A Lesson in Perception: Those Dumb Birds
A hot topic in my office is those stupid birds. Can I be honest? I put them on the wall because I liked the colors. I thought they were a bit interesting and calming. They also remind me of a blue heron, the unofficial mascot of both Cuyahoga Valley National Park and The Summit Metro Parks. For all you hardcore bird enthusiasts out there, I know they are not blue herons (are they?), but they all look the same to me. It feels like a nod to the Akron area and the well known Bath Road Heronry (which IS well known even if the name is not).
My clients, on the other hand, have their own thoughts about them. I love when they ask about the birds delicately, as if I might be offended. Here are some of the questions and comments I receive:
So, do you like birds?
Why are those dumb birds so mad? (teenage client)
Why did you decide to face them away from each other? (Honest answer: that’s how they were displayed online.)
They look like they’re mad at each other.
It looks like the silent treatment.
Those birds are beautiful.
I love the birds!
As a therapist, it’s my duty to overanalyze the meaning of these questions and use them as a bit of a Rorschach test. “The silent treatment?” I might ask. “Is that something that happened a lot in your childhood?” All in good fun, of course.
In all seriousness, it’s a valuable lesson in perception. We often interpret our surroundings based on our own experiences. Our past experiences not only allow us to assign meaning to what we see, but they also help us construct our emotions and how we feel them. Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett, a neuroscientist and psychologist who challenges long-held beliefs about the origins of our emotions, says: “Emotions are not reactions to the world. You are not a passive receiver of sensory input but an active constructor of your emotions. From sensory input and past experience, your brain constructs meaning and prescribes action. If you didn’t have concepts that represent your past experience, all your sensory inputs would just be noise. You wouldn’t know what the sensations are, what caused them, nor how to behave in response to them.” Barrett's theory of constructed emotion challenges the idea that emotions are universal and innate. She argues that emotions are created by the brain in response to a person's physical state, culture, and upbringing, and that they are not merely triggered.
As we can see from those stupid birds and the questions they invoke, much of who we are and how we interact with the world comes from our past experiences. I appreciate the lessons I have the privilege of learning from my clients every day.
