[Cygnus8548]

Do you think that the insights we get through psychology and therapy are a little like understanding our soul? You may like or very much dislike this idea. Would this view be helpful? I left out the word "soul" in the title of this thread so as not to disturb anyone. Thanks for reading this.

Hello Cygnus8548: Yes, I think that is a fair comparison. I don't know if anyone really knows exactly what it is the word "soul" connotes. I don't think psychology and / or therapy are really intended to deal with such overarching concepts. My perspective would be that psychology / therapy are ways of attempting to approach that enigmatic something we experience as being the essence of who & what we are. Some people refer to this as "the soul". Is this view helpful? Perhaps it is... at least for some...

[Cygnus8548]

Yes this is helpful especially respecting the fact that you are experienced member. Maybe in a future holistic field the spiritual and psychology fields will produce a unified philosophy. Thanks.

[Webgoji]

Personally I don't believe that a soul per se exists. I believe in the mind and it's functions and foibles, and I feel that psychology and therapy lends itself to understanding the mind.

The mind being, at best, the flow of conscious and unconsciousness; emotional and cognitive states. It is never the same and always in flux. The brain is meat; it's the hard drive and the mind is the central processor that uses the data in the brain to create our world.

And personally, I also feel the unified theory already exists. We just don't understand or know how to get all the links to work.

[Thunder Bow]

The mind, body, and spirit are all interconnected as One. Thus no separation at all.

[Cygnus8548]

Originally Posted by Webgoji

Personally I don't believe that a soul per se exists. I believe in the mind and it's functions and foibles, and I feel that psychology and therapy lends itself to understanding the mind.

The mind being, at best, the flow of conscious and unconsciousness; emotional and cognitive states. It is never the same and always in flux. The brain is meat; it's the hard drive and the mind is the central processor that uses the data in the brain to create our world.

And personally, I also feel the unified theory already exists. We just don't understand or know how to get all the links to work.

I admire your comment here because you articulate a lot of scientific concepts from many fields, including physics. My two specific thought now are: 1. we do not understand consciousness because we cannot because to define it is a circular process, the only thing we can know is that it exists; the subconscious as you say is just the neuronal activity of he "meat" brain to use your good term, 2. experts disagree about whether the analogy of the brain to a computer (central processor) is accurate; I don't know. Thanks for reading this. Cheers.

[Fuzzybear]

[tony fudo]

It seems to me that the Ego, one's personality, exists as a sort of mask, a necessary fiction, to provide a sense of unity, continuity, and so on, if that's not too strange a concept. The 'soul' or 'spirit' is that core of self that we access when the ego is transcended, though to some, the idea of such transcendence is itself a fiction.

[H-H-H-H]

The American Psychological Association:

Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. The discipline embraces all aspects of the human experience — from the functions of the brain to the actions of nations, from child development to care for the aged. In every conceivable setting from scientific research centers to mental healthcare services, "the understanding of behavior" is the enterprise of psychologists

soul - noun

1. an entity which is regarded as being the immortal or spiritual part of the person and, though having no physical or material reality, is credited with the functions of thinking and willing, and hence determining all behavior Soul dictionary definition | soul defined

The definitions have been arbitrarily chosen. Others have considerable variance.

The act of searching for definitions has proved insightful.