Vicente had Friedreich's Ataxia as did his sister. I have it, too.
In May 2005, I went to his town, Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, to see Vicen and his girlfriend, Corrine. Zaragoza is by the river Ebro and very interesting - a cosmospolitan city. It was founded some 2000 years ago. Old-Iberians, Romans, Goths and Arabians equally have left their heritage. Zaragoza also includes important buildings of the Spanish baroque style.
I first met Corrine when she lived in Vancouver, BC, Canada. We had so much fun together in Vancouver and in my town Laguna Beach, CA, USA! Then all THREE of us had fun! Cor is going to visit me in Boulder, CO - we will both miss Vicen.
He was very intellectual and nice! He went to college, became a clinical psychologist, wrote books and was also an actor.
On Sunday, October 29 there was an evening memorial for Vicente, organized by his siblings. Over 100 people came and his books were on sale, too.
*********
This is part of Vicen's biography. It was tranlated by my daughter. If you don't speak European Spanish, the Spanish original is hard to read. If you do speak Spanish and you want the full biography, e-mail me and I can send you the full English AND Spanish copies.
My name is Vicente Sáez Vallés, I am from Zaragoza and I am a 41 year-old man (I believe). I am a psychologist but I'm not sure why. Do you guys know why you do what you do? I don't like anything and I like everything.
This exhibitionist exercise of telling your life story represents a hilarious depth of narcissism that defines the world as a wonderful place to be; there's nothing more false, I'm sorry, but here I am. Furthermore, I have been misled so many times, I'm always picking up the pieces that have been broken; but I don't know how to play defense, I only know how to score the goals; I am a romantic.
I have a strong desire for independence and for beauty. I am an idealist and I enjoy everything and every person and I feel a strong inclination towards learning new things: curiosity. But I'm a bit of a know-it-all and obsessive and I can't stand being taken for granted, but I usually am. I'm embarrassed to let people know that I am spiritual or that I tend to feel sadness (even though I'm usually laughing).
Childhood:
When I was a kid, I loved being a kid. The truth is I'm still a kid, educated but in who-knows-what? It makes me feel better knowing that we have crawled, that we crawl everyday, and that we will crawl and crawl over and over again. Have you ever asked yourself if cats crawl?
We know that children are millionaires because they are owners of their own time, not only the poor are rich. To be owners of time, to wake up the kid inside of us; not that we're pregnant, rather it's a metaphor for something that we all have inside us. It should be a sweet awakening, a soft return.
- Why is the floor so hard?
- It's not the floor that's hard, it's the fall.
- Watch your step! Face what's in front of you like a man.
- I prefer to do it like this.
My psychology:
I never know for sure, and I like the generous feeling of anticipation of what I will know, that which when it's missing would sink me. I loved the Rorschach tests and psychoanalysis, but luckily I moved past that. I loved Reich, the body's therapies, Gestalt therapy, psychodrama and experimental theater, and through psychoanalysis I maintain a purely passionate love relationship now that my physical disability impedes me from physically acting it out. Theoretical and intellectual psycho-analysis is a bit heavy to me, but I am grateful for the enormous amount of questions that it has helped to form in my mind. Lastly, for the moment, I'm crazy about V.E. Frankl's logoterapia, and we will follow this continuous change, nothing wrong with that.
I used to commit the error of belonging to one school or another of therapy. I discovered that this is a huge mistake. It's not worth it. The best thing to do was to leave this meeting of the minds and make them sick of me. Like, make them nervous of my bullshit. Ha! Psychologists in this World, God help you; it's impossible to relate just how much foolishness one has to listen to day in and day out, just hang in there. Amidst the cries there's always someone who understands pieces of what you say, and will laugh with you, always.
- What advice do you give to someone who's studying Psychology?
- A cobbler with bad shoes should let his feet rest a while. Change your profession.
- Maybe a plumber?
- Sure, that would be good.
Attention! Here we have a psychologist who hates psychology. No, well, not all of it. But I've retired and I no longer have access to change the pathetic world that separates out our experience, those that dress in elegant suits and those that lead the discussion with the boss. The first step is to recognize yourself as a neurotic and the second step is to help yourself manage the neurosis or what-have-you, don't cure it, don't overcome it, this is totally false, and there will be problems…
My ataxia:
This is the name of my disability; which on first view is incorrect because "ataxia" is a symptom of many states, and not all pathological, and also because many people think that the word "disability" (or "handicapped") is a negative term, but I don't see it as such; a word implying a desired dependency is not for me, to call it "discrimination for functional diversity" doesn't work either in that it's too generic a term. Nevertheless, the disabled or "us ataxic people" have equal rights and abilities as any other person, even if life's thrown us a curveball. Disabled, with difficulties in the human ability to walk and various other problems with my capacity to adapt. We'd have to define "ability" and not "disability." I am a person of limited mobility; disabled doesn't bother me. (See "advancing all together")
I have a disease that is called Friedreich's Ataxia; since I was born, I've owned it like the color of my eyes. It's a neurological disease that led me to use a silver-colored wheelchair. In the end, you'd need to be a doctor or a scientist to truly understand all that happens to you. There are many people who have Ataxia even though we always think that we're the only ones.
- I chose Ataxia because it's more original and I get to keep on being good-looking from a long time.
- If the consequences of a disease are always social, why are there always individual handicapped persons?
My ataxia is Friedreich's Ataxia and it's hereditary and progressive and it principally affects balance and coordination and a bunch of other things. You start to doubt whether or not being good-looking, which I am, was really worth it. But the world hasn't come to an end; so, ataxic to your shoes when there are potholes ahead.
My writing:
Facing the world with my world, this is what I do when I write, it's not because of this that I need to write, because motivation for writing is like kissing your own lips, and in this world there are so many other lips to kiss.
Since my adolescent years, in which the incomprehensible parts of ataxia smeared my ambitions, I found myself full of pleasure when I could touch another person through positive work (friendship, care, love, communication, good humor…). This for me was a terrible contradiction that I could only get over through writing. I love fantastical narratives or not, I mean, to tell stories.
The Stage:
It's been a while since I've thought of the theater or any type of stage. Back then, while a side light shone in your eyes, blinding you somewhat painfully, you still had to learn to look the public in the eye, that's when I learned how to live life. (Ingenious metaphor: "look life in the eyes," don't you think?) I wrote sketches for others to act out and work on: then I started to act in the theater of the absurd, and I learned: this was my personal submarine world; I was surprised to find myself understood and to see that the border between what is imagined and what is seen is quite narrow. I've been witness to how beautiful and useful it is to return to your origins, to when I first started to write. Only then do you feel alive, because you're making life: I found in comedy/drama a feeling that would always guide me.
Children's Theater:
To be able to tell stories to boys and to girls (of course), has always been something that I have found to fill my spirit; something like a mystical experience maybe too personal, but not becoming a professional clown is one of my frustrations.
It's funny, I've always wanted to be an important person, that upon me all things depended. I've always wanted to move, be moved, return, mix up, make laugh, make scared, make everything. I imagined one day receiving all of the love that I have given.
Corrine:
Corrine is Dutch, but as a girl her family took her to live in Canada. She speaks English, her Spanish is not so good. She is CORnelia-cateRINE, and I live with her, three cats, and an undetermined number of birds. She teaches me and she takes care of me, and I, in return, bring her some grief. We share many things and I give thanks to the life that brought me Corrine. Corrine has a disability much less severe than my own, a disability that doesn't detract at all from her enchantment.
- Vicente Sáez Vallés
In May 2005, I went to his town, Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, to see Vicen and his girlfriend, Corrine. Zaragoza is by the river Ebro and very interesting - a cosmospolitan city. It was founded some 2000 years ago. Old-Iberians, Romans, Goths and Arabians equally have left their heritage. Zaragoza also includes important buildings of the Spanish baroque style.
I first met Corrine when she lived in Vancouver, BC, Canada. We had so much fun together in Vancouver and in my town Laguna Beach, CA, USA! Then all THREE of us had fun! Cor is going to visit me in Boulder, CO - we will both miss Vicen.
He was very intellectual and nice! He went to college, became a clinical psychologist, wrote books and was also an actor.
On Sunday, October 29 there was an evening memorial for Vicente, organized by his siblings. Over 100 people came and his books were on sale, too.
*********
This is part of Vicen's biography. It was tranlated by my daughter. If you don't speak European Spanish, the Spanish original is hard to read. If you do speak Spanish and you want the full biography, e-mail me and I can send you the full English AND Spanish copies.
My name is Vicente Sáez Vallés, I am from Zaragoza and I am a 41 year-old man (I believe). I am a psychologist but I'm not sure why. Do you guys know why you do what you do? I don't like anything and I like everything.
This exhibitionist exercise of telling your life story represents a hilarious depth of narcissism that defines the world as a wonderful place to be; there's nothing more false, I'm sorry, but here I am. Furthermore, I have been misled so many times, I'm always picking up the pieces that have been broken; but I don't know how to play defense, I only know how to score the goals; I am a romantic.
I have a strong desire for independence and for beauty. I am an idealist and I enjoy everything and every person and I feel a strong inclination towards learning new things: curiosity. But I'm a bit of a know-it-all and obsessive and I can't stand being taken for granted, but I usually am. I'm embarrassed to let people know that I am spiritual or that I tend to feel sadness (even though I'm usually laughing).
Childhood:
When I was a kid, I loved being a kid. The truth is I'm still a kid, educated but in who-knows-what? It makes me feel better knowing that we have crawled, that we crawl everyday, and that we will crawl and crawl over and over again. Have you ever asked yourself if cats crawl?
We know that children are millionaires because they are owners of their own time, not only the poor are rich. To be owners of time, to wake up the kid inside of us; not that we're pregnant, rather it's a metaphor for something that we all have inside us. It should be a sweet awakening, a soft return.
- Why is the floor so hard?
- It's not the floor that's hard, it's the fall.
- Watch your step! Face what's in front of you like a man.
- I prefer to do it like this.
My psychology:
I never know for sure, and I like the generous feeling of anticipation of what I will know, that which when it's missing would sink me. I loved the Rorschach tests and psychoanalysis, but luckily I moved past that. I loved Reich, the body's therapies, Gestalt therapy, psychodrama and experimental theater, and through psychoanalysis I maintain a purely passionate love relationship now that my physical disability impedes me from physically acting it out. Theoretical and intellectual psycho-analysis is a bit heavy to me, but I am grateful for the enormous amount of questions that it has helped to form in my mind. Lastly, for the moment, I'm crazy about V.E. Frankl's logoterapia, and we will follow this continuous change, nothing wrong with that.
I used to commit the error of belonging to one school or another of therapy. I discovered that this is a huge mistake. It's not worth it. The best thing to do was to leave this meeting of the minds and make them sick of me. Like, make them nervous of my bullshit. Ha! Psychologists in this World, God help you; it's impossible to relate just how much foolishness one has to listen to day in and day out, just hang in there. Amidst the cries there's always someone who understands pieces of what you say, and will laugh with you, always.
- What advice do you give to someone who's studying Psychology?
- A cobbler with bad shoes should let his feet rest a while. Change your profession.
- Maybe a plumber?
- Sure, that would be good.
Attention! Here we have a psychologist who hates psychology. No, well, not all of it. But I've retired and I no longer have access to change the pathetic world that separates out our experience, those that dress in elegant suits and those that lead the discussion with the boss. The first step is to recognize yourself as a neurotic and the second step is to help yourself manage the neurosis or what-have-you, don't cure it, don't overcome it, this is totally false, and there will be problems…
My ataxia:
This is the name of my disability; which on first view is incorrect because "ataxia" is a symptom of many states, and not all pathological, and also because many people think that the word "disability" (or "handicapped") is a negative term, but I don't see it as such; a word implying a desired dependency is not for me, to call it "discrimination for functional diversity" doesn't work either in that it's too generic a term. Nevertheless, the disabled or "us ataxic people" have equal rights and abilities as any other person, even if life's thrown us a curveball. Disabled, with difficulties in the human ability to walk and various other problems with my capacity to adapt. We'd have to define "ability" and not "disability." I am a person of limited mobility; disabled doesn't bother me. (See "advancing all together")
I have a disease that is called Friedreich's Ataxia; since I was born, I've owned it like the color of my eyes. It's a neurological disease that led me to use a silver-colored wheelchair. In the end, you'd need to be a doctor or a scientist to truly understand all that happens to you. There are many people who have Ataxia even though we always think that we're the only ones.
- I chose Ataxia because it's more original and I get to keep on being good-looking from a long time.
- If the consequences of a disease are always social, why are there always individual handicapped persons?
My ataxia is Friedreich's Ataxia and it's hereditary and progressive and it principally affects balance and coordination and a bunch of other things. You start to doubt whether or not being good-looking, which I am, was really worth it. But the world hasn't come to an end; so, ataxic to your shoes when there are potholes ahead.
My writing:
Facing the world with my world, this is what I do when I write, it's not because of this that I need to write, because motivation for writing is like kissing your own lips, and in this world there are so many other lips to kiss.
Since my adolescent years, in which the incomprehensible parts of ataxia smeared my ambitions, I found myself full of pleasure when I could touch another person through positive work (friendship, care, love, communication, good humor…). This for me was a terrible contradiction that I could only get over through writing. I love fantastical narratives or not, I mean, to tell stories.
The Stage:
It's been a while since I've thought of the theater or any type of stage. Back then, while a side light shone in your eyes, blinding you somewhat painfully, you still had to learn to look the public in the eye, that's when I learned how to live life. (Ingenious metaphor: "look life in the eyes," don't you think?) I wrote sketches for others to act out and work on: then I started to act in the theater of the absurd, and I learned: this was my personal submarine world; I was surprised to find myself understood and to see that the border between what is imagined and what is seen is quite narrow. I've been witness to how beautiful and useful it is to return to your origins, to when I first started to write. Only then do you feel alive, because you're making life: I found in comedy/drama a feeling that would always guide me.
Children's Theater:
To be able to tell stories to boys and to girls (of course), has always been something that I have found to fill my spirit; something like a mystical experience maybe too personal, but not becoming a professional clown is one of my frustrations.
It's funny, I've always wanted to be an important person, that upon me all things depended. I've always wanted to move, be moved, return, mix up, make laugh, make scared, make everything. I imagined one day receiving all of the love that I have given.
Corrine:
Corrine is Dutch, but as a girl her family took her to live in Canada. She speaks English, her Spanish is not so good. She is CORnelia-cateRINE, and I live with her, three cats, and an undetermined number of birds. She teaches me and she takes care of me, and I, in return, bring her some grief. We share many things and I give thanks to the life that brought me Corrine. Corrine has a disability much less severe than my own, a disability that doesn't detract at all from her enchantment.
- Vicente Sáez Vallés
Vicente had Friedreich's Ataxia as did his sister. I have it, too.
In May 2005, I went to his town, Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, to see Vicen and his girlfriend, Corrine. Zaragoza is by the river Ebro and very interesting - a cosmospolitan city. It was founded some 2000 years ago. Old-Iberians, Romans, Goths and Arabians equally have left their heritage. Zaragoza also includes important buildings of the Spanish baroque style.
I first met Corrine when she lived in Vancouver, BC, Canada. We had so much fun together in Vancouver and in my town Laguna Beach, CA, USA! Then all THREE of us had fun! Cor is going to visit me in Boulder, CO - we will both miss Vicen.
He was very intellectual and nice! He went to college, became a clinical psychologist, wrote books and was also an actor.
On Sunday, October 29 there was an evening memorial for Vicente, organized by his siblings. Over 100 people came and his books were on sale, too.
*********
This is part of Vicen's biography. It was tranlated by my daughter. If you don't speak European Spanish, the Spanish original is hard to read. If you do speak Spanish and you want the full biography, e-mail me and I can send you the full English AND Spanish copies.
My name is Vicente Sáez Vallés, I am from Zaragoza and I am a 41 year-old man (I believe). I am a psychologist but I'm not sure why. Do you guys know why you do what you do? I don't like anything and I like everything.
This exhibitionist exercise of telling your life story represents a hilarious depth of narcissism that defines the world as a wonderful place to be; there's nothing more false, I'm sorry, but here I am. Furthermore, I have been misled so many times, I'm always picking up the pieces that have been broken; but I don't know how to play defense, I only know how to score the goals; I am a romantic.
I have a strong desire for independence and for beauty. I am an idealist and I enjoy everything and every person and I feel a strong inclination towards learning new things: curiosity. But I'm a bit of a know-it-all and obsessive and I can't stand being taken for granted, but I usually am. I'm embarrassed to let people know that I am spiritual or that I tend to feel sadness (even though I'm usually laughing).
Childhood:
When I was a kid, I loved being a kid. The truth is I'm still a kid, educated but in who-knows-what? It makes me feel better knowing that we have crawled, that we crawl everyday, and that we will crawl and crawl over and over again. Have you ever asked yourself if cats crawl?
We know that children are millionaires because they are owners of their own time, not only the poor are rich. To be owners of time, to wake up the kid inside of us; not that we're pregnant, rather it's a metaphor for something that we all have inside us. It should be a sweet awakening, a soft return.
- Why is the floor so hard?
- It's not the floor that's hard, it's the fall.
- Watch your step! Face what's in front of you like a man.
- I prefer to do it like this.
My psychology:
I never know for sure, and I like the generous feeling of anticipation of what I will know, that which when it's missing would sink me. I loved the Rorschach tests and psychoanalysis, but luckily I moved past that. I loved Reich, the body's therapies, Gestalt therapy, psychodrama and experimental theater, and through psychoanalysis I maintain a purely passionate love relationship now that my physical disability impedes me from physically acting it out. Theoretical and intellectual psycho-analysis is a bit heavy to me, but I am grateful for the enormous amount of questions that it has helped to form in my mind. Lastly, for the moment, I'm crazy about V.E. Frankl's logoterapia, and we will follow this continuous change, nothing wrong with that.
I used to commit the error of belonging to one school or another of therapy. I discovered that this is a huge mistake. It's not worth it. The best thing to do was to leave this meeting of the minds and make them sick of me. Like, make them nervous of my bullshit. Ha! Psychologists in this World, God help you; it's impossible to relate just how much foolishness one has to listen to day in and day out, just hang in there. Amidst the cries there's always someone who understands pieces of what you say, and will laugh with you, always.
- What advice do you give to someone who's studying Psychology?
- A cobbler with bad shoes should let his feet rest a while. Change your profession.
- Maybe a plumber?
- Sure, that would be good.
Attention! Here we have a psychologist who hates psychology. No, well, not all of it. But I've retired and I no longer have access to change the pathetic world that separates out our experience, those that dress in elegant suits and those that lead the discussion with the boss. The first step is to recognize yourself as a neurotic and the second step is to help yourself manage the neurosis or what-have-you, don't cure it, don't overcome it, this is totally false, and there will be problems…
My ataxia:
This is the name of my disability; which on first view is incorrect because "ataxia" is a symptom of many states, and not all pathological, and also because many people think that the word "disability" (or "handicapped") is a negative term, but I don't see it as such; a word implying a desired dependency is not for me, to call it "discrimination for functional diversity" doesn't work either in that it's too generic a term. Nevertheless, the disabled or "us ataxic people" have equal rights and abilities as any other person, even if life's thrown us a curveball. Disabled, with difficulties in the human ability to walk and various other problems with my capacity to adapt. We'd have to define "ability" and not "disability." I am a person of limited mobility; disabled doesn't bother me. (See "advancing all together")
I have a disease that is called Friedreich's Ataxia; since I was born, I've owned it like the color of my eyes. It's a neurological disease that led me to use a silver-colored wheelchair. In the end, you'd need to be a doctor or a scientist to truly understand all that happens to you. There are many people who have Ataxia even though we always think that we're the only ones.
- I chose Ataxia because it's more original and I get to keep on being good-looking from a long time.
- If the consequences of a disease are always social, why are there always individual handicapped persons?
My ataxia is Friedreich's Ataxia and it's hereditary and progressive and it principally affects balance and coordination and a bunch of other things. You start to doubt whether or not being good-looking, which I am, was really worth it. But the world hasn't come to an end; so, ataxic to your shoes when there are potholes ahead.
My writing:
Facing the world with my world, this is what I do when I write, it's not because of this that I need to write, because motivation for writing is like kissing your own lips, and in this world there are so many other lips to kiss.
Since my adolescent years, in which the incomprehensible parts of ataxia smeared my ambitions, I found myself full of pleasure when I could touch another person through positive work (friendship, care, love, communication, good humor…). This for me was a terrible contradiction that I could only get over through writing. I love fantastical narratives or not, I mean, to tell stories.
The Stage:
It's been a while since I've thought of the theater or any type of stage. Back then, while a side light shone in your eyes, blinding you somewhat painfully, you still had to learn to look the public in the eye, that's when I learned how to live life. (Ingenious metaphor: "look life in the eyes," don't you think?) I wrote sketches for others to act out and work on: then I started to act in the theater of the absurd, and I learned: this was my personal submarine world; I was surprised to find myself understood and to see that the border between what is imagined and what is seen is quite narrow. I've been witness to how beautiful and useful it is to return to your origins, to when I first started to write. Only then do you feel alive, because you're making life: I found in comedy/drama a feeling that would always guide me.
Children's Theater:
To be able to tell stories to boys and to girls (of course), has always been something that I have found to fill my spirit; something like a mystical experience maybe too personal, but not becoming a professional clown is one of my frustrations.
It's funny, I've always wanted to be an important person, that upon me all things depended. I've always wanted to move, be moved, return, mix up, make laugh, make scared, make everything. I imagined one day receiving all of the love that I have given.
Corrine:
Corrine is Dutch, but as a girl her family took her to live in Canada. She speaks English, her Spanish is not so good. She is CORnelia-cateRINE, and I live with her, three cats, and an undetermined number of birds. She teaches me and she takes care of me, and I, in return, bring her some grief. We share many things and I give thanks to the life that brought me Corrine. Corrine has a disability much less severe than my own, a disability that doesn't detract at all from her enchantment.
- Vicente Sáez Vallés
In May 2005, I went to his town, Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, to see Vicen and his girlfriend, Corrine. Zaragoza is by the river Ebro and very interesting - a cosmospolitan city. It was founded some 2000 years ago. Old-Iberians, Romans, Goths and Arabians equally have left their heritage. Zaragoza also includes important buildings of the Spanish baroque style.
I first met Corrine when she lived in Vancouver, BC, Canada. We had so much fun together in Vancouver and in my town Laguna Beach, CA, USA! Then all THREE of us had fun! Cor is going to visit me in Boulder, CO - we will both miss Vicen.
He was very intellectual and nice! He went to college, became a clinical psychologist, wrote books and was also an actor.
On Sunday, October 29 there was an evening memorial for Vicente, organized by his siblings. Over 100 people came and his books were on sale, too.
*********
This is part of Vicen's biography. It was tranlated by my daughter. If you don't speak European Spanish, the Spanish original is hard to read. If you do speak Spanish and you want the full biography, e-mail me and I can send you the full English AND Spanish copies.
My name is Vicente Sáez Vallés, I am from Zaragoza and I am a 41 year-old man (I believe). I am a psychologist but I'm not sure why. Do you guys know why you do what you do? I don't like anything and I like everything.
This exhibitionist exercise of telling your life story represents a hilarious depth of narcissism that defines the world as a wonderful place to be; there's nothing more false, I'm sorry, but here I am. Furthermore, I have been misled so many times, I'm always picking up the pieces that have been broken; but I don't know how to play defense, I only know how to score the goals; I am a romantic.
I have a strong desire for independence and for beauty. I am an idealist and I enjoy everything and every person and I feel a strong inclination towards learning new things: curiosity. But I'm a bit of a know-it-all and obsessive and I can't stand being taken for granted, but I usually am. I'm embarrassed to let people know that I am spiritual or that I tend to feel sadness (even though I'm usually laughing).
Childhood:
When I was a kid, I loved being a kid. The truth is I'm still a kid, educated but in who-knows-what? It makes me feel better knowing that we have crawled, that we crawl everyday, and that we will crawl and crawl over and over again. Have you ever asked yourself if cats crawl?
We know that children are millionaires because they are owners of their own time, not only the poor are rich. To be owners of time, to wake up the kid inside of us; not that we're pregnant, rather it's a metaphor for something that we all have inside us. It should be a sweet awakening, a soft return.
- Why is the floor so hard?
- It's not the floor that's hard, it's the fall.
- Watch your step! Face what's in front of you like a man.
- I prefer to do it like this.
My psychology:
I never know for sure, and I like the generous feeling of anticipation of what I will know, that which when it's missing would sink me. I loved the Rorschach tests and psychoanalysis, but luckily I moved past that. I loved Reich, the body's therapies, Gestalt therapy, psychodrama and experimental theater, and through psychoanalysis I maintain a purely passionate love relationship now that my physical disability impedes me from physically acting it out. Theoretical and intellectual psycho-analysis is a bit heavy to me, but I am grateful for the enormous amount of questions that it has helped to form in my mind. Lastly, for the moment, I'm crazy about V.E. Frankl's logoterapia, and we will follow this continuous change, nothing wrong with that.
I used to commit the error of belonging to one school or another of therapy. I discovered that this is a huge mistake. It's not worth it. The best thing to do was to leave this meeting of the minds and make them sick of me. Like, make them nervous of my bullshit. Ha! Psychologists in this World, God help you; it's impossible to relate just how much foolishness one has to listen to day in and day out, just hang in there. Amidst the cries there's always someone who understands pieces of what you say, and will laugh with you, always.
- What advice do you give to someone who's studying Psychology?
- A cobbler with bad shoes should let his feet rest a while. Change your profession.
- Maybe a plumber?
- Sure, that would be good.
Attention! Here we have a psychologist who hates psychology. No, well, not all of it. But I've retired and I no longer have access to change the pathetic world that separates out our experience, those that dress in elegant suits and those that lead the discussion with the boss. The first step is to recognize yourself as a neurotic and the second step is to help yourself manage the neurosis or what-have-you, don't cure it, don't overcome it, this is totally false, and there will be problems…
My ataxia:
This is the name of my disability; which on first view is incorrect because "ataxia" is a symptom of many states, and not all pathological, and also because many people think that the word "disability" (or "handicapped") is a negative term, but I don't see it as such; a word implying a desired dependency is not for me, to call it "discrimination for functional diversity" doesn't work either in that it's too generic a term. Nevertheless, the disabled or "us ataxic people" have equal rights and abilities as any other person, even if life's thrown us a curveball. Disabled, with difficulties in the human ability to walk and various other problems with my capacity to adapt. We'd have to define "ability" and not "disability." I am a person of limited mobility; disabled doesn't bother me. (See "advancing all together")
I have a disease that is called Friedreich's Ataxia; since I was born, I've owned it like the color of my eyes. It's a neurological disease that led me to use a silver-colored wheelchair. In the end, you'd need to be a doctor or a scientist to truly understand all that happens to you. There are many people who have Ataxia even though we always think that we're the only ones.
- I chose Ataxia because it's more original and I get to keep on being good-looking from a long time.
- If the consequences of a disease are always social, why are there always individual handicapped persons?
My ataxia is Friedreich's Ataxia and it's hereditary and progressive and it principally affects balance and coordination and a bunch of other things. You start to doubt whether or not being good-looking, which I am, was really worth it. But the world hasn't come to an end; so, ataxic to your shoes when there are potholes ahead.
My writing:
Facing the world with my world, this is what I do when I write, it's not because of this that I need to write, because motivation for writing is like kissing your own lips, and in this world there are so many other lips to kiss.
Since my adolescent years, in which the incomprehensible parts of ataxia smeared my ambitions, I found myself full of pleasure when I could touch another person through positive work (friendship, care, love, communication, good humor…). This for me was a terrible contradiction that I could only get over through writing. I love fantastical narratives or not, I mean, to tell stories.
The Stage:
It's been a while since I've thought of the theater or any type of stage. Back then, while a side light shone in your eyes, blinding you somewhat painfully, you still had to learn to look the public in the eye, that's when I learned how to live life. (Ingenious metaphor: "look life in the eyes," don't you think?) I wrote sketches for others to act out and work on: then I started to act in the theater of the absurd, and I learned: this was my personal submarine world; I was surprised to find myself understood and to see that the border between what is imagined and what is seen is quite narrow. I've been witness to how beautiful and useful it is to return to your origins, to when I first started to write. Only then do you feel alive, because you're making life: I found in comedy/drama a feeling that would always guide me.
Children's Theater:
To be able to tell stories to boys and to girls (of course), has always been something that I have found to fill my spirit; something like a mystical experience maybe too personal, but not becoming a professional clown is one of my frustrations.
It's funny, I've always wanted to be an important person, that upon me all things depended. I've always wanted to move, be moved, return, mix up, make laugh, make scared, make everything. I imagined one day receiving all of the love that I have given.
Corrine:
Corrine is Dutch, but as a girl her family took her to live in Canada. She speaks English, her Spanish is not so good. She is CORnelia-cateRINE, and I live with her, three cats, and an undetermined number of birds. She teaches me and she takes care of me, and I, in return, bring her some grief. We share many things and I give thanks to the life that brought me Corrine. Corrine has a disability much less severe than my own, a disability that doesn't detract at all from her enchantment.
- Vicente Sáez Vallés
