Relax Captain Angry Slacks Take the Time to Learn About Your Clients

Intuitive Counseling and Issues

In the modern world where reality requires thoughtful and informed perception, Frances Vaugh makes the point that some things are simply beyond human cognition because they are based on spiritual and metaphysical constructs that defy easy explanation. Certainly, everyone has experienced a situation wherein the seemingly hidden aspects of human behaviors become readily apparent, and this is termed "intuition." Perhaps the most important aspects of the approach advocated by Vaugh to achieving a better intuitive approach to counseling is to "silent the mind" in order to gain better contact with the client and which can lead to the "dissolve the ego boundaries beyond the ordinary waking state." In this regard, Vaugh recommends the following steps:

Quiet the mind;

Learn to focus attention;

Learn to acquire a receptive attitude of "quiet waiting."

When counselors are able to achieve the foregoing steps, they are better able to understand the problems that clients present with, and by quieting the mind, counselors can better perceive the realities that clients are enduring. Nevertheless, Vaugh emphasizes that the processes involved in becoming sufficiently receptive to these types of feedback requires more than just sitting back and waiting for things to happen, but rather involves a focused effort that takes into account what clients report concerning their realities. This approach is not difficult to comprehend, but it may be difficult for some clinicians to practice because it requires a conscious effort to reject the overwhelming desire to get to the root of the problem at the outset, a tendency that make overlook the real problems that people are facing in their lives.

To her credit, Vaugh's recommendation to become fully aware of the physical sensations that counselors are experiencing can facilitate the free flow of interactions are well founded, but again, this process requires intensive concentration that many counselors may lack unless the recognize the importance of this need. Likewise, by making the effort to remain calm in the face of the potentially life-altering problems reported by clients, clinicians are better able to gain the intuitive realizations that are involved in the dysfunction. In this regard, Vaugh advocates taking the time to reflect on an individual's past experiences in order to gain a fuller understanding of what is happening in someone else's life.