So then if everyone is enlightened by life, how can anyone be wrong? If we are to be on an "even playing field" with the absence of "power plays", then it is fair to assume that your outlook is right, and Soulseekings outlook is right and my outlook is right. That being the case, why are we even debating? Why did you post videos to support your ideology that Psychiatry is flawed?
"When you're climbing to the top, you'd better know the way back down" MSB
So then if everyone is enlightened by life, how can anyone be wrong? If we are to be on an "even playing field" with the absence of "power plays", then it is fair to assume that your outlook is right, and Soulseekings outlook is right and my outlook is right. That being the case, why are we even debating? Why did you post videos to support your ideology that Psychiatry is flawed?
Probably one of the main reasons I posted those videos is because I'm integrating some understandings about my experiences. I've been offered some amazing opportunities in my life along the lines of my purpose, and with that some issues with my personal experiences of being degraded a lot have arisen for resolution and integration.
As for the enlightened stuff and who is right or wrong, I'm sure you have your own answers.
"The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr
So then if everyone is enlightened by life, how can anyone be wrong? If we are to be on an "even playing field" with the absence of "power plays", then it is fair to assume that your outlook is right, and Soulseekings outlook is right and my outlook is right. That being the case, why are we even debating? Why did you post videos to support your ideology that Psychiatry is flawed?
People are in varying stages of awareness. Any type of illumination comes through natural laws, and works through others, through both "good" "bad" or neutral deeds. So we're all channels of our Source energy even though many/most are completely unaware of this.
Personally, I see and accept that every individual is molded by natural law and manifest into a perfect path for perfect reasons. If I go out of synch with nature and the potential I stem from, and if I see things contrary to that perfection, the flaw is in my human perception, not in the perfection of reality/life or natural law.
"The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr
What is your quality of life? What are your hobbies and interests? Do you hold down a job? What is your relationship with others like? Do you hear voices? When you speak of spirituality what are your beliefs? Do you continue to go to therapy? How did your "very good psychiatrist" respond to your choices regarding treatment? What does your family think? You mentioned that your daughter was also suffering from mental dysfunction at one point. Is she also cured? How did this come about? Do you believe that mental illness tends to run in families? What are your thoughts on this subject?
I feel my quality of life is high. I feel I'm living my dream. If you've seen my page, you know I do calligraphy. I've written a book (almost finished). 13 years ago, after suffering with "nightmarish" OCD for 5 years, I began to have stunning spiritual experiences that showed me I would heal and that I would share my story and by that others would heal. This path has revealed itself to me every step, and I've only had to walk it. Due to these stunning experiences I was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder 13 years ago. I didn't care, because I knew those experiences were more real than any I'd ever experienced. I accepted the diagnosis, and the ill aspects I experienced, while always keeping my eye on the Light that guided me. This Light had shown me the utter perfection of everything (and continues to on occasion) The Light also showed me the purpose OCD served for me, so I was able to endure it until it went away. I've overcome OCD, bi-polar disorder, addictions, and eating disorders. I understand the energies beneath the disorders and can manipulate them and sometimes I can do so for others. My psychiatrist turned me over to my family doctor years ago. I don't take meds. I don't do therapy. I work. I volunteer. I'm about to start public speaking for educational purposes pertaining to my mental health experiences. I have a close circle of friends who know my truth and support me. I live my purpose.
My psychiatrist supported my choices re: treatment. For example mood stablizers didn't prevent episodes of mania, so I suggested going off them, and he agreed with me, knowing if there would be fallout, I'd have to live through it. There was not fallout. When I was taking meds for bi-polar disorder, I was taking anti-psychotic medication for mania only, as I began to get "high".
I believe the patterns that create mental illness are carried out in families and appear to people as illness, but at a deeper level are merely energy. We can alter our energy on the symbolic level, where our perception of the reality we experience stems from. I also believe that as in my case, the generational cycles can be broken. It's not easy but for me it's been the most beautiful journey I could have imagined. My dream.
My family thought I was "crazy" years ago when I spoke of the healing I would do, and how I would inspire others. So now that I'm obviously brimming with health, they have had to come to terms with that. And they had to take back the illness they once projected on me, thereby facing their own issues, finally.
My children are bright, perceptive and aware/sensitive. We've all had severe issues to deal with and are each very blessed to have individual and healthy senses of "self". My daughter has gone through numerous stages of healing, herself, and also understands many of the underlying dynamics of mental health from experience and from healing. My son, who had two mentally ill grandmothers, and who had a mentally ill mother, was spared developing illness. It was through his birth that I developed post partum depression, from which my OCD started.
The actual healing for myself and my daughter happened by first accepting and addressing our personal issues one by one and then resolving and overcoming them through the methods we were intuitively drawn to and that worked for us. I face all my issues with the expectation to overcome them and to purify my energy.
"The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr
Thank you for taking this step to open up. It certainly sounds like you are in a good place in your life.
Can you elaborate more on the "stunning experiences", guiding light and "methods" you refer to?
It would be amazing to use these techniques and your story to maybe help others as well.
Is your book a chronicle of your experience or is it a healing aid of some sort?
You are welcome.
My book does both--it shares my experiences and the basics of healing.
Anything I can say about the Light or stunning experiences is symbolic because the experiences were otherworldly and not of concepts we would normally know or consider. I can say that when I am touched by this Light, I've dropped to my knees in tears and humility at how perfect it is, and at the perfection I've been shown. Also, I "see" and understand concepts in that Light, and yet the minute I start to consider, think about them, etc, I automatically start to distort the perfection of what I see. My understanding, though, is that this Light is us. And we are it. We have taken on individual experience and have separated from our truth. We are all progressing back to our truth at our own pace. But we are always one with it. It is only in our awareness that we are not. This Light embraces us at all times. And yet we're mostly oblivious to it. We are all connected and at base we are one. We all make agreements unconsciously to connect for reasons. Everything that happens in our lives is about us even when it seems to be about others.
The methods I've used were all typical treatments for overcoming things. And also, as an intuitive person who set her filters to find empowerment and overcoming, I gravitated towards it. So I've done eating disorder treatment. I've used nicotine gum, and a smoking support group. What I had to do, in essence, was reverse my maladaptive methods and align with healthy ones. I developed a regular fitness health routine years ago. I've given up coffee, TV, drinking, excessive sugar use, etc. I eat much more pristinely than is "normal". The key was that in order to give up these issues, I've had to resolve all the inner stuff that arose in dealing with each step. it was during this process of practical work, and recovering my emotions, and dealing with my one-time repressed traumas, etc, that the "big" disorders began to grow less and less and eventually disappeared. The way I see it is that I began to align with my real self, rather than just my ego. Therefore I've been integrating my energy and the more aligned I am the more positive results I see. We've lost touch with the natural laws, and the fact that when we go against the grain of evolution we feel discomfort, and when we go with it we feel the great feeling of being closer to our potential, and oneness or whole-someness. All lack is an illusion, and an opportunity to grow and find our way home to our truth. There is no loss, separation or death. All those are products of our human perception, which we've taken on to have these illusory experiences which feel very real to us.
The basic problem is that people have lost touch with their base and their power which remains their base and their power despite their obliviousness to it. So we're like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, looking outside ourselves, through our life "adventures" or experiences for something over the rainbow, when really we have the ability to go home to our truth with us at all times. this is why we are always equal and everything is always balanced even though our human awareness tells us otherwise. When we step out of that balance and take an unbalanced position, we create these experiences which eventually lead us to growth and to truth. At this time, many people are unconscious to the truths right before our eyes. We don't see the simple truth. We're caught up in theory, and with giving our power away to the past and future, which are illusions, and we don't realize the beautiful intelligence of evolution teaching us at all times. In our "theories" we believe things are random, etc. and thereby we think illness, lack, separation, etc. is random and meaningless, when it's really a very intelligent teacher.
"The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr
This is an odd concept since Angelica feels there are no "flaws" in people. Therefore how can anyone be stunted or closed minded when everyone is perfect in their own way?
good luck explaining it. she has posted statistics about how 95% of people are dysfunctional on multiple occasions. now she is saying everyone is perfect the way they are. its like... what's that eastern term? the koan? koad? might be a hindu concept... supposed to be a mind bender with an impossible answer. like "if a tree falls in the forest and nobody hears it..."
The methods I've used were all typical treatments for overcoming things. And also, as an intuitive person who set her filters to find empowerment and overcoming, I gravitated towards it. So I've done eating disorder treatment. I've used nicotine gum, and a smoking support group. What I had to do, in essence, was reverse my maladaptive methods and align with healthy ones. I developed a regular fitness health routine years ago. I've given up coffee, TV, drinking, excessive sugar use, etc. I eat much more pristinely than is "normal". The key was that in order to give up these issues, I've had to resolve all the inner stuff that arose in dealing with each step.
ever thought about adding internet to that list? i know there are times i worry that i've switched some of my addictions to the net.
ever thought about adding internet to that list? i know there are times i worry that i've switched some of my addictions to the net.
I vocally express my dealings with intellectual attachment through the internet with my friends/family (attachment to my thoughts/ego, which is something I've been in the process of shifting for a long while now). Just so you know, as an extravert, I often learn by thinking aloud and discussing my views/theories. So, many on this board view me in the midst of doing so. As I'm talking about moving beyond thought and just BEing, that reflects what I'm working with. I'm well aware of trading down in addictions/attachments. I've mostly removed my one-time addictive personality by facing my codependent issues.
I've accepted the perfection of my journey all along, from being in the midst of numerous disorders, and to now, where my system is quite pristine. There are always life issues to navigate and manage and I'm perfectly okay with that.
edit: even just yesterday I told Ahnimus I'm struggling with the issue of my thoughts, in a pm.
"The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr
good luck explaining it. she has posted statistics about how 95% of people are dysfunctional on multiple occasions. now she is saying everyone is perfect the way they are. its like... what's that eastern term? the koan? koad? might be a hindu concept... supposed to be a mind bender with an impossible answer. like "if a tree falls in the forest and nobody hears it..."
we are all perfectly dysfunctional?
Truthful answers are pretty much impossible using logic and linear processes that must blot out what's on the periphery, leaving only partial truths in order to make sense. Holistic truths cannot be done justice with words and explanations. So in terms of verbal concepts, it comes down to the context. I use logic as a tool within the context and again, it will be a limited representation of the truth I refer to. It is not reality that is flawed, it's the limits of the human mind that cannot make sense of reality and even when the mind can comprehend the absurdity comfortably, it cannot communicate it with linear words without being mysterious or metaphorical, thereby using integrated brain processes. Using logic as a tool dependent upon each context, on a holistic level I will therefore represent the absurdity, or the mysterious and paradoxical nature of reality. Some might view this as me being hypocritical. Which is fine with me. I understand that western society is very identified with logic and linear thought, at the expense of whole-brained thought. To each their own.
"The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr
Within the dynamics of the brain; Where does this "out of synch with nature" come in?
How can you be "out of synch"?
Does it have to do with the dopaminergic pathways to the nucleus accumbens? The transporting of ntr vesicles through the axon hillock to the presynaptic membrane? Or is it when glutamate binds with the NDMA channel to initiate ion flow?
Explain how this nature becomes "out of synch"? Usually, if something goes wrong here, we call it a neurological disorder and direct them to a mental health professional, like a psychiatrist. How can one get their Na+ and K+ ions back to a normal -60mV?
I necessarily have the passion for writing this, and you have the passion for condemning me; both of us are equally fools, equally the toys of destiny. Your nature is to do harm, mine is to love truth, and to make it public in spite of you. - Voltaire
Within the dynamics of the brain; Where does this "out of synch with nature" come in?
How can you be "out of synch"?
Does it have to do with the dopaminergic pathways to the nucleus accumbens? The transporting of ntr vesicles through the axon hillock to the presynaptic membrane? Or is it when glutamate binds with the NDMA channel to initiate ion flow?
Explain how this nature becomes "out of synch"? Usually, if something goes wrong here, we call it a neurological disorder and direct them to a mental health professional, like a psychiatrist. How can one get their Na+ and K+ ions back to a normal -60mV?
Are you quoting me with the "out of synch with nature"? I can't find where I said that.
"The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr
People are in varying stages of awareness. Any type of illumination comes through natural laws, and works through others, through both "good" "bad" or neutral deeds. So we're all channels of our Source energy even though many/most are completely unaware of this.
Personally, I see and accept that every individual is molded by natural law and manifest into a perfect path for perfect reasons. If I go out of synch with nature and the potential I stem from, and if I see things contrary to that perfection, the flaw is in my human perception, not in the perfection of reality/life or natural law.
I necessarily have the passion for writing this, and you have the passion for condemning me; both of us are equally fools, equally the toys of destiny. Your nature is to do harm, mine is to love truth, and to make it public in spite of you. - Voltaire
Within the dynamics of the brain; Where does this "out of synch with nature" come in?
How can you be "out of synch"?
Does it have to do with the dopaminergic pathways to the nucleus accumbens? The transporting of ntr vesicles through the axon hillock to the presynaptic membrane? Or is it when glutamate binds with the NDMA channel to initiate ion flow?
Explain how this nature becomes "out of synch"? Usually, if something goes wrong here, we call it a neurological disorder and direct them to a mental health professional, like a psychiatrist. How can one get their Na+ and K+ ions back to a normal -60mV?
We are always 100% immersed in nature. What I refer to in this case of "out of synch", is in terms of natural law, wherein I am out of synch with what works for me. This usually happens, from my understanding, when we are ingrained with patterns, through "nurture" and what we've been taught, but these patterns create conflict with who we are in our entirety. These are our inner conflicts with reality. In this case, I'm defining reality as what exists external to me, and who I am in my entirety.
In terms of the psychology, by our egos and our "scripts" we identify with certain aspects of ourselves and reality, and we disidentify and block/deny other aspects. These blocked parts are also us but are hived off and operate unconsciously beyond our awareness. These are the issues of the Jungian shadow. The shadow undermines us and reveals our true conflicts. Again, this felt sense of out-of-synchness is still within natural law, but the individual experiences pain and/or suffering for going discordant to "what is".
We can give a person drugs to mask these problems of existence, and for me that should be undertaken with understanding that it's a temporary fix in order to help with problem solving functioning, because masking the issues does not in fact resolve the underlying problems and conflicts.
"The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr
We are always 100% immersed in nature. What I refer to in this case of "out of synch", is in terms of natural law, wherein I am out of synch with what works for me. This usually happens, from my understanding, when we are ingrained with patterns, through "nurture" and what we've been taught, but these patterns create conflict with who we are in our entirety. These are our inner conflicts with reality. In this case, I'm defining reality as what exists external to me, and who I am in my entirety.
In terms of the psychology, by our egos and our "scripts" we identify with certain aspects of ourselves and reality, and we disidentify and block/deny other aspects. These blocked parts are also us but are hived off and operate unconsciously beyond our awareness. These are the issues of the Jungian shadow. The shadow undermines us and reveals our true conflicts. Again, this felt sense of out-of-synchness is still within natural law, but the individual experiences pain and/or suffering for going discordant to "what is".
We can give a person drugs to mask these problems of existence, and for me that should be undertaken with understanding that it's a temporary fix in order to help with problem solving functioning, because masking the issues does not in fact resolve the underlying problems and conflicts.
What if the problem is that your autoimmune system is attacking your mylenated axons? As is the case with MS. Or attacking the nerve cells, as in ALS?
I necessarily have the passion for writing this, and you have the passion for condemning me; both of us are equally fools, equally the toys of destiny. Your nature is to do harm, mine is to love truth, and to make it public in spite of you. - Voltaire
What if the problem is that your autoimmune system is attacking your mylenated axons? As is the case with MS. Or attacking the nerve cells, as in ALS?
Ahnimus, we're all somewhat in synch with one another around here, and dispite our diversity, we can hear each other--we've debated so much, we have a common communication structure. The communication is connecting between us all that we're at this point now, which is the gist of this issue:
Imagine I am feeling broken and need help because of the OCD that has developed because of my lack of healthy adaptation to life. Imagine you medicate away my symptoms of OCD, which are the evolutionary alarm bell necessary to get my attention--they are the consequences of choices that are not working for me. I take medication and the OCD symptoms are muted, but I remain stuck in my evolutionary imbalanced place in life, remaining unconscious of the reasons I'm STILL suffering, and remaining unconscious to the life challenges I'm facing. The imbalanced patterns, and the non-acknowledged evolutionary patterns which operate in all avenues of my life will continue even if the OCD symptoms are gone. I will continue to suffer. If this is all given to me in the context that I'm ill and always will be, I will accept it. I will accept that I'm flawed, and predisposed to a life of suffering. I will accept that I'm unfortunate, and that I have bad luck. And that I can't make relationships work. It's all because I'm flawed. I know I would accept this, as a matter of fact, because I DID accept this for many years.
On the other hand, if you medicate away my symptoms, and tell me that I'm experiencing some life problems, and I need some tools to help me in all levels of my life, such as meds on one hand, some counselling on another, and some understanding of my social interactions so I can solve my problems while using meds, you are showing me the avenues to meet the evolutionary challenges. In this context, it is understood that the goal is to solve the psychological, subjective life problems as well as the sociological problems causing the symptoms.
This is why it's important to synthesize--we must integrate the neurochemical, the psychological, and the sociological issues. If we just look at it neurochemically we can solve the disorder at the expense of the patient's ability to recover. We miss the whole point and the evolutionary aspect where the person does not have the skills/abilities to meet their life challenges.
This is what is happening in the western world that is causing such huge imbalance. We are mass numbing our symptoms--and not just psychiatrically. And we are remaining out of balance, having not learned to solve our problems. And it's coming to a climax on the world stage. And individually. It's part of our evolution. We'll either learn to solve our problems, or we'll begin to fall out of the system. "Crazy" is stigmatized and demonized, and yet it's part of nature's perfection and evolution for a reason. "Crazy" is FAR different than the stigma most people assume is the reality. The misperception of "crazy" by the masses is about the lack of awareness in humankind at this point.
"The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr
If we just look at it neurochemically we can solve the disorder at the expense of the patient's ability to recover. We miss the whole point and the evolutionary aspect where the person does not have the skills/abilities to meet their life challenges.
So here in a nutshell is the dark underbelly of psychiatry in this day and age. Psychiatry's success, and the awards and commendations for the doctors and other professionals is at the expense of the healing and life adaptation for the patient. The patient is blamed or given more meds if they do not adapt well to their "lot in life". When the patient naturally rebels from this system wherein they feel victimized, they are blamed. It's not a wonder that a high degree of suicide happens with psychiatric patients. It's that things are hopeless to them. Their valid life issues have been "depressed".
On the other hand, when we put the power in the patients hands, treating them as equals who need a tool of medication, and who can be trusted to make their own decisions, even when we disagree with them, we create the environment that allows them to feel human through their struggles. We create the environment that allows them to flourish.
"The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr
I would suggest only going to a psychiatrist for psychiatric problems. Go to a pyschologist for pyschological problems and a sociologist for sociological problems. Perhaps a general practitioner can help determine which one is best suited.
About six months ago I asked a therapist online where I should direct my friend for help. Her answer, was that I contact child services, have the children removed, have the parents charged and avoid the evil family. That's not my idea of help. So, I suggested the mother educate herself on child psychology and take the proper steps to a flourishing relationship with her children. Her "problem child" was diagnosed ADHD and given a psychotropic, by her pediatrician, that is typically meant for adults and is unsafe for children. The child "is the problem" according to professionals, who obviously are lacking some professional knowledge. The child, now age 12, has an avoidant attachment profile, meaning she is not attached to her parents or siblings, but avoids them. Oddly, she does prefer attachment to strange men, something quite rare in it's self, and likely the result of sexual abuse. But, I'm largely ignorant of any such incidents and the home dynamics. All I could do was make suggestions to the mother, suggestions she ignored, and there is nothing else I can do.
I imagine this is how many practitioners feel at times. Their patients don't take their advice, so they write them off. If their patients want a prescription, fine, but they aren't accepting the advice, so it's two-fold, patients need to step up to the plate as well.
I necessarily have the passion for writing this, and you have the passion for condemning me; both of us are equally fools, equally the toys of destiny. Your nature is to do harm, mine is to love truth, and to make it public in spite of you. - Voltaire
I would suggest only going to a psychiatrist for psychiatric problems. Go to a pyschologist for pyschological problems and a sociologist for sociological problems. Perhaps a general practitioner can help determine which one is best suited.
This makes sense in theory. And yet, I see a few problems. First of all, as I said earlier, people in Canada with psychological problems often cannot afford psychologists, and since psychiatry is covered as health care, they go right into that system.
Secondly--and this was the case with me...I was a modern, logical objective person. I didn't believe in psychology. I believed that these issues were neutral chemical imbalances that happened randomly in some families. I didn't think it had anything to do with my behaviour, and I was completely unconscious of my real issues. I had a psychologist explain to me why I'd benefit from his help...I didn't listen. I chose the "easy" method of having a brain disease.
Thirdly, all three are involved in any mental health situation. The human is never outside of society. The human is never outside their brain chemistry, and they are never outside of their psychology. Fortunately strides are being made by our wonderful front-runners in all fields, and I see new degrees of blended programs happening all the time. Holistic approaches are becoming more commonly accepted.
Fourthly, neither potential patients nor expert can tell which system is best suited for which problem. The average person has no idea who to go to or why. The average expert has been taught to see through the lens of their discipline. So a psychiatrist will see from their model, how the patient will do best. A psychologist will see from their model how to treat the patient, and same for the sociologist. They are trained to do their best with the tools they have, not to send the patient elsewhere. This is why as synthesis takes more and more hold, we will see more overlap and blended programs. I get that a gp can look at an overview, and yet, they don't understand the nuances of the various fields or of the patient in question.
About six months ago I asked a therapist online where I should direct my friend for help. Her answer, was that I contact child services, have the children removed, have the parents charged and avoid the evil family. That's not my idea of help. So, I suggested the mother educate herself on child psychology and take the proper steps to a flourishing relationship with her children. Her "problem child" was diagnosed ADHD and given a psychotropic, by her pediatrician, that is typically meant for adults and is unsafe for children. The child "is the problem" according to professionals, who obviously are lacking some professional knowledge. The child, now age 12, has an avoidant attachment profile, meaning she is not attached to her parents or siblings, but avoids them. Oddly, she does prefer attachment to strange men, something quite rare in it's self, and likely the result of sexual abuse. But, I'm largely ignorant of any such incidents and the home dynamics. All I could do was make suggestions to the mother, suggestions she ignored, and there is nothing else I can do.
I imagine this is how many practitioners feel at times. Their patients don't take their advice, so they write them off. If their patients want a prescription, fine, but they aren't accepting the advice, so it's two-fold, patients need to step up to the plate as well.
I feel for the situation, Ahmimus. And I feel your sense of futility, and I agree the experts must feel that at times, too. This is partly why I complain about the objectification in our society. It's not because I think science is bad. It's because we're taught to completely overlook our reality. I talk to mentally ill people all the time that are completely unaware that they have any power or say in changing the circumstances in their lives. You can see the paths people are on, and you can do your best and that's it. It's evolution. I'm also trained to be an active listener, because bearing witness to people, and giving them a safe place to talk and to feel unconditionally accepted helps, even if they are doing very poorly. It's about progress not perfection. It's shocking how far I've come, so I never write someone off because they are very maladjusted and because their path looks bleak.
I agree 100% that patients are entirely responsible for their choices. That's why in order to heal, I had to realize that every step of the way I contributed to my own state of affairs by the choices I made. No matter how bad it was for myself and my children, I always had access to my personal power, even if I had no idea how to use it, or that it was there. I lived the consequences of my maladaption.
"The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr
"Many eminent, non-medical neuroscientists have pointed out that the brain is far more complex than psychiatrists believe. Critics of the medical model maintain that the scientific evidence at hand does not adequately support the claim that neurochemical factors cause the behaviors which are labeled "mental illness." Nevertheless, due to a vigorous marketing program, the claim is widely believed to be true. "
"The medical model is the dominant paradigm of psychiatry. Over the past forty years it has become the target of a rising tide of criticism. What is the medical model? Why is it the object of criticism? The medical model is not a scientific concept or theory. It cannot be confirmed or falsified by facts. A model is a conceptual-linguistic construction, a metaphor. The balsam wood model airplane is a metaphor for a real airplane. It is not a real airplane. It is a representation which highlights similarities and ignores differences. A fire in the eyes may sparkle but it doesn't burn. The medical model is a metaphor which portrays psychiatry, psychiatrists, and psychiatric patients in the language of medicine. Medicine does not need a medical model. It is the standard on which psychiatry models itself, like the real airplane is to the toy. The medical model projects the metaphors of illness on to the patient and the metaphors of medicine on to the psychiatrist."
"The modern critique was inaugurated in 1961 with the publication of The Myth of Mental Illness by Thomas Szasz. In this now classic work, Szasz offers a conceptual and logical critique of the medical model broadly based in philosophy, psychology, and political theory. The basic problem with the medical model is that people take it literally rather than understanding it as the metaphor it is. The medical model portrays the mind as an object. It equates mind with brain and uses this assumption to justify defining certain thoughts, feelings, and behavior as medical diseases. It is like thinking that a model plane can actually board passengers and fly, or that spring fever is a medical symptom. It is pure imagination. Szasz criticizes the view of mind as object by reminding us of the well established ontological, epistemological and linguistic differences between mind and matter. Simply stated, mind is different than matter, or body, or brain, for the obvious reason that the body is an object and the mind is not. The body is known through the methods of physics and chemistry. The mind is known through introspection, communication and interpretation. The language used to describe the body is literal. The language used to describe the mind is metaphorical. The thesis of The Myth of Mental Illness is that mental illness is a metaphor. The medical model of psychiatry is a metaphor which psychiatry, the media and, hence, the general public take literally."
"As a psychiatrist in private practice I get many calls from people who say they want treatment for their "biochemical imbalance." I ask them if they have had a chemical test that demonstrated the imbalance. The answer is always no because there is no test. I ask them whether they know which chemical is imbalanced. They typically have no idea. I ask them how they know they have a chemical imbalance. They tell me either their primary physician told them, or that their aunt was told she has it, or they saw it on television. So called "biochemical imbalances" are the only illnesses I know of which are spread by word of mouth. The claim that depression is a disease is propaganda promoted by psychiatry and the state and marketed by drug companies: the State-Science Alliance. ~ Ron Leifer
"The medical model serves the interests of the pharmaceutical industry by proclaiming that mental illnesses are brain diseases which can be treated with drugs the pharmaceutical industry makes, markets, and sells. The pharmaceutical industry, in turn, subsidizes research, training, education and professional journals which support the medical model. Psychiatric theories are drug driven. Psychiatric therapies are drug driven. The pharmaceutical industry grants millions of dollars to psychiatrists for research on psychiatric drugs from which the industry profits. It's advertising supports psychiatric journals which publish the positive findings of this research. It contributes money for the training of psychiatric residents and the continuing education of psychiatrists at conferences and seminars which support the use of psychiatric drugs. Pharmaceutical companies spend between eight to thirteen thousand dollars per physician in this country on gifts, meals, speaking honoraria, consulting fees, luxurious travel to conferences, and free samples of their products. In most other circumstances, the default presumption would be that money buys influence. But psychiatrists deny that money from the pharmaceutical industry influences their thought and practices."
"California psychiatrist Al Parides, remarked that the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) that lists disorders which are supposedly "biologically based" is a "masterpiece of political maneuvering." He stated: "...What they [referring to DSM] have done is medicalize many problems that don't have demonstrable, biological causes."
"Excerpts from the article "Respondents Urge Caution When Using the DSM - IV" printed in Clinical Psychiatry News - January 2000 "There has never been any criterion that psychiatric diagnoses require a demonstrated biological etiology' [cause], said Dr. Harold Pincus, vice chairperson of the DSM-IV task force. In fact, virtually no mental disorder, except those that are substance induced or due to a general medical condition, has one."
I don't see the plane metaphor as being similar. The mind to the brain, is more like the spinning of propellars and shifting of rudders is to a real plane, than a model of the real plane. I don't agree that the prominant paradigm is like the latter. Nor does neuroscience suggest that the mind is separate from the brain, quite the contrary, it suggest the mind is a process of the brain.
Before I get into specifics let's define 'mind'. What is the mind? Generally speaking, it's the assortment of qualia characterizing external stimulus, as pain for example. Pain is not the quality of an external object, but rather an internal sensation evoked by an external object. Another quality of mind, is the recurrent thoughts of one's self representation and representations of other minds or external objects. As demonstrated by clinical cases of brain damage, the mind is internal to the brain, that is, the mind exists with the brain and cannot exist without the brain. So, what are the correlates between certain qualities of mind and certain qualities of brain?
We've learned how the brain is structured of neural networks consisting of neurons interconnected in an overwhelming complexity. Similar to the mesh topology of computer networks. Each brain has approximately 100 billion neurons, with 10^4 synapses (connections with other neurons) per neuron, totalling an enormous 100 trillion synapses. The cortex consists of several layers of nerve cells, each projecting upwards, with some axons projecting back to lower layers, the basic structure is called a recurrent network. Information from layer 6, the input layer projects up to layer 5, layer 5 to layer 4 and so on to layer 1, the output layer. Some layers provide recurrent connections back to layer 5, layer 5 handles these backprojections as inputs from the input layer. There are two kinds of synapses, chemical and electrical, both vary in the way they communicate between neurons, but bother serve the same functional purpose. An area of the thalamus, called the intralaminar nucleus, which should really be called the inralaminar nuclei (plural) projects towards several high-order regions of the brain, the frontal lobe for example, these regions then project back to the intralaminar nucleus. It would appear that the "mind" if it has a physical correlate is this arrangement of recurrent connections to and from the intralaminar nucleus. But this theory is, as yet, unconfirmed.
There is nothing in the brain that looks anything like psychology. Psychology uses experiments with large sample groups to determine predictable behavior. For example, low-income families with two working parents tend to provide less support and stimulus to a newborn child, the same may occur if the primary caregivers are depressed or largely introverted. The predictable result is the child will exhibit resistant attachment or avoidant attachment and will have difficulties in social atmospheres. Such children will become irratable and avoid participating in social events. Somehow this translates into the 100 trillion synapses evident in neuroscience.
One computational model explains this gap; Recurrent Vector Processing. This model uses the previously mentioned recurrent pathways to give feedback into future deliberations, essentally adding a temporal element to the processing of information. Information is stored by a diffuse coding of synaptic weight adjustments across several neurons. This model seems very overwhelming to the lay person, how could vector coding give rise to representations of the real world and the thoughts humans have, the mind. However, several BDDs and ANNs have been developed by scientists in artifical intelligence, these devices have been modeled after neurosciences observations of the brain and have succeeded in creating seemingly intelligent and aware machines. Much needs to be done to create a computer that acts and feels like a human with all the qualities we attribute to 'mind'. This may take ten or twenty more years, but it does appear it will become a reality.
So, what I'm saying is, the paradigm of the plane metaphor is way off base. I don't believe neuroscience is suggesting the mind is separate from the brain, it suggests the mind is a process of the interaction of nerve cells. The computational output of a 100 trillion synapses. Psychology succeeds in readjusting these synaptic weights by methods that don't require an understanding of neuroscience. While psychiatry aims to directly affect the workings of the brain. The important distinction is between what is a result of incorrect firing of synapses, unused cortices of the brain, and what is the result of synaptic weight adjustments. The latter should be the realm of psychology with the former being the realm of psychiatry.
I believe this is what you are saying Angelica. But it's not only the psychiatrists who need to be careful. It does no good for a psychologist to tackle ALS when it's a problem of the autoimmune system destroying nerve cells. Similarly, OCD and Schizophrenia are directly correlated with neurological function and not necessarily an issue of psychology. On the other hand, any neurological disorder is bound to have psychological effects, and possibly psychological antecedents. Thus it might be important for a patient to be treated psychiatrically and psychologically. I thought psychiatry was suppose to be interdisciplinary, if not, then a field of interdisciplinary pracitice is much needed.
I necessarily have the passion for writing this, and you have the passion for condemning me; both of us are equally fools, equally the toys of destiny. Your nature is to do harm, mine is to love truth, and to make it public in spite of you. - Voltaire
"California psychiatrist Al Parides, remarked that the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) that lists disorders which are supposedly "biologically based" is a "masterpiece of political maneuvering." He stated: "...What they [referring to DSM] have done is medicalize many problems that don't have demonstrable, biological causes."
"Excerpts from the article "Respondents Urge Caution When Using the DSM - IV" printed in Clinical Psychiatry News - January 2000 "There has never been any criterion that psychiatric diagnoses require a demonstrated biological etiology' [cause], said Dr. Harold Pincus, vice chairperson of the DSM-IV task force. In fact, virtually no mental disorder, except those that are substance induced or due to a general medical condition, has one."
It has always been part of the political domain. Not much has been known about biological bases until recently. Homosexuality was listed as a sexual deviancy, but once it hit the political realm it was pulled from the book. There is no reason why beastiality is listed, but homosexuality is not. Neither has a direct biological correlate that is known to psychiatry. On the other hand, homosexuality does appear to be the result of genetic or developmental variations, reseach in the last 10 years has shown. Yet, even though homosexuality appears to have a biological basis, it will never be in the DSM, it's a political issue. Always has been, always will be.
I necessarily have the passion for writing this, and you have the passion for condemning me; both of us are equally fools, equally the toys of destiny. Your nature is to do harm, mine is to love truth, and to make it public in spite of you. - Voltaire
We are probably going to see Autism pulled from the DSM as well. A huge movement is now afoot seeking to make the term Autism taboo and have it refered to as neuraldiversity. They would also like to see autism unlisted as a mental disorder.
I necessarily have the passion for writing this, and you have the passion for condemning me; both of us are equally fools, equally the toys of destiny. Your nature is to do harm, mine is to love truth, and to make it public in spite of you. - Voltaire
it is impossible that our rational part should be other than spiritual; and if any one maintain that we are simply corporeal, this would far more exclude us from the knowledge of things, there being nothing so inconceivable as to say that matter knows itself. it is impossible to imagine how it should know itself. - pascal.
hear my name
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
it is impossible that our rational part should be other than spiritual; and if any one maintain that we are simply corporeal, this would far more exclude us from the knowledge of things, there being nothing so inconceivable as to say that matter knows itself. it is impossible to imagine how it should know itself. - pascal.
Only in pascal's ignorance.
I necessarily have the passion for writing this, and you have the passion for condemning me; both of us are equally fools, equally the toys of destiny. Your nature is to do harm, mine is to love truth, and to make it public in spite of you. - Voltaire
Comments
I'm considering answering the questions.
http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta
Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
As for the enlightened stuff and who is right or wrong, I'm sure you have your own answers.
http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta
Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
Personally, I see and accept that every individual is molded by natural law and manifest into a perfect path for perfect reasons. If I go out of synch with nature and the potential I stem from, and if I see things contrary to that perfection, the flaw is in my human perception, not in the perfection of reality/life or natural law.
http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta
Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
My psychiatrist supported my choices re: treatment. For example mood stablizers didn't prevent episodes of mania, so I suggested going off them, and he agreed with me, knowing if there would be fallout, I'd have to live through it. There was not fallout. When I was taking meds for bi-polar disorder, I was taking anti-psychotic medication for mania only, as I began to get "high".
I believe the patterns that create mental illness are carried out in families and appear to people as illness, but at a deeper level are merely energy. We can alter our energy on the symbolic level, where our perception of the reality we experience stems from. I also believe that as in my case, the generational cycles can be broken. It's not easy but for me it's been the most beautiful journey I could have imagined. My dream.
My family thought I was "crazy" years ago when I spoke of the healing I would do, and how I would inspire others. So now that I'm obviously brimming with health, they have had to come to terms with that. And they had to take back the illness they once projected on me, thereby facing their own issues, finally.
My children are bright, perceptive and aware/sensitive. We've all had severe issues to deal with and are each very blessed to have individual and healthy senses of "self". My daughter has gone through numerous stages of healing, herself, and also understands many of the underlying dynamics of mental health from experience and from healing. My son, who had two mentally ill grandmothers, and who had a mentally ill mother, was spared developing illness. It was through his birth that I developed post partum depression, from which my OCD started.
The actual healing for myself and my daughter happened by first accepting and addressing our personal issues one by one and then resolving and overcoming them through the methods we were intuitively drawn to and that worked for us. I face all my issues with the expectation to overcome them and to purify my energy.
http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta
Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
Can you elaborate more on the "stunning experiences", guiding light and "methods" you refer to?
It would be amazing to use these techniques and your story to maybe help others as well.
Is your book a chronicle of your experience or is it a healing aid of some sort?
My book does both--it shares my experiences and the basics of healing.
Anything I can say about the Light or stunning experiences is symbolic because the experiences were otherworldly and not of concepts we would normally know or consider. I can say that when I am touched by this Light, I've dropped to my knees in tears and humility at how perfect it is, and at the perfection I've been shown. Also, I "see" and understand concepts in that Light, and yet the minute I start to consider, think about them, etc, I automatically start to distort the perfection of what I see. My understanding, though, is that this Light is us. And we are it. We have taken on individual experience and have separated from our truth. We are all progressing back to our truth at our own pace. But we are always one with it. It is only in our awareness that we are not. This Light embraces us at all times. And yet we're mostly oblivious to it. We are all connected and at base we are one. We all make agreements unconsciously to connect for reasons. Everything that happens in our lives is about us even when it seems to be about others.
The methods I've used were all typical treatments for overcoming things. And also, as an intuitive person who set her filters to find empowerment and overcoming, I gravitated towards it. So I've done eating disorder treatment. I've used nicotine gum, and a smoking support group. What I had to do, in essence, was reverse my maladaptive methods and align with healthy ones. I developed a regular fitness health routine years ago. I've given up coffee, TV, drinking, excessive sugar use, etc. I eat much more pristinely than is "normal". The key was that in order to give up these issues, I've had to resolve all the inner stuff that arose in dealing with each step. it was during this process of practical work, and recovering my emotions, and dealing with my one-time repressed traumas, etc, that the "big" disorders began to grow less and less and eventually disappeared. The way I see it is that I began to align with my real self, rather than just my ego. Therefore I've been integrating my energy and the more aligned I am the more positive results I see. We've lost touch with the natural laws, and the fact that when we go against the grain of evolution we feel discomfort, and when we go with it we feel the great feeling of being closer to our potential, and oneness or whole-someness. All lack is an illusion, and an opportunity to grow and find our way home to our truth. There is no loss, separation or death. All those are products of our human perception, which we've taken on to have these illusory experiences which feel very real to us.
The basic problem is that people have lost touch with their base and their power which remains their base and their power despite their obliviousness to it. So we're like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, looking outside ourselves, through our life "adventures" or experiences for something over the rainbow, when really we have the ability to go home to our truth with us at all times. this is why we are always equal and everything is always balanced even though our human awareness tells us otherwise. When we step out of that balance and take an unbalanced position, we create these experiences which eventually lead us to growth and to truth. At this time, many people are unconscious to the truths right before our eyes. We don't see the simple truth. We're caught up in theory, and with giving our power away to the past and future, which are illusions, and we don't realize the beautiful intelligence of evolution teaching us at all times. In our "theories" we believe things are random, etc. and thereby we think illness, lack, separation, etc. is random and meaningless, when it's really a very intelligent teacher.
http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta
Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
good luck explaining it. she has posted statistics about how 95% of people are dysfunctional on multiple occasions. now she is saying everyone is perfect the way they are. its like... what's that eastern term? the koan? koad? might be a hindu concept... supposed to be a mind bender with an impossible answer. like "if a tree falls in the forest and nobody hears it..."
we are all perfectly dysfunctional?
ever thought about adding internet to that list? i know there are times i worry that i've switched some of my addictions to the net.
I've accepted the perfection of my journey all along, from being in the midst of numerous disorders, and to now, where my system is quite pristine. There are always life issues to navigate and manage and I'm perfectly okay with that.
edit: even just yesterday I told Ahnimus I'm struggling with the issue of my thoughts, in a pm.
http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta
Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta
Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
Within the dynamics of the brain; Where does this "out of synch with nature" come in?
How can you be "out of synch"?
Does it have to do with the dopaminergic pathways to the nucleus accumbens? The transporting of ntr vesicles through the axon hillock to the presynaptic membrane? Or is it when glutamate binds with the NDMA channel to initiate ion flow?
Explain how this nature becomes "out of synch"? Usually, if something goes wrong here, we call it a neurological disorder and direct them to a mental health professional, like a psychiatrist. How can one get their Na+ and K+ ions back to a normal -60mV?
http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta
Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
Yea, post 247
In terms of the psychology, by our egos and our "scripts" we identify with certain aspects of ourselves and reality, and we disidentify and block/deny other aspects. These blocked parts are also us but are hived off and operate unconsciously beyond our awareness. These are the issues of the Jungian shadow. The shadow undermines us and reveals our true conflicts. Again, this felt sense of out-of-synchness is still within natural law, but the individual experiences pain and/or suffering for going discordant to "what is".
We can give a person drugs to mask these problems of existence, and for me that should be undertaken with understanding that it's a temporary fix in order to help with problem solving functioning, because masking the issues does not in fact resolve the underlying problems and conflicts.
http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta
Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
What if the problem is that your autoimmune system is attacking your mylenated axons? As is the case with MS. Or attacking the nerve cells, as in ALS?
Imagine I am feeling broken and need help because of the OCD that has developed because of my lack of healthy adaptation to life. Imagine you medicate away my symptoms of OCD, which are the evolutionary alarm bell necessary to get my attention--they are the consequences of choices that are not working for me. I take medication and the OCD symptoms are muted, but I remain stuck in my evolutionary imbalanced place in life, remaining unconscious of the reasons I'm STILL suffering, and remaining unconscious to the life challenges I'm facing. The imbalanced patterns, and the non-acknowledged evolutionary patterns which operate in all avenues of my life will continue even if the OCD symptoms are gone. I will continue to suffer. If this is all given to me in the context that I'm ill and always will be, I will accept it. I will accept that I'm flawed, and predisposed to a life of suffering. I will accept that I'm unfortunate, and that I have bad luck. And that I can't make relationships work. It's all because I'm flawed. I know I would accept this, as a matter of fact, because I DID accept this for many years.
On the other hand, if you medicate away my symptoms, and tell me that I'm experiencing some life problems, and I need some tools to help me in all levels of my life, such as meds on one hand, some counselling on another, and some understanding of my social interactions so I can solve my problems while using meds, you are showing me the avenues to meet the evolutionary challenges. In this context, it is understood that the goal is to solve the psychological, subjective life problems as well as the sociological problems causing the symptoms.
This is why it's important to synthesize--we must integrate the neurochemical, the psychological, and the sociological issues. If we just look at it neurochemically we can solve the disorder at the expense of the patient's ability to recover. We miss the whole point and the evolutionary aspect where the person does not have the skills/abilities to meet their life challenges.
This is what is happening in the western world that is causing such huge imbalance. We are mass numbing our symptoms--and not just psychiatrically. And we are remaining out of balance, having not learned to solve our problems. And it's coming to a climax on the world stage. And individually. It's part of our evolution. We'll either learn to solve our problems, or we'll begin to fall out of the system. "Crazy" is stigmatized and demonized, and yet it's part of nature's perfection and evolution for a reason. "Crazy" is FAR different than the stigma most people assume is the reality. The misperception of "crazy" by the masses is about the lack of awareness in humankind at this point.
http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta
Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
So here in a nutshell is the dark underbelly of psychiatry in this day and age. Psychiatry's success, and the awards and commendations for the doctors and other professionals is at the expense of the healing and life adaptation for the patient. The patient is blamed or given more meds if they do not adapt well to their "lot in life". When the patient naturally rebels from this system wherein they feel victimized, they are blamed. It's not a wonder that a high degree of suicide happens with psychiatric patients. It's that things are hopeless to them. Their valid life issues have been "depressed".
On the other hand, when we put the power in the patients hands, treating them as equals who need a tool of medication, and who can be trusted to make their own decisions, even when we disagree with them, we create the environment that allows them to feel human through their struggles. We create the environment that allows them to flourish.
http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta
Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
About six months ago I asked a therapist online where I should direct my friend for help. Her answer, was that I contact child services, have the children removed, have the parents charged and avoid the evil family. That's not my idea of help. So, I suggested the mother educate herself on child psychology and take the proper steps to a flourishing relationship with her children. Her "problem child" was diagnosed ADHD and given a psychotropic, by her pediatrician, that is typically meant for adults and is unsafe for children. The child "is the problem" according to professionals, who obviously are lacking some professional knowledge. The child, now age 12, has an avoidant attachment profile, meaning she is not attached to her parents or siblings, but avoids them. Oddly, she does prefer attachment to strange men, something quite rare in it's self, and likely the result of sexual abuse. But, I'm largely ignorant of any such incidents and the home dynamics. All I could do was make suggestions to the mother, suggestions she ignored, and there is nothing else I can do.
I imagine this is how many practitioners feel at times. Their patients don't take their advice, so they write them off. If their patients want a prescription, fine, but they aren't accepting the advice, so it's two-fold, patients need to step up to the plate as well.
Secondly--and this was the case with me...I was a modern, logical objective person. I didn't believe in psychology. I believed that these issues were neutral chemical imbalances that happened randomly in some families. I didn't think it had anything to do with my behaviour, and I was completely unconscious of my real issues. I had a psychologist explain to me why I'd benefit from his help...I didn't listen. I chose the "easy" method of having a brain disease.
Thirdly, all three are involved in any mental health situation. The human is never outside of society. The human is never outside their brain chemistry, and they are never outside of their psychology. Fortunately strides are being made by our wonderful front-runners in all fields, and I see new degrees of blended programs happening all the time. Holistic approaches are becoming more commonly accepted.
Fourthly, neither potential patients nor expert can tell which system is best suited for which problem. The average person has no idea who to go to or why. The average expert has been taught to see through the lens of their discipline. So a psychiatrist will see from their model, how the patient will do best. A psychologist will see from their model how to treat the patient, and same for the sociologist. They are trained to do their best with the tools they have, not to send the patient elsewhere. This is why as synthesis takes more and more hold, we will see more overlap and blended programs. I get that a gp can look at an overview, and yet, they don't understand the nuances of the various fields or of the patient in question.
I feel for the situation, Ahmimus. And I feel your sense of futility, and I agree the experts must feel that at times, too. This is partly why I complain about the objectification in our society. It's not because I think science is bad. It's because we're taught to completely overlook our reality. I talk to mentally ill people all the time that are completely unaware that they have any power or say in changing the circumstances in their lives. You can see the paths people are on, and you can do your best and that's it. It's evolution. I'm also trained to be an active listener, because bearing witness to people, and giving them a safe place to talk and to feel unconditionally accepted helps, even if they are doing very poorly. It's about progress not perfection. It's shocking how far I've come, so I never write someone off because they are very maladjusted and because their path looks bleak.
I agree 100% that patients are entirely responsible for their choices. That's why in order to heal, I had to realize that every step of the way I contributed to my own state of affairs by the choices I made. No matter how bad it was for myself and my children, I always had access to my personal power, even if I had no idea how to use it, or that it was there. I lived the consequences of my maladaption.
http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta
Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
"The medical model is the dominant paradigm of psychiatry. Over the past forty years it has become the target of a rising tide of criticism. What is the medical model? Why is it the object of criticism? The medical model is not a scientific concept or theory. It cannot be confirmed or falsified by facts. A model is a conceptual-linguistic construction, a metaphor. The balsam wood model airplane is a metaphor for a real airplane. It is not a real airplane. It is a representation which highlights similarities and ignores differences. A fire in the eyes may sparkle but it doesn't burn. The medical model is a metaphor which portrays psychiatry, psychiatrists, and psychiatric patients in the language of medicine. Medicine does not need a medical model. It is the standard on which psychiatry models itself, like the real airplane is to the toy. The medical model projects the metaphors of illness on to the patient and the metaphors of medicine on to the psychiatrist."
"The modern critique was inaugurated in 1961 with the publication of The Myth of Mental Illness by Thomas Szasz. In this now classic work, Szasz offers a conceptual and logical critique of the medical model broadly based in philosophy, psychology, and political theory. The basic problem with the medical model is that people take it literally rather than understanding it as the metaphor it is. The medical model portrays the mind as an object. It equates mind with brain and uses this assumption to justify defining certain thoughts, feelings, and behavior as medical diseases. It is like thinking that a model plane can actually board passengers and fly, or that spring fever is a medical symptom. It is pure imagination. Szasz criticizes the view of mind as object by reminding us of the well established ontological, epistemological and linguistic differences between mind and matter. Simply stated, mind is different than matter, or body, or brain, for the obvious reason that the body is an object and the mind is not. The body is known through the methods of physics and chemistry. The mind is known through introspection, communication and interpretation. The language used to describe the body is literal. The language used to describe the mind is metaphorical. The thesis of The Myth of Mental Illness is that mental illness is a metaphor. The medical model of psychiatry is a metaphor which psychiatry, the media and, hence, the general public take literally."
http://www.iaapa.de/zwang/leifer.htm
http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta
Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
"The medical model serves the interests of the pharmaceutical industry by proclaiming that mental illnesses are brain diseases which can be treated with drugs the pharmaceutical industry makes, markets, and sells. The pharmaceutical industry, in turn, subsidizes research, training, education and professional journals which support the medical model. Psychiatric theories are drug driven. Psychiatric therapies are drug driven. The pharmaceutical industry grants millions of dollars to psychiatrists for research on psychiatric drugs from which the industry profits. It's advertising supports psychiatric journals which publish the positive findings of this research. It contributes money for the training of psychiatric residents and the continuing education of psychiatrists at conferences and seminars which support the use of psychiatric drugs. Pharmaceutical companies spend between eight to thirteen thousand dollars per physician in this country on gifts, meals, speaking honoraria, consulting fees, luxurious travel to conferences, and free samples of their products. In most other circumstances, the default presumption would be that money buys influence. But psychiatrists deny that money from the pharmaceutical industry influences their thought and practices."
http://www.iaapa.de/zwang/leifer.htm
http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta
Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
"Excerpts from the article "Respondents Urge Caution When Using the DSM - IV" printed in Clinical Psychiatry News - January 2000 "There has never been any criterion that psychiatric diagnoses require a demonstrated biological etiology' [cause], said Dr. Harold Pincus, vice chairperson of the DSM-IV task force. In fact, virtually no mental disorder, except those that are substance induced or due to a general medical condition, has one."
http://www.resultsproject.net/writing_on_the_wall.html
http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta
Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
I don't see the plane metaphor as being similar. The mind to the brain, is more like the spinning of propellars and shifting of rudders is to a real plane, than a model of the real plane. I don't agree that the prominant paradigm is like the latter. Nor does neuroscience suggest that the mind is separate from the brain, quite the contrary, it suggest the mind is a process of the brain.
Before I get into specifics let's define 'mind'. What is the mind? Generally speaking, it's the assortment of qualia characterizing external stimulus, as pain for example. Pain is not the quality of an external object, but rather an internal sensation evoked by an external object. Another quality of mind, is the recurrent thoughts of one's self representation and representations of other minds or external objects. As demonstrated by clinical cases of brain damage, the mind is internal to the brain, that is, the mind exists with the brain and cannot exist without the brain. So, what are the correlates between certain qualities of mind and certain qualities of brain?
We've learned how the brain is structured of neural networks consisting of neurons interconnected in an overwhelming complexity. Similar to the mesh topology of computer networks. Each brain has approximately 100 billion neurons, with 10^4 synapses (connections with other neurons) per neuron, totalling an enormous 100 trillion synapses. The cortex consists of several layers of nerve cells, each projecting upwards, with some axons projecting back to lower layers, the basic structure is called a recurrent network. Information from layer 6, the input layer projects up to layer 5, layer 5 to layer 4 and so on to layer 1, the output layer. Some layers provide recurrent connections back to layer 5, layer 5 handles these backprojections as inputs from the input layer. There are two kinds of synapses, chemical and electrical, both vary in the way they communicate between neurons, but bother serve the same functional purpose. An area of the thalamus, called the intralaminar nucleus, which should really be called the inralaminar nuclei (plural) projects towards several high-order regions of the brain, the frontal lobe for example, these regions then project back to the intralaminar nucleus. It would appear that the "mind" if it has a physical correlate is this arrangement of recurrent connections to and from the intralaminar nucleus. But this theory is, as yet, unconfirmed.
There is nothing in the brain that looks anything like psychology. Psychology uses experiments with large sample groups to determine predictable behavior. For example, low-income families with two working parents tend to provide less support and stimulus to a newborn child, the same may occur if the primary caregivers are depressed or largely introverted. The predictable result is the child will exhibit resistant attachment or avoidant attachment and will have difficulties in social atmospheres. Such children will become irratable and avoid participating in social events. Somehow this translates into the 100 trillion synapses evident in neuroscience.
One computational model explains this gap; Recurrent Vector Processing. This model uses the previously mentioned recurrent pathways to give feedback into future deliberations, essentally adding a temporal element to the processing of information. Information is stored by a diffuse coding of synaptic weight adjustments across several neurons. This model seems very overwhelming to the lay person, how could vector coding give rise to representations of the real world and the thoughts humans have, the mind. However, several BDDs and ANNs have been developed by scientists in artifical intelligence, these devices have been modeled after neurosciences observations of the brain and have succeeded in creating seemingly intelligent and aware machines. Much needs to be done to create a computer that acts and feels like a human with all the qualities we attribute to 'mind'. This may take ten or twenty more years, but it does appear it will become a reality.
So, what I'm saying is, the paradigm of the plane metaphor is way off base. I don't believe neuroscience is suggesting the mind is separate from the brain, it suggests the mind is a process of the interaction of nerve cells. The computational output of a 100 trillion synapses. Psychology succeeds in readjusting these synaptic weights by methods that don't require an understanding of neuroscience. While psychiatry aims to directly affect the workings of the brain. The important distinction is between what is a result of incorrect firing of synapses, unused cortices of the brain, and what is the result of synaptic weight adjustments. The latter should be the realm of psychology with the former being the realm of psychiatry.
I believe this is what you are saying Angelica. But it's not only the psychiatrists who need to be careful. It does no good for a psychologist to tackle ALS when it's a problem of the autoimmune system destroying nerve cells. Similarly, OCD and Schizophrenia are directly correlated with neurological function and not necessarily an issue of psychology. On the other hand, any neurological disorder is bound to have psychological effects, and possibly psychological antecedents. Thus it might be important for a patient to be treated psychiatrically and psychologically. I thought psychiatry was suppose to be interdisciplinary, if not, then a field of interdisciplinary pracitice is much needed.
It has always been part of the political domain. Not much has been known about biological bases until recently. Homosexuality was listed as a sexual deviancy, but once it hit the political realm it was pulled from the book. There is no reason why beastiality is listed, but homosexuality is not. Neither has a direct biological correlate that is known to psychiatry. On the other hand, homosexuality does appear to be the result of genetic or developmental variations, reseach in the last 10 years has shown. Yet, even though homosexuality appears to have a biological basis, it will never be in the DSM, it's a political issue. Always has been, always will be.
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
Only in pascal's ignorance.