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Assignments, Week Four
Read the book Perfume in its entirety.
Monday's lecture will focus on the basic anatomy, physiology and chemistry of the Central Nervous System,with particular emphasis on the brain. Thursday's lecture will focus on certain aspects of the unconscious mind.
The assignment for Thursday of week four is as follows:
In describing what may happen in the brain, write a short paragraph for each of the following scenarios.
1. A person smells something that triggers a traumatic memory.
2. A person is given an intellectual problem to solve in a limited period of time.
3. Instead of your seminar leader a large brown bear enters the room.
4. While listening to music you particularly enjoy, a person that you adore declares their love for you.
Note that your process paper for this week is due on Monday (to Jean) at the start of class.
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Here are Jean's notes to her Monday lecture:
The week four lecture covered introductory ideas on the anatomy, physiology, chemistry and electricity of the brain. The distinction between the concept of the brain and the mind was exquisitely illustrated by students drawings.The end exercise was to begin to see the distinction between consensus reality (reality that people in general have agreed on) and personal/cosmic/intangible realities.
"Is reality a collective hunch?" is a quotation taken from the book "Is there Intelligent Life in the Universe" by Lily Tomlin.
The old model of the brain was a 'stimulus -response' model but it is becoming clearer that much of the activity of the central nervous system originates within the central nervous sytem itself. The brain is not an inert system, waiting for input. It never sleeps. We do not directly experience the working of the brain. What we experience "out there" is already modified by the brain.
I would put it to you that our ordinary world, our ordinary consciousness ,is a selective construction, a sample of the flux of potential experiences, determined by our biological design, shared cultural inheritance and daily choices.
It is highly probable that we discard information that is irrelevant to our biological functioning. Our eyes focus on a small spot within the radiomagnatic band. Our ears respond to a fraction of the acoustical range.
We have created computers and other remarkable technological devices using cyberspace to expand our general awareness.
Is cyberspace another word for our own unconscious mind?
And here are Jean's notes for her Thursday lecture:
Lecture 2.(Summary): If you are human you cast a shadow
I. What do we know about shadows?
1. They prove the substantiability of the object.
2. They keep the essence of the object through many distortions
3. The brighter and more intense the light the darker and more pronounced the shadow. (that element can be seen in fanatics)
4. The shadow loses itself in the darkness.
5. When the light is directly overhead the shadow is at its smallest and actually for that time disappear.
We live in an era of quick fixes and that can apply to some spiritual and psychological practices. We also try to steer away from discomfort. Exploring your shadow can be uncomfortable at least and terrifying at worst. (However by the time you get to the terrifying things they are not so terrifying).
Most useful psychological and spiritual practices share the same aim which is to know yourself.
None of us are pretty all the way through.
What is the shadow ?
The shadow is an unconscious part of the person. It can be likened to a closet that stores stuff unwanted by the person or his/her cultural environment. Most people identify with characteristics that make them socially acceptable and the shadow is awkward, inferior and occasionally nasty. So it is kept out of sight. There are people who live their not so acceptable sides. Criminals who live unacceptable lives can have a positive shadow. But the norm is to identify with the more acceptable traits of character. Have you read R.L. Stevenson’s book Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde? Clerics that have taken a vow of celibacy and then are accused of abusive sexual practices. Politicians who oppose gay rights become revealed as having homosexual practices. (however since politicians are not known for their extreme honesty they may know about these practices and then that would not be part of the shadow mechanisms, and the priests can be quite aware also of what they are doing which does not come into the definition of shadow
II. How can we recognize the shadow?
1. In other people who show an unexpected part of themselves and rationalise it later….or have a black out. An example of an argument when you say “I did not know that person”
Can talk about what to do if you are in or are asked to help someone who is in a relationship which they feel is abusive but they are stuck. Usually in an abusive relationship that continues even though it is not good the arguments are often between the shadows of both people. Get one of them to be an observer….etc
2. Your worst enemy. If there has been or may still is a time when there is a person that you cannot stand. This person has done no harm to you but their presence drives you up the wall with irritation that can be a reflection of your shadow. If you do have someone like that the best way to deal with it is to sit down and write a little paper on the characteristics of that person….it can be a real shock to see one’s shadow and can leave one with ared face and a strong sense and wish for disbelief.
3. Statements like “I would never think that never mind do it” I cannot understand why he/she thinks that way etc can be clue.
4. Sometimes inexplicable instances…”You know I always return books to their owner but when it comes to Mary I always forget.
5.Dreams are an excellent way to explore the shadow. In my experience with dreams, especially if you are trying to honestly know who you are, you need to have the help of another person to interpret the dreams. Sometimes but not always the shadow side will take the form of an animal. In my experience with dreams it is important to interpret your own symbols in your dream…symbols in dreams are more often personal rather than mythical. Often we are pursed in our dreams by things that are frightening. They may be repressed memories but they can also be aspects of the shadow.
There is an Inuit story which I think refers to looking at you shadow. The story of Susuitl.
6. Defense Mechanisms.
The concept of Defense Mechanisms originated with Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) and was later elaborated on by others, notably his daughter ,Anna Freud. Defense mechanisms essentially protect our self image and protect our comfort zone. They allow negative feelings to be lessened without altering the situation that is creating them. They do this by distorting the reality of that situation in some way. While they can help in coping with the stress but if maintained can become habitual and restrictive. The more common defense mechanisms are as follows
Denial
Repression
Projection
Reaction Formation
Regression
Rationalisation
Sublimation
Identification
Introjection
Isolation
Narcotisation
Denial: Refusing to acknowledge something. Can be a coping mechanism. The child that denies that the parents are divorcing. It is one way to deal with a sense of helplessness.
Repression: Painful feelings are conscious initially and then forgotten (pushed away) example of Belle.
Projection is a defense where the undesirable feelings are attributed to another person. An angry person believes that others are angry with him. “I don’t think Cavendish likes me “ when the internal feeling is “ god , I can’t stand that blank”
Reaction Formation: is a defense mechanism which involves opposite behaviour from what is being felt …..e.g. a parent may be really angry with a child but instead is over solicitous. That is a situation that one can come across in therapy. Since a therapist feels that it is not a therapist’s role to show negative responses then he /she may be overly pleasant with a client. The child in the first case and the client in the second case may pick up the feeling and be very uncomfortable. (Clients and children by nature of either their age or their situation are quite sensitive to pretense)
Regression: is a mechanism of returning to an earlier form of behaviour under stress. This noticeable in children when they are going through a very uneasy time they can regress to earlier behaviour such as wanting to suckle or bedwetting. An adult sometimes can start a childlike practice , like a game, to avert the situation.
Rationalisation: this is a mechanism of giving another reason for a situation because one does not like the real reason. e.g., “Gosh I am really glad I did not get that job in London. I never really wanted to practice psychiatry.”
Sublimation: Now this is one of the healthier defense mechanisms. A person channels his/her energy into a different arena. An example of this is if a person is feeling ongoing aggression he/she may take up some sort of sport. So it is a way of channeling negative energy into a more positive area. This is good for adaptation and survival and acceptance but it is still in the arena of the shadow unless the person is aware that he/she is doing it on purpose.
Identification: this is a basic aspect of development, i.e., taking on the characteristics of another person. An example of that is when a person who has been the victim of an aggressor takes on these characteristics to escape the feeling of helplessness.
Introjection: this is when a person takes on one characterisation of another person. This is found e.g. when someone wants to be special because they do not feel that way they will take on a characteristic that will bring a feeling of special ness.
Isolation: this is rather a difficult one but quite common. It means that you compartmentalize the experience so that it becomes separated from the feeling so that you are aware of it but not feeling it. It is a similar to dissociation….I guess I’m sort of sad …but not feeling it.
Narcotisation: a mechanism to obliterate internal conflict. “I am simply not an angry person” "Nothing disturbs me.”
Books for recommendation
Man and his Symbols Carl Jung
A Little Book of the Shadow Robert Bly
The shadow often holds gifts for us ..things we have stuffed away that are actually valuable. Even the act of acknowledging the shadow and any of its contents can give rise to true compassion. The story of the two old men in Costessey……how they went into a rage at each other…the villagers saw them as such sweet old men separately and would say things like…”when you are talking to Bill/or Fred do NOT mention the other person’s name." The villagers knew that would set either of them off. A lot of the people intrinsically understood the situation and there was a great deal of compassion for both of them. How this stuff attaches people together. If you want someone to stick around, abusing them can work as a sort of psychological glue.
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