| You may remember the 70's ad campaign for the | | | | that territory. Succinctly, Korbzybski spelled out "the |
| Un-Cola: It touted the praises of a soft drink made | | | | map is not the territory"! |
| from "rather larger", "prettier", "juicier" UNcola nuts | | | | Confusing the language we use (the map) with the |
| (lemon and lime); superior to those other drinks made | | | | actual experience (the territory) is just the beginning |
| with the lowly cola nut. * That drink of course is | | | | of sowing unhealing. Even more problematic, is what |
| 7-Up, and those uncola ads kicked off what Time | | | | Korbzybski identified as "unsanity": This occurs when |
| magazine would years later call "The Uncola Wars". | | | | we go beyond simply confusing language with |
| A similar comparison can be made in our language of | | | | experience, to actually misidentifying-with the map |
| healing as it relates to chronic illness. Through the | | | | that represents those experiences. It occurs in a |
| language we choose, we sow either healing or | | | | 4-step process: |
| unhealing seeds: The fruit of each are diametrical | | | | A rich felt-experience becomes a boxed-in, |
| opposites with regard to the consequences to our | | | | black-white (and often judgmental) label about |
| health and wellness. One serves us; the other limits | | | | experience, which we mistake for the experience |
| us. One can empower us; the other, dis-empowers. | | | | (e.g., symptom experiences become "flu"); We then |
| One is a reasonable use of language; the other, | | | | begin to talk about that label as "mine"(i.e., "my flu"); |
| results in language Alfred Korbzybski (the founder of | | | | and once possessed, we almost automatically |
| General Semantics) called "unsane". | | | | misidentify who I am with what we possess (i.e., I |
| This article briefly addresses one extremely powerful, | | | | am . . . ) - just think about the billions of dollars spent |
| root source of unsane and unhealing language. It is a | | | | each year on ad campaigns helping you to better |
| pervasive misuse of language common in our culture | | | | identify-with that which you are encouraged to buy! |
| from early childhood; and it is misapplied by doctors, | | | | In short, you no longer experience flu symptoms: |
| nurses, parents, and likely even you! In my clinical | | | | You have flu. You own it. It is now yours! Indeed, |
| experience, it is a prominent feature in the talk of | | | | you are flu-ish. |
| virtually every client facing chronic illness with whom I | | | | It is this habituated misuse of self-reflexive language |
| have worked. | | | | that leads us in the direction of unhealing rather than |
| It is so outside our conscious awareness and so | | | | toward healing. Take pause for a moment and |
| habituated, we don't even realize what we are saying | | | | experience the profound difference between |
| when we express it. Yet, like a virus, it creeps into | | | | experiencing symptoms of cancer as opposed to |
| our lives and quietly takes over our perceptions, our | | | | "my" cancer; or symptoms of chronic pain vs. "my" |
| experiences, and finally, our identity. We then go | | | | pain. Do you really want to possess an illness? And |
| about spreading it on to others. | | | | once possessed, how does one go about |
| What is this language virus ? It is a habituated misuse | | | | unpossessing it? |
| that occurs as we share symptom experiences - | | | | Even more crucial, we tend to identify-with that |
| both when talking with others and, significantly, during | | | | which we possess. Do you really want to identify |
| self-talk. Consider: | | | | yourself with an illness? Do you want to "be" |
| Upon awakening one day, you realize you feel | | | | cancerous? Once identified-with a disease process, |
| different than usual; maybe experiencing a bit of a | | | | how do you go about unbecoming that process? |
| sore, scratchy throat and a cough. While preparing | | | | It is this slippery slope from experiencing to owning |
| for the day, you notice a dull, achy feeling | | | | to identifying-with that adds an entirely new level of |
| throughout: You grab the thermometer, and sure | | | | emotional overwhelm to the experiences of chronic |
| enough, you are experiencing a low grade fever. | | | | illness; AND, it can even escalate the experience of |
| Additionally, you notice a twinge of nausea. Then, | | | | symptoms because we have such a powerful and |
| you recall having seen a news article about an | | | | negative judgment attached (not only to the disease |
| increase in swine flu in the region, and you decide to | | | | process) but to who I am! The language we choose |
| contact your family physician for an appointment. | | | | in describing experiences is critical to the actual |
| Remember what you are experiencing includes sore | | | | experiences of health and wellness. Unhealing |
| throat, coughing, fever, nausea, and aches. Yet, at | | | | language simply does not serve you well: Indeed, it |
| the doctor's office, you are queried (not about what | | | | can hinder and further impair your health. |
| you experience), but about "your" cough, "your" | | | | So, please, begin to pay attention to the language |
| temperature, "your" aches. In short order, you leave | | | | you use when referring to your experiences around |
| with "your" diagnosis to go get "your" prescription. | | | | the symptoms of illness. Drop the label. Drop the |
| And so, so subtly, you have gone from a person | | | | possessive "my" and "mine" attached to the label. |
| experiencing symptoms to a patient who owns | | | | Stop the self-reflexive mirroring of self with illness; |
| symptoms. | | | | especially when self-talking within! You do NOT |
| Yeah, so what? | | | | possess an illness: You experience symptoms richly. |
| Korbzybski clarified how you and I talk about | | | | You are not an illness: You are the unique and |
| experiences is an abstraction , and distinct from | | | | wonderful person experiencing! |
| experience. To experience all the symptoms | | | | Begin today to make this simple change. You will be |
| described above is simply not the same as "having" | | | | surprised in the days and weeks to come, the |
| the flu: Another person may experience sneezing, | | | | remarkable changes that seem to magically occur as |
| runny nose, headache, yet they too are said to | | | | you expunge unhealing, unsane language. Leave that |
| "have" the flu - two widely distinct experiences, | | | | for the UnCola wars. |
| same language (and possessive language at that). Flu | | | | This is just a beginning step regarding how you may |
| then is a limited abstraction of unique experiences - | | | | implement healing language :For more Self Healing |
| none of which we possess. | | | | language tools, watch for future articles in this |
| Furthermore, Korbzybski cogently noted, if the | | | | Self-Healing Chronic Illness series. |
| experience of symptoms is considered the actual | | | | Wishing you all the best experiences in health and |
| territory, then the words we use to describe those | | | | wellness! |
| experiences make up nothing more than a map of | | | | |