Transcription
[Music] the selfish context is a sense of self that's a consistent perspective from which You observe all the changing experiences going on another way to talk about is this point of view a constant point of view from which you notice all the things that have happened in your life now I would argue that if we're going to demystify act during this hour we can't delve too deeply into the selfish context I sometimes do two day workshops and we'll spend two hours on this and still people will have questions so I am going to be mystified and ask you to do something just very simple it's a very simple exercise I'm not saying you're going to get the philosophical constructive selfish context from this but I think it will demystify what we're talking about imagine I gave you this handout you have this sheet of paper right in front of you and it's a three question fill-in the blank exercise and you had to fill this out and if you've got you know paper and pencil imagine you were doing this right now and I'm going to do it for you I'm going to do it from my point of view you think about as a thought exercise or do this in 3D on a piece of paper if you're willing to do this for the next you know minute or so and fill this in and I would fill it in and I would say I am a psychologist and then I'll fill in another one I am standing that's true and I am happy okay now what I'm going to ask you to do now that you have filled in yours or you've thought about your three going to ask you to imagine or actually do this just cross out the first one whatever you wrote just cross it out I wrote I'm a psychologist guess what that's not all I am that doesn't describe me someday I'll retire and I'll still be me so my role the role that I play isn't me that's not who I am now what you crossed out for the first one how did that feel what was that experience like and the important question is are you still you without that descriptor now you can tell me well you know I wrote alive okay if you wrote alive for the first one you cross that out I get it you busted my exercise but certain things that we sometimes use to describe ourselves we sometimes hold on to it but let's be realistic it's not who we are go ahead to the second one cross that out well I was standing now I'm sitting down and I'm still me cross out that second one are you still you with that gone as a descriptor go to that third one I wrote I am happy and I am happy right now but later I might be angry tomorrow I might be frustrated because I have to fill out Medicaid paperwork and triplicate I'm not going to be happy during that situation but it's all right I'm not just that that's just an emotion the point I'm trying to make in order to demystify what we mean by selfish context as a principle in Act is you're not the way you describe yourself to be that core you that self as context you it's still on the page it can't be crossed out just look at that slide and see what's still there I am full sentence subject verb that that experience that I am experience that's always true that's always going to be true as long as you're alive what if we could help our clients just come in contact with this not I am an alcoholic I am a bad person just You Are I Am that's it all that other stuff is verbal baggage it's just experiences that you've had you could talk about emotions and Sensations and roles and behaviors they're not you those are just the content of your life you you are the [Music] context [Music]