Dr. Richard Schwartz's The Larger Self

The entire existence of humanity lives in the paradoxical realm of knowing what should be and what is not. Even more, as followers of Jesus we know that we are being made new in Christ, and the same time, we have not yet arrived. This is how we go back and forth between our sinful nature and our new nature in Jesus. Therefore, we constantly live in the tension of become our true selves; fully like Christ. In the mean time, we continually allow Christ to transform us from the inside out so that we can live new lives. As we become living sacrifices, we put to death the parts of us that rebel against God so that our true self-identity can be unearthed and raised to life. Dr. Richard Schwartz stumbles into this biblical truth in his article The Larger Self. His views are somewhat paradoxical in themselves by the he speaks of not eliminating the negative and destructive aspects of one’s life, but rather aiming to transform those parts life.1 He even goes so far as to see them as a benefit. However, he profoundly reveals the inner voices we all listen to that need to be …show more content…
Schwartz is not saying the key to healing is building yourself up in a prideful way, but rather truly understanding who is our real self. He believes that we when we fully face our destructive tendencies and ask why they are making us do what we do we are “able to tap into something at the very core of our being that provides a deep keel for our sailboat in the storm, so we can ride the roiling waves without being submerged by them.”4 Perhaps the most profound way Dr. Schwartz helps caregivers is in his honesty about how his true self responds to care seekers. Instead of pretending that nothing fazes him, he acknowledges his feelings, asks them to step back so that he can be fully present with his client. He says that clients “trigger key wounds and defenses that I need to heal.”5 All of our true self-identities need to be healed by Jesus. Only Jesus can help us become who we really