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Originally Posted by Ididitmyway
That aside, what I mainly disliked in Mackler's videos is that he doesn't seem to be bothered by the process of therapy itself. What he mostly criticizes is DSM and the practices of insurance companies (the latter has nothing to do with therapy per se). But he seems to be more than happy with such dangerous concepts as "intimacy" between a therapist and a client and a "therapeutic relationship". He seems to completely subscribe to the notion that the "relationship" is the major healing factor in therapy and I know all too well how people get harmed through therapy "relationships".
Last but not least, the guy looks like an emotional wreck to me. He clearly didn't even begin to heal many of his own wounds and yet he rushed to "rescue" others. There is a lot to say about the "rescuer" type of therapist, but it's another long subject. All I can say is that I am glad he quit practicing long ago and, despite my criticism, I am glad he speaks out about the flaws of the system, even though he doesn't go far enough. Any open rebellion, any dissent from professionals is a good thing in the long run provided that it will continue to grow. Needless to say, it is very validating to those who have been traumatized in therapy.
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I had many of the same perceptions on him. As far as the relationship, in that long video, he goes as far as saying that a good therapist loves his/her clients. And states straight that he loved all of his clients. That really made me cringe, thinking about all the people I here on PC who express longing for a T's love and wanting to hear that from a T.
He does come across in his videos as a very intense person, very reactive and I often feel he exaggerates and perceives traumas in everything. That's not a negative judgment of him as these things are of course highly subjective. But I am not sure this kind of very high sensitivity and reactivity is helpful in a T, even if he does not take it out on clients. Basically transmitting that life is a gigantic mess of traumas and abuse. Maybe it's a good image for some clients who feel similarly and so feel understood and that the T relates to them, but is that helpful in a professional? Not sure in general, I know for certain that I would not like it. I am also not surprised, seeing hearing his personal stories and seeing the reactions, that he found being a therapist eventually extremely overwhelming and intolerable.
I do like the guy in other ways though and could easily imagine him as a good conversation partner in many areas in a causal setting. He is definitely creative and has many radical ideas, very expressive also. It also seems that he is far more self-aware than the average Joe, and not because of training and because he is supposed to, but has a genuine interest in exploring himself - whether he has resolved the issues or not. These would all be attractive traits for me in a friend, for example. It certainly seems like he has found himself in his current role far better than as a T in the past. And probably more useful. I agree though that he does not go far enough with more objectively looking at the larger picture, the system as a whole - probably because he is more interested in himself and a bit self-absorbed, not very practical either. Seems more like an artist type than an actual reformer.