This continues my reflections on what has occurred to me as a parallel, more \u201cpowerful\u201d function of the unconscious. Today I\u2019ll talk about dreams, the problem of \u201ccontrol,\u201d and the nature of inspiration. As I\u2019ve noted, this process seems to be more compelling, more able to capture our minds in the web of illusion and delusion than anything we could consciously say to ourselves. <\/p>\n
Dreams<\/strong> <\/p>\n Here is a dynamic that occurs every night. Putting it mythically, it\u2019s as if our soul or higher power(s) are saying, \u201cHey, this is a big clue. What happens here needs to be addressed: First, it feels so real\u2014another term is \u201cverisimilitude\u201d\u2014that you are caught up in it. If you ask yourself, \u201cCould this be a dream?\u201d\u2014or worse, assert it\u2014you tend to wake up. (We\u2019ll get to \u201clucid dreaming\u201d later.) <\/p>\n Another intriguing feature of dreams is that they are sometimes so rich, so beautiful, so complex, that again your ordinary mind couldn\u2019t begin to construct such scenes\u2014not with paintbrushes or computer-enhanced graphics. (Well, closer to the stunning beauty produced by a team of artists over a period of months, such as the vistas in the hit recent movie, Avatar.) But the point is that this is a clue: Some part of your brain manufactures\u2014or, what I think, channels or acts as an antenna for\u2014scenes that would require a super-super intelligence to produce. So what\u2019s that about? <\/p>\n Related to that is the smoothness of change of scene that again outdoes the cleverness of most scriptwriters. Often the change is seamless, the emerging vista or predicament seems plausible, however fabulous it might be from the perspective of wakefulness. A toilet out in the open in the middle of the living room? Another bunch of stuff in the closet that we haven\u2019t packed for the return journey? Whoa! <\/p>\n And then there\u2019s the issue of interpretation: Are the meanings hidden? I\u2019ve found that occasionally they are a bit subtle\u2014but only rarely does a more Freudian interpretation do better than an approach derived from the ideas of Gestalt therapy, psychodrama, or Jung\u2019s analytical psychology. Often the meanings reveal themselves rather readily, being obvious poetic\u2014indeed, eloquent\u2014multi-modal expressions of the \u201cfix\u201d the dreamer is in, the state of the dreamer\u2019s deeper psyche. (Tarot cards, astrology, the Chinese \u201cI Ching\u201d book of changes, and other oracles are often poetic and synchronistic reflections, also.) <\/p>\n Which of these functions is the true one and the others are false? Wrong question: At this level of super-consciousness, it\u2019s entirely possible for dreams to serve all these functions, have all these meanings, and more. The right question: What can I learn from my dream life? <\/p>\n I think dreams are a prototypical example of the amplifying unconscious. First of all, back to the first theme\u2014they generate illusions. More, they associate these illusions with profound physical relaxation, which operates in the body-mind as a source of powerfully suggestive bliss. If you feel so good, it must be okay. (There\u2019s a form of psychotherapy that fights phobias called \u201creciprocal inhibition therapy,\u201d developed by Dr. Joseph Wolpe<\/a> in the 1950s: Pair the imagery of the fear-provoking stimulus with the activity of deep relaxation. At first the client tenses up, but the therapist gently guides her through a relaxing process, and this in turn dampens the fear.) The point being that the dream state does this, because in that state the body musculature with a few exceptions (such as the eye muscles) are profoundly relaxed\u2014which most experience as being profoundly pleasurable. (Have you ever had one of those naps from which you really, really don\u2019t \u201cwant\u201d to wake up? Is it really \u201cyou\u201d or the dream state who generates that \u201cnot wanting to\u201d?) <\/p>\n The message here is that the mind can generate very convincing illusions. Every night you get this message\u2014one that Siddartha Guatama (known as the Buddha or enlightened one) made as the focus of his psychology. It was really more of an applied psychology and psychotherapy than a religion, when the story is examined carefully\u2014or perhaps if you press me, a psycho-spiritual insight and complex of ideas. <\/p>\n The Problem of \u201cControl\u201d<\/strong> <\/p>\n Here\u2019s another aspect of the amplifying unconscious: It destroys our illusion that it is the choosing self who is \u201cin control.\u201d Just as history and myth have as a common theme acts of hubris and downfall, so also on a personal level there is a common illusion that people can directly control the depths of \u201cthe dark side<\/a>.\u201d <\/p>\n Historically, however, over the last five centuries or more, humanity has been subject to a series of nudges about its actual place: First, we became dimly aware that Europe was not the only place where wisdom and cleverness was happening\u2014there were other civilizations that also were clever\u2014marvelously so!\u2014across the sea. Then we gradually became aware that we humans on this planet were not the center of the solar system\u2014and later, that the solar system was not the center of the universe by a long shot! Then we became aware that our species\u2019 existence was not the central episode in time, but rather that we seem to be near the end of an inconceivably lengthy process of evolution. And some (such as me) have suggested that we are not only the acme of the evolutionary process, but really only part way, maybe what other species might consider early adolescence. (I rediscovered a charming section in a charming and provocative one-woman show produced in the 1985 titled \u201cThe Search for Intelligent Life in the Universe,\u201d by Jane Wagner. The various characters were played by Lily Tomlin. On page 136, \u201cTrudy\u201d reports that her friends the extra-terrestrials observed that \u201cEarth is a planet still in its puberty.\u201d) <\/p>\n Then there was the common illusion that because we could be relatively clever, compared with what we imagined to be ignorance of our grandparents and earlier generations, and compared to animals, that we were \u201chomo sapiens,\u201d wise men, intelligent, and primarily rational. The idea that, first, most humans were far from wise, and that even those who were somewhat rational and wise in a few roles were often (if not almost always) rather flawed, foolish, neurotic, drunk, and in other ways driven by irrationality also\u2014this was offensive to their pride. Freud began the process of challenging this, and although I hardly agree with Freud regarding many of his ideas, I do agree that he was a leader (though not the first) in challenging this collective illusion. <\/p>\n Yet for the most part people think that even if they don\u2019t succeed in controlling their own minds, they should be able to do so. This is mistaken. It is possible to turn away from powers that tend to be greater than your own: Jesus said (Matt: 16: 23), \u201cGet thee behind me.\u201d He didn\u2019t say, \u201cLet\u2019s work this out in the process of argument because\u2014to cite another saying by Shakespeare (Merchant of Venice), \u201cThe Devil can cite scripture for his purpose.\u201d The amplifying unconscious is an estimated twenty to fifty times more clever, more quick-thinking, more compelling than any argument or thinking puny human minds can come up with on their own. (When fused with the amplifying unconscious, though, people can speak brilliantly\u2014as prophets or dictators\u2014extemporaneously, for long periods of time; such is the power of inspiration.) <\/p>\n In other words, human minds cannot directly control or will the amplifying unconscious, but it can in the long run master it! It takes patience, determination, clearing out the contrary messages and mixed desires, the impurities of childish entitlements and attitudes. It involves cultivating habits of opening to love, positivity, and responsibility, and practicing these attitudes over a fair period of time. It may require a fair degree of self-discipline. (It is not required that a person be 100% pure in these endeavors, but they do need to dominate the unconscious mix.) If this positive thinking is practiced, there will be a resonant psychic energy (from the amplified positive dimensions) that will be greatly helpful in resisting temptation. <\/p>\n On the other hand, if a person unconsciously indulges in a fair degree of resentment, hate, lust, greed, and other forms of lower consciousness, these emotions also get amplified and this in turn can entrench a person fairly strongly in cycles of mental illness or collective cruelty to others. <\/p>\n I\u2019m suggesting that with discipline, practice, and often community support, people can develop habits of turning toward the light, towards more noble virtues. Once in a while, events of radical transformation and repentance even happen. But generally this is felt as not will but Grace, an operation of forces that are experienced as being \u201coutside\u201d the ordinary sense of self. But this doesn\u2019t happen easily or quickly, any more than a person with schizophrenia can say, \u201cUh-oh, my thinking is stuck in negativity; I\u2019d better change my ways\u201d and that itself makes it all better. These currents have their own power and don\u2019t change directions quickly, for the most part. <\/p>\n Inspirations and Breakthroughs <\/strong><\/p>\n The term \u201cinspiration\u201d suggests the inflow of spirit from the outside, and overlaps with the word-root of epiphany. Revelation comes from parts unknown\u2014it isn\u2019t experienced as one\u2019s own thoughts. There\u2019s a surprise\u2014sometimes associated with joy, excitement, and occasionally with fear or horror. <\/p>\n Indeed, many aspects of developing mind may be re-imagined as a gradual inflow of \u201chigher\u201d wisdom into the \u201clower\u201d centers\u2014as is represented by the chakra system<\/a> of kundalini yoga. It\u2019s as if we have the latent potentials of higher wisdom that gradually open to the receptive mind at higher and more effulgent levels to one who cultivates the necessary openness to the process. <\/p>\n From more primitive and childish (or even infantile) needs, one can become aware that there are higher and more refined ways to sublimate these needs. For example, the infant\u2019s tendency to cling, to bond, can become the healthy bonding quality that makes for community and civilization. (The sociopath doesn\u2019t make this transition.) One can discern equivalent transformations for all the other childhood needs. Even the seven deadly sins can be understood as the natural heritage of humanity, childish needs that not only can be sublimated, but must to some extent be satisfied. There is a real place for modest and tamed capacities for anger, for sexuality, for sloth, etc.\u2014having absolutely zero of such qualities can also be unhealthy for the soul. (Reference: Kerry Altman: The Wisdom of the 5 Messengers<\/a>)<\/p>\n We need also to recognize that for the higher chakras, the expansion of the soul extends beyond the individual\u2019s personal striving to include the good of the community, and to include also participation in modalities such as art, music, poetry, and other forms of creativity and enjoyment. In this sense, some geniuses open to powerful sources of inspiration in various ways\u2014musical composition, art, architecture, science, philosophy, spirituality, etc. <\/p>\n Indeed, the phenomena associated with genius is to some degree available to everyone. Actually, the term derives from the Latin equivalent of the earlier Greek word, \u201cdaimon,\u201d which describes the guiding spirit that was available to every person. We might use the term \u201cmuse\u201d or \u201cguardian angel(s).\u201d In the last several hundred years the word came to refer only to those with prodigious talent\u2014such people \u201cwere\u201d geniuses. But what if we all realized that we all had access to our own genius, and that part of the education of children involved the opening of these channels of awareness and receptivity? <\/p>\n The problem involves the recognition also that a person\u2019s access to genius might involve qualities that seem unbalanced or even taboo to the adults in a given society. What if the genius of some kids was more\u2014dare I say it?\u2014\u201cpsychic\u201d? Or what if there were a capacity for genuine spiritual insight in children, just as there seems to be a possibility that some kids are remarkably talented in the realms of music, or math, or sports, or sensitivity to nature, or learning languages, etc.? We don\u2019t have an educational system that is designed to detect and cultivate kids\u2019 natural special strengths. It\u2019s sadly more like an assembly line in which all kids are expected to absorb the knowledge of their elders. (In light of the new electronic media, web-browsers, etc., we are on the verge of questioning the idea that what education should be about is the 20th century ideal that it should entail mainly the memorization of information. This is also in light of the growing recognition that a great deal of that information has become obsolete, partial, irrelevant, and often misleading!)<\/p>\n [I\u2019ll writer more on this dynamic, and will try to include and\/or respond to the more intellectually intriguing comments sent by readers in the future.]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This continues my reflections on what has occurred to me as a parallel, more \u201cpowerful\u201d function of the unconscious. Today I\u2019ll talk about dreams, the problem of \u201ccontrol,\u201d and the nature of inspiration. As I\u2019ve noted, this process seems to be more compelling, more able to capture our minds in the web of illusion and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,12,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-169","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-literacy","category-psychotherapy","category-spirituality-and-philosophy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blatner.com\/adam\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blatner.com\/adam\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blatner.com\/adam\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blatner.com\/adam\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blatner.com\/adam\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=169"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blatner.com\/adam\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blatner.com\/adam\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=169"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blatner.com\/adam\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=169"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blatner.com\/adam\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=169"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}