Series: Psychology
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Mental Illness Versus Possession What is it we call “mental illness,” and what is meant when we speak of “possession?” These represent entirely different frameworks: two lenses through which we attempt to interpret the vast and often inscrutable terrain of the mind. Each lens offers its own advantages, yet both carry limitations that must be…
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Mental Reduction of Illness Let’s discuss the belief that all mental phenomena can be explained through biological or environmental causes. This is not a new idea; it is the bedrock of modern psychiatry, neuroscience, and psychology. To label something as “mental illness” is to place it within the realm of what can be measurably studied,…
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Balance Despite Material Obsession A modern spiritual framework accepts the notion that mental phenomena can arise from interactions with forces beyond our visibly manifest material reality. Possession is such an influence upon our minds, causing reactions we cannot comprehend in the mere material. The key here, as in so many things, is moderation. Such a…
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Moderating Mutual Denials Using Partial Language Language has the power to shape the cultural psychology. The words we use describe reality and reconstruct it. “Illness” in itself is a frame upon which we hang a perceived problem to be solved; “spiritual influence” on the other hand invites us to consider forces beyond ourselves. Both terms…
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Admissions in Practices of Psychiatry and Psychology You do not know everything. I know, big shocker, right? Even if we deny the spiritual entirely, there are still things in any given case which are unknown and, perhaps, unknowable. A person’s obsession with things to gain power may be labelled as “narcissism,” but it could also…