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A Therapeutic Dilemma 85
analysis, etc.2 Spiritual growth requires training and discipline on every level of human experience, including the physical, emotional and mental.
SELF-CONFIDENCE
How is this brought alive in therapy? First the therapist must have confidence that the spiritual dimension is real, and he must be committed to this reality in his own life. First, says Sai Baba, is self- confidence, the confidence that there is a higher self—that divinity exists and is a real living presence which must be appreciated every moment of the day. Then comes self-satisfaction—the satisfaction and confirmation that come from actually experiencing the higher life through the spiritual process outlined above. Then when confidence is acquired and strength attained through spiritual practice, the therapist is ready for self-sacrifice through the deeper and more intense practice of morality and the renunciation of the false and trivial. And then the final triumph—self-realization: the direct experience of divinity, of oneness.
EDUCA TION
With confidence in the higher self, and a deeper appreciation of morality, comes the courage to challenge ignorance whenever it arises in therapy. The first responsibility of the therapist is one of educator. This is not new; in the early stages of therapy all clients must be educated to the process, whether it be in free association, relaxation or behavior modification techniques. Education in the rules and dynamics of the spiritual dimension is a constant, continuing undertaking, because it is unnatural to be constantly aware of the unitive state. We are so drawn by the powerful forces of the mind—to the senses, desires, pleasures, pains, wishes, fears and ego needs—that we believe duality is real. This misconception, in whatever form it takes, must be challenged in all facets of the therapy, in methods integrated with the psychological techniques used to teach mental truths.
Yes, repressed sexuality and aggression must be uncovered and experienced, to the point where one has the choice to express them or not. And at the same time, while the psychological work is proceeding, through the time-tested approaches of psychotherapy, time tested spiritual approaches such as morality, meditation, devotion, service, and the eventual goal of renunciation (experiencing