Empowerment Using the Hard Sciences!

 

 

 

“It is no kindness to treat unhappy people as helpless, hopeless, or inadequate, no matter what has happened to them. Kindness is having faith in the truth and that people can handle it and use it for their benefit. True compassion is helping people help themselves.”

–  William Glasser, psychiatrist 

 

“Both Dr Glasser and Dr Demartini took a scientific approach to empowerment.”

Two of the most influential individuals in my career have been Dr William Glasser and Dr John Demartini.  The first was initially a chemical engineer before becoming a world renowned psychiatrist whose work is promoted in at least 15 countries.  The latter was a chiropractor who today is regarded globally as a polymath and human behaviour expert with students in over 60 countries.

Besides having the privilege of working directly with them on several occasions over an extended number of years, what links them to me is their views on the human brain, the human mind and human potential.

Both Glasser and Demartini took a scientific approach to empowerment.  Rather than relying on well intentioned opinions, they looked to the hard sciences. They focused on helping others learn the biology, chemistry and physics of empowering the body and mind.

 

“…each of us is an ‘evolving’ being in many different ways…”

Briefly, Dr Glasser showed others how to take control of their feelings and physiology by consciously taking control of their actions and thoughts.  This was captured in his concept of each behaviour being a ‘total behaviour’ with what we do and think determining our feeling and physiology.

Briefly, Dr Demartini shows others how to empower themselves in any area of life by determining their purpose and values. And, using his Demartini Method™ tool, how to free ourselves from our fantasies and nightmares to uncover our own specific genius and design our own specific destiny.

Since each of us is an ‘evolving’ person in many different ways, I have, on occasion introduced myself as an ‘evolving’ psychologist. Interestingly enough, there is a growing field termed “evolutionary” psychology and “evolutionary” psychiatry.

 

 

“But she proved them wrong.”

So, I was surprised recently by social psychologist Amy Cuddy’s TedTalk entitled, “Your body language may shape who you are!”  Apparently, Amy Cuddy wasn’t supposed to become a successful scientist.

In fact, she wasn’t even supposed to finish her undergraduate degree. Early in her college career, Cuddy suffered a severe head injury in a car accident, and doctors said she would struggle to fully regain her mental capacity and finish her undergraduate degree.

But she proved them wrong. Today, Cuddy is a professor and researcher at Harvard Business School, where she studies how nonverbal behaviour and snap judgments affect people from the classroom to the boardroom.

And her training as a classical dancer, another skill she regained after her injury, is evident in her fascinating work on “power posing” — how your body position influences others and even your own brain.

Amy’s talk demonstrates beautifully Dr Glasser’s ‘total behaviour’ concept and takes it a step further by suggesting every part of a human behaviour impacts the other parts within the body and mind.

And Amy’s talk also demonstrates beautifully Dr Demartini’s idea of how our fantasies and nightmares are learning tools for our evolution.  He noted for saying there are no mistakes in life only opportunities to manifest our own special genius and destiny.

Have a look and see what you think.  And, please share your insights and questions.

 

“When you know that bad things aren’t so terrible and good things aren’t so terrific, you can be quietly grateful for whatever occurs. Balance is neither pessimism nor optimism.” 

– John F. Demartini, human behaviour expert