The major limitation of active expressive therapies in the West—the ones that attempt to get the patient to relive childhood traumas, to act out childhood impulses and desires—is that it is not “me-then” who is birth-screaming or shouting rage at my father or drinking unlimited malts. It is “me-now.” And the “me-now” can’t see or feel or think as t

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For me, it became crucial to notice what is in fact "illusory" about the self. It's not an illusion in the sense of being a completely useless, even malignant, deception. It's a complex of narratives, judgments, and strategies that developed to help me maintain some relatively reliable social-emotional standing. It served, and serves, a purpose.