I made this comment in another thread but I want more of your eyeballs on it, maybe somebody has something useful to say.
I have some serious anxiety about the fact that modern civilization is all of us in a bus driving towards a cliff, with the driver’s foot firmly on the accelerator pedal. Therapy is available to me, but what the fuck are they gonna say? Tune out?
It's discouraging to hear that even someone in your position feels there's no hope of addressing these systemic issues that are leading to public mental health crisis. This is an issue I've been thinking about a lot lately, in response to articles like this where it seems like almost everyone could be diagnosed with depression/anxiety or some other "mental health" issue. It seems like clearly that's wrong, obviously we can't attack that problem by feeding more and more individuals antidepressants or whatever. Clearly we need to address this on a societal scale, so it feels pointless to try to treat individuals.
But
An individual in a room with a doctor, psychiatrist, or therapist can't fix that. It's not their fault that the mode of production is alienating and our society is isolating. All they can do is try to get the person to a place where they can go on and maybe enjoy the life that the world makes possible. It's like if a person had cancer, but we had no treatment for cancer (or maybe more realistically, they have such an advanced stage of cancer that it's not treatable with current medicine.) It would still make sense to treat their symptoms, if it were with painkillers or whatever. We can only do so much, and individuals are suffering. And sure, if mushrooms and meditation are what get us there, we should do that.
Well said. I'm working with well-off people in their 90's who, apart from different societal woes (e.g. agism, poor elder care, etc. etc.), are largely unaffected by the material results of capitalism/colonization. Still, a 96 YO losing his hearing, memory, sight, and ability to drive has every right to feel "depressed." If all I'm able to do is be present and open-hearted with them, maybe that's enough?
And for someone who is struggling with material needs: providing a space where they feel heard, understood, and inherently worthy of existence may be a catalyst to greater peace, whatever that looks like for the individual.
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Really feel this with the person I'm working with who has dementia. Forces me to refrain from the novice "problem-solving, advice-giving" tendencies and practice a more here-and-now approach.