Click on ‘Circular needs and resources diagram’ link.

Circular needs and resources diagram

As described in previous articles (‘Living with EASE’ and ‘Stress versus Stretch’), human beings have a specific set of needs (inside the circle on the diagram) that must be met for an individual to be in a healthy state. It may be useful to think of these needs as ‘nourishment’. As with any kind of nourishment, it is possible to have too much as well as too little; we must therefore try to get our needs met in balance.

We have been endowed with an innate set of resources (outside the circle on the diagram) to help us seek out and use this nourishment effectively. These resources are a set of abilities and functions; our human machinery and toolkit. As with any machine, parts can become damaged and malfunction. As with any tool, if the person using it is lacking the necessary skills, they could cause more harm than good.

These needs and resources are collectively known as our human givens. They are all part of our natural heritage, developed through millions of years of evolution, all essential for a healthy life. Once we have a profound understanding of our needs and resources we can begin to see more clearly what is out of balance, what is missing, what is damaged or being misused when we are in an unhealthy state. We can then therefore take the most appropriate action to put things right.

Only humans givens therapy starts from this clear and straight-forward perspective. From this logical starting point, many other new insights into human functioning and psychology have developed. Human givens therapists are able to explain to clients seeking help – in easy-to-understand language – what is going wrong and what is needed to put things right. This is why human givens therapy can work so quickly and achieve long-lasting results, helping people to get their lives back on track and moving in the right direction.

Needs:

• unpolluted environment (air, water, soil, etc.)
• nutrients (air, water, fats, protein, carbohydrate, vitamins, minerals
• rest (to refresh, refuel, repair and rebuild)
• physical comfort
• movement (exercise)
• to have a sense of control over our life
• to feel safe and secure
• to receive and give attention
• to feel acknowledged, valued and respected
• friendship where we can just be ourselves
• to feel part of a wider community
• a feeling of achievement and competence
• to feel our life has some meaning and purpose
• to have time alone to think

Resources:

• Bodily systems: To protect our health and ensure our survival
• Subconscious: To regulate our internal environment and monitor the external environment
• Feelings: To draw our attention to possible unmet needs
• Right brain: To see the world as a whole, pattern-match, think metaphorically, get the gist, connect similar experiences
• Left brain: To see the world in its component parts, sequence, think logically, analyse, rationalise
• Memory: To give us the capacity to learn and improve
• Imagination: Our internal movie screen, enabling us to escape the present moment, see ourselves in different situations and solve our problems
• Ability to build rapport: As a social animal our survival depends on forming bonds with others
• Sleep: To refuel, recover, repair, rebuild and refresh physically each day
• Dreaming: To discharge incomplete emotional arousal from that day, allowing us to start each new day mentally afresh
• Observing self: The ability to step back and be objective about ourselves; see ourselves in the bigger picture
• Uniqueness: Our own personal set of innate talents, abilities and drivers; inbuilt templates seeking to be fulfilled