A Heart Shattered, The Impenetrable Self, and A Life Unlived: An Existential-Humanistic Approach to Relentless Despair
$20.00
Presented by Martha Stark, MD
Recorded on Friday, November 17th, 2023
Access provided upon registration on “My Courses” page
There are clients who, never having fully confronted – and grieved – the pain of their early-on heartbreak, cling tenaciously to their hope that perhaps someday the object of their desire will be forthcoming. But there are others who, in the aftermath of their early-on heartbreak, find themselves withdrawing completely from the world of objects – their hearts shattered…
They then find themselves overwhelmed by intense feelings of isolation, alienation, and despair – the competent, accomplished, cheerful, compliant mask they present to the world belying the truth that lies hidden within, namely, their quiet heartbreak, their private pain, and their haunting loneliness.
Their experience of being-in-the-world is one of profound hopelessness, which they keep hidden behind the false self they present to the world, a self-protective armor that masks the deeply entrenched brokenness of the true self.
Instead of relentless hope, their experience is of relentless despair.
Martha Stark, MD, will offer clinical vignettes that demonstrate how the therapist, ever attuned to the client’s intense ambivalence about remaining hidden vs. becoming found, can help the client overcome her dread of surrender to resourceless dependence (Khan 1972). There can then be moments of authentic meeting (Guntrip 1969) between therapist and client that restore purpose, direction, and meaning to an existence that might otherwise have remained desolate, impoverished, and desperately lonely.
Drawing upon the interpretive perspective of classical psychoanalysis, the corrective-provision perspective of self psychology, and the intersubjective perspective of contemporary relational theory, Martha’s existential-humanistic approach to healing brokenness and easing despair is one that places a premium on the co-creation of a transitional space between therapist and client that will enable the client gradually to deliver those parts of herself that she most needs to deliver – parts that are precious, vulnerable, and prone to breakage. If all goes well, however, she will ultimately discover, to her absolute delight and great surprise, that she need no longer worry quite so much about having her heart, once again, shattered…
“I gave you a part of me that I knew you could break – and you didn’t.” – Anonymous
Access provided upon registration on “My Courses” page
This program, when attended in its entirety, offers 1.0 APA CEs for Psychologists, 1.0 IL CEUS for Counselors and Social Workers, or 1.0 BBS California CEUs for LPCCs, LPSW, and LMFTs
Description
Presented by Martha Stark, MD
Recorded on Friday, November 17th, 2023
Access provided upon registration on “My Courses” page
There are clients who, never having fully confronted – and grieved – the pain of their early-on heartbreak, cling tenaciously to their hope that perhaps someday the object of their desire will be forthcoming. But there are others who, in the aftermath of their early-on heartbreak, find themselves withdrawing completely from the world of objects – their hearts shattered…
They then find themselves overwhelmed by intense feelings of isolation, alienation, and despair – the competent, accomplished, cheerful, compliant mask they present to the world belying the truth that lies hidden within, namely, their quiet heartbreak, their private pain, and their haunting loneliness.
Their experience of being-in-the-world is one of profound hopelessness, which they keep hidden behind the false self they present to the world, a self-protective armor that masks the deeply entrenched brokenness of the true self.
Instead of relentless hope, their experience is of relentless despair.
Martha Stark, MD, will offer clinical vignettes that demonstrate how the therapist, ever attuned to the client’s intense ambivalence about remaining hidden vs. becoming found, can help the client overcome her dread of surrender to resourceless dependence (Khan 1972). There can then be moments of authentic meeting (Guntrip 1969) between therapist and client that restore purpose, direction, and meaning to an existence that might otherwise have remained desolate, impoverished, and desperately lonely.
Drawing upon the interpretive perspective of classical psychoanalysis, the corrective-provision perspective of self psychology, and the intersubjective perspective of contemporary relational theory, Martha’s existential-humanistic approach to healing brokenness and easing despair is one that places a premium on the co-creation of a transitional space between therapist and client that will enable the client gradually to deliver those parts of herself that she most needs to deliver – parts that are precious, vulnerable, and prone to breakage. If all goes well, however, she will ultimately discover, to her absolute delight and great surprise, that she need no longer worry quite so much about having her heart, once again, shattered…
“I gave you a part of me that I knew you could break – and you didn’t.” – Anonymous
Access provided upon registration on “My Courses” page
This program, when attended in its entirety, offers 1.0 APA CEs for Psychologists, 1.0 IL CEUS for Counselors and Social Workers, or 1.0 BBS California CEUs for LPCCs, LPSW, and LMFTs
