Posted by vwoolf on September 16, 2010, at 0:21:28
In reply to Re: Dinner with Dr Bob, posted by Toph on September 15, 2010, at 15:11:24
I wasn't trying to speculate about Dr Bob and how he is around other people - I don't think that would be helpful and in any case we can't know.
I was trying to explore my own feelings on meeting him and what it did to me, and compare it to other situations where I had met with representatives of the mental health system outside of the traditional settings. I've had a lot of cross-over meetings, and I have had different reactions in each case, but the meetings have never been completely ordinary for me. For example, I run art groups in a psychiatric hospital where I was once a patient. Each time I go there I find myself feeling very emotionally charged - even after a few years it has not become a normal activity. This doesn't mean I think it harmful, or that I want to stop doing it. On the contrary. But I do want to be aware of it so that I can avoid doing things in those situations that might have an effect on the patients I am working with. It's a question of self-awareness, an attitude of caution and self-questioning that I find helpful and am trying to cultivate.
poster:vwoolf
thread:962045
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20100907/msgs/962562.html