Posts by Markfromcali

11

Why go into Psychotherapy???

by frankiespeakin in

jw
friends

here's a cut and paste about why some people use psychotherapy:.

click on this link and then click on "why go".

http://www.aboutpsychotherapy.com/.

Well no it doesn't have to be, the basic rule of thumb is if you don't take any phenomena as self then there's not going to be suffering. Psychotherapy tends to deal with cases where there is a core issue, I suppose that might be magnified so maybe temporarily suffering will increase, but just depending on whether you're ready you can avoid it because its too intense, cling to it because it seems to be really significant in some way, or actually see through it. There comes a point where you see through the identification itself, and even if it kind of re-groups itself it just doesn't take anymore. So I always say don't believe having the same experience in itself means you've "relapsed" or something like that, you may find that in the long run it is diminishing more and more.

11

Why go into Psychotherapy???

by frankiespeakin in

jw
friends

here's a cut and paste about why some people use psychotherapy:.

click on this link and then click on "why go".

http://www.aboutpsychotherapy.com/.

Markfromcali

Frankie, one other thing to consider is its one thing to make the unconscious conscious in terms of content, but its another matter when we're talking about shifting that identification. If you know who you are, basically, then there tends to be a balancing and harmonizing effect - after all everything is the same then. On the other hand if you dig too deep in one area while still having that kind of egoic identification then it can just change form, but then there's still suffering. Strictly speaking you're not really more conscious, not in the sense of self realization. You might have more content uncovered, but that can actually create more suffering.

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Why go into Psychotherapy???

by frankiespeakin in

jw
friends

here's a cut and paste about why some people use psychotherapy:.

click on this link and then click on "why go".

http://www.aboutpsychotherapy.com/.

Markfromcali

Well its true that consciousness implies you are alone, but its not lonely - because loneliness implies there is some other to be with, and that realization goes so deep that there is just no other to be alone from.

I don't really feel any particular way about the self being unconscious, it just happens. For a very short period of time I was going through a phase where I wanted to wake people up, but thats actually a degree of unconsciousness as that is also the self, people wake up when they are ready. And that leads into your question about experiencing the self, which is always. The difference is when you are having whatever experience, you know at the same time the nature of what is experienced is awareness itself - its just another aspect of the self. You don't buy into the form of the expression as self, you recognize it as just an expression.

As for your interest in working with a psychoanalyst while doing entheogens, I would point out that just because they work with it doesn't necessarily mean they have that much depth or awareness. Some psychologists do have that, but its more them than any training they have. Its sort of like they naturally develop it through their work, whereas others who are into this stuff may in fact be very limited in their view. So for that matter someone who doesn't work with it may even have better understanding.

Actually, you may be able to do it all yourself. (which is always the case in the other sense of the word 'self') It helps to work with someone, but it is not even necessary to be well studied on the subject. After all its about direct experience, not even about *what* you experience, but about what is having the experience, that awareness. You may not be able to speak about it in terms of a particular system of thought, but the realization can still be there. The thing is, before you realize this is beyond psychology you may want to have psychological work done, but in this context of awakening its about getting to that point. Frankly its not about making thought work in a certain way, it goes beyond that. If a certain thought woke people up someone could have started telling everyone that a long time ago and everyone would be awake by now, but it really is about self discovery.

62

YESTERDAY'S ASSEMBLY SUCKED........

by Mary in

jw
friends

well, i got dragged, kicking and screaming talked in to going to the assembly yesterday as a friend of mine was in the drama.

what a freaking waste of time interesting experience.

first of all, i had a tough time squeezing my larger than life ass bum into a seat that looked like it was made for a house-elf small child.

Markfromcali

At so and so's house, there was christian literature and crosses in their room. Amy grant and Michael W. Smith posters ALL OVER!!!!"

Hey, if I had their posters in my room I'd wanna kill myself too.. Oh wait, these would be people that like their music right? NM.

11

Why go into Psychotherapy???

by frankiespeakin in

jw
friends

here's a cut and paste about why some people use psychotherapy:.

click on this link and then click on "why go".

http://www.aboutpsychotherapy.com/.

Markfromcali

And of course, sometimes a person may be fine psychologically speaking - they might carry on in life as an average normal person, but there may still be the feeling of being lost or stuck in some existential sense.

Under the "Whats the Cure?" page, the author points out the solution is essentially increased awareness. Its worth noting that contemplative practices from certain spiritual traditions has the same thing as its goal. Often people speak of therapy as a thing that has helped them, but the correct understanding would be that the process of therapy helped bring about that self-awareness, which is the only thing that will make a difference. After all, it doesn't do any good for someone else to read you like a book - you gotta come to terms and resolve things within yourself. Its also interesting that many therapists turn to these contemplative practices for themselves, and for their practice. But again, these practices do not have any magical powers in themselves, rather the whole thing is a matter of knowing yourself. You can know yourself well enough to be functioning in the world psychologically, the challenge in context of these traditions is self awareness in a sense that is much more thorough and complete.

11

Counting Time..what your opinion?

by CaptK in

jw
friends

when i was a dub i use to get so mad trying to get in the national average of 10 hours a month.

i would work during the week then get 2 - 2.5 hours on sat for maybe 8 - 10 hours a month.

others like the elders would always be above that average and a lot of the time some of these elders would skip out on vacation or who knows what on half of the saturdays.

Markfromcali

Your thread brought to mind another point.. Counting field service time is one thing, but the Witnesses also count time as far as when Armageddon is coming. Hmm, what is it they say about watching the clock? Do we see a pattern here?

8

Belief and experience in religion

by Markfromcali in

have you ever noticed how you have belief and experience in different proportions when it comes to religion?

on the one hand you might have the fundy that just crams every experience into the interpretation of a static belief system, and on the other you have the typical new age kind of mindset where every kind of belief is conjured up to support your experience.

for those who have seen the movie office space, remember the game "jump to conclusions"?

Markfromcali

The neophyte scientist can be as dogmatic about unbelief as any believer can be about belief.

Yes that is true. However, I think this whole matter can be further simplified by looking at the nature of belief. Rather than arguing about God or any particular type of belief, the obvious and yet seldom considered fact is belief is just something in the mind, and that goes for non-religious ones too, not to mention belief is also just one type of mental activity.

The relationship between belief and experience no doubt comes from the desire to interpret the experience, so you either try to interpret everything in a simple way that is fairly rigid, or you go with any number of interpretations for simple experiences, or somewhere in between. I would not say to stop interpreting your experience, but atleast recognize when you are coming up with an interpretation, and why. This is where people get lost.

Just because a particular way of organizing the information has proved to be useful and relatively consistent, it doesn't mean it is set in stone. So I think the point about being dogmatic is more or less on the same page, I simply view it as limiting yourself to a certain way of thinking, a particular corner of your mind that you actually created yourself - whether you realize it or not.

People consider the matter of mind control under an external entity, they never consider it on the level of their own mind. This is why I don't really see the need to argue specifics, if someone is aware of their own thought process and is honest, the truth will naturally come through. On the other hand, it doesn't matter if you get very specific with the facts of a particular issue, if the way you think is limited in this way you're bound to be stuck in confusion. You may get very good at arguing a specific point of view, and there may be a lot of people who agree with you, (who are stuck in the same way) but how clear your thinking process is (and therefore how true it is) is another matter.

And even if it is very clear, your thinking and your experience is only that, your own. Of course this doesn't mean there's no truth in it, (wish I had a nickel everytime someone whined "That's YOUR truth!" as if that actually addressed the topic at hand in any way) but to put things in perspective its just what happens in this mind in response to reality at large. Most arguments are really not about what people think they are - they're really about ways of thinking (or who is right, so who should follow who) rather than what those thoughts pertain to. People are in effect talking about themselves, and nothing more. In other words, the topic becomes an excuse for one ego to combat another. Regardless of whose information is better or more complete, its really all about "me."

125

It's Time to Find New Vistas

by Farkel in

jw
friends

i cannot compete with threads anymore.

they beat me!

threads about pit bulls and other dogs and virginity get all the attention.

Markfromcali

That may be true to a certain extent. Isn't the one thing that's gonna make the big difference up to that individual? You can only do so much for others regardless of how you approach it.

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