Brains and Branes: Part Two
The past week has been filled with turmoil around the world. The UN and NATO alliances along with much of the Arab world are united in attaining a No Fly Zone over Libya; the 9.0 earthquake which resulted in a huge tsunami over northeast Japan left that country with thousands dead and missing plus damaged nuclear reactors which are leaking radiation into the air, water supply and food chain; unions continue to remain inflexible and incapable of understanding that the largesse they have enjoyed at taxpayer expense is no longer possible.
Two of these headlines are the consequence of grandiosity, pomposity and lack of remorse on the part of leaders, and one the helplessness and suffering of humans as the outcome of nature and technology gone awry. All three of these events bring with them anxiety, physical and emotional trauma and sadness. These three symptoms are probably most commonly experienced by people more than many other diagnoses. In all three of these recent events making headlines, there are the victims whose lives will never be the same, whether because of their beliefs, the beliefs of others, or where they happened to have lived.
The force of violence from the elements or mankind always has a reciprocal energy which has to be counterbalanced before any positive growth and healing can occur. So the obstinacy of leaders who encourage their people toward aggression in the name of status-quo, results in feelings of anger, sadness, helplessness, confusion, homicidality and fearfulness. Hmm, now what do these symptoms sound like? Oh yes… Depression. Neurochemical imbalances and learned helplessness are two leading causes of this common disorder.
Living through disasters and war zones frequently result in feelings of detachment, emotional numbing, flashbacks or recurrent dreams of the disaster, thoughts of a foreshortened future, apprehensiveness, insomnia and panic attacks. Having treated trauma, for most people the more intense and prolonged the threat of harm, the more intrusive and intense the symptoms. There are individual variables of course which must be considered, and “cookie-cutter’ treatment approaches should never be tolerated. The good news though is that PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is a treatable condition, usually attained through a combination of cognitive therapy and medications. It is a normal human response to the experience of trauma to oneself or to others, with its symptoms actually resulting from a dissociation between past emotional memories and the present.
Since we are made of matter and matter is made of discrete packages of energy which dance about in what are know as “quantum jitters”, what is reality? The relationship between consciousness and “reality” is likely an atomic or molecular force linking “mind” and matter. If our memory is an ongoing process integrating present experiences with past experiences, sleep interrupts consciousness, and our bodies are replacing old cells with new cells, how do we retain our identities to treat anxiety and depression? Walker (2000) gives us an equation where a minimum of synaptic firing rate is necessary (50 million bits per second) in order for consciousness to occur. If consciousness is a physical force and constituent of reality, then why is there such diversity in the perception of reality and choices leading to emotional and physical dysfunction?
We can choose to suffer alone in our depression and with anxiety states and traits, but understanding that we can also choose a reality not based in these pathologies is the first step in overcoming those isolating conditions. I am not saying that people deliberately choose to be depressed or anxious: depressive and anxiety disorders are real and debilitating. What I am saying is that the energy forces within us are part of a greater system of energy, which becomes the reality we create through our free will.
The greatest threat to our overall well-being occurs when we allow an opposing force to destroy our integrity after our spiritual immune system has been eroded by hopelessness. The energy to prevent this is there for the taking. With Faith, all things are possible.
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About Dr. Virginia
As a licensed Psychologist practicing Cognitive therapy, I work with my clients to help them identify the personal issues that are preventing them from achieving a more satisfying and well-adjusted life.
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