the Existential Moment typographic logo

The Existential Moment: Protections – Part I:  Spacesuits

“Houston, I feel a lot of water on the back of my head.” 

Instructed to return forty-five minutes into a maintenance repair spacewalk on the International Space Station, astronaut Luca Parmitano had a water coolant leak of unknown origin in his spacesuit.  Maneuvering around an antenna with his feet to the sky, “that’s when things got bad.”  First, water dislodged, and zero-gravity “globs” filled his eyes and covered his visor.  Then, the sun set.  His head lamp kicked in, but he could barely see with the water and narrow light.  Water also shorted out communications – silence!  Finally, water covered his nose, leaving him to breathe only through his mouth.

More or less feeling his way back to the station entrance, he reunited with his walk “buddy” Chris Cassidy, separated by having to take different return paths to avoid tangling tethers.  Both entered a tight compartment for several minutes of repressurization. 

Once inside, Luca seriously considered popping his helmet for fear of drowning.  He’d pass out, and his eardrums would break, but he probably wouldn’t die.  Mission Control discussed similar thoughts.  Everyone was alarmed.  Lying head to toe with Luca, cramped positioning made it difficult for Chris to see how Luca was.  And Luca was sensorily isolated:  he couldn’t see, hear, or move.  So, Chris grabbed Luca’s hand and squeezed.  Luca lightly squeezed back, the message clear “I’m OK.”

Existentially-oriented therapist Jim Bugental (1999) introduces the metaphor of a spacesuit to describe the adaptations we develop to cope with trauma and emotional wounding.  These adaptations are protective, even vital, deserving a sense of acknowledgment and respect rather than scorn.  This view contrasts with the commonplace view of “defenses” as hurdles to be overcome or walls to be broken down, annoying problems, if not infuriating tests of the therapist’s patience.

Still, protections are often limiting or fail altogether.  They frequently contribute to the “presenting problem,” maybe even are that problem.  As such, healing calls for working with them.  A therapeutic relationship provides the opportunity to identify the nature of a spacesuit.  However, the decision to keep, adjust, or discard protections is ultimately in the hands of the client.

Reference:
Bugental, J. (1999). Psychotherapy isn’t what you think. Zeig, Tucker & Co, Inc., Phoenix, AZ.

Link to Related Blog Post:

Read all the Existential Moment series posts on EHI’s blog.

Share this post

Related Posts:

The Existential Moment typographic logo

The Existential Moment: Acknowledge Death

“…it is he who is dead and not I.” 

The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy is a powerful exploration of mortality. Through the story of Ivan Ilyich, a successful and respected lawyer, Tolstoy portrays the tragedy of a life lived without acknowledging the certainty of one’s own death. Instead, as articulated in the quote, denial is a staunch ally in the process: others die, not me.

Read More »
The Existential Moment typographic logo

The Existential Moment: On Dreamwork

Questions endure about the origin or meaning of dreams, from unconscious, repressed desires and archetypal symbols of the collective unconscious to modern theories about memory consolidation, emotional processing, and problem-solving. Regardless, dreams are one thing most surely: an opportunity. Take it!

Existential-Humanistic therapy draws its way of working with dreams from its humanistic heritage. Notably, it approaches dreamwork with the same emphasis on presence and experience as therapy. Furthermore, it avoids one-sized fits all dream interpretations.

Read More »
  • Search EHI

    Upcoming Events

    Get Updates

    Join our mailing list and get the latest in news and events.

    Blog Archives