Joseph Campbell discusses the link between mental illness and spiritual journeys in "Schizophrenia, the Inward Journey," a chapter in _Myths To Live By_.
Another person to comment on this topic would be Dr. Pete. --- In [email protected], "authfriend" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In > [email protected], "tomandcindytraynoratfairfieldlis" > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > http://www.themystic.org/print/dark-night.htm > > > > good decsription including some points that were not in my own > > experience. Tom T (not Tom Paul) > > It also strikes me that some of what this page describes > has many of the same features as clinical depression. It > makes me wonder whether there may be instances in which > someone is diagnosed as depressed when in fact what > they're experiencing is this "neither here or there" > state MMY refers to--if not as a function of a specific > spiritual practice, perhaps simply as a matter of > spontaneous evolution of consciousness. > > In this same light, it may be of interest that quite > a few of the former, now strenuously anti-TMers who > used to post to alt.meditation.transcendental would > repeatedly claim they quit TM because they had begun > to experience life as empty and meaningless and had > become deeply miserable. > > Is it possible that at least some of them--many had been > long-term TMers--were actually going through this "dark > night" experience, having evolved to the "neither here > nor there" point but without the necessary intellectual > understanding to recognize that it was happening because > they were on the brink of CC? > > Ah, I found the other bit of commentary from MMY > I had been thinking of; it follows IV:40: > > "As the practice of Karma Yoga [TM, in this context] > advances, one begins to feel one's Self as separate > from activity. This experience brings with it a > feeling of confusion. One finds onself active and yet > inwardly one feels somewhat aloof from activity. > > "Doubts begin to arise in the mind, and the intellect > seeks for some explanation of the situation....Without > proper understanding, even the direct experience of > eternal freedom may be found to create confusion and > fear." > > Could this "confusion and fear" be related to the > "dark night of the soul" experience? > > Tom, would you be inclined to say something about > your experiences along these lines? (Or anybody > else?) > ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/JjtolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
