Principles for psychological growth
Radically effective and rapid psychological growth is possible with the right combination of counselor and method. But this is rare in 2024!
It can be extremely valuable to view psychological issues (e.g., depression, anxiety, insecurity, failure at work or in romance, muscle tension, chronic pain, etc.) as being useful in the present for avoiding fears or achieving unconscious goals. Explanation:
Introspection is difficult for most people. The mind is mostly unconscious (AKA “in the body”). But introspection is doable with the right framework.
The mind is mostly like billions of pattern predictors that run automatically and in parallel. For example, one pattern might be, “If tongue tastes bitter, then spit out food.”1
Psychological growth requires not just learning new predictions but also unlearning old predictions. Example:
Psychological growth is largely about self-fulfilling prophecies. For example, expecting a job interview to go well can be self-fulfilling, and expecting a date to go poorly can also be self-fulfilling.
The process of psychological growth is as unique as a fingerprint. Broadly similar, but still subtly different for each individual.
For most people, psychological growth is mostly about improving their social interactions.
This should be obvious, but some psychological growth can occur by improving one’s physical environment (e.g., reducing lead poisoning, eating better food, darkness at night for better sleep).
Thanks to Brian Toomey, Stag Lynn, Kaj Sotala, Alex Zhu, Damon Sasi, Anna Salamon, CFAR, Epistea Residency, Nolan Kent, and many more for mentorship and support.
Related:
Pattern predictors are also what I think “parts” are, c.f.: Multiagent Models of Mind - Kaj Sotala and Internal Family Systems (IFS).