Sanity, Insanity

Sanity, Insanity and Common Sense written by: Rick Suarez, Ph.D. Roger C. Mills, Ph.D. Darlene Stewart, M.S. Review by: Amy Romanus

Albert Einstein once stated…………… “ The world we have made as the result of the level of thinking we have done thus far, creates problems we cannot solve at the same level at which we created them.”

Life as a perception….. Originates in thought. Human beings live in the reality of their own thought-created perceptions. Life is lived from the inside out rather than the outside in.

Beyond a specific realm of details lies a deeper understanding…… Realizing the principle of what the mind is and how it functions to generate individual and cultural realities made up of specific details, beliefs, values, opinions, attitudes, perceptions and behaviors.

This new “tool” Is not an external device, belief system, or ritual, but a realization of an understanding that exists at a deeper level of consciousness………….. a consciousness that is as accessible as the air we breathe.

There is a way to understand…. The complete range of human experiences which include not only problems, but also states of happiness or mental health.

There are principles That have held consistently across the entire range of human experience.

Like the principles of mathematics......... These principles impersonally describe a function and the impact of that function on a system of experiential variables.

Four Principles of Human Psychological Functioning 1. The capability of each human being to formulate thought and the thought system that each human being has created. 2. The separate reality of individual differences that every unique thought system creates. 3. The capability of human beings to understand the nature of their own psychological functioning. 4. Feelings and emotions as indicators of the quality and direction of human psychological functioning.

Principle One: A Human being has the capacity to think and what that person thinks has the power to shape one’s personal reality. Thought is the dimension that determines the quality of our experience at any given time. The contents of our thoughts (beliefs, values, theories, and assumptions) are an effect of the fact that we are thinking.

The Common Denominator… is every human being’s ability to think which underlies all the content of what is thought about. Cannot exist at the level of thought content because no two people have the same thought content; So, content is a variable. The ability to think enables the individual to create a variety of content.

The Thought System Our ability to think facilitates storing and developing a personal thought system. This system is a sophisticated, interwoven network of habitual thought patterns, that interpret our experience. This system includes concepts, judgments, attitudes, opinions, assumptions, beliefs and expectations.

A bundle of associations Like a computer stores bits of data we use this thought system as a basis for interpreting our experience in the present from the perspective of our experience in the past. Past experiences exist in the present in the form of thoughts. Thoughts facilitate navigation by storing contents such as our address and phone number so that we can recall it when we need it.

Central Themed Thoughts… are called beliefs and there is a unique interdependence and logical connection among the thoughts or beliefs. Beliefs result in certain perceptions and behaviors which, in turn, will elicit a particular response.

Example…… If a person believes that someone of another race cannot be trusted…. The person will perceive the situation in a way that conforms with and validates their system of thinking. So their belief will be validated in the external situation. THUS…A person who believes that someone of another race cannot be trusted is a person who will never experience someone from another race that one can trust.

The Experience…… That comes out of our separate reality is real to us regardless of how non-existent they may be to others, or how non-existent they are in fact. There is a direct connection between personal beliefs and personal experiences.

A Thought System is…… A perceptual filter through which people screen and interpret all incoming data, as perception is based on interpretation. The content of thought becomes the perceptual filter through which we screen events, situations and people to create our moment to moment reality.

Because, we have a thought system To one degree or another we all unconsciously interpret our experience to mean what it has meant to us in the past ………. So, we continually contaminate the present with our memories of the past. We innocently believe that our thinking is TRUTH with a capital T and the world exists as we personally interpret it.

Each Human Being… has the capacity to take a thought - created world and bring it to life. Thought produces reality that becomes our experience. We have thoughts about people, objects and events.

We Assume……. That our thoughts are fairly reliable descriptions of the thing they represent……… But, this is not always the case.

“ On Being Sane in Insane Places”(1973) Brilliantly demonstrated how easily a misperception of reality could be shaped by even Doctors misdiagnosing (psuedopatients) as having a mental illness… a type II error. Even more interesting is how easily the misperception of reality illustrated in this experiment could be reshaped into an opposite misperception …..a type I error.

“ On Being Sane in Insane Places”(1973) A follow-up experiment was carried out among the staff of a research and teaching hospital, who doubted that such errors could occur at “their” hospital. To test the possibility, the psychiatric staff was informed that during the next three months……….. one or more pseudopatients would try to gain admission to their hospital.

The Result Out of 193 patients admitted for psychiatric treatment…. 41 were judged with a high level of confidence to be pseudopatients by at least one staff member. 23 patients were suspected of being pseudopatients by at least one psychiatrist. 19 patients were suspected of being pseudopatients by one psychiatrist and one staff member.

What is interesting about these results? The experimenters never sent any pseudopatients to the hospital…. The only thing that was sent was a “thought” (an expectation) and the pseudopatients suddenly “appeared.”

This characteristic of a thought system.. Exists to point out that the acceptance of a new idea is limited to, and affected by, the existing content. A system of thought will reshape the new idea to conform to the context of what is already accepted. If this new idea is not compatible to existing beliefs, that new idea will be attacked or disregarded. THOUGHT SYSTEMS MAINTAIN THEIR OWN INTEGRITY!

Thus, the key to the solution is.... To realize that thinking is a voluntary function, it is something that we do. Thoughts have no life of their own, separate and apart from the thinker. To understand this we must make the distinction between the content of thinking and the capability to think. TO RECOGNIZE THE FUNCTION OF THOUGHT

Common Denominator Revisited Again, the ability to think is the common denominator ( Independent Variable ) because that is what gives the human being the power to formulate content or details of what is thought about ( Dependent Variable ). Our reality is self-created and we have the power to change that reality by continuing, dropping or sustaining a pattern of thoughts that hold together that reality.

The Existence of Thought Systems Is revealed by perceptions, feelings, and behaviors that result from it. When human beings do not recognize the voluntary nature of their ability to selectively utilize their own thought system, they have no choice but to unconsciously function within the limits of their thought system.

Unconsciously Living Within the Limits of A Past Thought System Means that an individual will perceive life in the form dictated by the content of his or her past without ever realizing what is behind his or her experience in the present.

When a Individual is Conscious of What a Thought System Is… One can more appropriately utilize the information within it as he or she consider necessary. So the activated thought system will determine exactly what an individual is experiencing at any given moment.

Traditionally …… One would try to find and understand the sources of feelings or reactions by examining the details of an external situation. This methodology has been compared to analyzing a picture on a movie screen in order to find the source of the picture.

True Understanding Only occurs when we leave the picture and discover the existence of the projector. The function of thought exists as the projector of the content of thinking.

Principle Two: The content of each person’s thought system is unique … Because it is based on his or her personal stored interpretation of experiences in the past. It is virtually impossible for any two people to have identical thought systems. EVERYONE LIVES IN A SEPARATE REALITY

Our Thinking tells us…. That what we personally perceive is the only reality that exists, it is not only accurate, its absolute. In order to see another person’s separate reality we must realize that “ours” is only one view of many possibilities. With this realization, we are able to see with objectivity, other people’s realities.

A Reality is… An apparency or how something appears to be. There are many levels of reality implicit in any observation. Whatever we perceive in life, whether it’s a movie, or our family, or our job, it is “real” only because it appears so by the virtue of our perspective at the moment.

With the realization that Individual Thought Systems Work to create personal reality We are able to look beyond our own frame of reference to see our own biases and prejudices for what they are. We begin to see the content of our own thinking as a product of our conditioning, and we begin to take our negative thoughts less seriously We no longer attach our self-esteem to whether or not another person accepts our thoughts.

As this happens… We become Less reactive Less defensive Less tied to our personal view of things. By using “Common Sense” we can see how all people function psychologically in this way.

This Understanding…….. Allows us to feel secure in the face of another person’s reality, or another culture’s frame of reference. People begin to see their interactions with others as a predictable result of the interactions between separate thought systems.

The Solution…… To any problem is to realize that the perception of the problem is the function of our ability to think in conjunction with the level of conscious understanding that thinking is taking place. Our thoughts formulate the reality that we experience moment by moment.

Not Realizing…….. That we are the one who is doing the thinking, we give our power to our view of reality and then live in the world of its effects. We have unknowingly lived our lives wrapped up in the contents of our own thoughts, operating within the details of our beliefs, fears, and judgments.

We have lived in this world of thought…… Without realizing that we are the ones who have accepted and continue to give life to these thoughts in the first place. The moment that we realize that we are living in a world of thought that is our own creation, we are on the road to easier, more satisfying lives. WE FIND A WAY OUT OF THE LIMITED FIELD OF PERSONAL THOUGHT

Principle three: How a person’s conscious knowledge of his or her psychological functioning affects personal reality. People in the course of their day, move in and out of more or less rational states of mind. Observations of all kinds of people in everyday life confirms that everyone goes in and out of different mood levels, and that the quality of our perception changes as our mind changes.

In Addition…. In more rational states of mind, one is able to recognize that the way that they saw things in a “bad mood” was distorted in a negative direction (e.g. they had over-reacted or thought that things were worse than they were). A level of consciousness is degree to which a human being is aware that he or she is using an ability to think to formulate experience in life.

These Mood Changes…. are not linked to external changes in any systematic way, but rather fundamentally altered the way that the person “perceived” the significance of the external events. Whatever we believe (think) to be happening in our world is what we experience to be true, regardless of whether or not our belief is factual. REALITY IS FORMED THROUGH THOUGHT

Without the recognition that… Realities are formed through thought, individuals have the sense that perceptions, feelings and behaviors are being thrust upon them from some outside source. Without the knowledge of the nature and function of thought, people have no sense of choice or responsibility of what they see, what they feel, and how they act. THEY FEEL AT THE MERCY OF THE REALITY THEY ARE CREATING.

Realization is a function of one’s Level of Consciousness The level of consciousness is knowledge one has about the function of thought. Understanding the function of thought shows us that the source of our thinking is within ourselves, and this knowledge gives us a sense of volition in regard to the use of that function.

In A Lower Level of Consciousness One becomes caught up in the contents of their own thought system with no understanding that what they themselves are perceiving is a direct result of their own thought. Stuck in one’s personal reality beliefs are not seen as thoughts, but as truth. People will defend their separate reality even though the costs them their feelings of well-being and peace of mind.

Unless that person……. Lets go of their personal beliefs long enough to see that there is more to life than what he or she thinks… That person will never see the existence of separate realities and will not change the low level of consciousness.

When Locked into our own Separate Reality We really have no choice other than to analyze, judge, criticize, blame, accuse, agree or disagree, or get into disputes of right or wrong because we go through life using only our own personal view as the ultimate absolute standard. He or she will tend to react with the same automatic response, and blame these responses on other people, things or events in the external situation.

At Higher Levels of Consciousness An individual is able to see his or her reality as resulting from an acquired thought system. With this realization, individuals are free to choose not respond to this system to create and maintain a negative reality

At Higher Levels of Consciousness Are characterized by feelings of self-esteem, optimism and happiness. In high levels…. People are motivated, productive and creative naturally. These positive feelings do not have to be earned they are a byproduct of a higher level of understanding.

Regardless of the Details Of our personal circumstance, In a higher levels of consciousness we have an overall sense of well being and a hope for the future. We have a natural feeling of gratitude for simple pleasures and are able to see beauty in life. WE ARE IN A STATE OF MENTAL HEALTH

As One’s Level of Consciousness Diminishes…. One becomes entrenched in a negative view of life and they perceive this view as the only reality that exists. They believe that other people live in exactly the same reality. Conflicts occur when people are locked into their own separate reality.

Once the level of consciousness begins to rise…. People will see that reality is subjective. A shift in the level of consciousness is the central variable involved in the process of change. Positive changes in people’s experience of life result from the rise in their levels of consciousness.

Higher Levels Bring with them the ability to realize the fact of separate realities and the ability to see how people, including oneself, are causing their own problems by being attached to misconstrued versions of reality. A person’s experience of life, the very quality of their reality, Will always fluctuate with their Conscious level of understanding. This fluctuation is what is referred to as “ Mood.”

A High Mood Is a higher level of consciousness and psychological functioning. We are less connected to our conditioned thinking and therefore we see life with increased objectivity. Change to a high mood is what makes the difference in perception, so the feeling is a shift in our own mood (from bad to good) that changes the level of consciousness.

Each Level of Consciousness Represents a Different Reality We experience many different levels of consciousness, or moods, many times even during the course of a day. Problems result when people drop into a lower level of consciousness, which activates their conditioned, fearful, or negative beliefs, thereby giving their low level of functioning a realistic form which produces more negative perceptions.

Understanding the Function of Thought Allows us to not become attached to negative particulars that result from low level thinking. One can recognize this low-level thinking, and let the mood pass so that a higher level of consciousness can be achieved. Awareness of a bad or good mood is the directional guide that alerts us to determine whether or not we are in a high conscious state

Principle Four : Feelings and emotions are indicators of the level of consciousness… Every human being knows when he or she is feeling good. Feelings are indisputable indicators of a person’s level of functioning whether high or low at any given time. Positive feelings result from a high mentally healthy state of mind whereas, negative feelings result from maladaptive levels of consciousness.

Negative feelings …. Are a guide That signals us the moment that our level of understanding drops and we begin to turn that level into a negative reality through our conditioned thinking. Negative feelings are not stored up like an air balloon or pus in an abcess. They are not forced upon us from the outside. THEY ARE CREATED MOMENT BY MOMENT by thinking at a lower level of consciousness.

Feelings are an Internal Compass As we begin to understand the real significance behind what we feel we can get past the pitfalls of life, regardless of the details or the conditions that exist around us. When we begin to use our feelings as directional guides to our consciousness, we stop pursuing negative emotions and begin to seek positive feelings and that is the route to mental health.

Positive Feelings……. Like optimism, enjoyment, interest in life, creativity, productivity and motivation signal that an individual is in a higher level of consciousness. Positive feelings let us know that we are headed in the right direction and that whatever we have to do, we are in a good state of mind to do it. When we are feeling good we are operating at our best at a higher level of functioning.

In The End… We can clearly begin to see that we are at the mercy of personality traits, habits, learned behavior and insecure states… ONLY When we do not realize how these things are connected to thought in certain levels of consciousness.

As we gain a practical working knowledge of these principles……. We will be able to regain our power, take responsibility for our own feelings as the effect of our thinking and therefore….. Improve the quality of our lives…….

Sanity, Insanity

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Sanity, Insanity