That lovely lady's body would be suffering all the more if not for her
wise active mind. She's fortunate to have put it to good use to
eventually ease the transition to the next life.
Do you ever wonder how much easier this transition from active mind to
frailty to physical death would be if people could learn to accept
altered states as a natural function of their time on Earth? If they had
a shaman, spiritual or psychotherapist guide them through these changes,
is it possible they could unravel some buried stuff and sojourn into new
realms with dignity in tact rather than be branded with senility?
As I glance at a list of Salish spirit quest altered states of
consciousness symptoms, described by Ludwig in the context of trance and
possession, 1968, I start to wonder:
1) alterations in thinking; including predominance of archaic modes of
thought, blurring of cause effect distinction, cognitive ambivalence
2) disturbed time sense
3) loss of conscious control and inhibition which may be relinquished in
order to gain a greater, culturally defined power
4) change in emotional expression towards affective extremes ranging
from ecstasy to profound fear
5) body image changes; feelings of depersonalization, derealization,
dissolution of boundaries between self and environment, often associated
with dizziness, weakness, blurred vision and analgesia
6) perceptual distortions,; hallucinations, illusions, visual imagery,
hyper-acuteness of perceptions, synaesthetic experiences
7) change in meaning; attachment of increased or specific significance
to subjective experience or external cues, leading to thrilling feelings
of insight, and revelation of "truth" which then carries an unshakable
conviction
8) sense of ineffable; the essence of the personal experience is felt
not to be directly communicable; and this is often explained by varying
degrees of amnesia
9) feelings of rejuvenation; of renewed hope or of rebirth
10) hyper-suggestibility: a propensity to accept, or to respond
uncritically to statements of an authority figure via identification, or
to cultural and group expectations.
Imagine walking someone through the first parts to have them weave
through the latter--without the feelings of grief and loss over ego
self. Picture them being with someone who knew what to watch for, and
who could interpret what was seen or felt, without being overbearing or
subjective. Western culture would call these altered states psychogenic,
most often observed in hypnosis, religious revelation or hysterical
dissociation. Christians call it something else (like demonic
possession), and yet differences are about cultural rather than
psychological or neurophysiological states. But the term 'trance'
designates a state of double consciousness, between limiting state of
awareness of personal self and dream-like state of the para-personal
self. The "neuropsychological basis of the trance or possession state is
the dissociation of the self, which loses its experiential unity and is
converted into a secondary dual system of relational experience." This
"capacity to attain altered states of consciousness are a universal
property of the human central nervous system, but their prevalence is
the function of socio-cultural variables" says Wolfgang G. Jilek, M.D.,
author of /Indian Healing, Shamanic Ceremonialism in the Pacific
Northwest Today/. There may be a reason, a personal motivation for
induction of these states by seniors, and we're dismissing/misdiagnosing
their landmark passage as signs of demise.
I've long suspected that a lot of what's going on with cognitive
impairment has to do with mind taking a trek/break from chiefly
psychological pain and restraints. I suspect that at the first signs of
it, people ignore the warnings to search for peace within. Seniors
generally will become frightened and seek out allopathic remedies, which
may or may not be the answer. In my observations, this usually marks the
beginning of the end because the drugs are so harmful, and require other
drugs to alleviate the adverse effects. Then, it's diarrhea city. Every
elderly patient I've observed, be it with Alzheimer's or depression,
post-stroke or what have you, has been bombarded with mind numbing
anti-depressants or systems depressants that typically lead to hip
fractures/falls that wouldn't likely have happened had the patient
stayed home, got meals delivered, and were allowed time to work it out
themselves or with some nursing or counseling. Sure, you have those who
might set the house on fire, but I'll bet they are more in the numbers
of those who are iatrogenic victims than not.
I've wondered how much rigidity and such things as giving away one's
personal power over time have to do with later brain impairment or
demise. Usually permanent physical condition arises out of a
predisposition for it, yet it's always different with each patient. But
if that person had been able to know themselves, others and their world
better in a more connected or fulfilling light, would it have been
easier for them? There's often a pattern of a major resentment or trauma
that should have been addressed. Blockages that can cause very real
symptoms that can all too easily easily be assigned a clinical name. And
once they hand over their own well being to the care of others and
pharmaceuticals, they may never learn that looking at life differently
will yield different results. They've never been taught the tools, or
the resources in naturopathic remedies, and though spirituality might
take them there, their steady diet of religion or resentment thereof
fails to direct them. I believe religions should be taught in school.
All religions and spiritual beliefs, so that people would know choice.
Biggest thing going, along with science and technology, and kids are
forced to learn dogma from within limiting parental purlieus, or worse
still, from a religious school they may be attending. Atheism should
also be taught, not just left fore kids to adopt without knowing the theory.
We all have to dream and experience freedom for our mind's well-being.
In material life, immediate gratification without consequences would
obviously lead to miscreant actions. Aside from all of the physiological
documented evidence one could present, I suspect night dreams are the
mind's coping strategy for daytime maintenance of high energy, low
frequency physicality. If we didn't have the escape from the physical on
a (preferably) nocturnal basis, our minds would go nuts from chronic
imagined imprisonment--not so much physical but psychical. In aging, our
dream recall tends to diminish, resulting in less conscious processing
of subconscious experience. People with vivid recall don't seem to
experience this lessening, but they may become victims of their own
fear-based interpretations as the line between conscious and
subconscious crosses or merges. Most psychologists could help these
people to some extent, but getting the help they need in time never happens.
Just thoughts. Not professional. What do you think?
Natalia
Ray Harrell wrote:
"I have to go visit a 90 year old Jewish lady whose brain is not
downsized. It's just her body. What a waste."
Hey Natalia, I was sad before I went. She is bright and worked
full time up until she was 88. She raised a daughter on her own.
The daughter became so self reliant that in her late teens she hiked
all over Europe and a lot of Asia, was a member of the Bread and
Puppet Theater and worked through college to a PHD in Social Work.
She rescued a couple of Indian children from the wars in Central
America and raised them as a single mother. Because they are Indian
she brought them to our community and participated with them in our
ceremonials and rituals. Meanwhile she is known as an angel to the
police because she would step right in front of a policeman's gun to
protect a child in a drug dealers apartment. She is now retired
but has gone back to school and is continuing to do her profession
privately.
What an amazing little woman with an amazing mother who smiled a huge
smile and spoke beautifully with a mind that speaks for someone much
younger than her 90+ years. So much knowledge in so frail a body.
It was a gift to me today.
Thank you Miriam,
Wado Edoda.
REH
* *
*From:* [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] *On Behalf Of *Michael
Gurstein
*Sent:* Sunday, July 18, 2010 1:50 PM
*To:* 'RE-DESIGNING WORK, INCOME DISTRIBUTION, EDUCATION'
*Subject:* [Futurework] FW: [p2p-research] newsweek on The Creativity
Crisis
-----Original Message-----
*From:* [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] *On Behalf Of *Michel
Bauwens
*Sent:* Sunday, July 18, 2010 4:03 PM
*To:* Peer-To-Peer Research List
*Cc:* [email protected]
*Subject:* [p2p-research] newsweek on The Creativity Crisis
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/10/the-creativity-crisis.html
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