By: Azad Karimi
I love what I do, and it is a big part of who I am. Psychology is everywhere around us, and I use it in every sphere of my life. I use it to help my counseling clients. I use it to produce good content. I use it to raise awareness and promote important causes. I use it to eat better, train better, love better, live better.
Interview
Serbian Psychotherapist Leo Ivanišević
By Azad Karimi
For God's sake, read this interview carefully. This young man from Belgrade says great things that are the result of centuries of human experience. He points to issues that -people of all walks of life- do not pay attention to. Because we are all in a crisis of illusion (My evolution being I am).
And that means ending the process of collective rational evolution and moving toward personal tyrannies. Personal tyranny means our individual selfishness in our personal lives and our direct behavior with the people we interact with on a daily basis. But catastrophe occurs when some people decide together to turn these common individual methods into a collective behavior in society.
Such as violence against women, early marriage of girls, retaliatory murders,Terrorism, giving and taking bribes, hostage-taking, drug use, breach of contract, normalization of crime, etc. The question is, why does a society decide to set its moral norms in this way or in other methods? What has happened in the past of this society? Why do one society progress and another society fall? Why does one society live in the illusion of superiority and another society in regret and humiliation?
Why do the tools that control public opinion take different approaches in different societies? Why should they think that they should direct their audience to what the managers of these media believe? Why has resisting the truth become so commonplace in today's world? Why is public opinion thirsty for the truth but always hesitant to choose the truth and miss out on good and useful opportunities and let the will of a particular group govern them?
And all of this produces a wave of individual anger and ultimately social anger that results in bloody revolutions, fascism, civil war, foreign war, and international aggression and violence!
Humanity has gone this way, but falling into this abyss is due to a historical process, not a momentary decision ... Unfortunately, we have all come to the bitter conclusion that the quality of life is at an all-time low. Because we enjoy the least of what is there!
That is why we are in Doubt. Unfortunately, the promotion of the idea that: Yes! we are in this temporary world and we will die, so we must humiliate this world, which has caused this world to humiliate humanity in the most violent way possible. Yes! Because this is the law of causality. This is the law of action and reaction. O temporary and mortal man! Do you expect respect when you are disrespectful?
So as long as you do not respect our world, you should expect the world to disrespect you. Hence, anger and frustration and conflicting and unstable emotions are a reflection of your interactions with the planet(The earth) ... But experience has proven that the Earth will triumph over you because you are the one who dies but the earth is permanent. So correct yourself. You have no other choice!
I wish success and happiness to my very good, wise, and prudent friend Leo.
Thank you!
Østland-Norway
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?. Please present yourself (Name, education, Civil status and
.I am Leo Ivanišević, I have a BA in psychology, MA in PR & Marketing, and I'm a psychotherapist in training. I live in Belgrade, Serbia. I’m 32, I live alone with two cats, I do several jobs, and I always liked to dedicate my free time to art and the beautiful people around me. Currently, I'm working in a marketing agency as a copywriter and a project manager. I write and talk about psychology in local media. I'm also involved with NGO called "Re-Generation", where I raise awareness on various mental health issues related to substance abuse and violence.
?. what are your artistic specialties.
.Most of them are related to the scene and performance. Music is a big one. I have several years of training in classical singing, three years of acting classes, and a few years of dancing. I sang in two bands, performed a lead role in a musical, did a few dancing gigs and many fire shows.
I’m also pretty good at writing, design, and video editing, but for now, I see those more as job-related skills rather than means of expression. Performing arts are the field where I can let myself go.
?When and how did you become interested in this field of work and art.
.I inherited my interest in psychology from my mother. She is a clinical psychologist and a psychoanalytic therapist.
I think I was always attracted to music, dance, and theatre when it comes to arts. And it seems like these arts were attracted to me as well. When I was 16, I saw a girl spinning poi at the local bar. I liked that, and I started practicing myself, and during the years, it evolved to fire juggling. When I was 19, a friend asked me to join a dance group with him because he thought my poi skills would be helpful. A few years later, a friend I met in the dance group told me that a small, alternative musical theatre school had opened up in Belgrade. In that school, I met a fabulous mentor, a great vocal coach and opera singer Nataša Tasić-Knežević who convinced me to continue my musical education in classical singing. One thing led to another, opportunities were given to me, and I took them. Today, you won't see me singing and dancing on stage, but you will see me discussing psychology on live TV programs. I guess all the skills I gained through my experience with music and theatre still come in handy.
?.Who was your motivator
.When it comes to music, one of my greatest motivators was my vocal coach, Nataša. She’s the first person who believed in me, and she taught me that music isn’t about looking good on stage or performing the piece perfectly; it’s about the message and emotion. She taught me that music is about touching another person’s soul, and singing can be a very vulnerable, intimate, spiritual, and healing act.
When it comes to psychology, I guess it was my mother. During my studies, and now through my psychotherapy training, she was always there to help me understand the complicated psychoanalytic literature. During my studies, she also did her part of parental nagging, which is a pretty strong motivator – you would do anything to make it stop, even if it means earning a degree.
?What was your parent’s reaction
.Again, when it comes to psychology, they were supportive. Both of them believed that I should study something I love. It took them a long time to take it seriously when it comes to arts. "We are not an artistic family. No one in our family ever had a music talent". They supported me financially, but for a long time, they were like: "Sure, son, do your thing, whatever." So after a while, my mother told me: "You are good at this, I wish I had noticed sooner. And I think your great-great-great-uncle used to lead a church choir. So I guess we do have it in the family…."
?. When did you become a professional psychologist
.I earned my BA on Valentine's Day, the 14th of February 2013.
? Are you thankful and happy because of your activities as a psychologist
.I love what I do, and it is a big part of who I am. Psychology is everywhere around us, and I use it in every sphere of my life. I use it to help my counseling clients. I use it to produce good content. I use it to raise awareness and promote important causes. I use it to eat better, train better, love better, live better. Whether I am spinning fire at a festival or discussing female alcoholism on a TV show, human psychology is what I use to approach life.
.How can you see the world's future in terms of mental health, mental illnesses, prevention and control of dangerous mental illness, maintaining a spirit of global and international cooperation and solidarity to prevent the spread of mental illness in the world?
.I'm not sure. The world is facing some really big challenges. Stress levels are rising. Demands that are placed upon a modern human are unrealistically high. Toxic, antagonistic, unemphatic, and entitled behavior patterns increase. Materialism, extreme points of view, constant competing, and comparing ourselves to others don't do any good. Media messages are always designed to keep us anxious about something, and when we are anxious, we fall for anything. So, yeah… Declining mental health is a response to the poor environment, so if we want to see an improvement in mental health, we might want to consider improving the world we live in.
.As you know, a devastating war has recently been imposed on Ukraine. How long do you think the devastating psychological effects of this war will affect the international community? What damage will be done to the mental health of the Ukrainian people and even the Russian people whose dictator started this war?
.Well, the first psychological consequences will be visible once the dust settles. Humans can be pretty adaptable when they are under stress. Most of the emotions are repressed; because humans don’t have the mental bandwidth to process emotions when they are in a daily struggle for their life. You are staying hyper-focused, vigilant, and trying to keep up with the day. You are in a survival mode, focussing on bare necessities. Regular people on both sides of this conflict are in some form of a survival mode. They are experiencing great uncertainty and finding various ways to cope with it. Once the tension is over, suppressed fear, anger, and grief will surface when the dust settles, and some sense of safety prevails. I assume we will see a lot of C-PTSD symptoms: anxiety, depression, intrusive thoughts, and anger issues. I also believe that we will see an increase in unhealthy coping mechanisms like substance abuse, eating disorders, hoarding, behavioral addictions…
.I see these other specialties in your profile. Please explain them to your interview readers:
.I think I replied to this one in the previous answers.
? How do you see the view about your activities and culture
.Times are stressful. When we are stressed, we can turn to addictions, toxic relationships, and violence. We can also turn to art, sport, and healthy, loving, respectful relationships with each other. I think psychology and art can keep us on the right track. Maybe these fields don't seem very appreciated, but they are very needed, and I will continue to grow with them.
?.Can you become one part of the cultural movement for motivation in youth or new generations in your country
.I don’t do well with movements; I’m a solo player. I am trying to set a personal example, and I’m willing to share my words with whoever finds them useful. Sure, movements are great, but they can also be abusive and manipulative, and I think young people must learn to think for themselves. True motivation comes from within, and no movement can know you better than you know yourself. Only you know the right direction for your growth and development; only you know what aligns with your values. Sure, you can listen to what a movement has to say, but trust yourself.
? How can you help our world become a better place to live
.Psychology is about understanding the human condition, our own needs, and how we interact with the environment. Since humans constantly influence the environment, psychology can answer: What kind of environment can we thrive in? So, I can spread that knowledge and offer some suggestions. I can show you to the water. That's basically it. I cannot force anyone to drink.
?. Have you more words to say or suggest for our readers
.Know thyself. There's no point in controlling the environment, circumstances, events, and other people. We want to control everything, but we have no control over the one tool we use to experience life – our minds. So, please get to know yourself, know your mind, learn to accept it, and work with what you got. That's the only way to have a chance at happiness.
