The Reclaiming of Power

THE RECLAIMING OF POWER

The Reclaiming of Power is the third 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 Reclaiming of Power concerns the period from 1981-1983. It is a collection of essays, articles, and reports covering most of the important theoretical developments that emerged during those years.

In the early 1980's, ending the threat of nuclear war was made a priority in the Re-evaluation Counseling Communities. Harvey's perspective was that the "one-point program" of RC, individual liberation, could not, of course, succeed in the event of an all-out nuclear war. Co-Counselors were encouraged to counsel on anything in the way of taking action to eliminate this threat, and to take action.

The Reclaiming of Power includes good summaries of early and basic concepts and the growing theory of RC, including "The Key Concepts and Insights of Re-evaluation Counseling To Date."

Understandings and policies necessary if males and females are to form close friendships are explored. "All women are inherently interested in and eager to be close friends with all men. All men are inherently interested in and eager to be close friends with all women. Every woman apparently is inherently attracted to every man, and every man attracted to every woman."

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.