For Personal and Professional Assistance
Serving Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area
220 S. California Ave. Suite 202 Palo Alto, California 94306
(650) 455-5040
Psycho-Therapy and Counseling FAQ 5:
What about Sudden Wealth, Sudden Loss? Are these really issues?
We are seeing
the shadow side of a culture that suddenly became wealthy.
Many people rapidly adjusted their life styles and their
expectations in response to a climate of abundant financial
wealth and sudden gains. Many were awed by the prospect
of living far beyond the level that their parents experienced.
They spent wildly and freely, going on trips as if the world
were their playground. But even before the market started
to drop, many were starting to discover that they had not
changed inside and that they still had to face the same
daily feelings and relationship problems that preexisted
for them.
If you have experienced large gains and losses, your roller
coaster ride may present challenges to your sense of self.
There may be gaps in your identity that were created when
your financial status took leaps, either forward or backwards.
These need to be bridged. If you were born wealthy, a certain
amount of training and expectations may have been formed
around the assumption that you would continue to be rich.
There are radical and deep changes that may be needed to
adjust to a loss of wealth. If you came from a wage-dependent
family, there may be disappointments and shame around gaining
new financial status and then losing it.
Some of the psychological issues that can develop include
depression, anxiety (questioning many things about life),
guilt (because of promises you made to yourself or your
family), loneliness (no one would understand), and emptiness
and the struggle for meaning. Some people develop a paranoia
around any change in the economy or any threat to their
income.
Some of the practical issues include dealing with family
and friends, coping with unexpected feelings and learning
how to handle your changing image and identity.
Therapeutic work may involve helping you to integrate old
and new aspects of your identity. Spiritual development
is also an integral part of achieving life satisfaction
and happiness. The facilitation of your dreams and self-expression,
the work with being versus doing, the use
of metaphors, and the exploration of your coping and interpersonal
skills are a few of the therapeutic methods that I may use.
