5 ms·
Pyschosis is not an accident, and it is not caused by kundalini yoga (although in this case indirectly). It is my belief that psychosis is the product of spiri
by astazangasta 11y ago
Pyschosis is not an accident, and it is not caused by kundalini yoga (although in this case indirectly).
It is my belief that psychosis is the product of spiritual crisis. Humans are, fundamentally, mythological creatures - we have deeply-held beliefs and myths that guide our basic thinking, and we hold onto these firmly. When something challenges these fundamentals (usually some horrible trauma), we slip into spiritual crisis, our root becomes undone, and the mind attempts to reorganize.
During this period, the mythological root comes to the surface, is exposed, and explored and acted out through psychosis. This seems dangerous and alarming if we treat it as hallucination or nonsense, but is actually the mind seeking a healthier organization. A lot of the features of the psyche can be seen in the patterns of psychosis (the ego showing up as seeing yourself as Jesus/Metatron, etc.), which are quite regular if you read different people's experiences.
I don't know Kenneth, but I'll speculate on what happened here. Kenneth took a yoga class, met an amazing woman who took him on a magical journey of yoga, drugs and great sex. Poor robot Kenneth, who had been so sure he was a hard-edged science man, could not deal with this. My god, was there really something to the world of "woo-woo spirituality" that he had so derided? Could it really be a source of happiness and fulfillment?
This upended his belief system. Psychosis proceeded - the mind moved towards this new possibility, then away from it back to the familiar. No; Kenneth likes programming, and hates yoga, all is well.
Perhaps it had actually resolved by the time Kenneth started taking drugs; perhaps he has not resolved anything (I think neuroleptics prolong and interrupt this process, they certainly don't cure you).
This is an unconventional understanding of psychosis, but I believe this to be a better and more likely avenue for resolving crises than the "just shut up and take your pills" approach.
- ascorbic 11y agoBipolar disorder and schizophrenia (the main causes of psychosis) are genetic, not caused by "spiritual crisis". The spiritual stuff is a symptom of psychosis, not a cause. "Heritability for schizophrenia was 64% and for bipolar disorder 59%." http://europepmc.org/articles/pmc3879718 http://europepmc.org/articles/pmc3879718
- fiatjaf 11y agoYou don't know that.
- whybroke 11y agoGiven that link, you now both know it. You, however, choose not to believe it.
- fiatjaf 11y agoI do believe in the facts reported by that link (although I don't blame people who don't, scientists in general are not trustworthy). I didn't say that.
- ascorbic 11y agoThe paper that I cited is just one of dozens if not hundreds of studies on the heritability of the diseases. The evidence is overwhelming. Anecdotally, almost everyone I know with serious mental illness has at least one family member who does too.
- fiatjaf 11y agoThe statement that 'Bipolar disorder and schizophrenia (the main causes of psychosis) are genetic, not caused by "spiritual crisis"' is not backed by the results of the paper.
- 11y ago
- kenneth_reitz 11y agoBest year of my life. Will not repeat.
- pyre 11y agoYour ideas are very unhelpful, and should be considered as downright harmful as people who deny that depression exists because "I was sad one time, but then I pulled myself up by the bootstraps." The idea that using medication to handle these things is the "shut up and take your pills" approach and that the "real" way to deal with this is to just leave people in a state of psychosis until they "magically" snap out of it is ridiculous. How long would you prescribe that Kenneth should have been left in this state? What if he stayed in it indefinitely? We just let him ride out the rest of his life like that?
- astazangasta 11y agoI did not say, nor do I believe, that people should be left untreated to "snap out of it". These are vulnerable distressed people and their crisis can be terrifying and damaging. They need help and support to get through it. However, neuroleptics are NOT the right help, they are basically chemical lobotomies that suppress the brain (you can read about their history for yourself, this is what they are designed to do), and they do not cure psychosis, they merely shut the brain down so it'd symptoms are hidden. I believe we need new models for how to treat psychosis, and an important first step is realizing that delusional states are revealing. That is all. I am not saying anyone should go off meds and wander the streets.