The Effect of the News on Well-Being
When people come to see me for therapy, they present with all manner of distress and innumerable types and blends of issues. Relationship and parenting problems, dissatisfaction at work, and the vestiges of difficult childhoods are some of the common presenting problems. We identify and approach concerns and work to address these.
Rarely does a patient identify the increasing occurrence of the monstrous acts of violence in our world. After 9/11, I did get a few new patients who identified that vile tragedy as the cause of their distress, but this is not the norm. In particular, patients in their 20’s and 30’s do not speak of the erosion of safety in our world. One could say that that is because they have been raised in such conditions and find them commonplace and, therefore, not worthy of comment. But I think that there is more to it than that.
I believe that these topics are rarely broached by patients for the very reason that they are so horrifying and completely out of their control. If things are going badly with your significant other or at work it is possible that some actions may be taken. When you have to bear the often unconscious burden of getting shot while going to the mall shopping for Christmas presents, you just might not feel like adding that to the list of things to cover in therapy.
It is not my place to stir this up as if there were some sort of unhealthy denial going on. There is such a thing as healthy denial, and it is used in many positive ways. But behind the scenes, I maintain that our environmental surround sound of bombings and shootings takes a psychological and emotional toll. I always factor in for this pressure and fear, even if it is not consciously broached in treatment. Even those who rarely listen to the news receive enough trickle down news that there is no escaping it. The brilliant psychologist, Erik Erikson, counseled us to look to the world around us and not to discount its bearing on our mood and actions. Just as our mind and bodies are inextricably linked, so we are citizens of the world, connected to all global cultures and events.
All environmental conditions are relevant in therapy. I would be amiss were I to exclude such conditions from my thinking, although I do, as a rule, wait for a patient to bring this up. Do bring it up if you feel that it is troubling. Your therapist should be able to blend this into your treatment. It’s real and it matters.
