I pratice meditation. Meditation can cultivate experiences similar to that which are characterized as schizophrenic. Up unitl I had these experiences in meditation, I too would have maintained that they are completely abnormal. I think that the difference between a mystical experience and that which would be called pathological is that one is created by choice and/or it can be controled and isn't disturbing. In other cultures, people with these abilities are considered shaman. In our culture, we skeptically accept them as psychics. When out of control or drug induced, they are considered pathological. Now whether there's a physical cause of these events, allowing some people to reach this altered state with effort, others able to reach the state effortlessly, and still others to have lost control of the condition completely is entirely a different story. I suspect that there is. I also maintain a my own theory that under duress people find a mean of escape, usually through typical anxiety or depression. Others, discover a more creative, perhaps dissociative state, creating visions and voices. However, when that state is controled, those visions and voices are a source of information that most people don't ever experience. Call it a higher form of intuition, psychic ablity, or a voice from God. It's not something that can be explained. It must be experienced. Our "scientific" society can't create controled experiments to measure it. It flies in the face of our belief systems, and few people ever experience it. So, it leaves the majority left to conclude either it doesn't exist or it's insane. But, I won't argue that when out of control it is unhealthy, much like depression or anxiety. It's just much more sensational.
Replies:
|
| Behavior OnLine Home Page | Disclaimer |
Copyright © 1996-2004 Behavior OnLine, Inc. All rights reserved.