The rest of our lives

by Harvey Jackins

THE REST OF OUR LIVES The Rest of Our Lives is the fourth in a series of eight books by Harvey Jackins (the founder of Re-evaluation Counseling) that encompass developments in Re-evaluation Counseling (RC) from 1973 through 1995. The Rest of Our Lives concerns the period from 1983 to 1985. It is a collection of essays, articles, and reports covering most of the important theoretical developments that emerged during those years. "What shall I do with the rest of my life? . . . . One proposal that combats all anxieties and feelings of shortage of time and other confusing patterns is, 'You are to live each moment well.'" Thus begins The Rest of Our Lives. This first article expands on the many aspects of a full life-which include becoming a person of great influence, acquiring all skills, and reclaiming one's power. In the chapter "Common Goals for All Humans" Harvey writes, "This is what we are about, this changing of people's minds . . . . We are after every person's mind, not to enslave it, not to make a buck out of it, not for any of the old motivations, but to free it to help guarantee our own, the universe's, and everything in between's survival." The theory of Re-evaluation Counseling views all human beings as inherently intelligent and good. It assumes that it is natural for a human to think well, to act wisely and successfully, to enjoy life, and to have good relations with other humans. In this view, every human being feels good and acts and cooperates well except where patterns of emotional distress interfere. Then poor behavior, bad feelings, and failure to cooperate or communicate replace the usual rational behavior. These patterns are the residue of physical or emotional hurts, many of them dating back to childhood, which we have never fully recovered from and which are triggered when something in the current environment restimulates ("reminds us too much of") the old distresses. These residual effects of past distress experiences could have been thrown off quickly and permanently through the natural channels of emotional discharge and re-evaluation. Instead, some of the social conditioning carried by our culture and inflicted rigidly upon us when we were children has interfered with, and prevented recovery from, these distresses. The inhibiting effect of this interference has increased the accumulation of distresses and tensions. By the time we have become adults, this has severely limited our original great abilities to succeed, to enjoy life, and to achieve good relationships with others. In Re-evaluation Counseling, the natural channels of recovery are re-opened. The prime requirement is a listener and counselor who is sincerely interested, who will remain relaxed in the face of our tensions, and who understands how the processes of emotional discharge and re-evaluation operate. Thus, Re-evaluation Counseling is a process for freeing humans from these distress patterns so that they may resume functioning in a healthy, caring way. Re-evaluation Counseling is practiced in pairs, by people listening to each other and assisting one another to release these painful emotions. Because no money is exchanged between people who counsel one another in these pairs, Re-evaluation Counseling can be used by individuals in all stratas of society.

522 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1985