The Benign Reality

THE BENIGN REALITY

The Benign Reality is the second in a series of eight books by Harvey Jackins (the Founder of Re-evaluation Counseling) that encompass developments in Re-evaluation Counseling (RC) from 1973 through 1995. The Benigh Reality concerns the period from 1977 to 1981. It is a collection of essays, articles, and reports covering most of the important theoretical developments that emerged during those years.

In his foreword, Harvey writes: ". . . the language and the ideas were hammered out in active communication with thousands and thousands of wonderful people in the Re-evaluation Counseling Communities, who, by scores and hundreds, were thinking and practicing avidly on each of the subjects dealt with in this book."

The first article in the book, "The Totally Benign Reality," has greatly encouraged Co-Counselors (those participating in Re-evaluation Counseling) throughout the succeeding years. "We've had at least three billion years of the finest tuning and sanding and polishing and adjusting and honing for us to fit this exact Universe exquisitely. The processes of the Universe . . . have been operating on us, evolving us to be exactly the benign, loving, comfortable, delighted, excited caretakers of this Universe. The Universe has been prepared and we have been prepared in it to be the gardeners of this Eden, to be the shepherds of this great flock of life."

This was a period of continuing rapid growth, both in numbers of Co-Counselors and in numbers of RC Communities. How to organize in RC, what structures were needed, and understandings about the function and role of leadership, these are among the issues hammered out during this time period and discussed in the book. A growing understanding of liberation issues is also evident and liberation activities were encompassing an increasing number of groups.

The theory of Re-evaluation Counseling views all human beings as inherently intelligent and good. It assumes that it is natural for a human to think well, to act wisely and successfully, to enjoy life, and to have good relations with other humans.

In this view, every human being feels good and acts and cooperates well except where patterns of emotional distress interfere. Then poor behavior, bad feelings, and failure to cooperate or communicate replace the usual rational behavior. These patterns are the residue of physical or emotional hurts, many of them dating back to childhood, which we have never fully recovered from and which are triggered when something in the current environment restimulates ("reminds us too much of") the old distresses.

These residual effects of past distress experiences could have been thrown off quickly and permanently through the natural channels of emotional discharge and re-evaluation. Instead, some of the social conditioning carried by our culture and inflicted rigidly upon us when we were children has interfered with, and prevented recovery from, these distresses.

The inhibiting effect of this interference has increased the accumulation of distresses and tensions. By the time we have become adults, this has severely limited our original great abilities to succeed, to enjoy life, and to achieve good relationships with others.

In Re-evaluation Counseling, the natural channels of recovery are re-opened. The prime requirement is a listener and counselor who is sincerely interested, who will remain relaxed in the face of our tensions, and who understands how the processes of emotional discharge and re-evaluation operate.

Thus, Re-evaluation Counseling is a process for freeing humans from these distress patterns so that they may resume functioning in a healthy, caring way. Re-evaluation Counseling is practiced in pairs, by people listening to each other and assisting one another to release these painful emotions. Because no money is exchanged between people who counsel one another in these pairs, Re-evaluation Counseling can be used by individuals in all stratas of society.