Message
Dear Bill Powers and listmates,
Here is an example which applies the list of descriptions we talked about.
Situation: I was thinking about my prostrate and my high PSA test (mine is above 11 something; above 4 is considered high).
Error: I was thinking that I may need a surgery at some point. I was thinking that cancer could be in the future. I would like to live a bit longer.
Desired result of action: I want my PSA levels to go down.
Difficulty in correcting action: I have no direct control over my PSA levels.
Emotion: Concern, worry, helplessness, annoyance at some of the side effects of this problem (urination, sexual).
Resoluton: Do what I can to maintain general health. I have become a vegetarian. I take vitamin and mineral supplements as recommended by my family doctor who is an MD and practices energy medicine as well. Exercise the old body. I play tennis two times a week and will start to do aerobic exercise when I am not playing tennis. Try to maintain optimism and a positive attitude. Continue to obtain recommended regular PSA tests. Continue to do biopsies if recommended. Continue to explore anything which offers some control over the health of the prostate.
David
David M. Goldstein, Ph.D.
[From Bill Powers (2004.01.08.0815 MST)]
David Goldsteir (2004.01.08)
Here is an example which applies the list of
descriptions we talked about.
Resoluton:
Do what I can to maintain general health. I have become a vegetarian. I
take vitamin and mineral supplements as recommended by my family doctor
who is an MD and practices energy medicine as well. Exercise the old
body. I play tennis two times a week and will start to do aerobic
exercise when I am not playing tennis.
Question: Can you sense that these actions affect the variable you are
controlling? Or is the effect of the actions imaginary? And for exactly
the same reasons, I ask whether the elevated PSA is a perceptual variable
you are controlling, or an imaginary one. By “imaginary” I
don’t mean “unreal,” I just mean to ask whether it is something
in your direct experience or something you have to imagine in order to
perceive it.
You described certain symptoms which you connect with the elevated PSA.
Is your new regime affecting those symptoms? Is it affecting the PSA
readings given to you? What I’m asking about here is the nature of the
variables you’re actually controlling or trying to control, and whether
the actions are affecting the variables…
Try
to maintain optimism and a positive attitude.
Would you rather be optimistic and positive .if this keeps you from
sensing something wrong that needs to be investigated? Is being
optimistic and positive better than being pessimistic and negative, in
both cases regardless of the evidence?
Continue
to obtain recommended regular PSA tests. Continue to do biopsies if
recommended. Continue to explore anything which offers some control over
the health of the prostate.
Does this actually resolve your emotional reactions? What is your aim
here: to avoid feeling negative emotions, or to do away with the reasons
for which you have negative emotions? Do negative emotions have any
value?
Best,
Bill P.