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Friday, December 8, 2017

Your Book Helps Me a Lot


Hi Curtis,

My name is ____________ I bought your book at your booksigning.  We were there and you signed it too.  I have been reading it because I was or I am  interested in knowing how our brain works when going through depression.  I had an episode of depression several years ago.  Because my culture super huge stigma of this type of disease I was clueless about when I was experimenting it.  So, this lasted for about two years; it was awful.  Recently, well let me tell you, to compensate for what I was thinking the first time I tried to go off that thinking comparing it to something else just to help me to stop thinking about that specific thought.   Time passed and everything was going great but  until recently my mind unconsciously started bringing up a lot of the thinking I used to compensate for the first thought. That sparked a lot of guilt and condemnation again.   I started to read your book and it's so refreshing to know more of how my brain works and how I am not my thinking and so many more you wrote in your book.  However, I still feel like I am dragging but slowly coming up of this second episode.

I am a christian, and unfortunately, there are not many literature about depression also  I think because of the stigma in the christian community.  But now I am convince that is not only spiritual.   We are a fallen human race and somehow we have been busted in every area since the fall.  Of course, I know I am forgiven by God if I just repent of my sins but I still have to manage my life here on earth.  Now more than ever I am sure that God uses people like you who have invested  time doing lot of research about this topic and who also has experience the same situation in your own life. 

I am very thankful that people like you write books so other can benefit from your best input in your own experience. I feel I can Identify with you a lot, that is why you are the only one I can confide this situation with. My son, who is also in the field of psychology  knows about the first episode but not about this one.  He has also helped me a lot.  But of course I do feel that you have more experience and definitely more knowledge to help me just getting through this stage.  Even though I have been reading your book and believe me it has benefited me greatly, I still have this longing to talk to someone like you.  but I would really like if I can give you a call to have that connection with someone professional.  I don't have any health insurance so I don't have anyone to talk to in the professional arena.   I will provide my phone number if you could please reach to me and I would greatly appreciate it from the bottom of my heart.  


Sincerely,


PS.  I really hope you understand my writing.


Dear Sincerely,

Thank you so much for your emaiI. Receiving feedback such as yours is inspiring to me in my work. As for a telephone conversation, I have found over the years that telephone calls are not as successful as emails. In emails one has to coalesce their thinking into some kind of question or statement and that is most of the work already done.  People often answer their own questions just as well as I could. I will be glad to correspond with you by email. This way anytime you feel shaky, night or day., you can email me and I will answer you right away. This way you can count on my friendship as one human being to another. In one area I know more than you but there are some areas in which you probably know more than I do. A.B. Curtiss


Thank you Curtis!  It is nice to know that I can learn from you about this matter.  

God bless you 



Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Everyone Should Understand "Projection."



Everyone should know about the psychological defense mechanism called "projection." I used to be socially fearful and immature, they call it social anxiety now and proscribe Paxil for it. 

But the real problem with social anxiety or any feeling of social alienation is a psychological defense mechanism known as “projection.” It took me a long time to realize that I was projecting my own sense of coldness on others when I walked into any party or even a small gathering of my peer group. They weren’t cold and rejecting, I was cold and rejecting to protect myself from possible hurt from their coldness and rejection. 

When I understood this I found I could always find someone to become interested in. I might start slow with a waiter in a big party and make a few friendly comments to loosen up and get out of my focus on myself. I found most people were not rejecting and cold. 

The cure for social anxiety is the courage to risk hurt and reach out to interest yourself in and love other people. Everybody wants love and respect and we are on the Earth to give it to one another. Wise men say that every person is fighting a great battle and we never know what secret and heavy burdens the person next to us is carrying. Let us lighten their burden with showing that we care about them. Let us be each others’s angels on Earth.