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Wanterfall
A practical approach to the understanding and healing of the emotions of everyday life

Dedication

Wanterfall is dedicated to my wife, Suzanne Norris, who has been putting up with my eccentric ideas about psychology and philosophy for more than a quarter of a century. She has enjoyed the best parts of my life with me, and helped me to survive the worst parts. She has been an example of kindness and common sense throughout – to a degree that I can only aspire to. So, if you should ever want to thank someone for this book, do what I do. Thank Suzanne.

Note on the Text

Far from sharing the view of some critics, that Australian English is an oxymoron, I have tried to use it at all times, unless quoting the words of others.

This may have different effects on different readers. English readers will not, I hope, be surprised very often by the spelling or expressions used – though they may be aghast at the style. American readers are likely to suffer approximately the opposite effect, putting up with the style (with luck) but finding some of the spelling and expressions extremely odd.

Readers whose English has its origins elsewhere will probably just be aghast, period. While those who speak very little English of any variety will probably be the most forgiving. (Perhaps translations will be available one day.)

What about my Australian readers? What will you make of my allegedly Australian prose? I can't answer that – but I suppose some of you will tell me. (Maybe I should have employed an editor, after all.)

Preface

This book is about one aspect of the human mind – the emotions. But hasn't there already been too much written about the mind? And hasn't it all completely failed to solve the problems we human beings have lived with since the beginning of recorded history – and presumably before?

Going by the recent and present state of the world, the innumerable mind experts don't seem to have helped us much. So, in writing this book about emotions, am I not simply adding to the confusion? Perhaps I am. On the other hand, perhaps some things written about the mind have helped some people, sometimes. And perhaps this book can do the same.

For better or worse, this book more or less grew inside me during my rather eccentric medical career. Throughout that career, death was never far away – especially during my hospice and geriatric phases, which together accounted for two thirds of my clinical work. Perhaps that is partly why philosophy and psychology became major interests of mine.

Of course, powerful emotions were no stranger to me, my patients or their loved ones. And as the years passed, I became more and more interested in the origins and characteristics of those emotions. But most of all, I wanted to discover whether the pain they so often cause could be relieved – and, if so, how.

By the beginning of 2007, after 35 years in practice, I felt sure that my model for the understanding and healing of emotional pain was worth passing on – if I could just put it in some sort of order. So I withdrew from clinical work at the age of 60, and settled down to write this book. It had a broader scope in earlier drafts, but I decided to publish much of the content (also via wanterfall.com) under other titles. That left the field clear for the emotions as the exclusive topic of Wanterfall.

DENIALS: What This Book is NOT

Perhaps, like me, you approach books about the human mind with some scepticism. I hope so. But you may have various expectations of this book. Well, there are a few possible expectations that I would like to nip in the bud. Here are some things which this book is most definitely NOT.

Validated

The "Wanterfall work" described in this book is not a validated therapy for any illness. The book is an entirely subjective work. It is woven around a model of the origin, characteristics and effects of emotions which includes generalisations and approximations derived from many sources. These sources include existing philosophical and psychological writings, personal observations, logical argument and clinical experience. But they do not include the results of any controlled clinical trials.

The philosophical foundations of the book are not really amenable to scientific study. However, because self exploration often causes emotional distress as a side effect, a method for dealing with that distress is described – and that certainly could be tested. However, it would be a major undertaking, and at the time of writing it has not been done.

This actually puts it on a similar footing with most psychological therapies, the vast majority of which have not been validated. Indeed, the evidence for those few therapies currently considered as evidence based is itself quite limited.[1] That said, the approach to emotional distress described in this book does not compete with any type of therapy – because it is simply not designed to be a form of therapy at all. It is, however, closely aligned with many current concepts in grief counselling. Indeed, its role in "Wanterfall work" is analogous to grief counselling. It could also be applied, on an empirical basis, to emotional distress due to other causes.

I will include some general information about common mental illnesses and their treatment in one forthcoming publication[2], and I will discuss a few self-help techniques in another[3]. But you will not find anything at all about the treatment of mental illness in this book – this book is just about understanding and relieving the emotional distresses of everyday life.

Although relieving emotional distress is one of its aims, the ideas in this book may make you feel worse, at first. If you take them seriously – which means practising the technique called "Wanterfall work" – it will probably result in a rather rough ride, over successive humps of personal challenge; some of which you may not previously have been aware of at all.

If your mind is healthy, I don't think you will ever regret that ride. But if your mind is temporarily unwell – if you are suffering from any mental illness – now is not the time to read this book. Put it aside. Later, if your doctor has no objection, you may wish to explore these ideas. But not now.

Original

This book is not all my own work. Considering the subject matter, it hardly could be. Rather, it has resulted from my long-term interest in eastern philosophy and western psychology, coupled with a fairly continuous attempt to understand the everyday experiences of my patients and myself, during a thirty-five year career in clinical medicine.

That medical career, incidentally, has been divided approximately equally between General (Child & Family) Practice, Hospice (Palliative) Medicine and Geriatric Care – with a considerable domiciliary component in each case. And if you are beginning to think me a little eccentric, rest assured that my medical colleagues have often thought the same.

Among many influential teachers, I am particularly indebted to three. The first was the 20^th Century philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti[4], who had a knack of simplifying things to such an extreme degree that the truth of the simplification often escaped me for years. On one occasion, he listened with apparent interest to my lengthy exposition of the theory and practice of the hospice movement, and then summed it up in three words – "Isn't it fear?" (He didn't say whether he was referring to some aspect of hospice care, or to me.)

The other two were the unconventional psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross[5] and her down to earth colleague, clinical psychologist Marti Barham[6]. They introduced me to the principles on which my "Emotional EEEEs" technique is based. Although their interest in reincarnation caused many people to consider them rather eccentric, they taught me more about emotions during a one year sabbatical than I had learned in the previous fifteen years of medical training and practice.

Puritanical

I am not trying to take away anything that you enjoy. In fact, that is the exact opposite of my aim. There is an apparent paradox here, but it is an illusion. If you think carefully as you read, you will certainly learn that wanting anything very much can cause suffering in various ways. But you will not find any advice in these pages to give up the things you like. Instead, you will be offered the opportunity to give up the suffering, if you choose to – or to keep it, if you prefer.

I will explain, from various angles, how energy invested in wanting pleasure actually prevents pleasure. Whereas, if you instead apply that energy to making choices, and taking the actions which those choices imply, it is possible to leave most unhappiness behind and discover many previously elusive joys. This may sound trite and obvious, but it does not come automatically to most of us. That is why I wrote this book.

Religious

This book is absolutely not a religious statement of any kind. It does not ask you to believe anything. It does not offer you any sort of salvation. And it tries very hard not to be moral, immoral or amoral – whether that leaves anything else, or not.

Personally, I do not follow any religion, although I was brought up in one of the many Christian denominations. I have also been influenced considerably by Buddhist philosophy, and to a lesser extent by some Taoist and Hindu concepts. You might notice these influences at times. But if you are asked to adopt any of them, then you are certainly not reading the book I wrote. Please download a genuine copy – they are free.[7]

Equally, if you have a religion, I will not try to take it away from you. It is, however, possible that something in the text may accidentally offend one of your religious beliefs. If so, I sincerely regret it. I do not set out to offend you, or anybody else. And I do not ask you to agree with anything I say. In this book, I will simply be trying to explain my Wanterfall concept, to the best of my ability. You may think about it – or ignore it.

Directive

I am not offering to lead you anywhere. This book does not offer a path to anything or to anywhere. Rather, it maps the route away from the madness generally called "normal". That map is yours to refer to – but the leadership must be your own.

In any case, following blindly in the wake of someone else's ideas can never succeed – words can never lead you anywhere worth going. To find anything real, you must see every step of the way with your own understanding. That way, you can be your own, careful leader – and follow yourself.

Guaranteed

This book does not come with any promises. Absolutely none at all. Not even the usual sort. So, bearing in mind that those ones (empty promises) are the most marketable commodity known to man, perhaps it is a good thing that this book is available as a free e-book. After all, who would pay for it?

Throughout the book, of course, there is the implied suggestion that the Wanterfall work described is worth learning how to do – and worth doing. But I don't promise any specific result from this – and in any case, it is your work that is the essential ingredient, not mine. So, there are plenty of suggestions in this book, but no promises. On the other hand, there is no pessimism, either. If you read this book, and think carefully as you read, I for one am very optimistic about what may follow.

Cautions

There are three main cautions to bear in mind, in relation to the Wanterfall approach to emotions. Although they do not seem very dramatic, they are nevertheless very important. Ignoring them could adversely affect the health of the reader, or could conceivably even prove fatal.

The first caution relates to physical or mental illness, and can be derived from the first heading under Denials above – the denial of therapeutic intent. But it belongs here, too – so here it is again. The techniques which I will describe in this book are not treatments for any illness, either mental or physical.

I emphasise this particularly because many universal experiences such as sadness and anxiety, which are addressed by the Wanterfall model, can also occur as symptoms of various illnesses – which are not addressed by the Wanterfall model. Quite a wide variety of physical and mental illnesses can present with symptoms suggestive of emotional distress.

Expert medical diagnosis and treatment will lead to significant benefit in almost every case of physical or mental illness – and to complete cure in many cases. The Wanterfall approach has no place in such treatment. It would probably be useless – and quite possibly harmful. After recovery, it could be reconsidered – preferably after discussion with the treating professional.

The second important caution applies to the appropriate use of the model in the absence of physical or mental illness. Getting more closely in touch with strong emotions often has the effect of making you feel much worse than you did beforehand. This may be short lived, but it can be very intense while it lasts.

It is therefore not a good idea to delve deeply unless you will have time and energy to work through the results. If practised before an examination, a competition or an interview, the techniques I will group together as Wanterfall work might easily interfere with your performance.

It is also unwise to make important decisions, cross busy roads, speak too plainly to your spouse, or indeed do anything that might be adversely affected by emotional distress, until the shock waves of recent emotional archaeology have subsided.

The third caution again has to do with adverse effects, but in a different way. Quite early in the book, under Wanterfall Work: How to Use the Wanterfall Chart, I define the two main components of a simple method of self-exploration. However, the second of these components will not have been fully described until every single page of the book has been read.

Therefore, starting to practise the method before that time would be like driving a car with a good engine, but faulty steering and no brakes. Not recommended. A corollary of this third caution is the need to start the book at the beginning. Later parts of the book rely quite heavily on concepts which are discussed in earlier parts, and could easily be misunderstood if read in isolation.

Those are the three cautions I consider important. However, a fourth question is sometimes raised, regarding the effect of the Wanterfall approach on motivation. Some people worry that discovering a downside to desire might reduce its motivating effect – they think that, without large amounts of wanting, no one would have any motivation for doing anything.

But action need not be dependent on desire, nor on the emotions generated by desire. Action only requires that you make a choice – the choice to do something – and then carry it out. Motivations that do not have their basis in emotions are admittedly not easy to define. They may well be easier to notice, when they occur, than to give a name to. I will ponder that point to some extent in a future publication[8], but it is really beyond the scope of this one.

For now, I would simply suggest that loss of motivation as a complication of the alleviation of emotional distress is a natural enough fear, but I think the fear is groundless. You may experience some changes, if you apply the ideas in this book, but there is no reason to expect terminal torpor to be among them. On the other hand, changes in motivation might save a lot of time and energy, which might otherwise have been wasted on pointless tasks. But that is hardly an adverse effect.

(Click the number of a footnote to return to its reference in the text)