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Cyberspace is a place where you can find virtually anything, if you take the time to look. So what about therapy? Can something like this be accessible, and at the same time useful, to those in need of service? These questions will be touched upon throughout my report.

Before even starting this paper, I had no idea whether services such as therapy were available over the internet. Now I know that there are places out there, but the important question is whether or not they are of any use.

Before even starting this paper, I had my doubts as to whether or not something like this could be of any use to anyone. Therapy of any kind over the internet? I didn't think it could work. After visiting Tom Raymond's site, however, I now believe that something like this may actually be useful to some people... at least I think it could happen.

The first thing I'd like to do here is to show you some of the statements which Mr. Raymond made, and then comment on how I feel about each of these individual statements.

In his section on Participation Theory, Raymond states that: "Traditional psychotherapy has defined sanity as the absence of mental illness. Participation Theory defines sanity as the presence of a wide range of competencies that, collectively, allow us to participate successfully in the business of living, ie. work, play and creating intimate relationships."

Now, after seeing this comment on his approach to the idea of sanity, I was rather intrigued by his view on the subject. What I felt he was saying was that sanity is not merely the absence of a mental illness, but it is the ability of an individual to function and interact with others. I'd never really thought of it this way, I guess, because I'd never really thought of it at all. I just assumed that to be sane was to not be insane. Oh well, I've just expanded my horizons a bit.

Another interesting little passage which caught my eye was, "By looking at emotional difficulties as the absence of something good rather than the presence of something bad Participation Theory assumes that sanity is learned, not lost. While a seed may contain all the information necessary to produce a fine rose, given the proper soil, sunlight and humidity, an infant that was merely fed, cleaned and kept warm would be a frightening sight."

Whoa, this is a rather eye-opening analogy. I guess its a rather true one, though. If a parent were to neglect their child, I'd have to believe that the child's view of the world would probably end up being distorted somewhat, or through the eyes of some, the child may even be considered insane. I'd never really thought about this either. I just always assumed that sanity was the norm, and insanity was the deviance from the norm. What Raymond is saying here, however, is that sanity must be learned throughout life. Interesting.

After discussing these two and a few other ideas by Mr. Raymond, I came to the conclusion that his ideas were rather interesting, and yes, it could actually work. I do believe, to some extent, that sanity should be learned rather than lost. The only questionable thing, I think, is whether or not it can be accomplished over the internet.

The idea of Participation Theory seems very interesting to me because of its simplistic logic and matter-of-fact approach to the subject. The idea of, "We learn to be human by participating with other human beings," is something which can be useful when dealing with people in need of therapy. Raymond believes that through interaction with other people, we can learn to deal with our problems and learn more about ourselves. He uses the basis of interaction between people as the grounds for this theory and I believe, succeeds in doing so.

Another section of Tom Raymond's page which I thought was interesting was his advice column, Emotional Fitness On-line. This reminded me of that column, Dear Abbey. Here, people write in their problems and Tom responds, giving them his view on the matter. This could definitely be seen as being useful. If people are getting anything out of advice columns, or at least if they think they're getting something out of it, then I don't see why this would be any different. It would just be an alternative route for getting answers through advice columns. Who cares whether it be through newspaper or via the internet? If that's all they want, then Raymond's column will do.

There is one idea that Mr. Raymond brings up which I don't entirely agree with. While discussing the topic of "getting along," Raymond says that, "Neighbors and associates who can't adjust to each others 'style' may simply keep their distance or, if the dis-coordination is extreme, become openly hostile." This, I feel, is untrue. Maybe its just me, or maybe its the way in which I was brought up, but I feel this statement is false. If an associate of mine was someone who I couldn't get along with, I'd maybe keep my distance, but I don't think I'd act in a hostile manner. It's not who I am or who I was brought up to be. Maybe it's just my cultural background, but I don't agree with this line of thinking. I'd like to believe that I'd do anything in my power to keep the interaction civil.

Going on the advice of one of my classmates, I looked up another interesting site on therapy. Dr. Doria Schmid is a sex therapist who is practicing over the internet. When I got to her page, I looked at the various headings and selected FAQ's, as my first avenue to explore.

Here, I got some interesting topics. There were many different questions, 20 to be exact, and after reading over some, I realized it was exactly like any other sex therapy seen in magazines and books. The only problem with this site, as I see it, was that in order to get much of the information, you need to pay. She has leaflets which tell you many of the questions people are wondering about, but to access them, you have to send money. I guess this is one way to ensure her success in practicing over the internet.

The idea which seems attractive to me is that confidentiality is better (or is it?) over the internet. No one will see you go into the office of a sex therapist, no one has to know what goes on in your house, at your computer terminal, on your own time. If one were to explore this means of obtaining sex therapy, then this would probably be the safest (as far as others knowing) way of going about it. This, I thought, was a definite plus on the matter.

The negative part of this site is that in order to even get started, you need to pay. There are sex therapists out there who'll give you a "free consultation," if you want it. Here, however, you have to pay in order to get good advice. The worst part is that, once you pay for the leaflets and brochures, whether the advice is good or not, its in your hands and can't be refunded.

There is a part of me which would like to believe that this could be accomplished, therapy over the internet. Another part of me, however, is very skeptical, for in many cases, the therapist must be able to literally see the patient and read their thoughts and feelings, as well as facial expressions. It is for this reason that I think venturing into this realm of therapy (over the internet that is), is a rather risky alternative to actual one-on-one therapy.

When I first saw the web page for Dr. Cohn, I thought it was like an infomercial, where he is trying to sell one of his driving tapes. When I talked to some of my friends and classmates, many seemed to feel the same way. I'm not sure how much help his tape would be, but I think some of his tips on driving may be useful. On his web site, Dr. Cohn, has a few sections on stress and anxiety, and ways to deal with these problems. Anyway, here are a few things you may find at Dr. Cohn's web site.

Food For Thought: Most doctors and therapists are not aware of the importance of the role diet, nutrition and habits play on our lives. For people who suffer Anxiety Disorders, to make these choices, is like giving cigarettes to those with lung cancer or candy to diabetics!

In this area, Dr. Cohn talks about stress and anxiety, he explains how important health and dieting are to dealing with stress related problems. He has a list of things which should be cut out of your diet if you experience high levels of anxiety. Things such as alcohol, cigarettes, all caffeine, coffee, (including decaf) sodas,(including diet), chocolate, sugar and white flour.

How to Handle Driving Stress and Improve Your Driving Skills... Before starting the car, take a moment to take some deep breaths and relax.

In Dr. Cohn's paper he has a listing of things to do before driving and while driving, on his web page each tip is summarized and explained. I think these tips may help a driver who stresses out a lot.

Make your own "Survival Kit"

Dr. Cohn also has a "Survival Kit" for driving, some of the items listed here may make driving more pleasant.

After getting through with Dr. Cohn's web site, I looked at another web site dealing with driving. This web site was put up by Dr. Driving. There were a few things that I liked about Dr. Driving's web site.

Dr. Driving Says...Problems and Solutions

I like the way this section is setup. People write to Dr. Driving and explain to him their problems, and he then explains to them a few possible solutions and things that can be done to help people feel better about the way they drive. He also refers back to a table or chart that he created which acts as a guide to some of his explanations. I would put a few examples here, but he is so extensive in his explanations, it would take up to much space.

Dr. Driving's Three-Step Program CHART of the Nine Zones

In this section of Dr. Driving's web site, he lists his ideas of the nine zones people refer to while driving. For each area, he lists the positive and negative aspects people seem to have while driving. It's kind of hard to explain this chart, you should just check out this site and check out this chart for yourself.

Although there are a few useful things in Dr. Cohn's web site, it seems to be more intent on selling Dr. Cohn's tape, rather then help people with their driving problem. I mean the first page you see as an ad for his tape. Of course, he has a few tips on his site, but these tips just cover the problems rather than get rid of them. Dr. Driving's web site helps people figure out what their problems are, and explains to them how to deal with their problems. In one section people ask him questions about their problems and he tries to answer their questions and help them with their problems.

After reading through the article, Technology and Transgression, by Steve Mizrach, I found three sections from his paper that I thought were very interesting. Although some of his paper was unreadable to me (there were a lot of abbreviations of which I couldn't decipher), I could get the gist of what he was trying to say.

In his section on Computer Underground, Mizrach noted those we know as Cryptoanarchists, hackers, virologists, and phreakers, and gave us his definitions of each. He claims that, "hackers are aiming for total and open access to hardware, data, and software; the phreakers are aiming for total and open fundamental communicational freedom; the cryptoanarchists are using cryptography as an agent for attaining privacy, autonomy, and avoidance of the State; and the virologists are writing viruses for malicious mischief."

So basically, these people are out there trying to either break into every site they can to get something, trying to hide their stuff, or they're creating deadly viruses. I feel that these people are out there just to state their claims to a place which is supposed to be theirs... cyberspace. These people are just saying to the Government, "hey, leave us alone and mind your own business!"

The only exception to this theory are the virologists. These people seem to be out there trying to play God. What they're trying to do, is create another lifeform (I believe computer generated viruses are a lifeform), in an attempt to bolster their ego and allow them to serve as an omniscient being. These people should stop doing what they're doing and let Cyberspace exist as is.

The next section which I thought was interesting was the section on Neuronauts. These people, according to Mizrach, "are all those who see technology as the key to using your mind in unauthorized ways." They are the VR enthusiasts, brain/mind machine users, and synthetic drug users.

What was interesting about this section was the idea of using technology to free your mind. What does this really mean? Well, in a sense, its allowing whatever part of you which can't be expressed biologically, to emerge in the presence of technology. For example, take the drug user.

Before the technology of synthetic drugs, these people wouldn't even have imagined using such mind releasing devices. Since the invention of synthetic drugs, however, many people flock to use them in an effort to escape from reality. This, I feel, is a good example of how people take advantage of technology and grasp it firmly in both hands.

The final section I'd like to discuss is the section on Electric Eroticians, or cybersexologists. These are the people who are out there using the internet to get off. They venture into cyberspace, make contact with another person, and eventually go off and "have sex," or as close as you can over the internet (by typing to each other).

Mizrach believes that, "the boogeyman lurking in our collective sexual closet might be robot sex." What he means by this is that someday, maybe in the near future, a robot or android of some sort may cater to our every needs and even fulfill us sexually.

I feel that these people are out there simply to explore another means of sexual play. I don't think they actually believe they're "having sex," but rather just fooling around in a controlled environment where its safe to "just play." In today's day and age, where AIDS lurks around every corner, wouldn't it make a person feel safer to get off via the internet? I think that's exactly what these people are aiming for, and if they enjoy it, more power to them.

In my first report, the general notion of Cyberspace and the Mind being interrelated was my basic premise. I stated that, "both exist in a virtual reality, in other words, they are not physical entities," and "both contain information that is organized and can be retrieved." If you don't take advantage of either, there's no sense in having them.

With this in mind, we now look towards the future and what Cyberspace can offer us. Already, there are places over the internet which offer such services as, cyber-therapy, driving therapy, and many other things which were never even thought of before the existence of Cyberspace. But are these services helpful?

As for now, I don't believe that these services can replace face-to-face interaction between patient and therapist. There are just too many hidden elements involved in the therapy process which cannot be readily conveyed over the internet. Notice I say, 'as for now.'

The future of Cyberspace is limitless, in my eyes. Technology is advancing at such a rapid rate, that what was considered "cutting edge," yesterday may be considered obsolete in just a few months. So where does this leave us for the future?

I believe that the future of Cyberspace is going to be a place where people will go to escape from their everyday hassles. People will go there to gain knowledge, kick back and relax with a cyber-friend, make love over the internet, or even obtain therapy. There's virtually no area that Cyberspace cannot venture wherever Cyberspace goes, you can be sure that it's netizens will follow.

So to conclude this report, I'd like to boldly state that, yes, there is probably a new type of human evolution which is taking place here. The evolving of people into a technologically based community is happening as we speak, and at an incredible rate. We see this everyday in the advancements which our children are making, technology wise. What was thought of as being "only for adults," in the past, is now becoming a necessity for the proper education of our youth.

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