May 1972

Textbooks Are Not Enough by Mary Pryka, nonalcoltolic and student, Norrheastern Illinois State University, Chicago, 111.

mitted, 1 wondered, “What will they doctor has of her problem: do with their aliveness?” Again, I ” ‘You were never a mental pa-

I N AN ARTICLE by Tom G . of Remsen, N.Y., “Some Questions for the AA Pro” (February 1972 Grapesome of my conceptions – misconceptions? – about psychology did not hold up in reality. I could not found myself toying with the idea of a way of life and thinking about the meaning of AA. I appreciated the tient, were you?’ “There was no smile at all, and Furii, as grave as Deborah had vine), he raises a question on the bring myself to say to a patient al- patience my alcoholic co-workers ever seen her, said, ‘No.. . I am compatibility of recovering-alcoholic most destroyed with guilt, “John, showed toward me as I struggled to sorry, too, because I can only and nonalcoholic professionals work- you have an overdeveloped id and see the true value in AA. I also ap- guess at what it must be like. But ing together. After reading this ar- an underdeveloped superego. By the preciated their struggle to see the it will not stop me from being ticle. I began to reflect on my own way, how did you feel about your value in my work, but sometimes able to help you. Only it makes experiences in the area of helping mother?” Nor could I see putting a their struggle took the form of bitter it your responsibility to explain alcoholics. patient in a Skinner Box, with elec- questions. More than once, I was everything fully to me and to be a Currently, 1 am an undergraduate tric shocks and bar-pressing. I began asked by either a patient or a mem- little patient with me if sometimes studying psychology. I have always to lose faith in the “Touch me, feel ber of the staff who was in the pro- my perceptions are a bit slow.’ I’ been fascinated by, although not al- me” sensitivity games of group ther- gram, “What are you doing here?” Alcoholism is our problem, all ways in agreement with, the read- apy, and it became naive to think and “What makes you think you can right – both yours and mine. If reings in my psychology textbooks. that a vitamin shot and a deep help or even understand our prob- covering-alcoholic and nonalcoholic Recently. however, my fascination breath of f r a h air would do the lem?” professionals become so narrowturned to restlessness. I wanted to trick. These are fair questions, and they minded as to bicker with each other 1 1 0 , to observe, to empirically dis- So where’s the answer? It is where often reminded me of a passage from or exclude each other, then they will cover, rather than just to read about it always has been. It lies within a Hannah Green’s I Never Promised true philosophy of life. A new way only set back the treatment of alcothe ideas of psychologists. Yoit a Rose Garden,* where a holism. Affirming each other’s com- My restlessness carried me to of life, perhaps. sixteen-year-old psychiatric patient petence is a step toward a better Lutheran General Alcoholism Re- As I saw patients leaving the requestions the real understanding her reality for those still in need. habilitation Center (Chicago), where hab center, some looking 100% *hrblirhrd by S i ~ n r t book^, Nrw York, N . Y . I met other “restless” people. Here, more alive thari when they were ad-