Communicate.

We have never had it so good. Economically Britain is succeeding as never before. We can argue about the equity of the distribution of the wealth in Britain, but of the country’s unprecedented success in generating material wealth there can be no doubt.

Effective Communications Coincidentally with the rise in material wealth has been a massive decrease in the mental health of our community. The explosion in clinical depression rates (10 fold increases since 1945), the increased rates of addiction, the increase in suicides among young people, the increased rates of angry confrontations and violence which are experienced by all professional groups bespeak a society in crises.

One contribution factor to the rising tide of mental problems, and the consequent human unhappiness which it generates, is a lack of effective communication. All too often it seems as if everybody is shouting but nobody is listening.

But there are things we can all do about it – How to communicate more effectively has been designed to show how we can improve communication.

Communicate

What people do would seem perfectly understandable to us if we had their modes of understanding reality. Our modes of reality inevitably differ from other people’s, because of our different life experiences, knowledge and dispositions. Communication is the process by which mutual understanding of each other’s modes of reality takes place.

Communication is always a two-way process. Effective communication always changes both parties. If you are not prepared to alter your perspective in any given situation then you are not seeking communication, but confrontation; effective communication doesn’t necessarily lead to a greater acceptance but it does lead to a greater understanding of the other person’s viewpoint. It is increasingly clear from mind-body research that supportive relationships hold the key to mental and physical health. Effective communication is the prerequisite both to better relationships and to better therapeutic outcomes for our clients and patients.

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