Ever tried to end therapy? This article (which you'll have to register for free to read) might ring some bells:

[URL=NY Times on ending therapy]http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/30/health/views/30beha.html?em&ex=1193976000&en=5e44418eb76ad5b1&ei=5087%0A[/URL]

Hi, I loved this article.

And I think that many of this applies to relationships with acting teachers, as well (and any kind of teacher).

An acting teacher ought to get their student "out into the world" as fast as possible. And an acting teacher should recognize that there are many teachers out there with something valuable to offer -- not just them.

Having clear goals, and concrete ways of assessing the progress towards those clear goals, are an essential part of training that many teachers and students completely disregard. In fact, some teachers even promote the silly idea that because acting is so "mysterious," it is not possible to have any clear goals for training. This destructive religious talk about acting (there is so, so much of it in actor training) can handicap progress and shackle a student to teacher.

Anyway, thanks for the article. - Jason

Another thing that I find highly suspect is the level of "pathology" that is being "found" in people these days.

There is a diagnosis for every feeling you can have. And soon, it seems, there will be chemicals we can take to mask whatever kind of experience we decide (or are told) is "bad" or "ill."

It's quite an interesting chemical experiment we are now doing on millions of children -- feeding them chemicals to "control" them that no one has any idea what the poisonous effect will be in the next 10-75 years of their lives -- because there are no studies about it.

The kids are the studies!

I think we artists ought to grapple with this in our work. It's a huge issue these days.

- Jason