In July 2002, I was invited to deliver a keynote lecture at the Third World Congress of Psychotherapy, "Anima Mundi," in Vienna. My lecture was titled "Spirituality, Culture and the Wounded Self". It could also be called, "The Errors Inbuilt in the Human Self and Their Correction", or pompously, "From Here To Eternity" since it embraces the "here and now" moment with the course the self is bound to take in liberating itself from what Buddhists call "obscurations"–(errors). Psychotherapy aims at correcting the biographical error of the self accumulated during a lifetime. Spiritual paths aim at correcting the transcendental error of the self or Separation from the Divinity, loss of our Buddha nature etc. The cultural error is corrected in synchrony with the biographical one because they are intimately interrelated. The culture imprints the self. If the self changes it impacts upon the culture, and vice versa. A Russian inherits the Russian modality of the self with its errors, a Spaniard the Spanish and so on.
What follows is the abstract prepared for the Vienna conference:
As physicists search for Grand Unified Theories ("GUTS"), so students of the mind attempt to integrate its emotional, mental and, ultimately, spiritual aspects. The author presents an initial step in this direction, based upon the conceptualization of the errors permeating the human self.

We will explain it to you kiddo... Photo Courtesy of Stock.xchng

I) The Biographical or Neurotic Error:

This error has its roots in the parental and social denial of the absolute, unconditional lovability of the self in its most pristine form as embodied in the human child. In a paper on Anaclitic Psychotherapy published in the journal Psiquis in 1986, I postulated that the primeval self of the child consists mainly of an innate ("hardwired") premise of self-knowledge–mostly of an emotional nature. It was termed "the Lovability Principle" defined as "the one hundred per cent certainty that we are lovable and will be mirrored as such by our parental figures." This innate premise can only become operative through kindling via parental confirmation. Otherwise, no matter how intelligent the individual may be, the emotional self remains stunted.
If the Lovability Principle is disconfirmed, the child/parent affective bond is damaged inducing sub-clinical but cumulative anaclitic reactions—anger, pain, despair, and eventually detachment—all reactions that I consider to be at the root of the psychophysiology of neurosis. The child has no capacity to assimilate an unloving/disconfirming parental interject into the self proper and must deny that sad reality via defensive exclusion. The child's mind detaches from that of the parent(s) and splits into two entities: the Lovability Principle asserting "I'm lovable" and the parasitic interject affirming: "no, you are not! [but implicitly:
'I am!!']." Disconfirmation is the ontological trauma par excellence. Neuroses are thus differentiated from any model of body disease by being, in fact, informational injuries.

 

Be strong!

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Or carry a big pistol and some
stars in your uniform ("fatigues")

 

"In the present world, we invest five times more in drugs to enhance masculine virility and silicone for women than in medications to treat Alzheimer's disease. When some years pass by, we will have older women with big breasts and older men with great erections but none of them will remember
what they are for."

Oncologist Drauzio Varella, Brazilian Nobel Price.

Photo Courtesy of www.zimbio.com

 

Profession: Dictator!
"Or manage to get deified by people that were taught as children not to question orders."

(Just notice the love emanating from the eyes of another one that "flew over the cuckoo's nest")!

II) The Male-Mind and The Cultural Error:

In the process of defining customs and mores, cultures are also providing "prescriptions for being." Most, if not all cultures, are imprinted by a male-self corrupted by an ancient narcissistic error negating the Lovability Principle as epitomized in the dysfunctional injunction: "for a real man lack of love ought not to hurt." This injunction is enforced at the expense of the feminine aspects of our emotional self such as tenderness, love, compassion and other soft ("weak") feelings that are suppressed in favor of developing hard "masculine" ones glorifying domination and power. This is portrayed, for instance, in the implicit admission of "weakness" contained in the common expression "he broke down and cried." In consequence, "goodness" is not cultivated as an innate attribute of the child's emotional self but coercively branded into him/her as an unfelt mental self-rule.

First, through its child rearing practices, the male state cripples the emotional self of the young boy who as an adult will tend to act out the damage (the self of the female is simply demeaned). Confronted with that acting out, the male-mind state, unable to recognize its shortcomings, feels forced to erect punitive, repressive regulations flavoring the citizen as "potentially bad and unruly" but the state's laws and institutions as the "good” or the “common good” (certainly better than the individual citizen). The citizen is supposed to trust the state but the state does not trust its citizens. It's in that sense that we could say that male-mind democracy is an oxymoron. We live at best in proto-democracies. Full-fledged democracy without a top-heavy power structure has yet to be invented.

Cultures therefore are the hosts of those errors to be transmitted from generation to generation–much as the influenza virus hosts in chickens and pigs in between human infections. Being modeled after the structure of the male-mind, cultures are mostly emotionally mute, repressive, and dysfunctional because the male-self is by choice (or teaching) a false one–a contra natura self at the root of the "cultural error." Cultures systematically disparage the wisdom embodied in the emotional self, that "folder" of the self containing the Lovability Principle and its derivatives, such as morality, kindness etc. In fact, in "advanced" cultures the mental self has become synonymous with the self.
The cost of male-mind narcissism has been appalling. An unembellished view of human history reveals that most of the time it has consisted of a river of blood propelled by male-mind causes that go into the history books as "great" kingdoms, battles, empires, generals and what not. "Manhood" attributes such as physical power, sophisticated weaponry–and above all in our current times–the scientific method and techno/scientific savvy, have become extensions of our "God by default" selves. Not a very sane God though: during the last century alone, over two hundred million human beings were slaughtered in assorted male-mind "glorious enterprises."

III) The Spiritual Self and The Transcendental Error:

The original fragmentation of the human mind. The deformation of the male-mind is traceable to the transcendental error that took place eons ago when, in the ultimate narcissistic gesture, the human mind defied the Divinity's under the dictum: "two Gods is a crowd." The human mind thus underwent its original traumatic fragmentation–known as "the fall from Grace," loss of our "Buddha nature," etc. As we deny, as individuals, the painful childhood trauma of our defiled lovability via defensive exclusion, so we collectively deny the spiritual trauma as well via the same mechanism of defense.
Furthermore, as loss of the parental bond triggers an anaclitic reaction, the Separation from God triggers the same phenomenon, if of infinitely greater magnitude. In undoing this error, mystics traverse the steps (anger; pain; despair; detachment) of an excruciating anaclitic reaction vividly portrayed in the writings ("Dark Night of the Soul") of the sixteenth century Spanish mystic, St. John of the Cross.

CONCLUSION:

Misled by the male-mind, blissfully ignorant of its shortcomings, humanity is creating an onerous imbalance between self-knowledge (for which no Nobel Prize is granted) and techno/scientific "know how." This fact betrays the very purpose of life: to correct the transcendental error of the mind by recovering our "Christ Mind" or "Buddha nature." Our present trajectory could inexorably make a prophecy out of the famous dictum of the late Spanish humanist-physician Gregorio Maranon: "the danger of our times are the barbarians [alien to self-knowledge] that master the techniques."
In our field, the "biological revolution"—if unconstrained by the old wisdom "Nosce Te Ipsum" ("Know Thyself")—could lead, in a not too distant future, from Prozac to Aldous Huxley's "soma," the pill that "cures" all psychic ailments in a Brave New World.

No Mas please? Photo Courtesy of Stock.xchng

Is that what's it all about? Photo Courtesy of Stock.xchng

There is no greater impediment to overcoming the transcendental error than to live under the yoke of a neurosis (biographical error) in an emotionally dysfunctional culture. Psychotherapy, if properly understood, could play a much needed role in helping us to recover part of our long lost sanity.

Nurturing report I

This ketamine-assisted session is with male nurturer, Dr. Souza-Poza.

I was ready to snuggle away from my worldly mind, and into the comfort of the spiritual realm. Getting back to the essentials of connecting with a pure life force is my main priority.

It was like emerging through new rich ground. At times I was going through layers of rock solid peace. There is no struggling, just free movement and natural flow from one place to another. I was down in the bowels of the earth (the good kind of bowels), and other moments I was through the essence of space. I went so deep in this session “plastered with spiritual love” was what came to my mind. It is amazing to be in various realms within an hour. The nurturing is so good and feels like it is a lot longer than an hour. I guess this is testament to how I am finally able to accept this place as natural and essential. Not only am I feeling totally safe with the doctor, but I also feel safe with myself. I feel the strength building in my very cells – there is absolutely nothing I have to fear, protect or control. The fluidity of this spirituality does not have limitations as does the temporal world. How can I not revel in this place.

At one point, I was sensing a new visualization – although I cannot explain at this time what it is because I am only beginning to tap into this. Or maybe it was all my being would allow at this time. I definitely had the sense of the untold great fortunes I could experience in this sacred place.

It is indeed a shame, and misfortune that the masses of mankind struggle endlessly to get here but have not been able to find the means. It is obvious what with all the pain and suffering caused by mankind. For it is so ingrained in our society (worldwide) to do just the opposite which only removes us further from the truth, from our emotional and spiritual selves and our inherent freedom and peace – a freedom and peace that cannot be bought, broken or bargained for. No war can attain these results; there is no education, race, religion, meditation or status has succeeded at the vast success of this type of therapy. The physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social restraints afforded to our worldly ways does basic humanity a grave disservice. We pay for this at such an exorbitant price such as the failing and destructions of our nations, our nature including the animal and plant kingdom (any living thing), and the world environment (land, air and water). Thankfully I have fundamental peace, and spirituality. This is far beyond what I ever thought was possible to get out of my pain-filled life; I am not just coasting – I am removing myself from the neurosis.

Nurturing report II

This session was ketamine-assisted by male nurturer, Dr. Souza-Poza.

Let me first say I made the error of mentioning I needed to work before nurturing because I had a conflict earlier in the day. However, it proved to be an unwarranted option to work as it not only interfered with my nurturing, the conflict was not significant at the time I began my nurturing session. Thus, it took a bit for me to settle into my spirituality. The session was neither as deep nor as grounding as it could have been.

Fortunately for me, the doctor quickly identified there was no necessity to work the trigger and had me tie-up the working session, and switch to nurturing. I was quick to see the wisdom in this – for I could feel it and with it been pointed out, almost simultaneously, it only cemented the reality. No more confirmation required - haa haa! Lesson learned – not a mistake!

Although I had not traveled immensely into god’s land, I was still there and I did get enough nurturing that I was able to benefit from it.

Once I lay in the arms of my nurturer, I focused on my breathing. Soon the nurturing engulfed my very being. Again I submerged to the spirit world. I cherish this place. The space is expansive. My mind is clear, and all things are possible. This is a place where worry and fretting do not exist. Immersing into the various components of spirituality is smooth. I am feeling more of a natural connection to this space and not so compartmentalized from it. It is becoming a way of being outside of therapy. As a matter of fact, I am starting to protect my sanity (peace). What great things would be done if the whole of society were open to emotional honesty which in turn leads to spiritual honesty! .

 

Thank the following persons for their contributions: Daphne H. Fontaine, Suzanne Frenette,
Ali Hemani, Lisette D. Jolicoeur, and Kenneth Lilley.

Prior to them, during the truly pioneering times I was assisted by a few who with low pay, long hours but lots of generosity and courage blazed the way and cleared the bush -sometimes as human cobayas themselves -suffering but never complaining or giving up.

This work is as much mine as it is theirs.

Among them: Bob Eagle, great teacher of young minds and humanist, Andre Mercure, Jean Meunier, Bob Rohrberg, Michel Bourque, Eric Marchand and above all Ms. Lisette D. Jolicoeur.

And last but by no means least, a special mention for a beautiful, intelligent, loving and generous human being of extraordinary patience and skills by the name of Doris Bilodeau.

God bless you all. You earned my love and gratitude. Your recompense is waiting much, much bigger than you ever could imagine because you all have scored innumerable "karmic points." And that is  the real "game" down here on Planet Earth.

And finally I want to cyber-hug and thank the religious at the Spiritual Life Institute my spiritual first home- or simpler- "mi casa", for their love and hospitality. it is in their hermitages and gorgeous chapel in the high Colorado desert at the feet of the glorious "Sangre de Cristo" (Blood of Christ) mountains that I learnt that there is no gap between the human, ordinary psyche (biographic self) and the indestructible spiritual self.

Apparently someone once asked Einstein why he shaved and bathed with the same soap. His succinct response was "because two soaps is too complicated." This is what in science is called "parsimony" -something aching to economy. The theory that explains a natural phenomenon with fewer assumptions, particularly un-testable ones "'wins" and dethrones the previous, more complicated candidate.

As a psychiatrist concerned with the suffering of the mind (yes, biological psychiatry is also a magnificent science, but is being used as a fig leaf to cover up for our trespasses in loveless abusing each other. As I previously said: "love is the logical conclusion of self-knowledge ("Nosce Te Ipsum" "Know Thyself” -or, in original Greek: "Gnothi Seauton"). I am a firm believer, mostly from data derived not only form "practicing it on others", but mostly on myself in solitudinal research ("eating from my own cooking"), and that there is no discontinuity and psycho-spirituality is here to stay.

A person that cultivates his or her own spirituality is better off and suffers with more equanimity when the hideous human wound from our childhood and life is open to heal it as much as possible with love. As a psychiatrist/psychotherapist I spoke about the two basic introjects. But in reality there is another one. It has been called "the indwelling introject" (ref) because the divinity is everywhere but his/her favorite dwelling is my mind and yours and everybody else’s!

The same joyful and heart-full thanks go for the members of the Desert Foundation for their friendship and encouragement. Both institutions live pain stoically and joy exuberantly in the midst of a ascetic life. That is, a truly free Christian life. And even when traversing severe trials they never faltered in opening for me my favorite hermitage.

Joaquin F. Sousa-Poza