This page is part of the archives of the IshCon.org discussion forums, as they existed from November 2002 to January 2007. Some links and other content references may be outdated or broken. For more information about IshCon, visit www.ishcon.org.
Topic: Healing the Mind/Body Split
Part of the forum "Dialog Cafe" in the IshCon Forum Archive
| Poster and Date | Post |
| Devin Sat Mar 4th, 2006 at 03:00 PM |
I think this may be one of the most important things I've written, and I wish to share it with you here. I've come to understand the mind/body (thinking/feeling, intellectual/emotional) false dichotomy as the root of what is wrong with civilization. Alan Watts captures it well: "We have been taught to neglect, despise, and violate our bodies, and to put all faith in our brains. Indeed, the special disease of civilized man might be described as a block or schism between his brain and the rest of his body." I was on the phone with my friend Howard (whom some of you know from IshCon-the-gathering) for four and a half hours the other day, and we talked about two contrasting paradigms -- the linear and the systemic. The linear paradigm is clearly represented by a line, and the systemic paradigm is represented well by a circle (although we definitely liked the yin yang symbol better). The linear paradigm is built on positive feedback loops alone while the systemic paradigm integrates both positive and negative feedback loops into a systemic view. We both observed, repeatedly, that the linear paradigm led to the creation of false dichotomies. Howard has maintained for quite awhile that the goal of health is to reconcile these false dichotomies, a conclusion I came to recently. To add even more synchronicity, I was reading in Alfie Kohn's book Unconditional Parenting the other day how conditional love was a vicious cycle. And then he links that vicious cycle to a false dichotomy of raising kids with love vs. raising them to be successful -- and now things are really clicking. The insight that I got from that, putting all of this together, was that a false dichotomy is an example of a positive feedback loop that tends to polarize or "split" interconnected things. From psychology we can understand the root cause of this splitting as trauma. When humans undergo a traumatic experience such as molestation or abuse our conscious "selves" dissociate from our body as a defense mechanism. This mind-body splitting so prevalent in modern civilization is the result of traumatic experience. This dissociation from oneself effectively transforms what was previously a system of interaction between the mind and the body into the mind acting in a purely linear fashion on the body. Trauma cripples the system and makes it linear. There's more. The more we focus on that positive feedback loop in an attempt to counter it, the more we contribute to the polarization, the more we contribute to the false dichotomy. This is an example of what Howard has called the "problem-based" mindset, where people are focusing on and even building an identity around problems. We see this all too often in revolutionary groups that subconsciously sabotage their own efforts in an attempt to avoid change. What Howard has called the "appreciative mindset", then, we can see in terms of completely reframing "the problem" in an attempt to find what works and build on that. I linked this to the concept of focusing on an alternative "virtuous cycle" to counter the vicious cycle that is already in place due to the trauma. This will resolve the splitting that the trauma caused in the first place, reconciling or unifying that false dichotomy. This is how we become healthy and balanced. Once we recognize civilization as traumatic, as splitting connected things (such as the mind and the body) into false dichotomies, as being a positive feedback loop (vicious cycle), then we start to see the incredible power of this insight. We have gotten to the core of the issue here -- and it comes down to the disconnect between a linear paradigm and a systemic paradigm. This is the ultimate false dichotomy that we must reconcile, and to do it we must get at the trauma that caused it. It is then no wonder that people are getting defensive about all these things, because this is getting into the realm of the trauma that we have personally gone through. We use our thoughts and our intellect to stay away from or repress our feelings because they are so painful. This is the very essence of the mind/body split -- when the trauma occurs during our childhood, we're trapped and the only release we have is through dissociation. As an example, the trauma could be being punished by a controlling or manipulative parent, often the father, for doing something that was a part of our identity. From this dissociation or disconnection we have the linear paradigm, where the mind, the subject, acts in a top-down way on a world of objects. Denied the balancing feedback of the world connected to the mind, the world is seen as something we own or control -- or at the very least, something we act on in a single direction or line. As we learn to repress our feelings and emotions more and more (we call such a process 'maturity'), we gradually learn to think of our entire story as one of linear progress. We rise up from the depravity of childhood and become adults, coming to understand what was a traumatic experience as being for our own good. We then project this story onto our society as a whole. While we originally conceived of civilization as a traumatic experience or a fall from grace, wherein we were punished by God (the Father) for our innate curiosity, we gradually learned to think of the entire story as one of progress. We rise up from the depravity of savagery and become civilized, coming to understand what was a traumatic experience as being for our own good. Inevitably, then, questioning the story of civilization questions our own stories on a subconscious level. Rather than talking about our emotions and our feelings, however, we play out this discussion symbolically and intellectually, preferring to discuss such abstract concepts as "primitive" versus "civilized" rather than the closer-to-home child versus adult or body versus mind. As I mentioned earlier, the way we get release from the trap of the false dichotomy (or vicious cycle) is by reconciling it. This means reconnecting things that appear disconnected to a split mind. What we must come to see, then, is that the mind and the body, thoughts and feelings, the child and the adult, the primitive and the civilized, are strongly connected. When we are mindful and look deeply, we can see that the mind and the body are one and the same, thoughts and feelings are closely connected, the child and the adult are both equally human, and that the "primitive" and the "civilized" are both equally human as well. Ultimately, it comes down to applying what we know in our own lives. As M. King Hubbert wrote, "Our ignorance is not so vast as our failure to use what we know." By reconnecting with lost pieces of our selves and connecting new pieces to that self, we heal our trauma and are able to finally feel release. This feeling of release or freedom is what I think most people are looking for, above all else. Indeed "freedom" is one of our highest values (because of and despite its absence); "escape" and "salvation" are both almost universally longed for. But pain is the way to the truth, as Alice Miller says. And for the moment we are not empowered enough to feel our pain. So we deny it and run from it, preferring to shift the burden and develop "quick fix" defense mechanisms, an example of which being nitpicky intellectual discussion that goes nowhere. That is what I think is happening here. We talk about civilization and tribes even though we're talking about our parents and ourselves. In a way it's a giant defense mechanism that we're all going to have to overcome at some point, should we really wish to go beyond "civilization" -- or our trauma. We're going to have to go into our inner child and heal the trauma. Then and only then can we finally, truly, walk away. - Devin |
| tonyz Sat Mar 4th, 2006 at 03:41 PM |
yeah you should go live with earthbound |
| wildway Sat Mar 4th, 2006 at 05:05 PM |
I love it Devin. I use the yin yang symbol to teach tracking and wilderness skills; it does illustrate a lot of biological realities really well, in the form of a wholistic symbol. Maybe I'll tell more about that here sometime. Regardless, a major system of the world involves buildling on successes, building on what works. I only know of one living system that tries to build or focus on what doesn't work. Three guesses for whom I speak of. Most living beings don't have the surplus calories to carry surplus grief, tension, focus on their problems, etc. Focusing on the Now in those context becomes a survival adaptation, not a meditative virtue. One of the primary skills in awareness and tracking involves the ability to empty your mind for as long as you like, and just pay attention. I've heard some people call that impossible. I continue to digest your positive (problem focused)/negative (appreciative focused) paradigm. I really like it a lot, though I don't feel I fully understand it, but from what I can hear it really resembles how I think about things. Beautiful stuff you've articulated. |
| Devin Sat Mar 4th, 2006 at 06:03 PM |
Hey -- Man, you say you feel you don't fully understand it but you've got it right on. I second what Janene said a while ago. You don't say very much but when you do say something I find it says everything I need to say, so I don't often respond. Quote: One of the primary skills in awareness and tracking involves the ability to empty your mind for as long as you like, and just pay attention. I've heard some people call that impossible. Howard and I did a coaching on this feeling of being trapped I talked about in the original post. We found that instead of trapped what he wished to feel was release. The theme that most contributed to this feeling of release was mindfulness, which is all about attention and not judging energy. We might call this non-judgment "emptiness" as it relates to eastern thought. For most people in civilization something like this is going to be extraordinarily difficult. I see in what you linked to that you used the word "flowing". That is what the experience of the present moment is all about -- living in the flow. It was one of the original energies that came up as the counter-energy to "trapped". One problem I have with calling feedback loops "positive" or "negative" is because this puts us easily into the problem-based mindset of seeing things as positive or negative. So when I read this: Quote: I continue to digest your positive (problem focused)/negative (appreciative focused) paradigm. I went "yikes" because I felt like the frames being invoked were contradicting each other. I would prefer to call positive feedback loops "reinforcing" and negative feedback loops "balancing". Problem-focus is then a reinforcing feedback loop, reinforcing the problems that come up -- a "vicious cycle". Appreciative focus is also a reinforcing feedback loop, but we would more accurately call this a "virtuous cycle" of healing. This virtuous cycle acts in the opposite direction of the vicious cycle, restoring balance to the system by healing the trauma and reconciling the split. Because this latter approach reconciles the linear versus nonlinear false dichotomy it can be both reinforcing and balancing at once. Reconciling false dichotomies is win-win, non-zero sum -- the exact opposite of civilization. Everything in civilization is either win-lose or lose-lose. One thing I forgot to mention in my original post -- the split mind in the linear paradigm comes to view the world hierarchically. Mind over body, Man over "Nature" (and women), civilization over savages, Adult over child. This is the inevitable result of the initial trauma, and why it is so incredibly important to heal it. Without this healing, we can take the human out of civilization, but we won't be able to take the civilization out of the human. - Devin On edit: Quote: This describes an upward and expanding spiral of healing, growth, and possibility. With this mind we can approach the Land, and find the shape of its Mythmap, and hear the stories it wants to tell, without judgement or fear. Just saw this on the thing you linked to. This "upward and expanding spiral of healing, growth, and possibility" captures the appreciative mindset beautifully. I've often referred to "virtuous cycles" as being "emergent spirals", talking about them in the context of (not surprisingly) healing, growth, and potential. The synchronicity of the past few days has been remarkable for me. It seems I am seeing this new understanding everywhere I go. |
| JCamasto Sat Mar 4th, 2006 at 06:14 PM |
Cool shit, Devin. :) Maybe there is one more false dichotomy to reconcile - problem-based vs. appreciative mindset....? -Jim |
| Devin Sat Mar 4th, 2006 at 06:26 PM |
Hey, Jim. It's ironic you should mention that. I was talking with Howard today about just that. In fact I'll paste something from the conversation. (11:17:59) Devin: I realized the other day that I had gotten my characterization of the systemic paradigm wrong (11:18:15) Howard: infinite cycle of dichotimes (11:18:15) Devin: it isn't linear vs. systemic (11:18:19) Howard: non-dichotomy vs. dichotomy (11:18:22) Devin: that's linear thinking again (11:18:25) Devin: no, see (11:18:34) Devin: what the non-dichotomy does is it incorporates the dichotomy (11:18:39) Devin: both sides (11:18:49) Howard: yes but then you can have both vs. not both (11:19:02) Howard: it's infinite, just like fractals (11:19:13) Howard: you reconcile that and then it's adichotomy with not-whatever you put after that (11:19:29) Devin: the systemic paradigm includes both the linear -- the positive feedback loop -- and the non-linear or the negative feedback loop (11:19:31) Devin: I see (11:19:37) Howard: just ike quantum stuff, it goes on infinitely, there's no final resting point At this point I made some joke about having transcendental meditation to transcend all of the dichotomies. It is an infinite loop -- we use the appreciative or systems mindset to reconcile the dichotomy of both versus not-both, seeing that it is indeed both and not-both at the same time. And then we have the dichotomy of it being both and not-both at the same time versus it not being both and not-both at the same time. After about four iterations this starts blowing your mind. And the way we feel release from this is by recognizing that we aren't ever going to solve the universe. We have to recognize that we already ARE the universe. We're riding the wave of the infinite. - Devin |
| JCamasto Sat Mar 4th, 2006 at 06:32 PM |
Surf's up, dudes... -Jim |
| wildway Sat Mar 4th, 2006 at 11:10 PM |
"Devin" wrote: Hey -- Man, you say you feel you don't fully understand it but you've got it right on. I second what Janene said a while ago. You don't say very much but when you do say something I find it says everything I need to say, so I don't often respond. Awesome. Thanks. :) Quote: One problem I have with calling feedback loops "positive" or "negative" is because this puts us easily into the problem-based mindset of seeing things as positive or negative. So when I read this: Quote: I continue to digest your positive (problem focused)/negative (appreciative focused) paradigm. I went "yikes" because I felt like the frames being invoked were contradicting each other. I would prefer to call positive feedback loops "reinforcing" and negative feedback loops "balancing".I absolutely see your concern. When I wrote it I hadn't even though that someone could confuse positive/negative feedback with positive/negative "attitude". Funny. Or even, "I can't handle your constant negative feedback!". :) "But wait - if I give you positive feedback we'll all die!!! Who's on first? What's on second? AHHHHHH! [brain explodes]" As for "false dichotomies", from the tracker's view point, I make distinctions (dichotomies) between things so that I can look more deeply, to see things that I didn't see before. But the day I measure anything as a sum total of its distinctions and details, the world will die to me. So I nest my distinctions within an empathic appreciation for the mysterious totality. My presence in the fluid moment makes a basket, in which to safely gather fruit that I've cut from the reality-bush with the razor of my mind. I think this echoes your point, of transcending dichotomy. errr...I hope I just didn't do the Celestine Prophecy thing again... |
| Devin Sat Mar 4th, 2006 at 11:58 PM |
No, man, you're right on even when you think you're off, that's what's great. When you bust or transcend the dichotomy then all there is left is a distinction. There is still such a thing as a child and still such a thing as an adult but they're connected. The hurt comes in when these things are disconnected -- whether it is the parent disconnecting from his own inner child or the parent disconnecting from his actual offspring. The path we take toward being able to just make distinctions and observations is one of healing. There is a lot of judgment and blame and anger stored up in the disconnection/dichotomy/trauma, choose your word, and we have to overcome these things. The typical way we move towards non-judgment is by repressing our emotions hard -- thus "not making judgments" because we're "not having emotions". This is probably close to the most destructive thing I've ever found, and is a big lose-lose situation. The path of recovery or healing is one of "inner tracking" as a tracker friend of mine once put it. We learn our own stories, know our emotions, spiral inward until we reach our center -- a long and difficult journey of knowing and accepting who we are in spite of all the invalidation we've received. Once we are centered or balanced then we can begin to merely observe the world, free from the judgment and blame that comes from being trapped in a false dichotomy. In our observations it is helpful to make distinctions as long as we can stay away from their traps. We must be mindful and aware of our relationships and our interconnections, the totality as it were. This is how we navigate the world. I'd love to learn how to be a tracker of more of my relationships. I'm working on the inner tracking and I've tracked the system of civilization pretty well. I'd like to learn to track the natural world and how to reintegrate my human self into it. This "man versus nature" false dichotomy has to be reconciled and that is my next step. - Devin |
| tonyz Tue Mar 7th, 2006 at 10:50 AM |
the most important part of the walls of a house are not the way the studs are nailed in, or how the drywall is hung, but the space the walls create. Humans create space. Our nothingness has form, our form has nothingness. Anything filling the space is merely clutter. |
| slumberelegy Wed Mar 8th, 2006 at 01:18 PM |
Incredible. Trauma necessitates the inorganic creation of an unstable dichotomy, which leads to linear feedback loops and a disconnection from the dynamic balance of the universe and the subtle gradients of being. Fucking mind-blowing. God damn it, Devin, I just have no other way to describe my feelings on this piece other than using expletives! In a way, it's more pure this way than trying to intellectually rationalize and convey what ripples it started in my Self. Simply mind-blowing. This one goes in my philosophy binder. ********** As an aside about dichotomies in general: Your piece made me think of the shape of the Ying Yang, and I began to think that the line in the middle need not represent a divisor, but could rather represent graphed results; one positive feedback, one negative feedback, representing a dynamic balance. The black and white seem to be in opposition and be different entities, but within the circle that encompasses the All, the distinction becomes arbitrary. I've also had a lot of trouble (philosophically and personally) with reconciling dichotomies; I've always appreciated the thesis antithesis synthesis approach, but after a long while of advocating that approach to reconciliation (in the hopes that eventually it could reconcile everything), I gave up on the idea of it being the end-all be-all. My world-view after that shifted to the mentality that all symbolic thought creates a vastly simplified mental model of the world and proceeds to slice, hack and dice it into manageable pieces, then pretend that the pieces it's carved out (chair, sky, time, love) are the universe itself. This path has yielded some interesting ideas, and I can really understand where Zerzan was coming from when he considered a world without symbolic thought. I'm also trying out shaking the concept that the universe is one-sided, and that everyone's experience is just looking at the exact same thing from different angles. I think the universe is complicated and wonderful enough that multiple unreconciled differences could coexist in the same time and space (there I go again!) without need of reconciliation, because they were never meant to be reconciled, because there IS no Truth. But the original post wasn't so much about reconciling dichotomies as it was your incredible observation. - Chuck |
| This page is part of the archives of the IshCon.org discussion forums, as they existed from November 2002 to January 2007. Some links and other content references may be outdated or broken. For more information about IshCon, visit www.ishcon.org. |