Is becoming a psychologist worth it? Any psychologists here?

[SamC]

As the title. 

Important to note, I live in Sweden where the university education is free + you get some money. My goal is to master psychology and than do public speaking. Will becoming a psychologist be worth my time? ( according to you guys, I want your thoughts) Thank you?

@Leo Gura

Edited February 26, 2021 by SamC

[meow_meow]

I live in Eastern Europe and we have an overproduction of psychologists. However - most of them are underqualified, have no idea what spirtuality is and have a ton of issues themselves, a lot of them dont even know how addictions work.

Psychologist with atleast some level of spiritual development + knowledge & experience with self-help is pure Gold, we need people like that.

[Grateful Dead]

I am studying pychology.

Not sure if it's worth for you, it depends on what your goals are. I don't think you need to get a master in psychology to do public speaking unless you want to be like Jordan Peterson xD...

I think @Moksha has a PhD in psychology but not 100% sure.

[Guest EmptyVase]

1 minute ago, acidgoofy said:

I am studying pychology.

Amazing!! I wanna study psychology too, but I'll probably have to wait a few years. Good ol' Wartesemester.

It's often being talked about that psychology is still in its very early days, considering really understanding our psyche (as opposed to spiritual traditions, understanding and transcending ego etc.). How is your perception of that?

[Tim R]

@SamC Depends on what you mean by "worth it".

[Tim R]

9 minutes ago, EmptyVase said:

It's often being talked about that psychology is still in its very early days, considering really understanding our psyche (as opposed to spiritual traditions, understanding and transcending ego etc.). How is your perception of that?

@EmptyVase Definitely!! Oh, big fat "yes!" to that. We know so little and are so ignorant about the human psyche. Which is tightly linked to our ignorance about reality.

What is real? What is healthy and what is sick? Are the hallucinations of a schizophrenic "real"? We say "no" because we're scared that the correct answer might actually be "yes".  And what about thoughts? Where the hell do they come from? And dreams? What are dreams? What about memory? 

There's so much that we don't yet understand (at least in ordinary psychology). 

9 minutes ago, EmptyVase said:

Amazing!! I wanna study psychology too, but I'll probably have to wait a few years. Good ol' Wartesemester.

Haha Wartesemester also? Do you already have a university in mind? 

Edited February 26, 2021 by Tim R

[Grateful Dead]

6 minutes ago, EmptyVase said:

Amazing!! I wanna study psychology too, but I'll probably have to wait a few years. Good ol' Wartesemester.

Lol now we have that in common too ? I saved up money to pay a private school because of that but if you want to become a psychotherapist you can't do that anymore.

9 minutes ago, EmptyVase said:

It's often being talked about that psychology is still in its very early days, considering really understanding our psyche (as opposed to spiritual traditions, understanding and transcending ego etc.). How is your perception of that?

Yeah as you said, it's in its very early days even in basic understanding of the human psyche imo. Spirituality etc. is basically non existent in most areas because they try so hard to be 'scientific'. Also there are many different schools which teach very different methods and come to different conclucsions, its really weird if you look into it. But I think its going in the right direction and of course they have done some pretty amazing research already and the cool things is there is still so much to discover and to change in that field.

I think Stan Grof is lightyears ahead of everyone and has a pretty good vision of the Future

 

[SamC]

41 minutes ago, meow_meow said:

I live in Eastern Europe and we have an overproduction of psychologists. However - most of them are underqualified, have no idea what spirtuality is and have a ton of issues themselves, a lot of them dont even know how addictions work.

 

 

-‐-----------‐---------------------------------
Psychologist with atleast some level of spiritual development + knowledge & experience with self-help is pure Gold, we need people like that.

Exactly what I'm thinking.

[Guest EmptyVase]

11 minutes ago, Tim R said:

We know so little and are so ignorant about the human psyche. Which is tightly linked to our ignorance about reality.

What is real? What is healthy and what is sick? Are the hallucinations of a schizophrenic "real"? We say "no" because we're scared that the correct answer might actually be "yes".  And what about thoughts? Where the hell do they come from? And dreams? What are dreams? What about memory? 

There's so much that we don't yet understand (at least in ordinary psychology). 

That's my perception too. I'd be most honored to be part of revolutionizing the understanding of current psychology. I think with psychedelics becoming more widely available, this is inevitable.

13 minutes ago, Tim R said:

Do you already have a university in mind? 

TU Darmstadt and Goethe Universität are near me, so it might be one of those. But first I wanna finish my studies in economy.

Do you study psychology too?

5 minutes ago, acidgoofy said:

Lol now we have that in common too ?

?✌️

6 minutes ago, acidgoofy said:

Spirituality etc. is basically non existent in most areas because they try so hard to be 'scientific'.

That's what my naturopath said too. She also mentioned that when you open a psychological practice, you couldn't do shamanic breathing or stuff like that. You could only recommend it. According to her, you'd have to proceed as it is taught in studies, with little leeway of doing your own thing.

10 minutes ago, acidgoofy said:

But I think its going in the right direction and of course they have done some pretty amazing research already and the cool things is there is still so much to discover and to change in that field.

Yes, I think so too! Psychology seems to be one of the most promising fields right now. It is desperately needed. And it is also desperately needed that psychology as a whole levels up.

 

Thank you for the recommendation, I'll watch the documentary sometime soon!

[Tim R]

21 minutes ago, EmptyVase said:

I think with psychedelics becoming more widely available, this is inevitable.

For sure!

21 minutes ago, EmptyVase said:

TU Darmstadt and Goethe Universität are near me, so it might be one of those. But first I wanna finish my studies in economy.

Do you study psychology too?

@EmptyVase Nice! No, I currently study biology at the JLU in Gießen the next semester is my last one. I'm not quite sure yet whether I wanna get a masters as well (biochemistry) or study something else altogether and I'm still playing with the thought of studying psychology after getting my degree.

I love it, together with philosophy and spirituality. And I guess psychology is one of the few fields where a more spiritual approach can be somewhat tolerated. Science in general will be transformed anyway if psychedelics become more mainstream.

Maybe I'll get a masters degree in biochemistry and then study psychology and then I'll plunge into the psychedelic revolution haha designing some kind of instant satori-pill that will bring peace and enlightenment to the world what else, right?

[SamC]

1 hour ago, acidgoofy said:

I am studying pychology.

Not sure if it's worth for you, it depends on what your goals are. I don't think you need to get a master in psychology to do public speaking unless you want to be like Jordan Peterson xD...

I think @Moksha has a PhD in psychology but not 100% sure.

@acidgoofy Why are you studying psychology?

[Guest EmptyVase]

45 minutes ago, Tim R said:

I love it, together with philosophy and spirituality. And I guess psychology is one of the few fields where a more spiritual approach can be somewhat tolerated. Science in general will be transformed anyway if psychedelics become more mainstream.

Most definitely! Spirituality already finds its way into psychology through mindfulness meditation, self-love etc. It's just a matter of time until the unfathomable power behind these practices gets recognized. A bright future lies ahead. At least that's my hope.

42 minutes ago, Tim R said:

Maybe I'll get a masters degree in biochemistry and then study psychology and then I'll plunge into the psychedelic revolution haha designing some kind of instant satori-pill that will bring peace and enlightenment to the world what else, right?

Please do that. That would be amazing.

[Moksha]

4 hours ago, acidgoofy said:

I think @Moksha has a PhD in psychology but not 100% sure.

Yes, in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. In retrospect, wish I had studied Transpersonal Psychology/Spiritual Psychology. People like Steve Taylor have done some cool work, including objectively researching and documenting awakening experiences.

[Thought Art]

@SamC Everything is saturated. Whatever you do put the work in and become an amazing value provider. 

[SamC]

59 minutes ago, Moksha said:

Yes, in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. In retrospect, wish I had studied Transpersonal Psychology/Spiritual Psychology. People like Steve Taylor have done some cool work, including objectively researching and documenting awakening experiences.

@Moksha  As someone who have a master in psychology, how do you get the most knowledge about psychology and human behavior? Are there blindspots in the formal psycholofy education where you miss important stuff just becuase they don't teach it?

[Preety_India]

Maybe in Sweden you really need them. 

I'm predicting a shortage. 

I had a Swedish friend here. He told me that there aren't enough psychological resources in Sweden. 

So maybe you're doing God's work 

 

 

[Moksha]

35 minutes ago, SamC said:

@Moksha  As someone who have a master in psychology, how do you get the most knowledge about psychology and human behavior? Are there blindspots in the formal psycholofy education where you miss important stuff just becuase they don't teach it?

I appreciate what I've learned about conditioning and the human brain. When I read spiritual texts warning about behavioral patterns and attachments, I understand, as a scientist, what they are talking about. Even karma, from a behavioral and sociological perspective, makes perfect sense.

Still, it is only psychology. Unfortunately, transpersonal/spiritual psychology doesn't get as much cred as some of the other specialties, but it actually comes closer to what I find interesting, and to what attracted me to psychology in the first place.

Understanding human conditioning is helpful, but it won't get you any closer to awakening, until you are ready. The blindspot in psychology is that it is incapable of conceptualizing, analyzing, or measuring the essence of who you really are. It is the same limitation as any other science. Ultimate truth is beyond conceptualization, and can only be realized directly.

[blackchair]

failed psychologist here, its wonderful science go for it   im more a transpersonal psychology guy now but it is what it is  

[vladorion]

I'd go for psychotherapy rather than psychology.

Having a degree in psychology is pretty much useless if you want to help people. Your head will be full of theory and models with pretty much zero practical knowledge and techniques.

A good therapist is someone who walked the path of healing him/herself and acquired different tools along the way. So they know how to help others.

There are many different therapy/healing modalities out there worth exploring. Almost none of them require you to have a formal education.

 

Edited February 27, 2021 by vladorion

[SamC]

21 hours ago, Thought Art said:

@SamC Everything is saturated. Whatever you do put the work in and become an amazing value provider. 

Yeah I know

 

21 hours ago, Preety_India said:

Maybe in Sweden you really need them. 

I'm predicting a shortage. 

I had a Swedish friend here. He told me that there aren't enough psychological resources in Sweden. 

So maybe you're doing God's work 

 

 

It's true! The question is if it's worth the hassle however. 5 years + 1 year of practice is a long time, I wonder if it even will give me that much compared to if I studied it myself.