WISDOM IN 20 QUESTIONS

THE SOUL OF THERAPY

- KEVIN ANDERSON

THE FORCED-AIR ELECTRIC FURNACE in the basement of the Civil War-era farmhouse I lived in during grad school was a giant toaster that made the meter nearly spin off the side of the house, so I decided to spend a hot August Saturday putting up enough wood for the coming winter. Still in my twenties, I enjoyed prolonged hard work and profuse sweating. But by day’s end I was feeling lousy. I had been careful to drink several quarts of water throughout the day, but what I didn’t appreciate back then is that no amount of water can make up for the loss of electrolytes. Hyponatremia, low salt levels caused by too much water or too much salt loss, is a potentially severe condition. Whether I had a touch of that or heat exhaustion, I was grateful to come out of it okay.

Thinking back on this incident recently, I wondered about how many other realities of human existence mirror this “No amount of water can make up for a lack of salt” pattern. It’s easy to think of other examples for our bodies: No amount of vitamin C can compensate for a vitamin B12 deficiency, just as no amount of B12 will cure scurvy. But can we suffer from “spiritual hyponatremia” in our pursuit of happiness, success, love, or truth? Looking back on three decades of listening to human struggles, I have come up with 20 related therapy questions to ponder:

1. How many self-esteem books or techniques can make up for a lack of sacred self-awareness?