Should Be Known

Monday, Mar 23, 2020 They were talking about the brain today, on my psychology podcast. People. More research is needed,… Read more 21: Fun More Seriously

Tuesday, March 3, 2020 YouTube.  Some will say since every case of depression is different it’s no use to try… Read more 20: Killin Me

Just including all my notes here… Wednesday, February 19, 2020 I was listening to the car parts episode. That was… Read more 19: Stop Blaming the Brain

Major breakthrough. For me, at least. Depression is not forgiving yourself, just as you get spiritually sick (and maybe physically)… Read more 18: The Essence of Depression

There are two kinds of things in the world: physical matter, and spiritual matter. Science deals with the first. Not… Read more 17: Spirit

In this episode we consider the “hardness” or what we’re saying about depression and anxiety, namely that the individual bears… Read more 16: People These Days

There are many things I don’t know. Most things I don’t know. Here are some. But in defining my questions and wrestling some of them, I think we make some progress (in understanding anxiety and depression).

I’d like to say that one definition of a philosophical question is a question that has no answer, because the question is wrong. I believe we should ask this about all questions in philosophy and psychology – is the question wrong in the first place? We talk about some of the implications of that here.

I came across this theory of depression and it’s very similar to what I’m putting forward and similar to what Alice Miller said. So I like it and I think it makes for a good jumping off point, at least. See what you think. Depression is conceived of as a result of self-rejection, and the solution is therefore to stop rejecting yourself. Happens over time.

Allow me to draw an analogy.  Car mechanics as psychology.  Not everybody understands what makes a car go, but some people do, and the experts definitely should.  They should be able to explain all the main parts and principles, including small details (engine, transmission, wheels, fuel, gas pedal, spark plugs, valves, etc., etc.)  In the same way, I believe we should be able to explain why  a person is depressed.  I believe we have some of the parts and principles (negative thoughts, learned behaviors, brain chemicals, etc.)  I think self-deception is one of the major principles.  It’s not everything, but it’s essential, kind of like the transmission, or the wheels…

Uh, does anybody else notice that the theories of psychology say one thing and the practice of psychology says another? Seriously. The theories supposedly espoused by the establishment seem to be all about brain chemicals, while the practice of therapy seems to be about faulty thoughts. If psychological disorders are about chemical imbalance then why does talk therapy work? (And if they’re all about faulty thoughts why does medication work?)

Anxiety is considered the most common psychological disorder in the US, effecting almost 1 in 5. In this episode we try to crack it. I wouldn’t say it’s cracked, but we make some headway. Is not anxiety founded on a basic lie (designed to make us miserable)–that the world is going to end because of whatever you’re worrying about? (Same with depression–that you are worthless?) We all know who lies come from, don’t we. I think that’s real.

Despite what so-called “science” may tell you, you can ask whatever question you want. Science is not the only way to get answers, it’s one way. Another way is through divine revelation. I testify that the Holy Ghost reveals today as well as in times of old. In this episode we talk a little about a popular psychology book which to me bespeaks the depravity of the field in our time. This stuff makes me mad, can you tell?

Alice Miller was a Swiss thinker and psychoanalyst. Her book The Drama of the Gifted Child describes depression as the result of a person’s suppression/repression of their emotions due, according to her, to a parent in childhood making that necessary. I think there’s something to her theory, though her view of parents is pretty dark in general. To her they must be evil to do that, I guess. So they’re all evil. Anyway, for all the sensation she seemed to cause back around 1981, I don’t see her thoughts represented in modern theories of depression. What happened?

Theories are postulations of what we can’t see meant to explain what we can see. There are several theories of depression out there, some of which I think are given more credence than they deserve. Here’s a theory of depression to consider. See what you think.