Comments on: Anne Morrow Lindbergh: “If one is estranged from oneself, then one is estranged from others too. If one is out of touch with oneself, then one cannot touch others…”

By: Bodhipaksa

Bodhipaksa — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 21:11:29 +0000

I’m not really qualified to answer your question, but I’m told that meditation isn’t helpful for people who are suffering from psychosis, because it tends to take them more into the realm of subjectivity and to encourage delusional thinking. However, there’s more to Buddhism than meditation. Right now several of us in our sangha are rallying around someone who appears to be having psychotic episodes. This practice of kalyana mitrata (spiritual friendship) is an important part of Buddhist practice. It’s not that we think we can “cure” this person, but we can provide support, encouragement to avoid things that might exacerbate the condition (drugs and, ironically, meditation), and we’re in touch with the family so that they can bring about some psychiatric intervention. So, yes, I think Buddhism has something to offer, although really what I’m talking about is just what compassionate human beings of any faith (or none) will do for each other. I’m afraid I can’t think of anything more specific than that at this moment.

By: aporia

aporia — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 20:29:18 +0000

maybe it’s not directly related to what has been told in the article, but can I ask a question still? Does buddhism have anything to offer to clinical pyschosis given that consciousness and insight are not completely lost?

By: Bodhipaksa

Bodhipaksa — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 19:44:02 +0000

That’s an interesting question. We have vedanas in response to external phenomena as well as to purely internal experiences (such as our thoughts and emotions). And vedanas about external perceptions like an other person can be more to do with them or with us. The thing is that we can’t trust vedanas in and of themselves to give us accurate information about anything except (obviously) whether we’re comfortable or uncomfortable in any given situation. All they can do is provide us cues that we can follow up. So if you have a “bad vibe” about someone that may be because we’re subconsciously picking up that they’re a scammer, or it could be because they’re actually a very positive person and this threatens us. But either way, the vedana is a starting point for greater knowledge (or our own mental processes or of other people) if we don’t react to them in the usual way by letting automated thought/emotional processes kick in.

By: aporia

aporia — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 14:24:38 +0000

I wonder though, when these vedanas occur, how we differ if its trigger is internal or external? When we define it as a response to the person whom we’re interacting with, its trigger is external. So when we try to interpret these vedanas, we focus on the person we’re interacting with(is he lying?). The trigger may well be internal though, maybe it’s only our own fears. A wife seeing her husband cheating on her in her dream can also mean she’s delusional. I may have intimacy problems; so whenever I get close to someone, I feel uncomfortable, but do I feel uncomtortable because there is in fact an alert-inducing quality with the person or because of my own troubles? Looking for other clues to check if it’s external (for example if I feel uncomfortable because he’s a liar, it is possible to observe other clues to confirm if he’s lying) may not be possible every time.

By: Alison

Alison — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 03:16:41 +0000

I had a similar experience recently meeting a girl… I felt that I just didn’t like being around her. I didn’t want her to look at me, touch me, or talk to me. I thought I was being ridiculous and tried to see her in a positive light but it turned out that she was an inappropriately clingy person who would be late for her own classes to follow me around…. It was scary. I wish I’d listen to myself but I didn’t want to be mean to her, she was trying so hard to strike up a conversation with me and I knew she would feel rejected if I was unresponsive or I’d feel like I was ignoring her… Which I probably would have been, because she was really in my space and kept touching me (On the shoulder or forehead to “check if I was okay because I looked like I wasn’t feeling well”) even though we’d just met!

By: L.D. Rafey (Avi)

L.D. Rafey (Avi) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:15:53 +0000

I have come to believe that art (be it writing, drawing, etc) is a reflection of an unconscious evaluation
of our environment. It is this factor that makes artistic behavior appear so eratic and often incomprehensible,
even to the artist. It is also, I believe, what makes artistic effort so difficult and often uncontrollable.

By: Bodhipaksa

Bodhipaksa — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:26:39 +0000

Hi Cleo,

This is from “Gift from the Sea” — page 44 in the Pantheon Books edition.

I’d love to read more of her writings. It seems that her diaries and letters have all been published, and I’m sure they’d make fascinating reading. She had a very interesting and controversial life — not just because of the kidnapping but also because of her and her husband’s flirtation with Nazism.

Coincidentally, I met a couple of the Lindbergh family when I lived in Montana. One of Anne’s children owned a house that I led some retreats in, and a younger Lindbergh lived just down the road.

Take care,
Bodhipaksa

By: cleo welsh

cleo welsh — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 04:52:16 +0000

Hi Bodhipaksa,
thankyou for this- I appreciated the imagery of the many floors too!
Could you give the reference for the quote from Lindbergh- have read one of her books.
Many thanks

By: Bodhipaksa

Bodhipaksa — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 19:17:25 +0000

Hi David,

I follow Goleman and Ekman’s work with interest, and I’m grateful for the link.

All the best,
Bodhipaksa

By: david

david — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 16:51:13 +0000

there is an interesting conversation between paul ekman and daniel goleman in regards to mirror neurons and reading emotion. it’s available at http://www.morethansound.net