| Tracking Change |
Tracking change, measuring progress, and thinking of things in
terms of numbers is something most of us do every day.
Sometimes it helps us and sometimes it hurts us. We can be
proud of doing better than we had expected or we can resent
having to "measure up." We keep track of time in order to
meet friends and lose track of time when we are with them.
For some of us, keeping track seems like a mechanical chore
which feels dehumanizing. For many, therapy is the last place
they want to have to keep track of things and for some,
learning to not keep track so much is actually their goal. Even
this can be tracked though in a way which is helpful. I don't
believe keeping track and not keeping track need to be seen
as opposite things. I also do not believe that measurement
needs to rob us of our humanity or of the universe simply
unfolding as it should.
Consider the photos to the right. Certainly we can discern
changes in the growth of plant life and if it were not important
for us to measure it, then we would simply enjoy watching this
miracle of nature. If, on the other hand, we were farmers and
this were the crop from which we earned our living, we might
start keeping track. The same is true in our lives. Some
things are important enough to keep track of. What is
important to you? If you find it important to make changes of
some sort, how do you know the changes are being made?
In my office, I have two rulers -the wooden kind kids use in
school. One is a regular ruler and one has all the numbers and
lines sanded off. If you wanted to know the dimensions of a
photo and I handed you the sanded ruler how successful do you
think you'd be in buying the right sized frame?
Consider the photos to the right. If it were important to you to
avoid getting a speeding ticket, wouldn't you want to know
whether you were speeding? How would you know, when the
speed limit changed whether you could speed up or whether
you should slow down? The speedometer on top has no needle.
You would not be able to tell. The speedometer on the bottom
is capable of measuring something which may be important to
you.
The same is true in therapy. We may not be measuring your
speed or picture frames, but it is likely you are looking to
make some sort of change and will want to keep track of it in
order to make your decisions as well as possible. We weigh
pros and cons. We measure depths of sadness. We assess our
general satisfaction. We count the number of times we spend
with our children. We look for changes. Are there new trends
in the changes we are making or do we just have lucky days
now and again? Are there discernible trends among the things
that are bothering us, or are we just having a bad spell? How
do we know for sure? How far is guessing getting you?
When you come into therapy, you will work to discover the
patterns of your concerns. Your therapist will help you
establish a baseline (the way things usually go for you) and you
will tell your therapist how it is you would like things to be.
You will want to be able to tell the difference. Maybe it will
just be in the way you feel. Maybe it will be a reduction in
symptoms or complaints. Maybe it will be in the quality of
your relationships, your satisfaction, or in your peace of mind.
Your therapist can help you track these changes so that you
can know for sure - even when it seems no changes are being
made, that changes are being made. For more on this topic,
C L I C K H E R E A F T E R 10 B E A T S O F Y O U R H E A R T .
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C L I C K .
terms of numbers is something most of us do every day.
Sometimes it helps us and sometimes it hurts us. We can be
proud of doing better than we had expected or we can resent
having to "measure up." We keep track of time in order to
meet friends and lose track of time when we are with them.
For some of us, keeping track seems like a mechanical chore
which feels dehumanizing. For many, therapy is the last place
they want to have to keep track of things and for some,
learning to not keep track so much is actually their goal. Even
this can be tracked though in a way which is helpful. I don't
believe keeping track and not keeping track need to be seen
as opposite things. I also do not believe that measurement
needs to rob us of our humanity or of the universe simply
unfolding as it should.
Consider the photos to the right. Certainly we can discern
changes in the growth of plant life and if it were not important
for us to measure it, then we would simply enjoy watching this
miracle of nature. If, on the other hand, we were farmers and
this were the crop from which we earned our living, we might
start keeping track. The same is true in our lives. Some
things are important enough to keep track of. What is
important to you? If you find it important to make changes of
some sort, how do you know the changes are being made?
In my office, I have two rulers -the wooden kind kids use in
school. One is a regular ruler and one has all the numbers and
lines sanded off. If you wanted to know the dimensions of a
photo and I handed you the sanded ruler how successful do you
think you'd be in buying the right sized frame?
Consider the photos to the right. If it were important to you to
avoid getting a speeding ticket, wouldn't you want to know
whether you were speeding? How would you know, when the
speed limit changed whether you could speed up or whether
you should slow down? The speedometer on top has no needle.
You would not be able to tell. The speedometer on the bottom
is capable of measuring something which may be important to
you.
The same is true in therapy. We may not be measuring your
speed or picture frames, but it is likely you are looking to
make some sort of change and will want to keep track of it in
order to make your decisions as well as possible. We weigh
pros and cons. We measure depths of sadness. We assess our
general satisfaction. We count the number of times we spend
with our children. We look for changes. Are there new trends
in the changes we are making or do we just have lucky days
now and again? Are there discernible trends among the things
that are bothering us, or are we just having a bad spell? How
do we know for sure? How far is guessing getting you?
When you come into therapy, you will work to discover the
patterns of your concerns. Your therapist will help you
establish a baseline (the way things usually go for you) and you
will tell your therapist how it is you would like things to be.
You will want to be able to tell the difference. Maybe it will
just be in the way you feel. Maybe it will be a reduction in
symptoms or complaints. Maybe it will be in the quality of
your relationships, your satisfaction, or in your peace of mind.
Your therapist can help you track these changes so that you
can know for sure - even when it seems no changes are being
made, that changes are being made. For more on this topic,
C L I C K H E R E A F T E R 10 B E A T S O F Y O U R H E A R T .
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C L I C K .
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