Paranesis? Come again?

In our coaching sessions, something new comes to the fore. It is like a breach in people’s personal stability. Fear, anxiety and worry dominate, accompanied by feelings of powerlessness or aimless activity. Another possible reaction to the current situation is radical denial. We do not hear from or see people with this coping strategy in our coaching sessions. They will probably come later.

We encounter thoughtful people with a good and sometimes impressive educational background who are currently hesitant to face their own feelings of fear, worry and helplessness. However, they sense that they need something that they cannot do on their own. Some begin to brood, while others give way to irrational suspicions, insinuations and even conspiracy theories.

What they all have in common is that they find themselves in a situation where the external structure is weakening and they are struggling to adapt flexibly to a changing, partially threatening situation. Many want a cause that can be eliminated, or, if necessary, a strong authority that will come to the rescue. The path to serenity, which knows how to adapt flexibly (agilely) to changing conditions, is still rare.

For us as coaches, what is referred to in ancient philosophy and later in Christian teachings as parenesis comes into play here: encouraging, admonishing and comforting words of reassurance. And that is our task at present – to help people find their own serenity, to give them the stability they need for a time to find their own again. It is a wonderful task and one that can also be carried out very well digitally.