Self-help

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The previous section dealt with situations in which other people, at least at first, play a major part in our attempts to seek out our inner selves. This sectionexplores the attempts made by people themselves to undertake a journey of self-discovery. Although again they may receive help and encouragement from other people, the other people do not play such a major role as, for example, a psychotherapist.

There are many different ways in which people seek to become more in touch with themselves and to find out more about themselves. Some people find a method that suits them right away, although the actual self-exploration might take a considerable time. Others try various methods before hitting on the one that contributes to their self-discovery.

Solitary self-exploration

Some seek solitude in which to create the right kind of atmosphere for communing with themselves. This can be quite informal and might take the form of a quiet holiday in which the person on a journey of self-exploration goes off alone, often somewhere solitary, such as a remote cottage, to find time and space to think and reflect, and to provide an opportunity for self-analysis.

People who opt out of their usual worlds in this way, whether for a short or long time, often do so to give themselves the opportunity to look at their lives and to consider the past, present and what seems to be the likely future. Some go back refreshed by such self-analysis and others, on the basis of it, decide to change their whole lifestyles.

They may, for example, have been pressurized by their parents to follow some formally-structured career while they themselves would rather have done something quite different, such as write poetry or paint pictures. At this point in their lives, having taken time to find out more about themselves, and their thoughts and feelings, they may decide to be true to themselves and their personal aspirations and turn their backs on their careers to do something that will bring them more fulfilment.

Some decide not only to leave the work they have been doing but the whole environment in which they have been living. Reflection on their lives has brought them a realization of the futility of their existence and a dislike of the materialism that has brought so much stress into their lives. They feel a need not only to get back to themselves but to get back to nature and a simpler way of life.

It is in such circumstances that, for example, a London stockbroker, used to a highly paid job and an affluent city lifestyle, might abandon his way of life and buy a croft in some remote part of Scotland with a view to living off the land and leading a virtually self-sufficient life. Of course, such dramatic changes do not always work out, and it is likely that he would discover that the whole thing was a wild romantic dream, hastily selling up the croft to return to the affluence of Surrey. Still, at least he would have learnt something about his true self, even although it might have proved an expensive venture.

New Age travelling

The desire to lead a simple, non-materialistic life does not necessarily involve a solitary life. The later decades of the 20th century saw the evolvement of the New Age travellers. These are people who seek a less materialistic, simpler, more golden age, but they wish to do so in the company of others who share their philosophy.

There are often various other aspects to their philosophy, such as a concern for the environment and animal rights, a preference for natural remedies rather than formal medicine, and a leaning towards more ancient religions. New Age travellers are also intent on finding themselves, but they choose to do so in a communal, peripatetic way, moving on in vans and caravans from place to place and in so doing frequently falling foul of landowners or the police. Their desire to shake off the shackles of materialism and to lead a freer, less restricted life has something in common with the Hippies of the 1960s.

Retreats

Of course, not everyone who feels the need to take time out changes an entire lifestyle, whether to go off alone or as part of a group. As we have seen, many people simply want to be alone for a while to sort themselves out. This can be done in quite a structured, formal way as well as in the informal way described above. One example of this more formal way of taking time for reflection and self-exploration is the retreat; a place, as the name suggests, where one can get away from it all.

Retreats vary quite a bit. Some are extremely Spartan, encouraging one to concentrate on the mind, soul and spirit, rather than on the needs and delights of the body. Others are less basic, providing at least a minimum standard of comfort, although one should obviously not expect pampered luxury from a retreat. Some retreats are more organized and structured than others and provide lectures, discussions and workshops on various subjects for those who wish to attend. Others leave people more to their own devices, leaving them to meditate or pray and reflect as they wish.

Many retreats are religious in nature. Some of these relate to one of the Christian denominations, and people attend them to spend time in prayer and Bible study as well as to spend time in reflection. Other retreats of a religious nature relate to one of the Eastern religious movements rather than to Christianity. In such retreats people tend to spend a good deal of time in meditation.

Yet other retreats of a religious nature may be based on the teachings of one of the sects that have become popular in trecent years. Retreats may differ widely in their nature, but they have one important thing in common-they provide the opportunity for people to get out of the world for a while, to have time for self-exploration and perhaps to achieve a degree of spiritual and mental refreshment.

For some people a short time spent at a retreat proves not to be enough. They feel the need to get out of the world for a longer time in order to spend time communing with themselves, and often with God. Such people sometimes choose to join religious communities for a time in order to find themselves and come to terms with themselves.