[Moses]

OK Tabs, I've given this a little thought, so here goes;

The reasons I have never sought the help of a therapist are really pretty simple. Like all of us, I'm a deeply flawed individual. The difference may be that I am acutely aware of what my limitations and defects are. Every single serious setback in my life has been my fault completely. I've been out of work, homeless and heartbroken...all by my own doing.

The personality traits that hurt me as a young man were simple; laziness and impatience. As I matured, I grew to detest these tendencies . I knew I couldn't change my personality, but I figured I could change my behavior. I resolved to work harder than anyone around me. In a sense, I tried to drive laziness from my life as if I were exorcizing demons from my soul. It worked. I'm the hardest working lazy SOB you ever met.

I'm still impatient. Nothing short of a tranquilizer gun is going to change that. I know my impatience can get on peoples nerves, but it makes me pretty effective at work. So if a therapist could help make me a more patient and relaxed person would I get started? Probably not. I've grown comfortable with all my warts.

There are really two basic forms of therapy; supportive therapy ("counceling") and psychotherapy. I have known many, many people who have benefited from supportive therapy, particularly after a loss (death of a loved one, divorce, etc.).

Traditional psychotherapy is a whole different beast. The idea that we can become more effective humans by resolving subconscious conflicts in our psyches is a bit of a reach. My personal view is that focused introspection may not offer any real solutions and may in fact be a major part of the problem. Most of the deeply troubled adults I know spend far too much time focused on themselves, anyway. They are self absorbed and become prisoners of their own "needs". They might be better off if they took a disciplined approach to eradicating troublesome behavior patterns and less time exploring their own feelings.

So there you have it, Tabs. I'm a Neanderthal. I come from an extraordinarily dysfunctional broken home where more of my family members went to prison than college. So what? I wasn't born in the third world where I'd watch my children starve and be dead by age 40. I don't break my back in a coal mine or work in a sweat shop. Life is sweet. I try to give as much love and comfort as I can and be grateful for the magnificent opportunities I've had in my life.