Learning to trust in the process and lessons from different faiths

(: 00:29

Hi, welcome along to the Aspiring Psychologist podcast. I am Dr. Marianne Trent and I'm a qualified clinical psychologist. This is episode 51 of the podcast series. We have not long celebrated the 11 month launch, which was on Christmas Eve in 2021. So we're fast approaching a whole year of this and it's been lovely being part of your world, having you be part of my world and hearing all the lovely things you've said about the podcast. I hope you find today useful. And as ever, if you do like the series, please do leave me a review and leave me a rating on Apple Podcast. It's so appreciated. I know from looking at the stats recently that over 48% of you listen via Spotify and that, uh, 38% of you listen via Apple podcasts, which means 38% of you could. Whilst you're listening to this show right now, head onto the app, click on show, and then very easily leave me a rating and just leave me a quick review whilst you're doing it as well.

(: 01:32

And you can do it whilst you're listening. There is no need to, you know, even break stride from whatever you are doing. Stay safe, don't know when you're driving. That is my firm advice. Obviously if you are watching on YouTube, it won't have missed your attention that I have suddenly got no headphones on. My headphones suddenly decided to stop working and I couldn't hear myself. But, um, I've checked and the, uh, the microphone is still working. Um, so yeah, fingers crossed this is all fine. So today's podcast episode was dreamed up about 10 minutes ago by me because I was going to be doing a guest episode and it's been cancelled. And so I needed to come up with a plan, um, for what to talk to you about. So, um, I thought I would talk to you about some, some of the bits and pieces that I've been talking to people about on socials today, specifically LinkedIn cuz you guys know I'm a big LinkedIn geek.

(: 02:27

If you're not already connected with me on there, do come over and find me. I'm Dr. Marianne Trent. So today I was, um, stopped in my tracks by, um, a lovely status, um, a lovely post that Zahra Bilal had shared and she was talking about an Islamic, uh, principle that is the practice of ‘Tawakkul’. I'm sorry if I've said that wrong. Um, and it's the concept of emotional detachment from an outcome. Specifically Wikipedia tells us that it's, um, in the Arabic language and it's the word for the Islamic concept of the reliance on God, of trusting in God's plans. Um, it's seen as a perfect trusting God and reliance on him alone, and it can also be referred to as God consciousness. Um, so I kind of like this idea, regardless of whether you have faith in any God or any religion at all. I kind of liked this idea because it resonated with me, um, for kind of thinking about our journey in psychology.

(: 03:34

Um, and then there was also a comment on there that there was also, um, a similar Hindu practice as well, and it was Anirudh Zala who'd said that in Hinduism, um, and probably every other religion as well, he said there's a, um, a concept called "Nishkama Karma". Um, so I had a little Google about that. Uh, let me tell you about "Nishkama Karma" and it's the selfless or desireless action. So when an action is performed without any expectation or fruits or results, um, and of course this is particularly useful for us when we're thinking about the process of, um, applying for jobs, um, and applying for training places. Um, this can be really tricky because um, you know, we might well apply when we feel like we are ready, but we can't know who else is applying. Um, and you know, what the calibre of other applicants might be.

(: 04:36

We have to hope that any recruitment processes are robust and valid. Um, and of course we just have to kind of trust in that process. Um, but you know, sometimes people do get on to training courses, um, on their first attempt. And so I had a little look at some stats, um, from the alternative handbook 2021 edition. Um, and people definitely do get on, um, from fast attempt. So, um, from the respondents I looked at, um, I flicked through, you know, banger, east Anglia, um, east London, um, Edinburgh, Essex, Exeter, and Hertfordshire, the once I flicked through. So 36%, 22%, 29%, 41%, 45%, 13%, 22%. This of course, this of course is only, um, that percentage of applicants and I noticed that there were no respondents for Coventry, um, and Warwick and it might be that there's other courses as well that had no representation, but I don't ever remember getting, um, a survey.

(: 05:44

Um, and I do wonder, I would like your opinion if you know that this is not true. Um, or even if it is true, I do wanna, they only sample, um, BPS members cuz I was only a BPS member I think per part of my first first year. So it might be that I wasn't a member when they sampled. Um, but yeah, it seems strange that there was no respondents, um, for a whole course. Um, so yeah, we can only really take this as being the opinion of some people, perhaps the opinion of people who are more likely to fill in surveys as well. So it might not necessarily be, um, you know, an accurate depiction, but so it tells us that, um, some people do get on first time, but what it doesn't tell us necessarily is, um, you know, what their career journey had been like, um, before they applied.

(: 06:31

And of course what their age might have been like and you know, what they wrote on their form. There can be many, many different things, um, that the, the data doesn't tell us. But of course I also quite enjoyed the fact that, um, east London and Exeter and Hertfordshire had respondents who got on sixth time lucky. Um, so you know, if you don't give up and you keep changing and you keep reflecting and you keep the faith, um, and you keep applying in terms of the niche karma, um, karma and the tole, and I'm so sorry if that is, if you do speak Arabic and I've got that horrendously wrong, please do let me know. Um, and I will, I'll do like a a a TV reframe where I have to apologise and say the correct pronunciation. So I did try and have a Google, but I couldn't find anywhere that told me how to pronounce it properly.

(: 07:31

So, um, yeah, if I've got that wrong, um, then do let me know. But it's kind of like, well, I'm gonna keep trying only keep bringing my best to the show. Um, and you know, when it's my time, I will be successful. And I honestly believe that when you get there, when you get onto your profess, when you get onto your professional doctoral course, whichever discipline of psychology that might be that it won't matter how many times you've applied because I firmly believe you'll get on when you are ready and when the right time for you is. Because what I wouldn't want for you is for you to gain a place and feel massively out of your comfort zones and like everything feels overwhelming. Let's take a little short break here. And I do think because of the time of year, even though I haven't got my Christmas tree up, it might be time to switch to our slightly Christmas year jingle, um, the Aspiring Psychologist podcast. So this was the original jingle and I said I love it, but I do wonder if it sounds a little bit too like a Christmas edition. So I would love your thoughts and your feedback on what you think to the Christmas version. Hope you enjoy it

(: 09:25

Welcome back. Thank you for listening. Hoped you like those lovely sleigh bells . So, um, thank you for everyone who's been in contact recently pitching yourselves, um, for episodes of the podcast. It's been really lovely to hear from so many of you, but please keep those, um, contacts coming if you think you've got a unique, interesting or just useful tale to tell, um, about your journey to becoming, um, a qualified psychologist. Um, do get in contact with me, um, and let's get you, uh, let's have a, let's have a chat to see whether it might make a good podcast episode. Um, cause I love hearing from you and I like it that people, you know, feel like this is also your show too because it is, you know, this is about you, it's done with you and for you. Um, so yeah, we are aiming to get more and more aspiring psychologists in the show as well as themes and debates that you might find interesting and useful too.

(: 10:33

Um, if you don't want to be in an episode, which is absolutely understandable, do please get in contact with ideas that you want to potentially feature, um, and have me discuss and I can then find a guest or I can just do it freestyle. Um, so yeah, very short and sweet episode today, but I didn't want to leave you guys without an episode cause I know that I've wound myself into your little Monday fabric of many of your lives and that is a wonderful privilege. So thank you so much. Um, if you would welcome some more advice and support and guidance, please consider coming along to the Aspiring Psychologist membership where we're doing lovely things and creating really nice, um, group of people as well. Um, people are saying really nice things about it and it's helping them to develop their confidence, um, and to feel supported, especially if they don't feel supported, um, in the workplace or if they haven't in the past.

(: 11:29

So yeah, if that describes you or if you just think that you could use with brushing up a bit on your confidence and your skills in things like C B t, um, reflective practise, then come on board. Um, it'd be lovely to have you there. Otherwise, do please come and join our free Facebook group as well. It is the Aspiring Psychologist Community Bracket Free Group. Um, and that's with Dr. Maryanne Trent, I do believe. Um, but yeah, thank you so much for being part of my world and I will look forward to catching up with you very soon for our next episode of the Aspiring Psychologist Podcast. Take care.