1st Edition

Beyond the Frustrated Self Overcoming Avoidant Patterns and Opening to Life

By Barbara Dowds Copyright 2014
    304 Pages
    by Routledge

    304 Pages
    by Routledge

    This book foregrounds the life struggles of an individual, Brenda, in such a way that argument and theoretical exploration arise organically out of experience. The "frustration" of the title is traced to avoidant attachment - pretending not to need others. In Brenda this is associated with a body-energy pattern that is both over-charged and over-contained, generating a self-frustrating process. Such a repressive defence works against her, so that she experiences her life as dry, soulless, and uncreative. A variety of existential difficulties are traced to how such core developmental issues interact with our socio-cultural environment. A way forward is outlined: play and finding meaning are identified as transformational hubs that bring wellbeing into Brenda's life and restore her capacity for experiencing.

    Introduction , The Frustration of Aliveness , How attachment styles are mirrored in energy regulation patterns , The roots of boredom and addiction , Attention and the soul: the scientist versus the poet , Impingement and Loss of Self , Boundaries and contact: outer and inner distortions , Time, space, and silence: regaining our capacity to experience , Thrownness and Limitation: Navigating The Social World , Competitiveness as the struggle for recognition and respect , Activism versus integrity: resolving the dilemma? , Beyond Frustration: Towards Integration and Well-Being , Reflecting and creating the self: the uses of narrative , Integration: perspectives from complexity theory and neuroscience , Achieving well-being: play and spiritual practice as transformational hubs

    Biography

    Barbara Dowds