Should the inability to trust continue to be treated as a kind of psychiatric disorder?
Maybe not. This 21st century version of the dark ages demands enlightened mistrust.
At a recovery meeting in Eastern Ohio, a lawyer three days out of rehab presented this "problem" to the group: "The therapist in our rehab told me that I was unable to trust."
Members of the group are banned by the 12-step traditions from commenting at the meeting on what is said by someone else. So, no we didn't say anything. Not during the actual discussion meeting.
But I was among those who thought to ourselves: He should hold onto to that cynicism. It will serve him well, including in navigating the 12 steps.
Think of it this way. Folks wind up in 12-step programs because, among other things, their judgment was off. That and other deficits may or may not improve even if they recover from substance abuse. None of them should be trusted, not before a lot of due diligence. For example, what they say and do should be observed and assessed for a long time.
As for the wider world, being skeptical is necessary for lawyers. That even applies to what clients they take on. Can those clients pay the bill for legal services? Are they so self-destructive that they will throw a wrench in their own cases? Will they put a hit on you if the case isn't going their way?
Not trusting also applies to every aspect of just about every business
Over and over again, after a set of clients didn't pay last fall, I ask myself: Did I trust too much?
It required debt collector AccountsReceivable.com to get me payment from BMG's Rodney Burrell of Pittsburgh, PA and StratasCorp's Romeo Spino of Virginia Beach, VA. Meanwhile, I waited. I filled with rage. And I had to pony up a commission for the collection firm's services.
In our personal lives, hopefully, we have also acquired the inability to trust, at least immediately.
Recommendation: Therapists should become more discerning in how they position and package the trust issue.
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