Theos-Talk Archives (January 2002 Message tt00449)

<<<<Jerry: "Some psychologists see this as an example of how our modern society itself breeds mental illnesses (Hillman, for one)."

That's an interesting tought isn't it, and next begs the question why. Very symptomatic for current Western society is also the rise of depression. That seems less represented for example in certain Asian society and some other areas of the world.>>>>>>

Right. My own feeling here is that Madison Avenue has a lot to do with causing depression - the feeling that our worthiness is all about how much money we have, and that we don't have enough. Of course, depression can also be the result of physical illnesses and bad luck (bad karma?). Recent studies have indicated that depression in senior citzens is rampant, and the main cause is a lack of meaning in their lives (also the prime cause of suicide).

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<<<<Wich brings up a next question, how where, do we find valid psychological models, most have shown to work no better then a placebo, most of them somehow go back to at least some of the primitive notions of Freud wich seem flawed, plus there is the cultural bias, for example most Psychiaters would have to diagnose Shamans or the like, as mentally
unstable.>>>>

Modern psychology is very good with diagnosis, but lousy on cure. I have asked some experts about this, and have been told that this is because it is a relatively new science and that cure rates will improve over time. And the idea that Jesus and Buddha would both be diagnosed as mentally imbalanced today is well known, and has led to the new wave of psychology called transpersonal psychology, thanks to folks like Wilber, Tart, and Walsh. Wilber's early works were all published by Quest, because the established/traditional psychology publishers wouldn't touch them.

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<<<Yet on the other hand probably if you go to stay some time in a psychiatric ward, you will indeed encounter people that see and hear
certain things and without doubt should be termed mentally unstable, in other words other then the shamanics (I'l call them like that for
conveneace now as a general denominator) that are integrated and have a useful function in their society , those in the psychiatric ward cannot
function in society.>>>

Aleister Crowley said it well when he advised his students 'don't confound the planes.' Shamans and occultists keep the planes separate and do not confuse them. Thus they can function in society. The mentally ill (schizophrenia is a good example) cannot keep them separate, and the astral voices and images that they observe are confused with the physical plane. Thus they cannot function in society.

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Just two of my own observations, could the rise in depression be partly due to the fact that in modern western society people have less close contact with others, and could it be that Christianity with its good/evil bias is less conductive to mental health ? Brigitte>>>

Studies have shown that people who have a religous belief live longer and are generally happier than agnostics or atheists. Most psychologists attribute this to having meaning in their life. Theosophy also provides us with meaning, provides us with the idea of treading a Path toward a nobel goal, and therefore will benefit us whether true or not.

Jerry S.
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