Practicum in psychotherapy

Name : Khadijah Muhammad Shittu.

Student ID : 201601005.
400 l
Assignment :

Read the first 100 pages of the roadless travelled and write 3 page on personal reflection. Due on
13th September 2023.
My Personal Reflection on the Road Less Travelled

Life is difficult. Accepting this reality helps us to be able to navigate life's challenges. It gives
us the right mindset to go through life with less stress. A lot of people hide from this reality
and ends up getting depressed when faced with life’s difficulties which they are hardly
prepared for. Discipline helps us to overcome life's difficulties. Since difficulties are
unavoidable part of human existence, one must consciously build the needed capacity which
is what discipline entails to be able to navigate and manage life’s difficulties. Problems help
us to grow. The more problems we face and over come, the more growth we experience.
Suffering is therefore a necessity for advancement in life. Ironically, everybody wants to
grow and advance in life but many people are not psychologically ready and willing to
confront problems and the inherent sufferings that will take them to the next high stage of
life. Those who attain greatness in life are people who have mastered the art of handling
problems and sufferings, they confront problems with the right mindset, overcome them and
move to the next phase of life which is also characterized with its own problems.
Discipline comes with four techniques which are: delaying gratification, accepting
responsibility, dedication to truth and balancing.

Delayed gratification is an important test of discipline which is better developed during

childhood. Most people who fail to develop this quality during childhood end up struggling
with it in adulthood. It is an attribute of paying now to play later. It is a quality that helps us
to overcome the distractions of life thereby achieving much in life. Parents love and attention
to their children will help them develop self-discipline and the capacity to exercise delayed
gratification. Accepting responsibility is another tool of discipline necessary for spiritual
growth and evolution. Most of us continue to suffer in our problems for a very long period of
time due to failure to accept responsibility for the problems facing us. It is in a bid to avoid
the pains of accepting responsibilities that many people transfer responsibilities to others
rather than accepting it and dealing with it.

I must also give adequate time to every problem or challenging situation confronting us to be
able to unravel the mystery behind it. Problems must be confronted rather than avoided in
order for them to be solved. There is a level of knowledge needed to unravel any form of
problem in life. I usually do not dedicate the needed time to understand the mystery behind
the problems or challenges. I want to surmount Until adequate time and attention are given, I
cannot overcome the problems before us.

The adult life is full of personal choices which we are responsible for Not accepting this
reality keeps us in bondage instead of freedom and liberty. The choices I daily make
ultimately determine the quality of the life we live. It is through rational choices that we
overcome the problems daily face, refusing to make the needed choices, keeps us in bondage.
Another important tool of discipline which will help in problem-solving is dedication to the
truth. This helps to face the reality of life as against falsehood or misperceptions.

I must be opened to see life from a truth perspective irrespective of the responsibility or pain
that the truth or reality places on us. Thus, I must be open to challenges. Withholding the
truth keeps us moving in circles as it forecloses the solutions needed for our liberation. Many
intentionally hide the truth in order not to lose face or to avoid the pain and responsibilities
that the truth places on them. The truth can temporary be withheld only to protect the interest
of a third party rather than to hide from pain.
Another tool attached to discipline is the ability to maintain a balance. This is a quality that
demands flexibility in our day-to-day activities and responses. Flexibility is a basic tool
needed for balancing as life is dynamic and must be approached with an open mind. I must
learn to give up some things in order to maintain a balance. When I give up some things, I
gain more things to help maintain the needed balance. Discipline is therefore the basic
ingredient for spiritual evolution. The force or motive that helps in propelling this discipline
is love. Love gives us the impetus to extend our limit (ego boundaries) thereby going the
extra mile to satisfy the things or people we love.