spring strengthening

dear friend

spring is our joyful time
when life begins anew

the time when
we scrub and freshen up
our home

clean the salt
off our car

and get rid of all that junk
we stashed in the garage

it’s our
yearly ritual

we call
spring cleaning

but what about
our mind

does it need
spring cleaning too

no

cleaning is not
what our mind needs

not in spring
nor in
any other season

our mind
does not need
to be “cleaned”

as if
the solution

to achieving
our emotional wellbeing
is

out out damned spot

that is a
phony solution
to achieve psychological health

no different than
all the phony solutions
to achieve social and political health

out out damned vermin/maggats

out out damned unbelievers/infidels

out out damned commies/ceos

out out damned brown immigrants and refugees

who will be left
after all our ethnic cleansing
and political purges

when will we realize
that all we are doing

is projecting onto others
our own self loathing

our own
distorted demented

unconscious judgment
of ourselves

paranoia

attempting to
”cleanse” ourselves
of our own sickness

by purging our lives
and our country

of others
we deem sick

is
was
and always will be

paranoid

all the bloody
final solutions

inflicted by dictators
and fanatics

of right and left
throughout history

are rooted
in the paranoid idea
of cleansing

first the undesirable elements
are dehumanized

then they are deemed
to be dangerous dirt

that we
the pure

the superior

the correct and
spotless people

must rid ourselves
of

by thorough and ruthless
cleansing

strength

our mind
(and our country
and world)

needs something
very very different

from being
“cleansed”

we need
to be strengthened

so how bout
we take the time
today

to think about
our emotional strength

what do you say
we take a look
to see

how our mind
is doing

as spring
approaches

well…

some of us
like to look
inside our mind

and some of us
most definitely
do not

what about
you

is your mind
foreign territory

you’d just as soon
never set foot in

or is it
fascinating turf

you hope
to get
better acquainted with

and explore
further

some of us
have ventured
in there

at one point
or another

but were so scared
by what we saw
we never looked again

if you have had
a fright like this

let me assure you
everyone’s insides
are scary

mine yours
and everyone else’s

so how about
we simply face

that we are
all human

and therefore
as freud
discovered

every one of us
has a mind

that contains
unhealthy destructive
forces and wishes

both conscious
and unconscious

don’t believe him?

check out
your nightmares
my friend

take a good look
at those terrible dreams
you’d rather forget

our bad dreams
express powerful
unconscious wishes

that our strong ego
makes sure stay
in the land of slumber

when our ego
loses the strength
to keep them at bay

we live out
our nightmares
in our waking hours

fortunately a living hell
is neither inevitable
nor irredeemable

as all of us
who have

come through
such a period
can affirm

we learned
from our own experience

that by building up
our healthy constructive forces

the destructive forces
in our mind
can be stymied

the balance of power

it is essential
to recognize

that our psychological wellbeing
depends entirely

on
the balance of power

between the healthy forces
and the unhealthy forces
within our own mind

that is
between our ego
and the sadistic superego

it is that balance
that determines
our psychological health

and greatly influences
our physical health
as well

as long as our ego
maintains the upper hand

and does not surrender
to superego lies and attacks

(telling us we are
a stupid ugly useless failure
who will never win)

our lives proceed
in a relatively healthy state

and we do not
live out our nightmares

it is only when
our ego caves

and submits
to the inner torment

and passively allows
the superego

to attack us
defeat us
and run the show

that we get into
deep trouble

strategy

all my work
as a therapist and writer

is strategically
aimed at

strengthening
the constructive
forces of our mind

so that our ego
renounces
passive surrender

and goes on
offense instead

i seek
to motivate us

to disarm and silence
the destructive inner force

that continually attempts
to defeat us

i am not
a pacifist

i make pre-emptive strikes
to prevent the inner enemy
from destroying the ego

in my letters
to you

i offer insight
on how to launch
those strikes
yourself

to maintain
your emotional health

spring strengthening
is a pre-emptive strike

taking stock

it takes courage
to look deep inside
our mind

assess the balance of power
between our ego and superego

and conduct
the necessary self defense

assessing the balance
requires examining our lives
regularly

to see how
the battle for our life
is going

we take stock
of our ongoing progress

so we can
recognize and celebrate
our successes

and also
so we can see

the dimensions
of our wellbeing

where we need
to take further action

the power of questions

one of the best ways
to evaluate our progress

and find areas
that need further
strengthening

is to ask ourselves
good questions

a good question
is one

that challenges our ego
to grow stronger

here are
eight questions

to ask yourself
this spring

take the time
to consider each one
thoughtfully and fully

then answer it gently
and without self criticism

questions for spring strengthening

1. Am I my own best friend? If not, why not?

2. What am I grateful for, and do I express my gratitude every day?

3. Do I love my body and take great care of it?

4. Am I using others for my own gain, or am I building with them?

5. What is my purpose in life, and how am I devoting myself to fulfilling it?

6. What new learning shall I explore this spring that will light me up?

7. Are my close relationships in healthy balance or are they a one way street?
That is, do I give as much as I receive and receive as much as I give?

8. What loving contribution will I make this spring
to the freedom and wellbeing of others?

i’m with you
as you ponder
these questions

i am pondering them
too

they go deep

and the more often
we ask them
the deeper they go

but having the guts
to face ourselves

and challenge ourselves
to grow stronger

is how
we will create
our joyful spring

blessings,

dr. hall