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Posts from the ‘Psychology’ Category

Nov 13

Buddha Statue

Eyes Closed

“Time passes in moments… moments which, rushing past define the path of a life just as surely as they lead towards its end. How rarely do we stop to examine that path, to see the reasons why all things happen, to consider whether the path we take in life is our own making or simply one into which we drift with eyes closed. But what if we could stop, pause to take stock of each precious moment before it passes? Might we then see the endless forks in the road that have shaped a life? And, seeing those choices, choose another path? Or, what if there was only one choice and all the other ones were wrong? And there were signs along the way to pay attention to.” – Scully

Aug 3

Neo
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Simulacra and Simulations

As an undergraduate, I helped run a psychology lab for a professor where we did cognitive experiments on Psychology 101 students. My major was Cognitive Science and I spent most of my free time reading anything I could get my hand on the subject. I would read an author’s paper in a journal and flip to their references and then read those papers and flip to those references until I found what seemed to be primary sources – though largely unattributed – it was the philosophers, of course. Carl Jung was among those whose contribution to the field of cognitive science was conveniently buried under tons of footnotes and references.
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Jul 26

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Row Your Boat

There were always those people that amazed me with their clarity of vision for their own futures. I’ve often wondered about those with such a clear vision. They always seemed to know exactly what they wanted – they always had a plan on how to achieve it. I have a sort of admiration for those that have their act together enough to have a vision and a plan to get there. I’m a little jealous.

After high school they knew where they were going to college. After college they knew where they were going to work. After working for a while they knew that they would get married and where they were going to live and how many children they were going to have. We all have friends like this. I have many friends like this. One by one I have watched as their plans have splintered, unraveled, and just fallen apart. The energy it takes to hold to the vision must be exhausting. In personality terms, these are the folks that love certainty and predictability. They wonder why people do dangerous things.

From the perspective of a psyche, the more certain the ego is of doing something the more obstacles there will be to overcome. Jung called this the ‘transcendent function’. It’s a kind of pressure valve on the ego and it goes into action exactly when we wouldn’t want it to. Imagine walking up to the stage to receive the award that you are absolutely certain you deserve and you trip and fall walking up the stairs. This is the transcendent function in action. It keeps things like pride in check. I’m not saying that having a plan is a bad thing. A plan is a great thing. However, without any built in flexibility a plan is certain to fall apart. Be open to what comes and try to welcome adventure. Or in other words…

Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily. Life is but a dream.

Feb 20

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Schools Kill Creativity

Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.
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Feb 20

Carl Jung and the Holy Grail of the Unconscious

This is a story about a nearly 100-year-old book, bound in red leather, which has spent the last quarter century secreted away in a bank vault in Switzerland. The book is big and heavy and its spine is etched with gold letters that say “Liber Novus,” which is Latin for “New Book.” Its pages are made from thick cream-colored parchment and filled with paintings of otherworldly creatures and handwritten dialogues with gods and devils. If you didn’t know the book’s vintage, you might confuse it for a lost medieval tome.

And yet between the book’s heavy covers, a very modern story unfolds. It goes as follows: Man skids into midlife and loses his soul. Man goes looking for soul. After a lot of instructive hardship and adventure — taking place entirely in his head — he finds it again.

Carl Jung and the Holy Grail of the Unconscious – NYTimes.com.

Sep 13

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Out of the Darkness

When I was in 9th grade a friend named David shot himself over a break up with a middle school girlfriend. 10 years ago Preston, a friend and a great athlete, died from a drug overdose. 5 years ago my buddy and long-time neighbor Seth took his own life after the Katrina hurricane destroyed his home. And, four years ago, after struggling with alcoholism, my buddy Tara also made the choice that she couldn’t go on living. Even though suicide affects us all the reasons are poorly understood. It’s not a topic most people even feel comfortable talking about – it just seems so out of balance with the natural order. Research has shown that major depression and bipolar disorder are to blame in most cases. Of course, like in murder, some people may just do it in the heat of the moment – caught up in emotions so powerful there doesn’t seem to be another way out.

Thankfully, there are organizations out there that are promoting awareness and funding research. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), a 501(c)(3) organization, has been at the forefront of a wide range of suicide prevention initiatives – each designed to reduce loss of life from suicide. They are investing in groundbreaking research, new educational campaigns, innovative demonstration projects and critical policy work. And they are also expanding their assistance to people whose lives have been affected by suicide, reaching out to offer support and offering opportunities to become involved in prevention.

I know there are thousands of demands on your time and money but why not take a second to donate $5 to Tammy (Tara’s sister). She will be one of the thousands of people around the country that will be walking in the AFSP’s 2009 Out of the Darkness Community Walk on November 7, 2009. Please make a small donation to Tammy in memory of her sister, Tara, if you can.

Donate here.

Mar 18

4 Comments

Carl Jung In a Box

Like you, my life is very busy and I don’t always have the time I need to address my acute schizophrenia personal issues, so I often just talk to my personal therapist, Carl Jung. Sure, he may have died 40 years ago, but that doesn’t mean you can’t commune with him directly through the new Carl Jung Action Figure. If you ask Dr. Jung a question and focus very, very hard, he will actually give you a response. Sometimes you don’t even have to concentrate – he will just start speaking. Often I have to put him in a drawer or something because he’s always saying (insert Swiss accent), “For God’s sake doctor, help me get rid of this woman.” It doesn’t warn you on the package, but as we all know, “Invoked or not invoked, Jung is always present.”

I only have a limited supply of these action figures and I can’t promise that you will get the same results that I did. However, I may be willing to sell you a Jung action figure if you contact me. You can find various other Jung action figures on the internet but these are very special. I have tried them all and only this Jung will provide actual therapy. Imagine a lifetime of therapy – one on one – with the Maestro, himself. You can’t really put a price tag on that. Why shell out thousands and thousands of dollars for a Jungian analyst over years (for what will probably prove to be a worthless waste of time anyway) when you can have Carl Jung as your personal analyst? Beware of lookalikes around the web. The case of action figures I have was the only one confirmed by independent, scientific authorities to be the real deal. They couldn’t prove it but they did suspect that synchronicity was somehow involved.

Again, I can’t guarantee that you will have the same results that I had, but if you stop taking your medication concentrate very hard I’m almost certain this will work for you. Below is a picture that will give you a detailed view of the full-size action figure. Just talking to the picture will not work though – no matter how hard you concentrate. So, go ahead and save yourself a small fortune in therapy and buy the Carl Jung action figure here from the Nautis Project for the low price of $250.00 dollars. Remember, only the Nautis Project has this special version of the Jung action figure so you have to act now in order take advantage of this offer. There is a very limited supply – so order now. But, wait! If you order in the next 24 hours, I will also throw in the very special Sigmund Freud action figure (without special powers, of course). What are you waiting for? Order Now!

jung-action-figure-3.jpg

Nov 1

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On Life after Death

Attached is an essay from C.G. Jung on his view of life after death. His witting is always interesting and this one I enjoy in particular. Jung says, “What I have to tell about the hereafter, and about life after death, consists entirely of memories, of images in which I have lived and of thoughts which have buffeted me. These memories in a way also underlie my works; for the latter are fundamentally nothing but attempts, ever renewed, to give an answer to the question of the interplay between the “here” and the “hereafter.” Yet I have never written expressly about a life after death; for then I would have had to document my ideas, and I have no way of doing that. Be that as it may, I would like to state my ideas now.”

CG Jung – Life After Death.pdf

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