Thursday, October 7, 2010




In the world of psychology there is a concept known as the Johari window.( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Johari_Window.PNG) It explains that our mind / personality has four parts. (described as rooms of a house)
Room one is what we know and see about ourselves, and what others know about us.
Room two is what others know or see in us, but we are not aware of.
Room three is what neither others nor us know about ourselves.
Room four is what we know about ourselves but no one else does.

Exploring what is known about oneself, and comparing that to what others know about you is an interesting process, used in many leadership or team building programs.
Psychotherapy is a process of discovering more about ones self, both internally and externally.

I have heard many people say: How is therapy going to help me? It won't change any of my problems. But what it changes is an understanding of how they got into the situation and how personal choices impact others. That improved awareness then typically changes how one problems solves day to day events. And it almost always changes how a person copes with the same existing situation.

Looking at this model one will discover that at any given moment we really only know about half of what we need to know to make a good decision. Learning about the other half (what is not known at any given moment) might change the world, one thought at a time.

You don't have to go into therapy, to begin to learn more about yourself, You just have to be open, get quiet, listen to your own voice, begin to gather clues about what others see and know about you. This exercise is not for the weak or the faint hearted. But it is for those who want to move forward and evolve into all that is possible.

Knowing more about yourself and how you communicate and impact others, will ultimately assist you in improved communication, and getting your needs met more efficiently

There are many good articles on how to do that. (IE:
http://www.douglaswbush.com/uploads/1/6/9/1/1691565/johari_window.pdf)