My brain is a walk-in closet

When I think about the way my brain works, it's hard to fathom the daily, and minute-by-minute processes that happen.  Even when we sleep, the brain is acting on conscious and subliminal levels to accommodate the way we think, behave, remember, etc.  Seriously, take a second to let that glorious sponge of yours expose how magical it is.  .... .... Too cool to ignore, right?!  And pretty overwhelming sometimes!


So fortunately, during class last night, the idea that my brain is such an anomaly ('mine' as in anyone's brain capacity), seemed a bit simpler as we began discussing how human nature and the brain compartmentalizes on a fairly regular, and organic basis.  The brain is really its own fantastical entity, and I can be thankful it does so much for me without my direct input.


My course this semester is focused on multicultural counseling; including, but not limited to, factors of:  race, gender, sexual orientation, age, ethnicity, class, and socioeconomic status.  As we explore these topics - separately and how they interrelate - there can be quite a jarring notion of what categories or stereotypes that my brain has shaped over the past two+ decades.  Biases, in other words, are continually developed, and the awareness of them is a step in the right direction of becoming a good therapist (and in my opinion a good person, but for another post); after all, who knows what client(s) will enter my professional life.  How do I interpret the person of color who comes into the office?  The older, widowed adult?  The child in a wheelchair?  The gay woman?  What is my assumption of anyone?


Like other components on which I have written regarding an altruistic, honest life, these are career questions which must be reflected on again and again.  My answers to them today are probably different than what they will be ten years from now.  I can assure you they are different than what they were ten years ago.  I began to visualize the magical brain atop my crown as an organized closet of sorts (and if I am dreaming of it being within my mind) a walk-in closet, ever-expanding.  The shelves on which I rest my values might be where I display shoes in real life.  Different ones for different occasions.  The hangers may hold my hang-ups or negative biases that are not easy to donate or throw away.  So instead, how may I incorporate their existence on my behalf?  How many of my assumptions of others' lifestyles are hand-me-downs, passed generation to generation?  [Note:  I don't intend here to single out solely negative assumptions, but also the enriching worldviews from my ancestors.  Analogously, the vintage gems that never go out of style :)]  The plush sweatshirts and pajamas might be the hypothetical clothing I wear when desiring to mask my discomfort with a particular client.  And my winter coats might be available to be zipped tight if ever I feel too guarded to self-disclose information that could actually help the client and I develop a stronger rapport.


For whatever reason, this analogy represents seamlessly how I assess and categorize other people in my life.  And as fashion and psychotherapy have each proven over time, being aware of my own style is important for myself and those with whom I interact.  There is a need to adapt my style within various situations, and likelihood that good tailoring of it must also occur in order to become an optimal clinician.