Dear Briar... Impatience

3/13 -Impatience

Dear Briar -

I’m beginning to really loathe the thick Lithium fog that I am living in; my 5-second delay is growing very stale, very quick. I feel dumbed-down, like I’ve been made into the junior edition of a board game called “me.” Briar, what if I was diagnosed all wrong? It happens more often than we probably think. Maybe my problem is physiological, not mental. Perhaps it stems from something even bigger ... something other than a chemical imbalance in the brain, a pineal malfunction, or genetics. For instance, in all of the metaphysical literature that I sink into, illness is much more cerebral, and controlled by the mind and the environment.

Psychiatrist Jung saw a direct correlation between balance and the unconscious mind, and physical wellness. Robert A. Johnson, (not the 1920's guitar legend) Jungian analyst and author, speaks about his theory, based on Jungian Psychology in an excerpt from Inner Work: Using Dreams and Active Imagination for Personal Growth:

“Jung discovered that the unconscious is not merely an appendage of the conscious mind, a place where forgotten memories or unpleasant feelings are repressed. He posited a model of the unconscious so momentous that the Western world has still not fully caught up with its implications. He showed that the unconscious is the creative source of all that evolves into the conscious mind and into the total personality of each individual. It is out of the raw material of the unconscious that our conscious minds develop, mature, and expand to include all the qualities that we carry potentially within us.” Johnson expounds further: “Jung showed us that the conscious and the unconscious minds both have critical roles to play in the equilibrium of the total self. When they are out of correct balance with one another, neurosis and other disturbances result.”

I don’t know Bri, but I think that I buy it. There is no light without dark; yin without yang, love without hate; safety without fear. Balance is the key to mental stability. So what’s the cure? I certainly don’t think that it is to drug a person until they are deemed useless; where is the progress there? Isn’t quality of life what ultimately a person suffering from any illness is striving to achieve; a renewed sense of living in the moment, not hovering above it in a highly-medicated haze. I know that I want to join the party again, not just watch from a clouded distance.

Yours truly, Ana

Check Out Ana's Read of the Day. Good CEREBRAL stuff!