2010January 21, 2020Expectations, Mindfulness, Perception and Reality, Trust and Control

Lessons from Water

Water knows no fear, anticipation, or surprise. Remaining calm, clear, and true, It suffers not the future And reflects beauty in tranquility. Water neither seeks nor resists conflict. Flowing with simplicity and efficiency, It suffers not the present And reflects beauty in turbulence. Water dwells not on drama or regret. Resuming the original condition, It suffers not the past And reflects beauty in equilibrium. Water […]

May 16, 2010January 21, 2020Ecopsychology, Perception and Reality

Evolution of Consciousness

Given my interest in natural order and patterns (see Defining Li), it may come as no surprise that I am intrigued by the similarities between (1) the development of individual consciousness over a lifetime and (2) the evolution of human consciousness over many thousands of years. As we mature from infants to adults, our brains go through stages of development that parallel the evolution of […]

April 21, 2010January 21, 2020Expectations, Mindfulness, Perception and Reality, Trust and Control

Defining Li

I like the idea that there is a natural order or beauty within the apparent chaos of life and the world. We simply have to learn to see it. The Chinese word for this organic order is “li”, and it can be seen easily in the patterns of snowflakes, frost, waves, and sand dunes. Li, however, is more than just interesting patterns. Li is a […]