Almost Lost by Beatrice Sparks Page B

shrink…not cool.”
    â€œIt’s about the coolest thing you could ever do when you’re sincere. Smart people can always tell the difference between one emotion and another. And did I tell you about the Listening Room? You can go in anytime you want and listen over and over to your tapes. You may pick up some concepts you missed or just reinforce the positive things we’ve talked about. You’ll probably learn as much or more from what you’ve said as from what I’ve said.”
    Sammy’s forehead crinkled. “Don’t laugh…but I’m beginning to think maybe I can be the same old nice person I used to be.”
    â€œDo you see me laughing?”
    SUMMARY OF SESSION
    Sammy has amazing perception and a sincere desire to change.
    Material Covered: Getting into a gang because he wanted to “belong;” questions about God, depression, chemical imbalance, frightening feelings about himself, listening to his taped sessions.
    Samuel Gordon Chart
    Wednesday, August 3, 4:00 P.M.
    Fourth Visit
SAMUEL (SAMMY) GORDON, 15 years old
    Â 
    â€œHi, how are you doing today, Sammy?”
    â€œMuch better, thanks to you.”
    â€œLittle thanks to me, mostly thanks to you. As I’ve told you before…”
    â€œI know. No one else can change me , only me! ”
    â€œRight on, Dude.”
    â€œRight on yourself, Dudette.”
    A series of high fives.
    â€œGuess we better rev up the old garbage dump truck again, huh?”
    â€œThink we’re ever going to get the thing completely unloaded?”
    â€œYep. I do now. I didn’t at first, though.”
    â€œThat’s okay. The past doesn’t count, only the present and the future. No black points for your past negs, only shiny gold stars for your pos present. You were telling me about how you were doing the ‘Mom thing’ when you were with her and the ‘gang thing’ when you were with them, but if you want to talk about something else—anything—it’s as all right as all right can be with me.”
    â€œIt’s a strange thing about my mom. I always knew she loved me even when she didn’t like me, or couldn’t stand me, or was hurt to her guts by my mouth and my actions and my ’tudes. I’m beginning to really see how important pos ’tudes are.”
    â€œYou’re right on there. Many studies have shown conclusively and empirically that a positive mind-set not only can reduce stress levels and blood pressure, but improve work performance and even slow the effects of aging in the body .
    â€œWow! Like awesome. Tell me more.”
    â€œOkay, sponge brain, the army is doing studies on meditation to help soldiers’ performance. Mental health and physical health are becoming one in Western civilization as they always have been in ancient cultures. Meditation, hypnotherapy, massage, exercise, diet, etcetera, are all becoming part of the complete package of holistic medicine.”
    â€œAnd?”
    â€œIt’s an exciting time. Body functions are being assisted by proper positive mind functions in all kinds of healing processes.”
    â€œYou mean a person with a pos attitude heals faster than a person with a neg one?”
    â€œAbsolutely, even in work with cancer patients.”
    â€œI used to wonder why people were sometimes in therapy for years. Now I wanna learn about all the out-there things that I didn’t know about that can put me back together in a better, stronger way. I just might become a shrink addict like people I’ve read about.”
    â€œNot with me you won’t. I believe in brief therapy, which means introducing people to the tools they need to work with, then letting them listen to their own tapes and build their own cathedrals. You’d be surprised at the staggering number of people who come to psychotherapists or even medical doctors simply for a friend, someone to talk to who is knowledgeable and