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Consultation

If you would like to contact Dr. Yukio Ishizuka for a consultation for Lifetrack therapy call 914.967.6210 (New York, USA time).

Download Ottawa Journal Article (3MG) for more information on LifeTrackTherapy (succinct for therapy, academics or the press).

Press Information

We will do our best to respond to individual inquiries.  We will group responses to general questions in FAQ.

Dr. Yukio Ishizuka has made numerous television appearances as a psychiatric expert on major networks such as NBC, NHK (Japan), Fuji-Television (Japan), TV Asahi (Japan), and Antenne 2 (France).  Newspaper and magazine articles featuring Dr. Ishizuka and his work with Lifetrack have been published in the New York Times, Newsweek, USA Today, Reader’s Digest, Psychiatric News, L’Express (France), Voice (Japan), and Nikkei Business (Japan).  His first book, Self-Actualization (Kodansha Tokyo, 1982), sold over 45,000 copies in Japan.  The book was reprinted nine times.

Dr. Ishizuka has presented models of individual and organizational health with diverse organizations including AT&T and IBM as well as many Japanese, American, and European elite CEOs.  He is the founder of Japan International Students Association, the recipient of the coveted Japanese Health Culture Award in 2007 by the Minister of Japanese Health at the Japanese Imperial Palace.

Interview or Article

If you would like to contact Dr. Yukio Ishizuka for an interview for Lifetrack Positive Mental Health call 914.967.6210 (New York, USA time).

Please Download Ottawa Journal Article (3MG) for more information on LifeTrack Therapy (succinct for therapy, academics or the press).

Visit http://www.PositiveMentalHealthFoundation.com to understand individuals at their best, happiest, and most creative form.  Link to us to promote health and happiness.

Fear and love, love and fear go together.

Some experience fear as a fear of people, others as a fear of bad love that ultimately disappoints, still others as fear of failure or fear of death.

Fear and love accompanies each other, as we push ourselves far beyond a previous best level of intimacy, self or achievement.

Only, after we push ourselves several times beyond a previous best, does fear lessen.  As such, fear should not stop us as we build inner health.  Our goal is not to lessen fear at all costs, but to experience inner health and happiness despite fear and initial resistance.

Fear and Love: Fear of the Unknown?  Fear of People?

Stress or fear can be encountered as we build inner health beyond a previous best level of achievement, intimacy or self.

In the Lifetrack model of positive mental health, Dr. Yukio Ishizuka defines and measures fear as the five stress types (anxiety, anger, physical-symptoms, depression or psychosis).   Some experience this fear as a fear of love, a fear of the unknown, fear of death, fear of people, others as a fear of success (fear as one move towards a desirable goal).

In achievement, fear may take the form of feelings such as ‘ I don’t want to work ‘ or ‘ I have too much work ‘, or simply being fed up with ‘ endless weekend work .’  A need to trim work, a creative and increasing number of work excuses, or the loss of work motivation are all signals that one is exceeding one’s capacity to cope.

In relationships, fear may be experienced as you grapple with the question of whether and when is a relationship over, a fear of people, a fear of bad love, a fear of love hate relationships, being overwhelmed with marriage life, intimacy in marriage, fear of commitment, or growing marriage intimacy.

Hate Life Itself ?

Do you hate life itself?  The incapacity to be at peace, in touch or in control of one’s self prevents one to live laugh love.

To overcome fear one must learn to love again, to find meaning in what we do, and a sense of lightness in life.  One does this by building intimacy, achievement and self at much higher levels than a previous best– despite fear.  This is not easy and when an individual is depressed this often involves professional help.  It is important to seek help early and not wait until when is no longer willing or able to reach out.

To overcome fear one must understand the nature of fear or stress (stress definition), the types of fear or stress symptoms (stress types), and (stress techniques) to overcome challenges.  The perspective that fear or stress can be an opportunity for a breakthrough is the first step to changing one’s life (going far beyond ‘ I hate life ‘ to a new experience of wellbeing.)

Copyright © 2010 Lifetrack Corporation

Visit http://www.PositiveMentalHealthFoundation.com to understand individuals at their best, happiest, and most creative form.  Link to us to promote health and happiness.

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Fear of the Unknown, Fear of People, Love and Fear, Fear and Love
Stress anxiety, stress symptoms, symptoms of stress and anxiety, overcoming fear of intimacy, fear of people, fear of bad love, unable to live laugh love

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When we encounter a challenge in our Self (self definition), Intimacy (love definition), or Achievement sphere (work definition) that is either positive or negative, we can experience Stress or Fear.

In the Lifetrack model of health, individuals rate their peaks of stress as they relate to changes in their sense of self, intimate relationships and achievements.

This helps us understand not only the nature of stress, but how we can use challenges to overcome symptoms of stress and anxiety.

Five Stress Types

Symptoms of stress can be varied.  For simplification Dr. Yukio Ishizuka groups them into five major stress types: anxiety (symptoms of stress and anxiety), anger (stress and anger), physical symptoms (physical symptoms of stress), depression (depression stress), and psychosis.

Regardless of how bright, strong, or resilient you may be, if the challenges you face in life are more than you can handle, one or more of the above symptoms may manifest itself.  These symptoms may not subside until you respond to the source of distress.

Observe them and recognize that these distress signals are there to alert you that you have surpassed your stress threshold in one or more of the three spheres.  You may have to slow down and re-assess what is causing stress.  Only after a proper recognition of realities can one gain perspective and take positive action to build inner health.

As overwhelming as such symptoms may be, they are temporary.  They are not you.  Seek a proper recognition of realities, perspective, decision and action that build health.  If you cannot bear the suffering or are not able to breakthrough, reach out to loved ones, to your spouse, a friend or a professional.

Stress Definition

Negative Peak: Negative peak experiences within a given rating period.

Anxiety: Thoughts, feelings and actions that signal anxiety, nervousness, tension, worry, and fear.

Anger:  Thoughts, feelings, and actions that are angry, unfriendly, hostile, and mean

Physical Symptoms: Any and all physical symptoms and feeling of illness

Depression: Thoughts, feelings, and actions that are negative to the point of being beyond your control

Psychosis:  Thoughts, feelings, and actions that signal inconsistency, confusion, inappropriateness, ambivalence or paralysis

Note on Psychosis:

Psychosis as defined here can be even applied to the ‘healthy’ mind.  Traditionally psychosis is used to describe the ‘mentally ill’ ie. a person talking to himself or herself out loud or experiencing visions.  Most of us have fortunately never experienced such a painful state (although many ‘healthy’ people when placed under enough stress such as a battlefield do).

Even healthy people think to themselves.  You may be aware of a voice (your own thoughts) constantly replaying what you should have done yesterday or will not get to do tomorrow.  For most of us, this is normal.

However, negative or inconsistent thoughts when playing over and over may contribute to paralysis, confusion, scattered behavior or exhaustion.  When we obsessively think about what to do next or what we should have done yesterday, our ‘inner voice’ is out of control.  We can rate this ‘loud’ inner voice in the Lifetrack scale as ‘psychosis.’  This state can occur in ‘healthy’ human beings. When trained our state of mind can be clear and in the present moment, free of such incessant noise.

Someone who experiences traditional psychotic symptoms (frightening visions, or cannot distinguish the inner voice from outer voices) may lose his or her capacity, to think, feel and act coherently.  He or she is not able to recognize the symptoms of psychosis nor to rate himself or herself until medication has returned the mind to normal functioning.

Psychotic symptoms must be treated by professional help.  Medications are essential to control such symptoms.  Once controlled, the individual can then return to the same challenge of becoming closer to another human being, developing a sense of self or achievement.  Due to the nature of the symptoms, however, such individuals need a strong support system and most must continue medications even when feeling well.

Copyright © 2010 Lifetrack Corporation

Visit http://www.PositiveMentalHealthFoundation.com to understand individuals at their best, happiest, and most creative form.  Link to us to promote health and happiness.

Read more about overcoming fear, five stress symptoms (stress types), stress techniques, and alternatives of the threshold of stress (don’t hate life).  In Lifetrack therapy the objective is not the mere elimination of stress symptoms, but building inner health and happiness.

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Ken is a successful and ambitious executive in his 30s who became severely depressed when faced with the first major setback in his career.  Although his setback had no apparent connection with his wife with whom he felt close, she became involved in the process of his internal transformation that deeply affected the way he thought, felt and acted in his work, his sense of self and his relationship with her.

Ken and his wife pursued Lifetrack therapy with Dr. Yukio Ishizuka where the emphasis is on building happiness, rather than reducing immediate distress or stress symptoms.

Ken’s personality went through four distinct stages of structural transformation, as shown in the graph below.  The first stage occurs through the process of breakthrough intimacy, or the experience of a much closer and intimate relationship with his spouse.

The vertical axis represents the daily self-rating scores by Ken on 41 parameters according to Lifetrack Total Adjustment Sheet of Positive Mental Health.  Ken’s intimacyscore (the red line) rose beyond its previous maximum level of 10 during the 1st month of therapy, reaching 50 (5 times higher than his previous maximum) in 5 months.   That is according to his own self rating, he felt five times closer to his wife than at his previous best level ever.  His self and achievement scores followed his intimacy during the 2nd and 3rd month catching up during the 4th month of therapy.

4 Stages of Personality Transformation

A Closer Look on How Intimacy Leads to Growth

Structural transformation (growth) of personality — the way we think, feel and act in the three key spheres of our lives (self, intimacy and achievement) — occurs typically in four stages when Lifetrack therapy is highly successful.

Stage 1

In acute distress, the self and achievement spheres are collapsed, and the intimacy sphere is relatively more preserved. In this condition of desperation, we are more accessible to help. Some highly independent-minded individuals may further withdraw into themselves instead of reaching out, complicating the process of recovery and growth.

Stage 2

If an appropriate partner is available, intimacy may dramatically increase, in part thanks to the collapse of the usually dominant self and achievement spheres. This is a painful stage in which considerable resistance against escalating closeness occurs, and stress symptoms often worsen. Sometimes, to make a breakthrough in the intimacy sphere, professional help is necessary to help individuals overcome formidable resistance. Too often, in a well-meaning attempt to reduce immediate distress, the rare opportunity for a breakthrough in the intimacy sphere and for meaningful growth in personality is lost.

Stage 3

Once the intimacy sphere reaches a sufficiently high level, far beyond the previous best level, the self and achievement spheres begin to recover because resistance — distressful symptoms — disappears. This is an exciting and happy stage in which the self and achievement spheres rapidly improve beyond their previous best levels as they catch up with the intimacy sphere that has already advanced far ahead and continues to improve.

Stage 4

The self, intimacy and achievement spheres balance at a much higher level than before and continue to advance together. This is the ideal state in which the individual has the optimal preparation to face future challenges in life.

Copyright © 2010 Lifetrack Corporation

Visit http://www.PositiveMentalHealthFoundation.com to understand individuals at their best, happiest, and most creative form.  Link to us to promote health and happiness.

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Although each of the three spheres (Self, Intimacy and Achievement) is fundamental to the experience of well-being or happiness, the central and most difficult challenge for adults is the struggle to become and remain close in a close interdepenent relationship.

Our capacity to love grows with us.  As an adult, the most interdependent and meaningful human relationship is the couple.  As this relationship has an intellectual, emotional and physical dimension it has the potential for the greatest level of human intimacy. Conversely when this adult relationship fails, disappoints or is lost altogether, it becomes the most important source of stress, pain or suffering.

Find Love, Marriage Intimacy, a Happy Close Relationship

To love a man or woman in a couple relationship is not easy.  It encompasses the capacity and willingness to give and receive acceptance, dependence, commitment, concern, affection, love, companionship, sensual pleasures and sexual excitement.  After the initial stages of ‘infatuated love’ or ‘passive fusional love,’ relationships require effort.  An individual will encounter defenses or stress symptoms in oneself (anxiety, anger, physical symptoms, depression or sometimes psychosis) and in one’s partner as he or she becomes far closer in the nine elements of intimacy (love definition).

When defenses are too strong, a breakthrough in intimacy may require the help of a third party.  To achieve a closer relationship than ever before, one has to be open to a new experience of intimacy that goes beyond our traditional experience of passive love.

New Love Definition

Intimacy or closeness goes far beyond understanding better marriage communication.  It is not just how you communicate in a close intimate relationship, but what you communicate that is important (see love definition).  To understand our fear of rejection or getting hurt in close intimate relationships is not enough.  We must overcome our defenses (anxiety, anger, physical symptoms, depression or psychosis) provoked by increasing levels of intimacy.  It is only after breaking through in all nine elements of intimacy at a far greater level than our previous best, that inner transformation and a release from stressful symptoms occurs.

The experience of breakthrough intimacy is life changing.  It does far more than save marriages.  Intimacy is central to an individual’s quest for inner well-being (peace, friendliness, physical health, happiness and mastery).   For this reason, in Lifetrack therapy breakthrough intimacy is an integral part of marriage or family therapy, as well as a fundamental experience in all individual therapy with adults.

Intimacy: Largest Impact on Human Psyche

Dr. Ishizuka has found that regardless of the problem (self, intimacy or achievement), working on the intimacy sphere (a close intimate relationship) creates the largest impact on the human psyche.

Even if the problem arises in the self sphere (being in touch, at peace and in control of the self) or the achievement sphere (difficult job, work goals, the desire for work first, the compulsive need for weekend work, loss of a job), intensive work on human intimacy can create a breakthrough in all three spheres of one’s life.

Intimacy Increases Self and Achievement More than Direct Work on Achievement Sphere

In fact, despite the many reasons people come to see a psychiatrist (they are as varied as your imagination will allow you to suppose), Dr. Ishizuka has found that working intensively and almost exclusively on the intimacy sphere produces the most dramatic and long-term change–particularly on a person’s sense of self and achievement.  To examine the four stages of transformation through intimacy and its effect on self and achievement read Stages of Inner Transformation.

There is something about human intimacy at a much higher level that has a profound healing effect.  This baffling phenomena convinced Dr. Ishizuka that a close loving relationship is the critical factor in experiencing individual happiness and optimal adjustment.

Self and Achievement must Catch up to Rising Intimacy

Although intimacy is an important lever for fundamental personality change, alone it is not sufficient to sustain internal adjustment.  A sense of self and achievement must catch up with a high level of intimacy for well-being to be experienced and maintained.

Breakthrough Intimacy Eliminates Symptoms

Breakthrough intimacy (closeness beyond a previous best) eliminates symptoms by making them unnecessary.  This is done by repeatedly focusing on improving closeness until defenses such as anxiety, anger, physical symptoms, depression or psychosis disappear altogether.

To succeed one must help both individuals in the couple, regardless of the person who initially sought help.  Breakthrough intimacy consists of getting the couple several times closer than their previous best (or when they were happiest).

Success entails helping the couple overcome symptoms on both sides, to attain a much higher level of intimacy where defenses such as anxiety, anger, physical symptoms, depression or psychosis become unnecessary.  Symptom elimination of anxiety, anger, physical symptoms, depression or psychosis is a by-product of a successful Lifetrack therapy, but it is neither its goal nor the criteria by which it measures its result.

Copyright © 2010 Lifetrack Corporation

Visit http://www.PositiveMentalHealthFoundation.com to understand individuals at their best, happiest, and most creative form.  Link to us to promote health and happiness.

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The intimacy sphere extends one’s thoughts, feelings, and actions beyond the self to become close to another human being.

Different types of intimate relationships such as that with a parent, spouse, significant other, children, friend(s), God or the universe bolsters the psyche.

A Close Interdependent Intimate Relationship

There are many forms of intimacy.  A couple relationship, however, enables human beings to experience fullest union of personality, in all three dimensions of human intimacy – Intellectual/Social, Emotional, and Physical/Sexual.  It is for this reason, that in Lifetrack therapy, Dr. Yukio Ishizuka focuses on marriage intimacy or the development of an equivalent close couple relationship.

Through breakthrough intimacy, he facilitates a transformation of personality to encompass larger, intimacy, achievement and self spheres.  This initial breakthrough in the intimacy sphere influences profoundly the Achievement and Self sphere.

Each of the three spheres influences the others.  No sphere exists in isolation.

Love Definition, Closeness Definition, Intimacy Definition

Love is an over-used word.  In the context of an adult couple relationship love means different things to different people.  In the Lifetrack model we use the word intimacy or closeness.  We refer to such intimacy in the couple relationship because such intimacy has the potential for the greatest level of emotional, physical and intellectual-social in human relationships.

Intellectual-Social: How close you are in the intellectual-social dimension

Accept:  Your willingness and ability to accept your partner
Depend: Your willingness and ability to trust and depend upon your partner
Let Depend:  Your willingness and ability to let your partner depend on you

Emotional:  How close you are in the emotional dimension

Concern: Your thoughtfulness and concern over your partner’s wellbeing
Affection:  Your willingness and ability to feel and express affection
Love:  Your willingness and ability to feel and express love

Physical-Sexual:  How close you are in the physical-sexual dimension

Togetherness: The extent to which you want to be (and enjoy being) together
Sensualness:  The extent to which you desire and enjoy touching, holding, kissing and caressing
Sexual Excitement: The extent to which you desire and enjoy giving and receiving sexual excitement

Closeness

Closeness is defined as all 3 dimensions of intimacy (intellectual-social, emotional, physical-sexual) or in all 9 elements: accept, depend, let depend, concern, affection, love, togetherness, sensualness and sexual-excitement.

Couples are asked to increase these nine elements of intimacy far beyond a previous best level of adjustment.  Those who arrive single in Lifetrack therapy are encouraged to find someone and are helped to become closer to that individual.

Copyright © 2010 Lifetrack Corporation

Visit http://www.PositiveMentalHealthFoundation.com to understand individuals at their best, happiest, and most creative form.  Link to us to promote health and happiness.

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Life Purpose

For those seeking inner well-being (peace, friendliness, physical health, happiness or a sense of mastery) as their life purpose, there seems to be several paths.  Some attempt to find such inner well-being through the Self, others through Intimacyor Achievement.  Still others through Spirituality.  To build and balance inner well-being one may need to be present in all spheres of life.

Self Sphere

Buddha believed that the mind suffers when we dwell upon past misfortunes or future desires.  According to Buddha, the end of suffering lies in complete awareness of the present, bringing the mind to a state of emptiness.   In this sense, Buddha believed the mind has subjective power over external events.  Although we cannot control what happens to us in life, we can control the way in which we respond to it.  We can accept the present moment for what is and in that manner stop suffering from it.  To attempt that, Buddha found that meditation and breathing helped to achieve a state of emptiness or being.  Meditation in this form can be a vehicle for one’s true self (one’s consciousness) to merge with the universe.

Today, many people attempt this, sometimes with the help of Zen or other spiritual teachings.  Through it, one may feel “at peace,” and “in touch” or “in control” apart from what happens in our intimate relationships and achievements.  In this sense, enlightenment through the Self if achieved can be life transforming.  It may be an ideal path for some.  Refreshed and invigorated the Self can then better reach out to others in closeness and in meaningful achievement.

Achievement Sphere

Some of us feel a sense of peace or being when we achieve.  For most, this means when we are at work.  Although not all aspects of work are enjoyable, there are peak moments when we are one with our work.  We lose a sense of time.  During these moments, we experience peace, friendliness, physical well-being, happiness or mastery.

These peak states are not easy to attain, but as most of us expend much time and effort at work (achievement sphere) most have experienced positive peaks of wellbeing during work — or alternatively when we achieve in a passion, hobby or favorite sport (also a form of achievement).

Peak states often do not last long, but when experienced give a sense of quietness.  Those who experience longer lasting states, often experience them when  they move towards a life goal with a sense of lightness that enables them to enjoy the present moment.

Intimacy Sphere

Most of us want to find love above all else.  As adults, we seek such love in a couple relationship, the most intimate union of two human beings emotionally, intellectually and physically sexually.  Because couple intimacy can provide the strongest sense of oneness with another and with the world, we crave it.  When disappointed, hurt or frustrated, the same couple relationship that provided well-being can provoke peaks of anxiety, anger, physical symptoms, depression or psychosis.

Couple intimacy can provide a sense of peace, friendliness, physical well-being, happiness and mastery.  Yet, like achievement, continued wellbeing in intimacy involves our full attention.  To shortcut effort, some seek a sense of one-ness in sex, where he or she may temporally lose a sense of self and become one with the other and the world.  Yet often such intimacy is fleeting.  Unless intimacy is given the attention and work that we often readily give to achievement or to our sense of self, the sense of connection is lost.

Pleasure and Wellbeing are Different

Well-being or states that can encompass moments of peace, friendliness, physical well-being, happiness and mastery are experienced when we are fully present in any one sphere (self, intimacy, achievement).  Yet, states of wellbeing are not to be sought directly or mistaken as mere pleasure (sex, alcohol, etc).  Of course, sex can be pleasurable but sex without intimacy does not sustain a greater sense of well-being.  Alcohol or drugs may make one feel good by temporarily escaping reality, but there is no mastery.  The self may mistakenly feel ‘at peace,’ but is neither ‘in control,’ nor ‘in touch.’ While well-being brings a background or constance to one’s inner state, pleasure is always fleeting.

Well-being (peace, friendliness, physical health, happiness and mastery) can be experienced as we build and balance our sense of self, intimate relationships and achievement at much higher levels than before.  At higher states of wellbeing one still experiences suffering, yet suffering occurs in the background of a larger sense of inner happiness, peace, friendliness, physical wellbeing and mastery.

Resistance in the form of Stress

Regardless of the sphere one approaches or builds inner well-being, one finds resistance.  As one experiences a challenge or pushes beyond a previous best level of adjustment, one will need to overcomestress or fear (anxiety, anger, physical-symptoms, depression or even for some psychosis).  These defenses can be triggered from a difficult past or may be dormant in people who have had positive experiences.

Fear exists in all of us to differing degrees.  Stress surfaces when we push beyond a previous best level of self, intimacy or achievement or when we are overwhelmed with a current challenge.

As we grow, we cannot avoid stress.  Stress is a normal sign that the mind is momentarily overwhelmed.  Either a positive or negative experience can trigger it.  When stressed, we may experience a hierarchy of defense including anxiety, anger, physical symptoms, depression or psychosis.  These are not pleasant states and there are a variety of stress techniques we can use in our daily life to grow from crisis.  Some who hate life itself experience 5 alternatives at his or her threshold of individual stress tolerance.

Building health and happiness is difficult.  When we cannot overcome a challenge, it may be necessary to withdraw from the challenge temporarily.  This allows us to achieve a better perspective.  Once rested, we can return to our life challenge to surpass a previous level of intimacy, self or achievement.   When we feel we can not breakthrough nor withdraw, it is important to reach out to others and when necessary seek professional help.

Spirituality

The Lifetrack model of positive mental health follows the criteria established by Jahodafor robust models of health which can explain the mind at its best and worst.  Such models are demanding in nature, but when adequate can provide insight to individuals in dire distress or at their optimal best.  Perhaps such models should also explain the need for human spirituality.

The Lifetrack model does not espouse any one religion or model of spirituality.  Yet it allows room for them to exist.  To understand the role of spirituality in such a model, one examines how the three spheres inter-act and over-lap to form our personalities.

Each sphere affects all the others.  Outer experience touches the inner and vice-versa.  We do not exist in isolation.  Our self, intimacy and achievement spheres inter-act and influence each other and our experience of the world.  When you have a bad day at work, that influences your relationship.  When your relationship is shaky, that influences your state of mind at work.  When your Self sphere experiences stress (out of touch, not at peace nor in control), your love and work suffers.  Through our senses the outside world influences our inner experience.

Notice, that at the center of the overlap amongst the three spheres is a space.  That center or space can represent inner consciousness.  It embodies our essence that experiences our self, intimacy and achievement spheres.

In other words, some may become aware of this space as they become selfless (the true self becoming one with the universe as in Buddhism), or find and achieve a life task that has an impact on a neighbor or on humanity (meaningful achievement), or experience the love of a spouse, of children, of other human beings, God, nature and the universe (intimacy).  As inner consciousness grows, one might imagine that this inner vortex grows.

Spirituality : An Extension of the Intimacy Sphere

In terms of the Lifetrack model of positive mental health, spirituality is seen as an extension of the intimacy sphere. This is because transcendental love and the love for another human being are not seen as two different quests, but a related one.  That is when we love another human being unconditionally or experience the love of God; each fortifies the experience of the other.  It is as if the door to one, can open the other.

Dr. Ishizuka is himself open to Buddhism, Zen and Christianity. He is agnostic, open to the reality of such existence, without wishing to name one or espouse one over the other.  His work as a therapist remains rooted on the individual and human intimacy.

Because the Lifetrack positive mental health model evolved in the course of working with patients through Dr. Yukio Ishizuka’s work as a psychiatrist, therapy focuses on human relationships, and notably, the most meaningful, inter-dependent and difficult human relationship: the couple.  Although this relationship has the potential for us to experience the greatest joy or ecstasy, it also has the capacity for us to experience the greatest pain.

Dr. Ishizuka teaches a couple to disarm the mutual defenses against closeness (anxiety, anger, physical-symptoms, depression, and psychosis) to breakthrough to a much higher level of intimacy than a couple has ever experienced previously.   A breakthrough in intimacy pervades all areas of one’s life ; including the self and achievement spheres.

Through breakthrough intimacy, Ishizuka helps an individual become and remain closer to an important other person (spouse or equivalent) long after therapy has terminated. This source of unconditional love and happiness in one’s couple relationship (at far higher levels than the individual previously experienced at his or her best), transforms the individual, the couple, and often how they experience their achievement and self spheres.

Interestingly, when one can love another human being such as a spouse or equivalent (love definition), it may also open a door for spirituality.  In the same manner, spiritual intimacy (becoming one with Christ or in Buddhism one with the Universe) also opens the door for greater compassion and love to all human beings.

Cycle of Life and the Growth of Spheres that build Health

Over one’s life one will re-define one’s self, intimacy and achievement spheres.  Through this growth, the circles expand and grow larger.  As an adult, one’s spheres encompass a closer relationship with an important other person such as a spouse or equivalent, with others around us and with the world.

As the spheres expand, the definition of self, intimacy and achievement expands to encompass more of the world.  Many engage in helping a larger cause than oneself, or one’s immediate family.  In this manner, we engage with others and with the world defining our three spheres in a broader sense.

Happiness and Health: Inner Transformation First

The person who wants to change the world (large achievement sphere) but who has not changed himself first, may become overwhelmed.  He or she may outwardly have a large achievement, self or intimacy sphere (and be admired by many), but may not be reaping the full experience of inner peace, friendliness, physical-wellbeing, happiness and mastery which usually accompanies such growth in spheres.

Through effort and self-denial, one can accomplish much (and often be regarded as a genius).  However noble and life changing one’s accomplishments, when one’s achievement remains external, one foregos the present.  Accomplishment gives a sense of joy, friendliness or love — but not for long.  Once one goal is achieved, another larger goal is presented.

Through Breakthrough Intimacy, by becoming far closer to another human being (usually spouse or equivalent), we may experience longer lasting peace, friendliness, physical health, happiness and mastery.  Through a deeper experience of closeness with the most important person in one’s life, we make a fundamental breakthrough in all areas of life and experience longer lasting well-being (peace, friendliness, physical health, happiness and mastery).

In the Lifetrack experience, breakthrough intimacy provides a deep transformation in all spheres of life–including achievement.  It is as if at such higher levels of intimacy, one initiates a transformation process in human personality that is far more profound than any direct work on achievement or superficial work on the Self.

Once breakthrough intimacy is achieved and sustained for a period, the self and achievement spheres rise to meet and balance it at much higher levels of well-being or adjustment.  The breakthrough, initiated in the intimacy sphere, extends to all spheres of life.

The goal of life is to build one’s spheres: to develop a larger sense of self, intimacy and achievement, but with a sense of lightness.

There is no limit to inner growth.  The self at its peak become selfless (the true self becoming one with the universe as in Buddhism).  Achievement (the desire to do something meaningful, well or difficult) impacts not only our neighbor, but potentially humanity. Intimacy, our love for a spouse or equivalent, may encompass children, neighbors, all other human beings, God, nature or the universe.

Inner transformation is possible through any one sphere.  In the context of Lifetrack, the breakthrough point is through the intimacy sphere (couple relationship).  Through this most important and difficult relationship the couple is taught to disarm their defenses (anxiety, anger, physical symptoms, depression and psychosis) that are triggered by rising intimacy.

Other approaches to internal change may attempt to go through the Self (spiritual teachings) or through achievement (aligning one’s inner purpose and outer achievement).

If we grow in all spheres and can do so with playfulness and humor from within (we do not take ourselves too seriously), we may experience true self, intimacy and achievement, and also enjoy each moment.  We can change the world by experiencing change within ourselves.  From this position of inner peace, friendliness, physical wellbeing, happiness and mastery, effective action is strengthened.

As we grow our presence in our self, intimacy and achievement spheres, we can grow to encompass a larger, healthier world.  We incorporate the world in ourselves and experience ourselves in the world.

Copyright © 2010 Lifetrack Corporation

Read our section Happiness and Health, a Science of Health (life way), Criteria for Health Models (science of happiness), Happiness Defined? Quantified?  (cycle of life),  Happier? (fear of the unknown),  Why Positive Mental Health Works (objective subjective), and Applications (international behavior).

Visit http://www.PositiveMentalHealthFoundation.com to understand individuals at their best, happiest, and most creative form.  Link to us to promote health and happiness.

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Dr. Yukio Ishizuka’s has applied in the last 30 years the new method of positive mental health to over 2000 patients in private practice (representing 40,000 session hours). He has examined well over a million computer generated graphs of the patient’s daily subjective self-assessment. Based on this information, he has hypothesized the following on the ability and limits of tracking what is going on inside people’s heads:

Insights on Defining and Measuring Happiness:

1. My misery is your heaven, your heaven my hell.

Psychological distress or well-being such as “anxiety,” “peace,” “depression” or “happiness” are essentially subjective experiences that can only be observed and reported by the person who is experiencing them. What makes one person happy might make another miserable and vice-versa. Furthermore, happiness to one person may not be exactly the same thing as happiness reported by another. It may even be different for the same person at a different time. Nevertheless, since the experience of well-being or distress is a subjective internal phenomena, the best expert to measure it is still oneself. There are of course some exceptions. An individual, who is psychotic, may have lost the capacity to reason or a “realistic” perception that makes self-rating a valuable exercise. Individuals who have difficulty in introspection may do less well in this therapy than in others.

2. I see the world through colored glasses and can consciously switch pairs.

My inner state of mind affects what it is I see and experience. To put it in terms of physics, the observed object is not separate from the observer. Since the mind is aware of its own consciousness, it can choose to focus on one thing and selectively ignore another. Depending on what we decide to observe and measure, we may be creating what we look for and find. Hence if individuals observe and measure precisely diseases and disorders, they may be creating them where they might not have otherwise existed. Conversely, if individuals chose to observe and measure “positive mental health” or well-being, they may be able to create it where it may not have otherwise existed!

Naturally, part of being happy is being conscious of it. In this sense, it is clear that the observer may well influence the experience of life by the intention or act of assessing it according to the Lifetrack model. This is an intended effect. Daily self rating oneself attempts to change not only the objectively measurable life experiences but the “unconscious measuring rod” or subjective perception of experience. The scale should serve to help individuals discern that they are getting much happier, rather than believing that there level of happiness is “constant.” Taking such a psychological leap is more than just symbolic. It empowers incremental thinking. In short, the observer may be “creating” what one observes by choosing to observe it.

3. Now I’m happy, now I’m not.

Psychological experience is a quanta and is discontinuous. It occurs in spikes of thoughts, feeling and actions. Happiness and depression are not steady states, but can change from one moment to the next. For this reason, the total adjustment sheet (even one self rating) is really a snapshot of moments. Even with a simple 10 point scale, assessments may be different if the same person performs the exercise only a few minutes later (depending on what happened in the meantime) or what the person might have happened to think about when another self-assessment was being made.

Despite this fundamentally subjective and changeable nature of the self assessments, in the experience of Lifetrack therapy, repetitive self assessments according to the same fixed model yield highly valuable information. To use an analogy, one can imagine that each of the individual ratings are much like a droplet in our psychological experience. These droplets when viewed individually or in isolation may not tell us much. However, when a person uses the same model consistently over time, the droplets accumulate creating patterns, which take the shape of a fountain.

In this sense, one can think of one’s overall psychological state as a fountain, which keeps a certain shape, but consists of constantly changing and discontinuous droplets. While we may not objectively compare the level of happiness of one patient to another (objective subjective), we can compare the level of happiness in the same person at different points in time, particularly if such self assessments are performed frequently and regularly (daily for example.) Although memory is short, one can reliably observe if one is happier or more depressed than the day before.

4. Hold on! One thing at each instant.

If at this very moment I am conscious that I am happy, I cannot be conscious that I am depressed (two seconds later is a different story.) Anything one focuses on takes one’s attention and consciousness away from something else. This phenomenon is similar to the uncertainty principle in physics. That is, in the frontier of the “exact” science of physics, it has now been repeatedly proven by experiments that if one measures exactly the “momentum” of a sub-atomic particle, the same observer cannot know anything about the “position” of the same particle or vice-versa. Hence, by choosing to observe one aspect of nature “exactly,” one must at that instant give up knowing “anything” about some other property of the same object being observed.

If this same principle of “uncertainty” applies to the observation of phenomenon of the human mind, the implication may be fundamental. As far as tracking the mind is concerned, it suggests that when one is doing the self-rating, one cannot think of the “accept” and “depend” element at the very same instant. Hence the model is really a collection of “snapshots” that are arbitrarily pulled together. However, for lack of a better way to capture dynamically changing states of mind this may be a good beginning. Although we can individually see the droplets and patients can attempt to describe their experience at one given point in time, it is only when we see the fountain that we capture personality. The tracking does not provide the totality of the experience, but is a tool during therapy to trigger insights and ask relevant questions.

5. Nirvana cannot be fully captured in words, or digits. So why bother?

The subjective experience of happiness, well-being, depression and the like cannot be adequately or fully described. It can only be experienced by each individual. This raises the inevitable question, “If ‘reality’ of psychological phenomena can only be experienced and not described fully – how can we track it?”

The physicist Finkelstein wrote similarly about how “experience” in the exact science of physics cannot be fully communicated to others (remember Einstein’s analogy about a physicist never being able to see under the watch). He argued that despite that one cannot fully communicate experience to others, if we can show how to make the experience happen and show how to measure it, then we can help others to have it. This is precisely what has been done in Lifetrack therapy.

Evidence and Empiric Data at the Basis of a New Science

The accumulated evidence of daily self-rating data of more than 1,200 patients throughout their treatment on 41 parameters (9 parameters each for the three spheres or a total of 27 total, 5 positive peak emotions, 5 peak negative emotions, 4 for physical health peaks), may constitute the largest database of positive mental health indicators existing.

We are open to future research and work undertaken in coordination with NIMH, academics and others that could be of benefit to the field of positive mental health and psychology.

 

Copyright © 2010 Lifetrack Corporation

Read Health and Happiness, Science of Health (life way), Criteria for Health Models (science of happiness), Happier? (fear of the unknown), Why it works (objective subjective), Insights (life purpose), and Applications (international behavior).

Visit the Positive Mental Health Foundation to support a study of human beings at their best, happiest, and most creative form.  Link to us to promote health and happiness.

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