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After three decades of careful and scrupulous, detailed study of many "mind only" systems of healing, I have been forced to the conclusion that illness-- whether it be physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual-- is a very complex issue. Illness has no single cause that applies to all cases, in all people, all the time. Therefore, although many do not want to hear this, there is no simple "cure" that will cure all the people, in all cases, all the time! But it is up to each one of us to learn to Love and care for her body, by avoiding dietary abuse (too much junkfood), laziness (absence of exercise), and toxins (such as tobacco or too much alcohol). So, if we do the best that we can always to love our bodies, we are doing the very best possible. And God (Love) never requests the impossible or miraculous from anyone; God asks for only our best!
If illness could be caused by conscious thought, the hypochondriac who has been obsessed with a disease for forty years would surely, each and every time, manifest that disease! Yet many severely handicapped hypochondriacs, extremely convinced of the presence of disease, and thinking, even meditating, on its presence, for forty years, have been found to have a perfectly clean bill of health!
Of course, everyone loves to believe in "fairy tales." They are easy and comfortable, and appeal powerfully to the interior child (that part of your brain that stopped growing at age six). But Jesus told the real truth when he said, "You cannot change a single hair from white to black."
People, especially those who are what psychologists call "fantasy-prone personalities," hate to hear this. But if it is a decision between Jesus and a bunch of hopeful (or gullible) and desperate "positive thinkers"-- and it is-- there is no contest!
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Showing posts with label fantasy-prone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fantasy-prone. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Sunday, July 22, 2007
The Fantasy-life
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Susan [pseudonym] sounds like what psychologists call a "fantasy-prone" personality. This means exactly what it sounds like: Some people are highly prone (vulnerable) to fantasies. With some, it is just entertainment, and never goes beyond that; but with Susan, it sounds as if it is life-interfering, or at least, life-affecting. This is a bit more serious.
You have a good solid understanding of why her childself created the fantasies in the first place, and that really helps; perhaps it can help you to help her. She is in rather desperate need of a "reality-check."
Perhaps you can discuss with her the whole, very rich, realm of fantasy, and then, compare that with the scientific perspective. The latter will bore her, but it is her path to liberation as a free being. She has fully, and correctly, expressed her right to believe as she wishes, and to share her beliefs with you. You also have precisely that same right -- to believe as you choose, based on your lifexperience, and to share your beliefs with her. It seems time to do precisely that.
Fantasy can, to some extent, enrich life. I use even "fantasy-therapy." But it can do this safely only within a matrix of moderation, coupled with a well-grounded and practical, worldview. If one goes too far, and is immersed completely in a fantasy -- and she is not a writer -- this can have unfortunate effects on the personality. So, my friend, as her friend, you need to determine how deep is the "saturation." How much negative effect does this fantasy-life have on her selfimage, her selfesteem, and her personal independence? If it is starting to affect these psychological parameters, then she has moved into a danger-zone.
She might be in need of some "reality-therapy." This will probably begin as some introduction to science and the value of objective thinking and reasoning. Again, boring as hell to her, but the key to a "heaven" of a more productive, reasonable, and happier life!
To sum up: Used as moderate defenses, fantasies are harmless, and might even help maintain sanity and balance, especially in crisis. But too much of this "medicine" becomes a psychotoxin, and starts to poison the mind. You are right: This syndrome has characteristics that exactly parallel the unhealthy Christian fundy obsession with "satan," "evil spirits," and the whole mass of related nonsense.
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Susan [pseudonym] sounds like what psychologists call a "fantasy-prone" personality. This means exactly what it sounds like: Some people are highly prone (vulnerable) to fantasies. With some, it is just entertainment, and never goes beyond that; but with Susan, it sounds as if it is life-interfering, or at least, life-affecting. This is a bit more serious.
You have a good solid understanding of why her childself created the fantasies in the first place, and that really helps; perhaps it can help you to help her. She is in rather desperate need of a "reality-check."
Perhaps you can discuss with her the whole, very rich, realm of fantasy, and then, compare that with the scientific perspective. The latter will bore her, but it is her path to liberation as a free being. She has fully, and correctly, expressed her right to believe as she wishes, and to share her beliefs with you. You also have precisely that same right -- to believe as you choose, based on your lifexperience, and to share your beliefs with her. It seems time to do precisely that.
Fantasy can, to some extent, enrich life. I use even "fantasy-therapy." But it can do this safely only within a matrix of moderation, coupled with a well-grounded and practical, worldview. If one goes too far, and is immersed completely in a fantasy -- and she is not a writer -- this can have unfortunate effects on the personality. So, my friend, as her friend, you need to determine how deep is the "saturation." How much negative effect does this fantasy-life have on her selfimage, her selfesteem, and her personal independence? If it is starting to affect these psychological parameters, then she has moved into a danger-zone.
She might be in need of some "reality-therapy." This will probably begin as some introduction to science and the value of objective thinking and reasoning. Again, boring as hell to her, but the key to a "heaven" of a more productive, reasonable, and happier life!
To sum up: Used as moderate defenses, fantasies are harmless, and might even help maintain sanity and balance, especially in crisis. But too much of this "medicine" becomes a psychotoxin, and starts to poison the mind. You are right: This syndrome has characteristics that exactly parallel the unhealthy Christian fundy obsession with "satan," "evil spirits," and the whole mass of related nonsense.
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