TODAY'S CONSIDERATIONS
The present focus of the series is on other not-previously-discussed causes of the Sickness, the understanding of which can help clarify the other elements which the Ultimate Medicine must included for effective treatment.
The key point is that psychic disintegration (a.k.a, "mental decay" or "decline" or "degeneration") happens when a person being driven by one particular personality type becomes stressed, leading to a shift from that type to the worst traits of another type.
Consider when a Type Two Helper becomes stressed. The overriding agenda of the Type Two is to help others, but with a selfish motive: to make others love the Two in order to provide the love which the Two did not receive in childhood and now wants in limitless quantities throughout adulthood in order to compensate for the resulting sense of emptiness inside.
Usually, the early childhood issue revolved around an absentee, unavailable father, out of the picture because of a death, divorce, or the fact that the man was present but "emotionally unavailable" as a result of an attachment disorder, a lack of empathy, an inability to love, an abusive nature which was passed down from his abusive parent(s), etc.
The problem with the Type Two is the problem with all personality types: instability and unpredictability. Again, Yeshu'a / Jesus shared this after he was exposed to the non-dual teachings: "A dual-minded person is unstable in all ways."
The lack of stability applies to all who have assumed multiple personalities as identities, and the instability in the Type Two involves using kindness to try to get love but shifting to meanness when that does not produce the results desired by that persona.
And which of the nine basic personality types has the capacity to be the meanest?
Those who have been exposed to the viciousness which can come from the mouth of an angry Type Three might choose that type for their answer, but typically, no types can approach the levels of viciousness which an angry Type Eight is capable of showing.
The Type Eight at his or her worst functions as "The Challenger," "The Fighter," "The Abuser," "The Boss," "The Control Freak," or "The Asserter." When stressed and psychically unhealthy, the Eight can show up as "A Sociopath" or "A Psychopath."
Type Eights might display at times in public the degree of charm which was shown by Type Eight mass murderer Ted Bundy, but if crossed, they will instantly shift into a "destroy mode" and use criticism, character assassination, intimidation, connections to get people fired or otherwise destroy them financially, or even resort to the use force to harm or kill. [The man who, at the time of this posting, is set to be the 45th president of the U.S. is a Type Eight.]
So if stressed, the seemingly-kind Type Two can shift and function as a Type Eight who displays the Eight's worst traits, including being insensitive, domineering, uncaring, brutal, self-centered, aggressive, intimidating, hostile, violent, belligerent, hard-hitting, narcissistic, uncompromising and not giving a tinker's damn about who likes it or not.
Talk about confusing to a child or spouse or friend when someone assumes a personality as an identity, becomes stressed, and then shows up as what looks to be the polar opposite of that other self.
Such dual-mindedness will always guarantee instability. It's the same curse which sages for ages have warned about: the curse of personality assignment and assumption.
Using excerpts from the book INSTABILITY / INSANITY: What the Advaita Teachings Can (and Cannot) Address,
the effects of "Psychic Disintegration" continues:
INSTABILITY / INSANITY: Psychic Disintegration
In May of 2017, it will have been 28 years ago that the sharing of some basic non-dual understandings began in earnest. The talks back then dealt especially with the effects of acculturation which must be transitioned if stability and sanity are to return and if coldness and detachment are to be replaced with kindness and warmth and an understanding of Real Love.
[The two non-duality novels discussed below, "Necklace" and "Wars," were written to offer an awareness of acculturation's effects and to expose the primary sources of dualistic thinking - namely, organized religion, big government, and big business - as well as to provide some alternatives to their influence.]
Along with the effects of acculturation, the effects of domestication, programming and conditioning were shared also during those days, and persons were invited to see the consequences and to take all of the necessary steps to un-do those non-productive influences. Those topics continue to be addressed in talks or writings to this day.
Furthermore, for twenty-eight years, the ramifications of assuming personalities have been discussed and seekers have also been invited to take all of the necessary steps to cast off all false roles; all false personas;
all false identities; and all false ego-states in order to be free, in order to avoid being driven blindly, in order to avoid being driven by unconscious motivators, in order to avoid being robbed of the ability to choose, and in order to be free of unwarranted fears and the frustration of unmet desires.
Next, again, via this discussion of some of the other effects of personality assumption, that same invitation is extended and should appeal to all who would be stable.
Thus, to the discussion of "psychic disintegration" which can rob persons of stability and which can even lead to insanity.
Mental health professionals define psychic disintegration as "the disorganization or disruption of mental processes" which can result in personality disorders and, in the more extreme cases, mental illness; or, "the disruption of the integration functions of the personality in mental illness."
What triggers psychic disintegration? For one, stress. For two, a sense of separation. For three, judgmentalism and a sense of better-than-ment (so research has shown that those who have assumed the role of "A Super Religious Person" or "A Spiritual Giant" often exhibit the same signs of disintegration as one who is stressed).
The disintegration being addressed here is rooted in personality / personalities. Personality forms early on as a result of familial dysfunctionalism. A child - trying to adapt and survive in an often threatening and / or senseless and / or insane environment - develops an ego ideal and a basic personality type (or several ego-states) in order to try to accommodate the people who seem to have her / his fate in their hands.
As a result, a child - usually by the age of six - is being driven by a primary personality type that has been adopted subconsciously. With personality comes fears and desires and an inability to choose. Why?
Because the personality controls all thoughts and words and deeds.
Of course, all personality is rooted in duality because every personality type will have "good traits and bad traits" or "assets and liabilities." Non-duality moves the discussion beyond those limiting classifications.
The "non-dual teacher" would have every seeker abandon all false ego-states as identities, removing that which drives persons blindly; that which generates fears and desires; and that which subconsciously controls thoughts and words and deeds, always to the detriment of the person, eventually.
Some counselors, who are unaware that such an option is a possibility via the non-dual teachings, would prefer to assist their clients in "integrating." Fine, for a time. Their reasoning is that if persons are going to display the traits of a variety of the nine basic personality types, why not at least try to integrate - adopt and internalize - some of the better traits of other types?
What might such integration look like? Here's an example:
A Type One ("The Perfectionist") can be rigid and anal and overly-serious, embroiled in judging and trying to change others or reform "the world." If a One "grows psychically" (i.e., "integrates") then a One can "integrate" some of the more "positive" traits of the Seven and can relax, take it easy, have fun, enjoy the existence, and give up on trying to change "the world."
In the case of "disintegration," persons regress into what is called dualistically, the "worst of the negative traits or liabilities" of another type and will display those traits.
As noted earlier, a Type Two Helper can experience some of the triggers mentioned earlier and then disintegrate into "the worst of" a Type Eight.
In the Two mode, the Helper appears to be loving and kind and giving (though that is not really about being altruistic but is about trying to gain love); if the Two disintegrates to the Type Eight, then the "negative traits" of an Eight will manifest, including, raging; being controlling; being insensitive; being domineering; being aggressive; being demanding; being arrogant; being combative; being possessive and jealous; being uncompromising; being hyper-critical; and even being violent.
[NOTE: Recall the pointer from earlier, however: psychic disintegration cannot occur in the absence of personality / personalities, but it can be exacerbated by acculturation if a child is raised in a home where the parents are cold and unavailable, showing no affection or warmth.]
In some cases where instability and certain degrees of insanity have been induced by psychic disintegration, the non-dual teachings can address this personality-based condition, depending on the degree to which disintegration has occurred.
By guiding the seeker to a state where no personas are being assumed, then there will be no subconscious drivers or motivators.
There will not be integration or disintegration.
There will be the no-concept, no-belief, no-identity, non-dual reality, and that will result in . . .
. . . freedom from shifting between the traits of one personality type and another,
. . . freedom from shifting from the positive traits of one's type to the negative traits, and
. . . freedom from disintegrating into the "worst" of another type (or types).
To be continued.
Please enter into the silence of contemplation.
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