[pachyderm]

Six-page New York Times article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/ma...che-t.html?hpw

Thanks pachyderm. No surprises here...but interesting to see it all put together so intelligently.

[Junerain]

It is interesting that when labeled with a 'biochemical disease" people become more hostile to the victim than when labeled with a "spiritual" or "inner self" disorder...it is as if people are afraid of brain differences, but accepting of inner self and spiritual disorders, by the way they are put...inner self and spirituality are calming and show vulnerability, whereas brain variances seem to communicate something scary and out of our control.....to me mental illness is more of a inner self disorder, I like they way that is put, it communicates more 'humanness..' which we are no less human than someone not inflicted....

[perpetuallysad]

I really don't know what to think about that article, though it is really making me think. This quote really said a lot to me:

“Mental illness is feared and has such a stigma because it represents a reversal of what Western humans . . . have come to value as the essence of human nature,” McGruder concludes. “Because our culture so highly values . . . an illusion of self-control and control of circumstance, we become abject when contemplating mentation that seems more changeable, less restrained and less controllable, more open to outside influence, than we imagine our own to be.”

I personally struggle with this because I often feel deficient because I am unable to control my mental processes. In fact, this is probably one of the worst feelings in the world, not being in control of my faculties. Its interesting to know that in other parts of the world, this ability of the self to control all mental manifestations, doesn't exist the same way as it does here.

As far as a brain disease vs an inner self disorder, I lean towards inner self. Mostly because I know that I personally have been through horrifically traumatic events in my life that have shaped much of what I am.

[Junerain]

(((((perpetually sad)))))))))

I hope you find peace in knowing you are not the only one who has been through horrific happenings, I have too....still trying to make the best of them meaning 'strength..' yeah right..

[Shoe]

A couple of good books that I have read and I feel that they have really helped me is
The Mindful Way Through Depression & The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion
The whole Buddhist Psychology perspective has really helped me. Here is something that I copied off the internet. Hope this helps, Shoe

Buddhist Psychology

By Pavel G. Somov, Ph.D.
December 15, 2009

Buddhism – as a psychology – is the search for the Middle Path, away from the categorical and oversimplifying extremes of all or nothing judgements, out of the cognitively inflexible rut of the conditioned black and white (dichotomous) thinking.
As such, Buddhist psychology is the Psychology of Moderation.
As a psychology, Buddhism aims to restore the “flow” of the mind, by unanchoring it from what was (but no longer is) and from what will be (but isn’t yet), by refocusing the mind on the present, on what still is.
As such, Buddhist psychology is the Psychology of Presence, the Psychology of Existence.
Buddhist psychology aims to help you return to a point of balance, to that proverbial center, to that dialectical pivot of “what is” – out of the categorical extremes of interpretation and judgement of others and self.
As such, Buddhist psychology is the Psychology of Compassion.
Buddhist psychology aims to de-automatize the conditioned mind – to wake up the zombie from his or her conditioned stimulus-response algorithms; to wake up the robot from his or her reflexive, conditioned, unconscious, mechanical, schematic, impulsive, compulsive automaticity; to override the default presets of our reactions with the freedom of conscious choice; i.e. to re-humanize the mind.
As such, Buddhist psychology is the Psychology of Habit Modification and Conscious Choice and Freedom. and as such, Buddhist psychology is the Psychology of Existential Rehabilitation.
Buddhist psychology doesn’t just aim to wake up the brain, it tries to change it – permanently. Through consciousness-training know-how of mindfulness, the Buddhist psychology tries to override the knee-jerk limbic mind-jerks with the brakes of frontal lobe activity.
As such, Buddhist psychology is the Psychology of Neural Plasticity.
Buddhist psychology aims to increase mindfulness to facilitate change of what can be changed and to facilitate the wisdom of letting what cannot be changed just be as it is.
As such, Buddhist psychology is the Psychology of Acceptance, of Dialectical Wisdom, not of passivity.
But I am not a Buddhist. “Buddhist Psychology” is just a phrase…
Pavel Somov, Ph.D. is the author of "Eating the Moment" (New Harbinger, 2008), "Present Perfect" (NH, 2010), and "The Lotus Effect" (NH, 2010). He is in private practice in Pittsburgh, PA. For more information visit www.eatingthemoment.com and sign up for Pavel Somov's (free) blog feed Sapience/formerly Mindful-not-Mouthful

[paddym22]

Thanks Pachyderm

A very interesting read.

Paddy