GUTGROW ? A New Theory By MARTIN ABRAMSON Bedweiting? .».BUT WHEN? About Astrology Pa vient whocan’t stand 1er husband’s miserliness - vants to divorce him butfirst 9? sisks an astrologer if this vould be theright thing to do. Another woman, claiming to be ‘bored silly” by housework, decides to =» iave her horoscope checked to deter- < § nine whether she could be successful s a fashionstylist. A young manreports heis deeply deessed because of his “personal inadejuacies”andhis failure to makefriends. ) lis father wants him to transfer to a Follege out of town, but his mczher op- .. Astrology expert | Katina Theodossiou checks computer report for personalized horoscope. 16? ) Now! BEDWETTING CAN BE ENDED oses his leaving home. What, he asks, lo the stars advise? Turning to the star-gazer for advice n solving personal problems or plan» \ing one’s future can scarcely be called "new practice. People have been doing > t since the Babylonian era of 5,000 © PACIFIC INTERNATIONAL HAS ENDED BEDWETTING IN THE PAST 20 YEARS FOR HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS © ears ago. What is new and surprising = s the fact that many modern psychia" rists, psychologists, and sociologists be| ieveit is a good thing. Astrologers, they | ay, have been very helpful in providing ' eople with self-confidence, inspiration, |nd solace. : “People who consult astrologers are > ‘sually insecure and need an authorita"ive figure to direct them,” says Dr. ‘ewis Wolberg, the psychiatrist who ‘eads the Postgraduate Center for Men- al Health in New York.“Theastrologer ecomesthis figure in their lives, helps hem face up to problems, and quelis aeir tensions.” Doctor Wolberg adds aat froin what he has seen, “Astrologers ave as good a batting average in helping eople as many psychiatrists, and they harge a good dealless.” This of course, oes not include people suffering from rental illness but rather those with com10n problemsand fears. Phe woman who wanted to civorce at husband, for instance, changed her > ind on the advice of Katina Theodosou, astrologer for Time Pattern Rearch Inc. of New York, which pio2ered in the use of computers to plot ie movement of constellations. “After arning from your reports that my isband’s behavior is impelled by cosic influences,” the woman wrote, “I n much more tolerant of it, and fricon between us has disappeared.” Astrology holds in essence that one’s orsonality is shaped and destiny pre‘termined by the position of stars, | anets, the sun, and the moon vis-a-vis 1e’s place on earth at the timeofbirth; and that the changing positions of the heavenly bodies over the years continue to affect the human psyche and fate. “If some people believe the astrologer and he can help them, it doesn’t matter if the cosmic influence on them is zero,” says Doctor Wolberg.“A person can give good advice even if the theory on which he bases his advice is absurd,” contend Professor Lee Sechrest and Associate Professor James H. Bryan of the Psychology Department of Northwestern University. Prroressors Sechrest and Bryan came to this conclusion after doing a research study on the role of astrolugers as marriage counselors. They sent letters to astrologers who advertise in newspapers and magazines and portrayed themselves as couples wanting advice as to whether they should marry. They provided their so-called zodiac signs, as determined by their birth dates and birth places, and included some references to their personal likes and dislikes. Each astrologer was sent a few letters purporting to be from different couples with different characteristics. The answers to the “couples” came promptly, and when the two psychology professors analyzed the advice the stargazers were dispensing, they concluded that it was psychologically sound and generally helpful. Since astrologers lack prcfessional degrees, isn’t it possible for them to give psychological advice that would be harmful? “It could happen, of course, but from what I’ve seen, it usually doesn’t work out that way,” says Dr. Pierre Ventur, clinical psychologist and president of the Nassau County, N.Y., Psychological Association. “Astrologei’s are pretty good students of human nature, and the advice they give is usually based on common sense. They want their clients to feel good so they'll almost alwaystell them something thatis positive and encouraging. “If they sense that a client wants to go in for art or music,” says Doctor Ventur, “they'll encourage him by finding some kind of angle in their astrological bag to justify words of optimism. Your birth date shows you're born under a certain star, supposedly, but this star could be descending while another one is rising so that allows for interpretations and gives the astrologer an out if you don’t succeed as expected. A cynic might say that when mythical forces in the heavens are being called on to help somebodysolve his problems, that person has been given a “crutch.” “That’s exactly right,” comments Dr. Stanley Krippner of the Department of Psychiatry of Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn. New York. “But there’s no reason to look askance at crutches. People who can get along on their own steam don’t need them and won't ask ... and bed-wetting can go ON and ON. Walter C. Alvarez, M.D., Professor Emeritus, MayoClinic, says: ‘‘What can the doctor prescribe ... He can send the child to a urologist or psychiatrist, but rarely can they help.” Pacific International has ended bed-wetting for hundreds of thousands in the past 20 years, and, if not caused by organic defect or disease, we can end the problem for both children and adults. Send for your free copy of the 16 page brochure: ‘Is There A Solution.” No obligation. Mail coupon now. en. Sones, EQUALLY EFFECTIVE esieeete, FOR ADULTS PARENTS’. | or | | | | | P.O. Box 90, Dept. S-7 San Rafael, Calif.94902 | | | Parents’ | Address——___ ! jame. ore ee | | | Ci ony | State__ patinea | for them, either. @ | Phone_________Child’s Age__ | (Must be 4 or over) i | | Family Weekly, October 11, 197 9 L De a a ee * 1970Pacific International Ltd.