I grew up in Michigan, my favorite place, the child of forward-thinking parents who were interested in human potential. I learned a lot just hanging around with various groups of their friends and will always be grateful to all of them for the generosity of spirit in treating questions and observations I made as a child in a serious and respectful manner. Needless to say, I didn’t realize how lucky I had been until I went out on my own.
Always motivated by the desire to learn, grow and assist other people on their journeys as best I could, I was very fortunate to meet Dr. Frank A. (“Sarge”) Gerbode through mutual friends in the early 1980’s. When I found out what he was working on, the development of metapsychology (what we might call the philosophy of human existence) and Applied Metapsychology, the practical application thereof, I was delighted. Finally, I had found where I belonged.
Applied Metapsychology is a rich, deep, broad subject. In addition to being fun to study in itself, the subject provides elegantly simple tools for effectively helping people. I have been making use of these tools and the person-centered paradigm that supports their effectiveness for close to 40 years at the time of this writing and I never get tired of it. Trying to help and failing leads to burn-out. Having tools that work is a constant delight. Working with my clients, training new practitioners of the subject, and training new trainers gives me fulfillment and satisfaction.
At some point, I realized that I spend a fair bit of time with my clients introducing them to basic concepts within the subject to find out if they seem useful a relevant to the person I am talking with. (They nearly always do.) Then it occurred to me that I could not reasonably expect my clients to remember all this great stuff and that was when I decided to write Life Skills. Dr. Gerbode had written the textbook Beyond Psychology: An Introduction to Metapsychology (now in its 4th Edition). I wrote this book for anyone to study these principles and try them out, at whatever pace they like.
My dearest wish with this new edition is to share the best of everything I’ve learned and to hear back from you that you have found something of value here, something you can use.
What’s next? I have at least two more books in the planning stages that I want to bring together, with writings of mine and of other practitioners of the subject. I will probably die “with my boots on.” Even now, it’s difficult imagine retiring. I am having too much fun.
Books by Marian
- Life Skills, 2ND ED
- TIR & Children
Also by Marina
- Turtle Dolphin Dreams