PleneurethicsCommunicator

Dr. Dan Benor's New E-zine

2008-05-31T21:18:00.000-07:00

The June 2008 issue of The Sands of Time eZine is now on line, and can be viewed through this link:

This is an e-zine created by Dr. Dan Benor, MD for his site on Holistic Healing.

http://www.wholistichealingresearch.com/CurrentIssue.html

Pleneurethics students please note these articles could “minded” for possible papers for your Collier Scholarships.

Cheerfully Submitted by

Roger Kuhrt, PhD Pleneurethics Coordinator

Integral Education

2007-12-05T03:41:00.000-08:00

Kosmos Journal

http://www.kosmosjournal.org/kjo/backissue/f2007/integral-creative.shtml

The Integral Creative Cycle

A Participatory Model of Integral Education

By Jorge N. Ferrer, Ph.D
Associate Professor, California Institute of Integral Studies

Marina T. Romero
Director, ESTEL School of Integral Studies

Ramon V. Albareda
Director, ESTEL School of Integral Studies

A Participatory Model of Integral Education

Whether in nature or in human reality, a creative process usually unfolds through several general stages that correspond roughly with the seasonal cycle of nature: action (Autumn, preparing the terrain and planting the seeds; the body, studying what is already known about a subject matter, i.e., the body of literature); germination/gestation (Winter, rooting and nourishment of the seed inside the earth; the vital, conception of novel developments in contact with unconscious transpersonal and archetypal sources); blooming (Spring, emerging toward the light of buds, leaves, and flowers; the heart, first conscious feelings and rough ideas); and harvest (Summer, selection of mature fruits and shared celebration; the mind, intellectual selection, elaboration, and offering of the fruits of the creative process). Let us briefly look at each of these seasons and how they can be appropriately supported in the context of academic work

Autumn: The body, planting, action. In many lands across the globe, Autumn is the time to prepare the soil for the new harvesting cycle. The soil is scrabbled, cleansed of old roots and stones, and, if necessary, fertilized. Then the new seeds are planted in the soil.

In the human creative cycle, Autumn is the time for preparing the physical body to be a solid and porous receptacle for the germination of new vital seeds. It is important to release the body from accumulated tensions to make it more open and permeable. It is also essential to relate to the body as a living organic reality that holds meaningful contents that cannot be intentionally accessed through the mind or consciousness.

Academically, this is the time to take actions such as enrolling in stimulating courses, attending lectures, and reviewing the body of the literature—which can be approached as a set of potentially seminal works with the power to impregnate the vital seeds of many individuals. During lectures, dialogues, and readings, it is crucial to cultivate an attitude of receptivity, as if one were planting seeds in one’s inner soil. This is also the time to prepare the physical space in which the creative process will take place; for example, cleaning and organizing the office space and, as Deena Metzger beautifully puts it, preparing the desk as an altar—as the bride chamber for the beloved (i.e., the muse, the daimon, or the creative wellspring within).

The task of the mind at this stage is to support appropriate action by engaging behaviors such as those that create optimum conditions for listening to the body, actualize physical structures, and search out new resources. This is also a time for the mind to let go of old ways of thinking so that it can support and recognize the novel fruits of the new creative cycle. During Autumn, the mind can stagnate the creative process if it spends too much time wondering about the ultimate outcome of the inquiry, tries to predetermine its development, or arrive at its own answers before the stages of the creative process have had the chance to unfold. Autumn is the season to trust the body, to support the structural dimension of reality, and to rely on the power of action.

Winter: The vital, rooting, gestation. Once the seeds have been planted, there is not much else for a cultivator to do. Winter is essentially a time of waiting, of darkness, of silence, and, most important, of gestation. It is imperative to stop the activity of Autumn so that the planted seeds can do their own autonomous work: splitting open, rooting in the soil, and getting fed by earth’s essential nutrients.

In the same way that a germinated seed first grows toward the darkness of the soil to be nourished and to develop roots that are the necessary base for the upward growth of the plant toward the light, in the human being an activated vital seed first plunges into the depths of the personal and collective unconscious. Like the roots of the trees in a forest, human vital depths are interconnected in the unconscious, where they can be nurtured not only by the collective wisdom of human heritage but also by the generative, immanent dimension of the Mystery. This contact between the vital world and immanent Mystery makes Winter an especially sacred season that needs to be properly honored. As with the dormant appearance of nature in Winter, it may appear to the conscious mind that 'nothing is happening' at this juncture of the creative process, but it is important to remember that tremendously powerful and creative forces are actually at play in the darkness—forces that will eventually catalyze in Spring not only the regeneration and blooming of life in nature but also the emergence of the creative impulses in the human soil.

In academia, Winter is a time in which it may be important to stop reading or assimilating further information in any other way. The process of creative gestation requires its own inner space, which is facilitated by silence, interiorization, and stillness. Not knowing how to accompany appropriately this stage of gestation, too often students—especially at their dissertation stage—paralyze the creative process by their inability to stop reading. (This obviously has implications for the sequence of readings required in academic courses.) The conscious mind, not able to 'see' in the darkness of this stage, can easily believe that in order to move ahead it has to continue incorporating new theories and ideas. Obviously, there will always be important essays or books to be read, but in the same way that we need to stop eating to facilitate an effective and nourishing digestion, it is necessary to stop reading in Winter for an adequate gestation of the creative impulse. Appropriate activities during this season are not those seeking to find immediate answers but those that support the alignment of the mind/consciousness with the process of gestation. It is crucial to cultivate a sense of trust in the natural processes that are taking place within our creative matrix during this season, much as a pregnant woman must trust the gestation of a fetus. Some examples of supporting activities include keeping a dream journal; taking nature walks; working with special states of consciousness; practicing receptive forms of meditation such as vipassana, wu-wei ('without doing'), or shinkan taza ('sitting only'); cultivating visionary imagination; doing symbolic work; paying attention to synchronicities in everyday life (including 'that book that fell from the shelf '!); and engaging practices that facilitate an embodied contact with the vital center or hara as the physical/energetic container of the creative pregnancy.

In Winter the mind needs to cultivate an attitude of patient receptivity, not-knowing, and humble respect. It is important to develop patience and receptivity toward stages of the creative process whose rhythm and unfolding elude the mind’s intentional control. Respect and not-knowing naturally emerge from the mind’s recognition that 'something' is happening beyond what it can see directly. And humility is borne out of the awareness that, although the mind can be present to the process, the creative dynamism has no need of its powers at this stage. During Winter, the mind can abort the creative cycle if—out of ignorance, impatience, or mistrust—it attempts to take control of the process and/or get to know prematurely the nature of the still embryonic creative drive. It is as if a farmer, not trusting the chthonic process of the seed, anxiously digs the soil to 'see' what is happening or to actively help the seed to grow. Winter is the season to cultivate a patient receptivity toward the unknown and to trust in those aspects and stages of life that transcend the intentionality of the human mind and consciousness.

Spring: The heart, blooming, diversity. Spring is the season for the shameless blossoming of newly regenerated life. It is a time of spontaneity, contrasts, and celebration of diversity; a time for the sprouting of buds and the blooming of flowers; a time of tremendous fragility and intensity and, if the conditions are appropriate, of countless surprises.

In the creative process, Spring is the season to open the heart, breathe deeply and widely, listen to one’s affective world, and make room within so that the raw sensations associated with the upwelling creative energy emerging out of the gestation process can be organically incorporated as emotions and feelings. This is the stage of first contact with and embodiment of those creative impulses gestated in Winter. This can be a time of joyful exhilaration in the wake of the fresh contents emerging from within—a time in which it is crucial to avoid the mental temptation to prematurely assess what is emerging. At the end of the season, it is important to let go of those developments which, like Spring flowers, were temporary manifestations of the creative process and start contemplating those that remain and may become fruits in the Summer.

In academic work, the first part of Spring calls for activities that support the embodied magnification of those first creative energetic blossoms, including physical games that involve movement and dance (like 'dancing one’s research question') and sensual/sexual explorations to awaken and integrate the erotic power of life into the inquiry process. The importance of Eros and sexuality in a genuinely creative process cannot be overstated. Eros is the creative power of Life in its primordial, undifferentiated state, and sexuality is one of the first soils for the organization and creative development of such primary energy in human reality. That is why it is so important that sexuality is an “open” soil based on natural evolutionary principles and not on fears, conflicts, or artificial impositions dictated by the mind, culture, or spiritual ideologies. The second part of Spring calls for activities such as somatic expression, verbalization of feelings, embodied practices that facilitate listening to emotions and feelings and artistic expression (music, painting, sculpture, plastic arts, poetry, singing, etc.) Peer-group work becomes central at this stage, because it provides a social context for nonjudgmental contrasts and cross-fertilization among incipient creative expressions.

Two qualities are essential for the mind to cultivate in Spring. The first is an attitude of genuine curiosity by which the mind looks at the emerging contents as if it were the first time that it sees them, avoiding their codification through previously learned conceptual schemes or theories. The second is an attitude of unconditional acceptance and support of all the budding contents. At this stage, the creative process can be aborted if the mind projects its previously learned schemes or theories onto what is emerging or if it prematurely judges their value. Spring is not the season of the mind but a time to trust the heart and unconditionally support its processes.

Summer: The mind, harvest, celebration. In Summer, some flowers have matured into fruits and some of those fruits become ripe. It is the season of harvest, celebration, sharing, and gratitude. It is also a time to rest, to peacefully contemplate the new seeds contained in the fruits, and to plan another cycle for the following Autumn.

In the creative process, the “fruits” represent the ideas or expressions selected for further elaboration and refinement. If the mind has accompanied the entire process with the appropriate stage-specific attitudes of a sensitive farmer, it will easily discern at this stage those fruits that are mature and deserve further consideration. Summer is the season of the mind—a time for the intellectual/aesthetic elaboration of ideas. It is also an auspicious time to open oneself to the transcendent dimension of the Mystery, which can now illuminate the mind with insights that may enrich the refinement of the creative fruits.

In the academic system, Summer is the season to focus on the articulation of ideas with clarity, beauty, elegance, precision, and sophistication. It is also the time to dialog with others about one’s ideas in order to polish them in both substance and verbal/nonverbal expression. Putting those ideas into writing or other expressive means is a further step in the materialization of the creative process. Ideally, the writing style should be coherent with the original creative impulse so that the words embody the message without distortions. This is the season to contrast one’s fruits with already existing developments and ideas: that is, with the fruits of the creative process of others. (In mainstream education, those contrasts occur long before the creative process has delivered mature fruits, and although this may be helpful at times, it may also endanger the process, leaving students feeling a lack of confidence that can lead to a compensatory mental reformulation of already existent ideas). It is also the time for the sharing of refined ideas through class presentations, written papers, or other creative projects—and it may be important to explore different modalities to convey those ideas (visual, aesthetic, dramatic, etc.) A further stage in this process could be the publication of the fruits of the season in magazines or journals and/or their presentation at professional conferences or public events. Finally, this is the time to raise new questions, plan a new research cycle, and explore avenues for further inquiry that may awaken new vital seeds within ourselves and others.

In Summer we reach at last the season of the mind. If the mind has been in contact with the multidimensional nature of the creative process, the attitude that it will naturally display in the presentations of the fruits will be one of passionate humbleness. It will be passionate because the ideas will be grounded in somatic, vital, and emotional experience. And it will be humble out of the recognition that the ultimate sources of the creative process transcend both mental structures and personal individuality; in other words, they are both transcendent and transpersonal. Learners can then feel that they have been both the gardener and the soil of the creative process while simultaneously being aware of the many participating elements that have collaborated in the unfolding of that process (body, vital, heart, mind, and consciousness; the personal and the collective unconscious; the immanent and transcendent Mystery). Passion without humbleness can become arrogance, and arrogance may be a sign that the person is only aware of the personal dimension of the process. Humbleness without passion can become weak and even boring and may be a sign that the person is overlooking the personal grounding of the process. An attitude of passionate humbleness honors both the personal and transpersonal dimensions of the creative process.

Before closing this section, we should stress the very general nature of the integral creative cycle outlined here. Although we believe that it can serve as an orientation for integral pedagogical practice, it should not be made paradigmatic in any strict sense for all individuals. There are many dispositions and associated dynamics in the unfolding of the creative process. (Incidentally, a serious consideration of the diverse individual rhythms in the gestation and maturation of creative fruits may lead to the revision of standard academic practices such as predetermined timeframes for academic accomplishment or collective deadlines for the delivery of inquiry outcomes.) Furthermore, there can be an indefinite number of seasonal subcycles (Autumn–Winter–Spring–Summer) in the context of a larger creative project. Finally, and perhaps most important, our suggestion of a rough correspondence between creative stages and specific human attributes should be taken as a didactic orientation and not in rigid fashion. A human being is a multidimensional unity: body, vital, heart, mind, and consciousness are petals of the human flower. All human attributes are present and operative to some extent at all stages of the creative cycle. This fact does not preclude, however, that as in the early stages of human development—from organic matter and vital impulse to proto-emotions and differentiated feelings to thoughts and formal cognition—certain attributes may have greater preeminence than others at certain stages. For these and other reasons, the sequence sketched here, although we believe it accurately reflects deep dynamics of the creative cycle, admits an indefinite number of possible variations and should not be viewed in a strictly linear fashion.

Integration Of Feminine And Masculine Principles

In this expanded educational context, we can easily recognize that modern academia, both mainstream and alternative, focuses on the Autumn and the Summer phases—action and harvest, the more 'masculine' aspects of the process— and tends to overlook the facilitation of spaces for the Winter and the Spring: germination, gestation, and giving birth--the more 'feminine' aspects of the process. Students spend most of their time both inside and outside the classroom reading, studying, and discussing knowledge already elaborated by others (Autumn), after which they are usually expected to 'produce' new and original contributions in their final presentations and papers (Summer). In other words, the deep structure of modern education tends to skip the more feminine, and more deeply generative, stages of the creative process (Winter and Spring). Seen in this context, the scarcity of genuinely creative developments in academia should not be surprising. There is much 'second-order' creativity or smart mental permutation of already known ideas but very little 'first-order' creativity or organic, multidimensional emergence of truly innovative developments. Given the innumerable 'abortions' of the creative process that these dynamics cause in the Western educational process almost from day one, it is understandable (perhaps inevitable) that so many students develop a lack of confidence in their own creative potential.

We strongly suspect that this deeply masculinized pedagogical container may also be behind the intense (and also masculinized) reactivity of the feminine sensibility (of both men and women) that faculty and students often witness in the classroom, even in those courses where the 'feminine' is honored and included in content and/or more superficial process (e.g., inclusion of a feminine ritual in a masculinized pedagogical process). The true feminine is understandably in a state of paralyzing despair that can easily burst into anger because it cannot understand why it still feels profoundly dishonored when it is apparently attended to and even explicitly championed.

In future years, it is likely that integral education will gradually restructure the pedagogical process in ways that truly and deeply integrate the 'masculine' and 'feminine' dimensions of the inquiry process. This may involve the facilitation of spaces not only for the intellectual discussion and production of knowledge but for the vital germination and gestation of the creative seeds of the individual.

Note: This article is a shorter version of an article originally published in The Journal of Transformative Education 3(4), 306-330, 2005.

Jorge N. Ferrer, Ph.D. is associate professor at the California Institute of Integral Studies. He is the author of Revisioning Transpersonal Theory: A Participatory Vision of Human Spirituality (SUNY Press, 2002) and co-editor of The Participatory Turn: Spirituality, Mysticism, Religious Studies (SUNY Press, forthcoming). Born in Barcelona, Spain, he received the Fetzer Institute’s Presidential Award in 2000 for his seminal work on consciousness studies. A leading scholar at the Esalen Center for Theory and Research, he currently serves on the editorial board of The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology and ReVision: A Journal of Consciousness and Transformation. Marina T. Romero and Ramon V. Albareda, Directors of ESTEL School of Integral Studies in Barcelona, Spain, founded Integral Holism, a new approach to human growth and healing characterized by a vision that is both holistic (global) and ecological (of interactive system).

Don Beck & Ken Wilbur

2006-04-09T01:29:00.000-07:00

This essay is included because it may promote even more integral ways of looking at Richard Bangs Collier's research. Scholars are encouraged to explore the work of both Don Beck and Ken Wilbur.

Human Capacities in the Integral Age

How Value Systems Shape Organizational Productivity,
National Prosperity and Global Transformation

Don Edward Beck, Ph. D.

The focus on the role of productivity in enhancing competitiveness, while generating wealth and cultural well-being, has shifted over time from the micro (personal, team and "circles") to the meso (organizational design and performance) and now the macro (large scale and complex systems). Likewise, the essential thinking around productivity matters has emerged through systemic, strategic, humanistic and now integral patterns and organizing paradigms. The "profound knowledge" as described by Dr. Edward Deming is just now becoming clear to many who applied only surface-level and tentative versions of his massive work. We now recognize that micro-scale solutions depend heavily on both meso-scale and macro-scale insights and that all three must be meshed in the whole-scale application.

This presentation will introduce the concept of Spiral Dynamics, a new, evolutionary framework that describes whole-systems thinking, details how value systems emerge in societies, and maps out a program for raising human capacities to deal with 21st Century complexities. The session will introduce the notion of Memetics, the scientific study of "DNA-like" codes and patterns that lie at the core of companies, cultures and countries. It will describe the role of Vital Signs Monitors in profiling human groupings, and a series of design formulas in crafting natural systems that align focus, function, form, fit, flow and future. Finally, it will demonstrate how to synchronize the spiral of technological complexity, business systems sophistication, and levels of human development.

THE AGE OF FRAGMENTATION

Never before has the planet earth carried such a rich tapestry of human differences in the form of individuals and groups. The end of the Cold War brought the thawing of the bi-polar ice sheet that covered the entire planet as the deep ethnic cores began to bubble and boil once again. Decades of deconstructionism and egalitarianism in academic and popular cultural circles released the bent-up entities and interests that had been subdued by European-Western hierarchies of power and control. The microchip places an immense amount of influence in the choice making of single individuals. DNA analyses now make possible the specific identity of every person on the planet. Mass customization efforts are able to target each person, and even specify names on the inside of weekly magazines. It is as if the entire psychological history of our species from Day One is being replayed in real time and carried live on CNN. What an amazing time!

Likewise, we have been witnessing a significant amount of fragmentation in the work place and around issues germane to productivity. Our work force, in most environments, is much more diverse than before. The shift toward a global view has, likewise, introduced more complexity, not just in terms of different cultures, but also in the form of a myriad of value systems that work side-by-side or, within a whole constellation of teams and alliances. Yet, many of our approaches to productivity still tend to be monolithic in design and applied like a generic "cash wash" over people and work units that are spreading apart as if they had been purloined into space a Big Bang

SIX BLIND MEN AND THE ELEPHANT

Most people know the story of the "Six Blind Men and the Elephant." One discovered the tail, another the trunk, while the others felt the leg, side, tusk, and ear. Each was totally convinced he had discovered the "truth" based on the direct experience. Of course, each observer was "right" about the elephant, but only about a part; none was able to sense the whole. This can also be said about the various political, economic, religious, educational, child-rearing, and technological theories of our own day. This also includes the various listings of worldviews or Weltanschauungen, or the numerous psychological packages, leadership initiatives, or managerial mandates that continue to be popular, or have been discarded in societal dust bins. The various and often heated debates heard at the United Nations, or in national assembles, senates, and parliaments, will, likewise, reflect these different views of "the elephant." Rather than continue to pit the vast array of differences against one another in an adversarial manner, or suffer the consequences when the conflicts surface in the form of belligerence or warfare, might it not be useful to find a way to construct a synthesis that can explain why each emerged, where it is useful, and how it can contribute to the total Global Mesh?

Which of these views of the elephant-world best describe you?
The World is. . .*
beige	a natural milieu where humans rely on instincts to stay alive
purple	a magical place alive with spirit beings and mystical signs
red	a jungle where the strongest and most cunning survive
blue	an ordered existence under the control of the ultimate truth
orange	a market place full of possibilities and opportunities
green	a human habitat in which we share life's experiences
yellow	a chaotic organism forged by differences and change
turquoise	an elegantly balanced system of interlocking-forces

*Question from The Values Test, NVC

This search for the cohesive elements that can hold so many fragmented parts together in a new, 21st Century alignment, and create the methodology and mechanisms for the continuation and enhancement of all human life on the planet as well as in corporate and work environments, will require an understanding of three essential components:

The Evolution of Value Systems. We will introduce here a new framework called Spiral Dynamics, a bio-psycho- social-spiritual conceptual system that describes how and when worldviews emerge, and how they form themselves into spirals of complexity. Each newly awakened Value System crafts its own unique work attitudes, organizational designs and specific perspectives on issues around productivity improvement

Historical Approaches to Productivity. Because Life Conditions change, new innovations are introduced into the workplace, and people themselves emerge into different priority "bottom-lines," we must rethink the whole matter of productivity itself, and what it will take to generate the high levels of behavior necessary to maintain the quality of our lives. We will track the shifts in thinking about productivity through a series of Value Systems, with an additional recognition that our own efforts have emerged through micro, meso, and now macro applications.

Productivity in the Integral Age. If, indeed, we are dealing with new levels of complexity and fragmentation, how should we conceptualize the role of productivity in enriching and enhancing the work place, or in educational systems, or in cultural and social domains, so that we meet the challenges that confront us in this newly emerging Integral Age?

THE EVOLUTION OF VALUE SYSTEMS: SPIRAL DYNAMICS

Spiral Dynamics is based on the seminal work of the late Professor Clare W. Graves, Union College, New York. He described what he called "Levels of Psychological Existence" as an emerging pattern and priority of worldviews, value systems, and complex adaptive intelligences that arise in response to Life Conditions. Thus, human nature is not finite. We are not frozen into types or traits. Cultures are not static entities, forever trapped in Flatland. As Graves explained it:

Briefly, what I am proposing is that the psychology of the mature human being is an unfolding, emergent, oscillating, spiraling process marked by progressive subordination of older, lower- order behavior systems to newer, higher-order systems as man's existential problems change.

The human Spiral, then, consists of a coiled string of worldviews, each the product of its times and conditions. Yet, when a new worldview emerges, the older systems do not disappear. Rather, they remain subsumed in the total flow and not only add texture to the more complex ways of living, but remain "on call" in case the problems that awakened them to service reappear. So, there are systems within us, miniature worldviews each of which is calibrated for different problems of existence. Each new worldview is born out of chaos, in a nonlinear fashion, so there is no straight arrow of time back into history. Each worldview is a platform with its own unique paradigm and instructional codes for organizing society. Like a DNA script, the unique adaptive themes at each level will express themselves in terms of life-styles, economic, political, religious, and educational systems, and views of sex, marriage, working, the environment, and sports.

In our recent work we have fused the Graves Technology with the fledging science of memetics, noting that each of the worldviews is in fact a "valuesMEME", a coding mechanism that inculcates every aspect of society. Graves work identified eight distinct worldviews or vMEMES, with the ninth on the horizon. Yet, all of the previously awakened systems still exist. These deep level tectonic-like psychological plates create surface level tensions as we ratchet through time.

QUICK SUMMARY STATEMENT OF WORLDVIEW (vMEME) CODES

THE LIVING STRATA IN OUR PSYCHO-CULTURAL ARCHEOLOGY
Level	Color Code	Popular Name	Thinking	Cultural manifestations and personal displays
Level 8	Turquoise	WholeView	Holistic	collective individualism; cosmic spirituality; earth changes
Level 7	yellow	FlexFlow	Ecological	natural systems; self-principle; multiple realities; knowledge
Level 6	Green	HumanBond	Consensus	egalitarian; feelings; authentic; sharing; caring; community
Level 5	Orange	StriveDrive	Strategic	materialistic; consumerism; success; image; status; growth
Level 4	Blue	TruthForce	Authority	meaning; discipline; traditions; morality; rules; lives for later
Level 3	Red	PowerGods	Egocentric	gratification; glitz; conquest; action; impulsive; lives for now
Level 2	Purple	KinSpirits	Animistic	rites; rituals; taboos; super- stitions; tribes; folk ways & lore
Level 1	Beige	SurvivalSense	Instinctive	food; water; procreation; warmth; protection; stays alive

Here's the key idea. Different societies, cultures and subcultures, as well as entire nations are at different levels of psycho-cultural emergence, as displayed within these evolutionary levels of complexity. They have different centers of gravity. The previously awakened levels do not disappear. Rather, they stay active within the worldview stacks, thus impacting the nature and form of the more complex systems. Like the Russian dolls, there are systems within systems within systems. So, many of the same issues we confront on the West Bank (Red to Blue) can be found in South Central Los Angeles. One can experience the animistic (Purple) worldview on Bourbon Street as well as in Zaire. Matters brought before city council in Minneapolis (Orange to Green to Yellow) are not unlike the debates in front of governing bodies in the Netherlands. Countries and cultures are mosaics of multiple vMEME codes.

Third World societies are dealing, for the most part, with issues within the Level 1 through Level 3 zone, thus higher rates of violence and poverty. Staying alive, finding safety, and dealing with feudal age conditions matter most. Second World societies are characterized by authoritarian (Blue) one-party states, whether from the right or the left. Makes no difference. So called First World nations and groupings have achieved high levels of affluence, with lower birth rates, and more expansive use of technology. While centered in the strategic, free-market driven, and individual liberty focused perspective -- all traits of the Level 5 (Orange) worldview -- new vMEMETICS (Green, Yellow, and Turquoise) are emerging in the "post-modern" age. Yet, we have no language for anything beyond First World, believing that is the final state, the "end of history." Further, there is a serious question as to whether the billions of people who are now exiting Second and Third World life styles can anticipate the same level of affluence as they see on First World (Orange) television screens. Now that expectations have been raised by visiting "Paree," how do we expect to "keep them down on the farm?"

Different worldviews or vMEMES fight wars or engage in conflict but for different reasons.
Color	Political Form	Deepest motivation and "bottom line" justification for aggressive behavior
Beige	Survival Clans	to keep a place in the survival niche, as in the movie The Quest for Fire
Purple	Ethnic Tribes	to protect the myths, ancestral traditions, rights of kinship, and sacred places.
Red	Feudal Empires	to dominate, gain the spoils, and earn the right to rape, pillage, and plunder.
Blue	Ancient Nations	to protect borders, homelands, hearth, preserve way of life, defend "holy" cause.
Orange	Corporate States	to advance economic spheres of influence, or access to raw materials and markets.
Green	Value Communities	to punish those who commit "crimes against humanity" and protect the victims.

Many people who knew both Edward Deming and Clare W. Graves have remarked that the two men had a great deal in common, both in terms of their respective worldviews and their approaches to social change and transformation. Deming spoke of "Profound Knowledge" while Graves' described what he called "The emergent, cyclical, double helix model of adult bio-psycho-social development." The two men were of similar age, stature, temperament, and style. Graves had the greatest respect for Deming's work and it is unfortunate that they never met. They were both "giants" in their own respective domains.

HISTORICAL APPROACHES TO PRODUCTIVITY

If one were to engage some of the sophisticated data-mining technology with a colony of Web Crawlers to detect every use of the term "productivity" over the last fifty years, there would be a clear pattern to the clusters they would reveal. Productivity itself has gone through its very own evolutionary process as it passes through the micro, meso, and macro stages. One can also see how the various initiatives have moved along the vMemetic trajectory as we have sought, in each of the Value Systems, to construct what we thought at the time would be the major advance in job performance, efficiency and effectiveness, and the overall quality of our respective work styles.

BLUE-ZONE PRODUCTIVITY: DOING THINGS THE RIGHT WAY

Some of the initial attempts at productivity improvement focused specifically on logical thinking, statistical measurement, connecting-the-dots, and enhancing systems as they existed at the time. These efforts stayed within job functions, organizational groupings, and served to plan the work and work the plans within the established set of givens, authority, and responsibility. BLUE ZONE PRODUCTIVITY initiatives spawned such innovations as the early version of Quality Circles, Total Product Quality (TPG) projects, and other efforts. This emphasis also resulted in the creative contributions of Larry Miles at General Electric and what became known as Value Engineering. VE practitioners were asked to scan and monitor large capital contracts that had already been finalized to search for ways to cut costs, avoid duplication, and elaborate on designs which had already been set in concrete. It is ironic that the very first psychologist who Larry Miles sought out for advice was Professor Clare W. Graves, who was on the Union College faculty just a few miles from GE's headquarters

ORANGE ZONE PRODUCTIVITY: STRATEGY AND BOTTOM-LINES

As BLUE ZONE PRODUCTIVITY efforts matured, it occurred to many in the field that something was indeed missing. All of the intelligent and highly motivated efforts to make substantial improvements in the quality and flow of work were blocked by the nature of the organization itself. The Quality Circles groups lacked the mandate to cross over functional, departmental, and even geographic lines. Those people who participated were often rewarded by a pat on the back but little more. The improvements they designed and implemented benefited the pay-checks of top level executives but not their own. They were asked, even commanded, to "work harder and smarter," but soon discovered they would not benefit from the fruits of their labors.

ORANGE ZONE PRODUCTIVITY shifted in the direction of strategy with the massive re-engineering exercises, the entry of microchip technology that made possible instant communication across all of the barriers, and the onset of interest in aligning the entire enterprise to the "bottom-lines." Governmental entities shifted from seniority-based compensation to a preoccupation with merit awards and putting professions into competitive postures. The idea, of course, was that these innovations would enhance the capacity to squeeze costs, fine-tune efforts, and see to it that every expenditure of funds, every effort on the part of everybody, would all translated in one way or another to "the bottom-line." VE moved to what was called Value Management as scapulae were put to costs at the front end of contracts rather than be locked into the big decisions that impacted, often in a negative way, the little decisions. Unless the large flywheels were aligned to "strategy," the smaller flywheels would continue to spin whether they produced positive results or not.

GREEN ZONE PRODUCTIVITY: SENSITIVITY TO PEOPLE

Michael Hammer and his colleagues who were well known for the entire re-engineering movement, had to make the major confession after "down-sizing," brutalizing, and ripping apart many traditional systems, that they had totally ignored the importance of people in their activities. Big surprise. Those with the Orange vMeme virus in their minds see nothing beyond profit, perks, and privilege. It became apparent to many that people, indeed, were critical to any long-term and effective effort that could sustain itself over time. A great amount of historical knowledge was lost in companies because of both the imposition of meritocracies and the assumption that systems – business, technological, and strategic – would, by themselves, produce the results that everybody designed. They did not. They could not.

At this stage a large segment of productivity thinking became focused on people – their competencies, feelings, experiences, Humanistic work site needs, and even personal preferences with regard to such "fringe benefits" as athletic facilities, nurseries for children, partner privileges, and similar sensitivities. Without question the enterprise became a happier and healthier place as diversity programs stressed the value in human differences, and community-based projects afforded an opportunity for everybody to participate in social responsibility schemes.

We also witnessed, in the GREEN ZONE, the emergence of self-managed work teams, fully capable of functioning virtually on their own. Trust-building exercises were introduced. Off-site meetings by the groups were encouraged. Expansive career development tracks were funded. Barriers in the organizational structure were lowered as rank system were discouraged, both in external displays and in personal relationships. Everybody was on a first name basis.

PRODUCTIVITY IN THE INTEGRAL AGE

The celebrated and romantic Age of Aquarius ended forever with the crash of the World Trade Center towers in New York City on September 11, 2001. The Age of Fragmentation was at its high water mark, its zenith following the end of the Cold War. Many of these identical issues are, likewise, appearing in corporate suites, on shop floors, in trading centers, and in business schools – from Harvard, Stanford, and the London Business School to smaller educational/training programs literally around the world. Witness, now, the rise of The Integral Age. The intent here will be to discuss the ramifications of this new epoch to the general area of productivity, with a focus on redesign rather than fine-tuning, on transformation rather than reformation or renewal, and on open, flow-state dynamical systems rather than closed-in, boxed-in, and rigid, final-state models and methodologies. Here are several of the basic assumptions and processes that implement the Integral perspective.

THE DESIGN OF NATURAL SYSTEMS

Actually, the Integral Age is based on the 7th and 8th Level Value Systems, the YELLOW and TURQUOISE ZONES in terms of the Spiral Dynamics' conceptual system. The approaches to productivity in these zones tend to favor the macro or whole-systems scale perspectives. If these are "set right" at the very beginning, many of the micro and meso issues and concerns will naturally follow suit. This will of necessity unblock the constraints that have prevented the productivity measures in the BLUE, ORANGE, and GREEN domains from actually producing the results they desired. I worked for a number of years with Middelburg Steel & Alloys company in the Eastern Transvaal in South Africa. This heavy-industry organization was light years ahead of others in that productivity efforts, and even safety-measures, were built into the design of the total system rather than imposed as separate items over the entire structure, operating codes, and output requirements. Everything connected to everything else. All the decision-makers were involved in all of the developmental programs. The requirements for productivity improvement, safety regulation, and even diversity development were featured on the evaluation forms for everybody. The company was saturated with innovative versions of Value Engineering/Value Management, and it extended from the executive suite to the shop floor, and across all functions. This company and its executives and staff played a major and defining role in the entire South African transformation out of apartheid, as these principles were applied in the Middelburg community and even into the National Peace Accord.

Natural Systems Designs have a number of distinguishing characteristics:

They identify the underlying vMEME codes operating in the overall culture, the critical priority sets in key decision-structures and which are essential in different work flows, as well as the overarching set-points, flywheels, or deep cultural assumptions that macromanage the whole. This is all mapped out as underground currents on which the enterprise must be constructed.

They skillfully align the core elements – focus, function, form, fit, flow, fulfillment and future – in the design of the features that, when properly set in motion, generate high levels of productivity while, in addition, meeting the four essential "bottom-lines" that every enterprise should now pursue – purpose, profit, people and planet.

They design the appropriate levels in, as reflected in the three Spirals: Degrees of Complexity in the Technology Spiral; Levels of Sophistication in the Business/Systems Spiral; and Levels of Emergence in the Individual and Cultural Spiral. Unless there is synchronization in the three Spirals, tension and stress will result. If the technology is too complicated for the business systems to handle, or the business (motivation, communication, compensation, information, etc) is either too complex or too simplistic for the work force, there is serious trouble ahead. There must be balance across all three Spirals, so that the "well-oiled machine" or the "finely-tuned" Flow-State can function with minimal energy lost and maximum productivity.

They focus more on the codes, maps, equations, and scenarios than on prescriptions, patterns, and policies. For example, the following equation is repeated over and over again:

How should WHO lead/manage/motivate/inspire WHOM to do WHAT, with WHICH people living WHERE?

4Q/8L – HITTING ON ALL CYLINDERS – HOLISM IN PRACTICE

Ken Wilber has created a powerful, imaginative, and practical template to overlay on any situation to identify the specific needs and capacities of individuals and groups, and

calibrate the precise developmental or growth-related packages that fit each unique situation.

The "All Levels" piece of his framework can be explained in terms of the eight vMEME or worldview layers and levels of complexity. The "All Quadrants" component consists of:

IT - Individual Brain & Organism.

I - Individual Self & Consciousness

ITS - Collective Social System and Environment

WE - Collective Culture and WorldView.

Efforts which select a single Q, or operate on a mismatched L, could make things worse. Large scale efforts, such as cultural upliftment, must be All Q and All L. The same holds for developmental schemes in organizations. Too often we rely on a single Quadrant, such as the Upper Left, in enhancing people's personal insights, skills and states of mind – but then send them back to their same former Lower Left webs of culture that are hostile to these new perspectives and behaviors. Or, we place people in jobs and functions but fail to align the compensation or management systems (Lower Right) that support the behaviors we expect. No doubt you can offer many examples of this problem.

The design and implementation of successful All Quadrants/All Levels initiatives requires a new generation of decision-making formulas and processes. While each of the vMEMES has evolved its own form of problem resolution, the Yellow-Integral and Turquoise-Holistic worldviews contain the intelligences to macromanage the whole human Spiral.

PRODUCTIVITY IN THE FLOW-STATE (LIFE CYCLES)

Ichak Adizes, in his corporate lifecycle framework, has devised what he calls CAPI – the Coalescing of Authority, Power, and Influence – so that all sit at the same table in sorting out complex issues. (See http://www.adizes.com. After studying thousands of companies from all over the world over decades, he has been able to identify the different managerial codes that are operative at different life-cycle stages as the entity deals with its problems of existence. The codes – P-production, A-administration, E-entrepreneurial and expansionist thinking, and I-integrative – vary at the different stages. The organization will always have problems; the only question is what kinds of problems will it have, what are their dimensions, and what will be required to handle those specific circumstances.

Huge gaps in productivity occur whenever the entity is out-of-phase with its specific location on the corporate life cycle. Short-term, quick-fix, or cosmetic "solutions" only make things worse. The entire entity must be involved in creating trust, designing the appropriate structure, finding the right people, and implementing the congruent systems. The Adizes Methodology is, without question, the most powerful framework that I have come across for managing complex business and cultural streams.

VITAL SIGNS MONITORS: SENSING THE PATTERNS AND FLOWS

As humans, we exist in a wash of bacteria, viruses, genes, and memes. All four appear to be impacted by nonlinear events, and possess the capacity to literally re-engineer their respective codes in order to adapt to changing conditions in the milieu. The Vital Signs Monitor is designed to track the life forces that influence our human experiences. Consider an operations-type room, with floor to ceiling video screens, where the critical indicators are displayed and overlaid on top of each other. Such a Monitor could register the pulse of aggregates of people, both at macro and micro levels, to search for the deepest trends, major vMEME conflicts in the making, serious sink-holes in development projects, and the general health and well-being of global people. This technology could provide globally focused decision-makers with the necessary information to translate into knowledge, then formulate actions.

Such a technology is being developed by John Petersen and his Arlington Institute, located in Arlington, Virginia. The intent of the Vital Signs Monitor, displayed within the Institute's Fusion Center, is to track vMEMETIC flows and Stages of Change within the American society. (See www.arlingtoninstitute.org. Likewise, a number of innovative companies are seeing the wisdom of creating their own internal VSM to collect all of the critical indicators, and display them at a single place and time so that everyone can see everything. Conoco, for example, a global energy company, has created what is called Dashboard, a company-wide project and initiative designed to craft such a data clearinghouse that takes and monitors the "pulse" of the company and its external world(s). They may well be writing the textbook for this technology.

Finally, we are now constructing a method for assessing the core Value Systems in entire cultures and societies so that we can detect major tension zones, stress points, and early evidence of major changes on the horizon.

Cometh the Time; Cometh the Thinking.

Scholar's Paper Example: Frank Morris

2006-04-07T16:57:00.000-07:00

HUMOR AND PLENEURETHICS

Frank Morris

Humor is a very vital characteristic of the human psyche. I was curious as to how humor plays a part in the field of Pleneurethics. I chose to compare and contrast two research articles whose topics delve into the subject of what humor is and how it effects human interaction.

I found two articles. The first article is A Temperamental Understanding of Humor Communication and Exhilaratability by author Jason S. Wrench and James C. McCroskey. The second article is titled, Getting a Laugh: Gender, Status, and Humor in Task Discussions by authors, Dawn T. Robinson and Lynn Smith-Lovin.

The main points of Temperamental Understanding of Humor Communication and Exhilaratability deal with the positive benefits of humor, the way humor is communicated, how humor “strikes” us, and the excitability of humor. The definition of humor is also attempted.

Getting a Laugh: Gender, Status, and Humor in Task Discussions tries to define humor. It tries to show how humor is a status builder, how humor can bring people together, and how humor can relieve tension and stress. Getting a Laugh: Gender, Status, and Humor in Task Discussions ask the questions, who uses humor, who laughs at humor, what gender is most likely to use humor, when where, how and why. In addition, does humor beget humor? How does gender grouping affect humor? Who participates in humor? How does the interruption factor affect the use of humor? How does time effect the use of humor – when does it happen in a group? What is the success rate of humor, does humor feed on itself, and who is the target of said humor. How does humor bond people within a group.

In Temperamental Understanding of Humor Communication and Exhilaratability, the positive benefits of humor are multi fold. Humor can and does relieve stress. It not only dissipates stressful situations but also helps us to cope with our own stress. Humor can be utilized in dealing with family problems. Humor can help us see or set a positive spin on matters. It helps us not to take ourselves too seriously. Humorous people are generally found more popular than people who are not humorous are. People like people who can make them laugh. Being liked by fellow humans usually relates into higher self-esteem and thus a better mental attitude towards life. Hopefully this will equate into better mental health and in how people treat other people.

Humor is in our genetics; you’re born with a funny bone. Humor can be learned somewhat but to be truly humorous it has to be an inborn trait. Communication (which humor is a subdivision of) is neurobiologically driven. “…genetic codes have been linked to the traits of impulsiveness, openness, conservatism, hostility and intelligence.” (Temperamental Understanding of Humor Communication and Exhilaratability) All these traits are found in humor and / or drive humor to be utilized.

How humor plays out to us when we hear it is predicted in a large part to our DNA. Humor is a commonality that binds most of mankind together. “Humor and laughter are both a psychological and physiological response pattern that activates the entire cortex, sending waves of positive and negative polarization through both hemispheres.” (Temperamental Understanding of Humor Communication and Exhilaratability) So humor and laughter exercises both sides of the brain. It is probably one of the few incidents that allow the left and right sides of the brain to function together at the same time experiencing the same thing all at once.

Definition of humor in article Temperamental Understanding of Humor Communication and Exhilaratability is “…humor is like obscenity, you know it when you see it.” This seems to me to be the best definition I have come across. Humor is just too broad of a subject to be pinned down with a narrow explanation. Even though it is hard to define humor it is not hard to “see” what bad humor is. Most people have distinct lines drawn in their minds on what kind of humor they are willing to accept. In this day and age the erosion of what society will accept as humor has changed. What once use to be reserved for the locker room or the pool hall is now flaunted on prime time television. Humor and obscenity seem to have merged into one.

Getting a Laugh: Gender, Status, and Humor in Task Discussions agrees with Temperamental Understanding of Humor Communication and Exhilaratability. Getting a Laugh: Gender, Status, and Humor in Task Discussions conclusion on a definition is, “Like beauty, most people believe that they know it (humor) when they see (hear) it.” Humor is a perception, you can’t pin it down with a thumbtack definition. One man’s humor is another man’s misery depending on their perception of the humor at hand.

How and why do people use humor as a status builder within a group? According to Getting a Laugh: Gender, Status, and Humor in Task Discussions when in a group of strangers, humor is more likely to build a hierarchy within the group than to build group cohesion. This agrees with one of the positive aspect that Temperamental Understanding of Humor Communication and Exhilaratability points out. People who can use humor successfully and use it more often usually find themselves at the upper end of the status chain within the group where they employ said humor. Is it the humor that promotes their self-confidence or is it their self-confidence that propels them to employ humor in their communication? This is a question neither article asks nor answers.

Getting a Laugh: Gender, Status, and Humor in Task Discussions talks about how humor helps to define reality and helps to define one’s self. Humor helps us to “see” reality from a less serious side. A reflection of silliness helps our perspective of the issue come into a focus we might not of considered. Humor helps to define one’s self – if you can’t laugh at yourself, how can you freely laugh at something else. Humor can be used as a control by its power to connect people to other people. It can also be used to exclude people from a group. Humor is neither good nor evil, but it is a tool. The intent or motive of the one welding the tool of humor depicts its moral outcome.

Who uses humor and when do they use it? Men use humor more frequently than women do in mixed gender groups. Women, in a group of their own, will use humor more freely and it is noted that when they do so the subject of choice is men in general. One area where humor has taken a somewhat negative approach is in all of the “stupid guy” commercials now on TV. Are these just funny or are they an attempt to degrade men in general. Women’s humor is mainly used to build a bonding between them. Men’s humor is mainly used to build hierarchy and status within the group. Men use humor more often than women do. Men also have a higher degree of success (getting a laugh) than women do.

Humor (successful humor) does beget more humor. The more successful a person is at using humor the more likely they will continue using it.

People who are of higher status within a group also tend to disagree with other people more often and use humor so as not to offend others or to damage their status within the group.

Humor is more frequent but not quite as successful in the beginning of a group discussion. In the middle of the time frame humor is less likely to happen or to be as successful. At the end of the time frame is usually when humor will happen more frequently and with a higher success rate.

Humor promotes positive emotional responses. Positive emotional response helps to build group cohesion. Positive emotions lead to increased group commitment to each other. Humor helps to decrease resistance to influence and helps to equalize relations. Humor helps people to have effective ties to a group.

When I came across the two articles that I choose, their subject matter intrigued me. When I read them, I did so with the thought of maybe they could help explain to me why humor effects people the way it does and how humor is used to its advantage in peoples lives.

Humor can be used to build up one’s status within a group. Until I read about it, I didn’t realize that it could be so. I think humor is best used to relieve tension in a group and to build camaraderie.

Why do I care about humor? It is a big part of who/what I am, I think it is a big part of who and what most people are. Life should be fun. Even in the darkest days of your life that you may find yourself in, humor can help not just lighten the load, but to illuminate your soul. Have you ever commented on someone and said, “boy he/she has a personality like a dead fish.” What you perceive in that person is a lack of humor. Humor makes or breaks a person’s personality. Humor has an effect on a person’s ability to be personable. People with a “good” sense of humor are more approachable than people who are not.

Sarcasm is the dark side of humor. Sarcasm means, “to rip the flesh” (The American Heritage Dictionary 623), it is verbally whipping someone, just as a real whip leaves scares on ones back, sarcasm leaves scares on ones psyche. Down through the ages humor has been and unfortunately will continue to be used against the betterment of humankind. Humor in and of its self is neither good nor bad. It is what the human spirit uses it for that determines its purpose.

Ethics of the mind, outside of the mind ethics does not exist and neither does humor. No other species on earth exercises ethics nor do they exercise humor. Humans alone share this quality. Humor can be exercised for good or for evil that is or choice our moral dilemma.

WORKS SITED

Wrench, Jason S. and James C. McCroskey. “A Temperamental Understanding of Humor communication and Exhilaratability.” Communication Quarterly Spring 2001: v49 i2 142-160, Web: Expanded Academic ASAP, InfoTrac, Tacoma Community College. Lib., Tacoma, WA 18 Feb. 2003.

Robinson, Dawn T. and Lynn Smith-Lovin. “Getting A Laugh: Gender, Status, and Humor in Task Discussions.” Social Forces, Sept 2001 v80 il 123-161. Expanded Academic ASAP, InfoTrac, Tacoma Community College. Lib., Tacoma, WA 18 Feb. 2003.

Scholar's Paper Example: Nancy Godfrey

2006-04-07T16:38:00.000-07:00

DEPRESSION: HEALING AND PREVENTION THROUGH PLENURETHICS

By Nancy Godfrey

Final Draft

Depression is one of the most frequently diagnosed conditions in the United States today. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately 18.8 million American adults, or about 9.5 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year have a depressive disorder.[1] Those staggering statistics should cause us to question what is behind this pervasive condition. Though the cause of depression is unknown, many theories suggest possible causes. There is some thought among the scientific community that depression may have a genetic basis. So far studies have only hinted that bipolar disorder, which does have a depressive component, can be linked to a different genetic makeup. Other causes are thought to be low self-esteem or hormonal disorders. It is not entirely clear whether these factors are causes or simply an early stage of the illness. What is clear is that those who suffer from depression often have altered structures within the brain.

Physical changes are also sometimes associated with depression, though it should be noted that depression associated with illness is difficult to determine cause and effect. The one cause of depression that all scientists and researchers seem to agree upon is stress. That stress can take many forms such as illness, traumatic experience, financial hardship, or relationship difficulty. Even desirable stress is thought to trigger depression in some cases. The combination of biological and environmental factors is thought to be involved in the onset of depression. This is one area where the principles of Pleneurethics may have profound impact on the magnitude and prevention of depression.[2]

Some types of depression run in families, suggesting that a biological vulnerability can be inherited. This seems to be the case with bipolar disorder. Studies of families in which members of each generation develop bipolar disorder found that those with the illness have a somewhat different genetic makeup than those who do not get ill. However, the reverse is not true: Not everybody with the genetic makeup that causes vulnerability to bipolar disorder will have the illness. Apparently additional factors, possibly stresses at home, work, or school, are involved in its onset.

In some families, major depression also seems to occur generation after generation. However, it can also occur in people who have no family history of depression. Whether inherited or not, major depressive disorder is often associated with changes in brain structures or brain function. People who have low self-esteem, who consistently view themselves and the world with pessimism or who are readily overwhelmed by stress, are prone to depression. Whether this represents a psychological predisposition or an early form of the illness is not clear.

In recent years, researchers have shown that physical changes in the body can be accompanied by mental changes as well. Medical illnesses such as stroke, a heart attack, cancer, Parkinson's disease, and hormonal disorders can cause depressive illness, making the sick person apathetic and unwilling to care for his or her physical needs, thus prolonging the recovery period. Also, a serious loss, difficult relationship, financial problem, or any stressful (unwelcome or even desired) change in life patterns can trigger a depressive episode. Very often, a combination of genetic, psychological, and environmental factors is involved in the onset of a depressive disorder. Only mild stresses, or none typically precipitates later episodes of depressive illness at all.[3]

Treatment choice will depend on the outcome of evaluation. There are a variety of antidepressant medications and psychotherapies that can be used to treat depressive disorders. Some people with milder forms may do well with psychotherapy alone. People with moderate to severe depression are typically treated with medication. Most do best with combined treatment: medication to gain relatively quick symptom relief and psychotherapy to learn more effective ways to deal with life's problems, including depression. Depending on the patient's diagnosis and severity of symptoms, the therapist may prescribe medication and/or one of the several forms of psychotherapy that have proven effective for depression. These treatments are the standard for most forms of depression.

In the past few years, much interest has risen in the use of herbs in the treatment of both depression and anxiety. St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum), an herb used extensively in the treatment of mild to moderate depression in Europe, has recently aroused interest in the United States. St. John's Wort, an attractive bushy, low-growing plant covered with yellow flowers in summer, has been used for centuries in many folk and herbal remedies. Today in Germany, Hypericum is used in the treatment of depression more than any other antidepressant. However, the scientific studies that have been conducted on its use have been short-term and have used several different doses.

Because of the widespread interest in St. John's Wort, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) conducted a 3-year study, sponsored by three NIH components-the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and the Office of Dietary Supplements. The study was designed to include 336 patients with major depression of moderate severity, randomly assigned to an 8-week trial with one-third of patients receiving a uniform dose of St. John's Wort, another third sertraline, a selective seratonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) commonly prescribed for depression, and the final third a placebo (a pill that looks exactly like the SSRI and the St. John's Wort, but has no active ingredients). At the end of the first phase of the study, participants were measured on two scales, one for depression and one for overall functioning. There was no significant difference in rate of response for depression, but the scale for overall functioning was better for the antidepressant than for either St. John's Wort or placebo. While this study did not support the use of St. John's Wort in the treatment of major depression, ongoing NIH-supported research is examining a possible role for St. John's Wort in the treatment of milder forms of depression.[4]

The Food and Drug Administration issued a Public Health Advisory on February 10, 2000. It stated that St. John's Wort appears to affect an important metabolic pathway that is used by many drugs prescribed to treat conditions such as AIDS, heart disease, depression, seizures, certain cancers, and rejection of transplants.[5] Some other herbal supplements frequently used that have not been evaluated in large-scale clinical trials are ephedra, gingko biloba, Echinacea, and ginseng. It is possible that these have not been tested because they are not controlled by the FDA, nor are they owned by a specific pharmaceutical company, therefore the interest in their study is limited.[6]

Many forms of psychotherapy, including some short-term (10-20 week) therapies, can help depressed individuals. "Talking" therapies help patients gain insight into and resolve their problems through verbal exchange with the therapist, sometimes combined with "homework" assignments between sessions. "Behavioral" therapists help patients learn how to obtain more satisfaction and rewards through their own actions and how to unlearn the behavioral patterns that contribute to or result from their depression.

Two short-term psychotherapies that research has shown helpful for some forms of depression are: interpersonal and cognitive/behavioral therapies. Interpersonal therapists focus on the patient's disturbed personal relationships that both cause and exacerbate (or increase) the depression. Cognitive/behavioral therapists help patients to change the negative styles of thinking and behaving often associated with depression. These treatments begin to take into account the individual’s power to influence their condition and recognize the value of right-mindedness and right living, two principles of Pleneurethics.[7]

Psychodynamic therapies, which are sometimes used to treat depressed persons, focus on resolving the patient's conflicted feelings. These therapies are often reserved until the depressive symptoms are significantly improved. In general, severe depressive illnesses, particularly those that are recurrent, will require medication (or ECT under special conditions) along with, or preceding, psychotherapy for the best outcome. These recommended treatments are followed by a brief list of self-help means of getting over depression, but individual ownership of healing is almost an afterthought to the medical therapies.

In light of the many possible causes of depression, it is surprising that treatment options are so limited. The primary treatment of choice in the United States is medication. Antidepressants represent one of the most widely prescribed classes of drugs on the market. Psychotherapy is thought to be an important adjunct to drug therapy, but often it is not utilized by primary care providers who most often treat mild to moderate depression among patients. Sadly, it is our culture to seek instant satisfaction and quick fixes to problems. The unfortunate result is that the cause and prevention of depression often goes unaddressed. Even the NIMH pays nominal attention to measures the individual can take to deal with a depressive episode.

In the search for effective treatment of this potentially debilitating condition, science has overlooked one of the most powerful tools available to us: the human brain. Though the primary focus in the medical community is on the chemical imbalance thought to cause depression, almost no attention is given to the idea that depression may be caused by a life imbalance.

The principles of Pleneurethics stress that it is imperative to strengthen and preserve the neural system. This principle may be applied to depression through its prevention. One of the preventative measures that is always mentioned, but seldom emphasized is stress reduction. Ian Wickramasekera, Ph.D., clinical professor of psychiatry at Stanford University Medical School states, “Many people who have stress-related pain aren’t even aware of what they’re fearful or angry about.”[8] He claims, “Half of the patients doctors see for various common body aches are actually expressing psychological distress.” He attributes most of that pain to stress. According to Richard Laliberte in the same article, “The source of stress-related pain lies in the brain…”[9] It is logical that if stress causes physical pain and physical pain can cause psychological distress, stress relief should in turn ease any psychological distress. Because Pleneurethics is considered “any corrective force applied to body or mind to restore neurological sufficiency”, stress reduction is an integral part of incorporating Pleneurethics into everyday life.[10]

One cultural phenomenon that seems to contribute to stress is increased reliance on prepackaged foods and decreased exercise. Prepackaged foods and fast foods tend to contain higher fat, higher calorie items, which are now thought to be one of the primary culprits in the rising rate of obesity. As our nation becomes more obese, we also become more sedentary. The effect could be an increase in rates of depression due to changes in hormone levels, decreased blood flow, decreased levels of the amino-acid L-5 Hydroxytryptophan (a neurotransmitter which increases seratonin levels) and reduced amounts of endorphins that are produced during exercise. Recent studies have shown the rate of obesity and sedentism among U.S. citizens to be growing at an exponential rate.[11] The effects of obesity are well known on the body, but we may tend to overlook the underlying stress, low self-esteem, lack of healthy human interaction and dependence on medical solutions for depression that obesity may cause. Pleneurethics relies on the integration of physical, mental and spiritual balance.[12]

The reduction of stress is one concrete way that the physical and spiritual forces can greatly affect mental status. The imbalance that we suffer from ignoring our spiritual needs for peace, the physical needs for exercise and rest manifests itself in depression in some cases. Exercise and proper nutrition are ways of promoting chemical pathways to the brain, encouraging healing Delta sleep patterns and increasing blood flow to organs. These processes support brain activity and are embedded in the Pleneurethics principle of protecting the brain and enhancing its supporting mechanisms. There is an underlying fear among much of the public that depression is a biological condition that must be treated using medication. Pharmaceutical companies play on this fear by using advertisements and generalized symptoms for diagnosis to promote the use of their product.

The very nature of depression causes uncertainty, questioning one’s own judgment and a desire to know that a solution may be readily at hand. Some sufferers of depression have described wanting a cure so desperately that they are willing to submit themselves to trials of medications they do not understand. In an interview with a current antidepressant user she admitted, “I was hesitant to start medication. I waited for years before surrendering to it. I always felt that I was smart enough that I should not have to take it (medication) to get better. One day I finally broke into tears and couldn’t stop. That is when I realized I couldn’t figure out how to fix it myself. My doctor suggested I take antidepressants and I have been on them since. Sometimes I feel like I am not myself anymore, but I am too afraid of getting that bad again to stop. Depression is like a hole that keeps caving in on you. Just when you think you have reached the top, the walls fall in and you give up and look for someone or something to lift you out.” Name withheld.

That sense of desperation often leads independent, intelligent people to rely on a solution that does not involve them. By using medication as a quick fix, people remove themselves from the process of healing and thereby may negate any responsibility they owe to their own well-being. That is a dangerous prospect when you consider that most depression sufferers will experience at least two relapses during their lifetime. The use of medication does not give people the tools they need to battle the condition, prepare for its return or remain healthy.

A recent article on WebMD asks a question that one studying Pleneurethics might. “Is it possible for psychiatry and religious/spiritual beliefs to coexist, or even to be entwined?”[13] There may appear to be an obvious answer, most of the medical community treats the mind, body and spirit as separate entities. In some cases, medical professionals find themselves at a loss to explain phenomenon that appears to point directly to this connection. In an attempt to remember that we are connected to our spirit by mind and body the article some scientific research has been done to examine this concept. Not surprisingly, studies have shown that “spiritual practices may indeed exert a positive influence on a person's health and well being, including those experiencing mental health problems.”[14] Though this may seem a positive step, there are those in the clergy as well as psychiatry who question the intertwining of the two. Some in the psychotherapy field believe that religion may be the cause of some mental illness. In spite of this disagreement, groups are forming around the country that utilizes prayer or meditation as a tool to treat and prevent further episodes of depression. This recognition of us as spiritual beings is one step along the Pleneurethics path.

Another Pleneurethics principle that has close ties to spirituality is ethics. It is not surprising that in a nation as cynical as ours tends to be, we give short shrift to ethical issues. We see CEO’s, sports icons, heads of state and even religious leaders embroiled in ethical controversy. As individuals trying to live in a society that places value on power, position and possessions, it is difficult to find our own ethical boundaries. Events take place daily that may call into use our ethics. Things as simple as taking a day of sick leave to play golf or cutting off another driver to get a parking space may become ethical roadblocks. Though these things may seem trivial, they can add up, much in the way plaques build up in an artery. Eventually the pressure of each unresolved ethical issue can cause a moral attack. The weight of living unethically is often unseen. It exists subversively in our subconscious, depleting our energy to contribute to others. Once we stop giving to the world beyond ourselves, we cease to have a purpose. That leaves a space that the universe must fill. Often, it is filled with self-loathing, guilt and eventually depression. To avoid oversimplification, living unethically may not lead to any of these things. The point is that by living ethically, we free that portion of our mind that would tend to build up stress over such issues. Ethics is an individual issue, as well as a global one. Living within the boundaries of your personal belief system may alleviate some of the potential pitfalls of allowing yourself to yield to outside pressures. Richard Bach wrote, “Your only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to yourself.”[15] By maintaining a strong sense of self, spirituality and ethics, depression brought on by regrettable decisions can be mitigated. Knowing that you always act in a way that you believe is ethical allows self-respect and dignity that can fade in times of impending depression. [16]

Depression can be a problem of chemical imbalance or life imbalance. It is a state in which your impression of the world and your place in it is distorted. Though this distortion may be real or perceived, the effect is very real on the lives of depression sufferers. Depression can cause doubt about every decision, inflate every emotion and call into question one’s own worth. Because of the very nature of the condition, utilizing Pleneurethics principles may promote a state of awareness that reduces the consuming doubt and potential for self-loathing that accompanies many depressions. This concept is gradually gaining support among the scientific community.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology recently held a conference between top scientists and the Dalai Lama to study Buddhism and its relation to the way the brain functions. The conference, sponsored by the Mind and Life Institute explored the tendency to equate objects with happiness and self worth. The Mind and Life Institute also examines the link between Buddhist practices and the ability to intentionally manipulate basic physiological processes, and to catalyze psychological and biological healing effects.[17]

Author of the book Destructive Emotions, Daniel Goleman, PhD said in a recent interview, “The dogma in neuroscience was that the brain…was unchanged by life experiences.”[18] Recently science has begun to challenge that long-held belief. David Lykken, PhD, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Minnesota is author of the book Happiness: The Surprising Ways We Can Make the Most of What Nature Gives Us. In a recent interview he addressed the issue of our ability to create happiness and actually change the brain. He said, “Happiness is genetically influenced but not genetically fixed…the brain’s structure can be modified through practice.”[19] This concept is slowly gaining strength. It gives credibility to the principle of Pleneurethics that thoughts can change the actual structure of the brain. This gives way to the simple conclusion that practicing right-mindedness and ethical thought and action provide neural sufficiency and can actually change the internal structures of the brain.[20]

The utilization of Pleneurethics principles could help prevent episodes of depression and heal those already suffering with depression. By understanding the need for support of the brain and its systems, we can conclude that Pleneurethics principles may offer solutions to those who seek to prevent depression in their lives. Caring for our bodies, hearts and minds could be the most powerful tool for healing and prevention of this debilitating condition.

[1] National Institute of Mental Health. Publication No. 01-4584. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/numbers.cfm Updated: January 01, 2001.

[2] Richard Bangs Collier. Pleneurethics: A New Concept of Healing. Vol. II, Second Ed. p. 86

[3] National Institute of Mental Health. Publication No. 02-3561. Printed 2000, Reprinted September 2002. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/depression.cfm - ptdep4

[4] National Institute of Health. Study Shows St. John's Wort Ineffective for Major Depression of Moderate Severity http://nccam.nih.gov/news/2002/stjohnswort/pressrelease.htm. Embargoed for release: Tuesday, April 9, 2002. 4 p.m.

[5] National Institute of Mental Health. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/events/stjohnwort.cfm. Updated: January 12, 2001

[6] National Institute of Mental Health. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/events/stjohnwort.cfm. Updated: January 12, 2001

[7] Richard Bangs Collier. Pleneurethics: A New Concept of Healing. Vol II. Second Ed. (p. 159-180)

[8] Shape Magazine. “Is stress making you ache?” Richard Laliberte. (p. 152) http://www.shapemag.com/livehealthy/5844?page=1

[9] Ibid. (p. 152).

[10] Pleneurethics Journal. (Vol. II, Chapter 1, p5).

[11] Shape Magazine. http://www.shapemag.com/livehealthy/5844?page=2

[12] Richard Bangs Collier. Pleneurethics. Vol. V. (p. 91-93).

[13] WebMD. “Mental Health and Spiritual Wealth”. Roxanne Nelson. WebMD Medical News Archive. http://my.webmd.com/content/article/27/1728_60765?src=Inktomi&condition=Home_&_Top_StoriesAug. 28, 2000.

[14] Ibid. p. 4.

[15] Richard Bach. Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah. 1977.

[16] Richard Bangs Collier. Essential Pleneurethic. Second Ed. (p. 118-130)

[17] Mind and Life Institute. http://www.mindandlife.com/initiatives_section.html

[18] O Magazine. “Looking for Happiness in All the Right Places”. Mark Matousek. (March, 2004. p192-195).

[19] Ibid. p. 195.

[20] Richard Bangs Collier. Essential Pleneurethic. Second Ed. (p. 86).

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Richard Bach. Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah. Delacorte Press.New York, 1977.

Richard Bangs Collier. Pleneurethics: A New Concept of Healing. Vol. II, Second Ed. Ed. John Terrey.

1966.

Richard Bangs Collier. Essential Pleneurethic. Second Ed. Ed. Donald C. Emmons, PhD, Ralph D.

Shoub, PhD.

Richard Bangs Collier. Pleneurethic. Volume V.

Mind and Life Institute. http://www.mindandlife.com/initiatives_section.html (December 1, 2004)

National Institute of Health. “Study Shows St. John's Wort Ineffective for Major Depression of Moderate Severity” http://nccam.nih.gov/news/2002/stjohnswort/pressrelease.htm. (June 6, 2003).

National Institute of Mental Health. Publication No. 01-4584.

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/numbers.cfm Updated: January 01, 2001. (March 15, 2003)

National Institute of Mental Health. Publication No. 02-3561. Printed 2000, Reprinted September 2002.

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/depression.cfm#ptdep4 (March 18, 2003)

National Institute of Mental Health. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/events/stjohnwort.cfm. Updated: January

12, 2001(July 24, 2003).

O Magazine. “Looking for Happiness in All the Right Places”. Mark Matousek. (March, 2004. p192-195).

Pleneurethics Journal. (Vol. II, Chapter 1, p5).

Shape Magazine. “Is Stress Making You Ache?” Richard Laliberte. (p. 152)

http://www.shapemag.com/livehealthy/5844?page=1

WebMD. “Mental Health and Spiritual Wealth”. Roxanne Nelson. WebMD Medical News Archive.

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/27/1728_60765?src=Inktomi&condition=Home_&_Top_Stories Aug. 28, 2000

Scholar's Paper Example: Paulette Erickson

2006-04-07T16:14:00.000-07:00

Paulette Erickson

Gig Harbor, WA 98335

A Pleneurethic, Holistic Approach for Prevention of

The Effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder estimates that PTSD occurs in a high percent of children and adolescents affected by traumatic events. It is a disorder that I have had personal experience with.

Richard Bangs Collier, has said that in the Journal of Pleneurthics, Vol. ll, Chapter 1,pg.5. Principle 2. “Pleneurthetics is any corrective force applied to body or mind to restore neurological sufficiency.”

“These corrective forces that facilitate the appropriate functioning of the brain system could be viewed as a form of healing” [1] Pleneurthetics has stated the importance of proper brain environments needed for children to develop into socially well-adjusted adults. “By maintaining the environments of the brain system and preserving it’s recourses a person would naturally maintain optimum health and well being”. ( James F. Carroll )

After researching what traditional Therapy has brought to the modern world is a refreshing, shame free environment for healing to occur by using the traditional therapy techniques and the newly accepted alternative therapy approaches. After reading case studies, researching therapeutic practices focusing on children, examining an assortment of counseling techniques, interviewing social workers and investigating Medical Journals, I found that bringing art into the therapy process has had profound results and is a corrective force that facilitates emotional, physical, and psychological healing.

Richard Bangs Collier’s views on integration and holistic vision when dealing with the human organism and assimilating the body, brain and mind to a state of opening are very similar to the philosophy of art therapy and drew me to research and discover some remarkable discoveries in Art Therapy as a treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD).

The main points I want to cover in this paper are the causes of PTSD , and the effects it has on children, and why art therapy has proven to be more successful than talk therapy for treatment of PTSD in adolescence.

“Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) usually follows exposure to a natural

disaster (earthquake, tornado, flood), terrorist attack, man made disaster ( act of war, accident, hostage situation, school shooting), the sudden death of a loved one, exposure to physical, sexual or emotional abuse, domestic violence, or an ordeal that was perceived as life threatening. Any of the above or a combination of these events can lead to the development of PTSD”. [2]

“Children who experience traumatic events before age 11 are more likely to display psychological symptoms associated with PTSD than those who experienced traumatic events at a later age”. [3]

The effects of trauma on children can be categorized as, psychological, emotional, and physiological. [4]

Psychological effects usually happen after a traumatic event. Children might believe that the incident will happen again. They may be confused or they may feel that they are responsible for the incident, have academic and learning difficulties, developmental delays, diminished language and communication skills, and lowered IQ. Negative effects can happen after a disaster. [5]

“Children may become emotionally upset or disturbed, experience nighttime fears, anger, irritability, lower tolerance for stress, nervousness, compulsives, helplessness and or powerlessness. Behavioral effects can afflict children who have experienced significant trauma. They may shift from quiet to loud, outgoing to shy, confident to afraid. They may refuse to go to school, they may suck their thumbs, and can suffer loss of previously learned academic and social skills. Older children may try drugs and alcohol, attempt suicide and be self abusive and or self-destructive. These are patterns that reflect anxious/avoidance or anxious/resist attachments. Exposure to abuse or domestic violence correlates with low academic performance, learning problems, depression, regression, behavioral and emotional problems”. ( Armsworth & Holaday 1993, Richards & Bates 1997 )

“Children under extreme stress may experience psychological psycho-somatic effects. They may display symptoms of high fevers, vomiting, and headaches. Reminders of the event may bring on hyper arousal, low tolerance for stress, sleep disorders, and biochemical alterations in the brain”. (Arnsworth & Holaday 1993, Richards & Bates 1997) All the symptoms listed in these categories may not appear immediately after the event. All the these symptoms/ behaviors relate to Pleneurthetics. Journal of plen.,1997 volume 5 #1, principle # 5, 8, and 9 states: “Although the brain is very creative in it’s attempts to compensate for the effects of stress, the brain has to borrow from it’s reserves (brain energy), and to try to return the organism to maximum functioning, During this process the brain energy isn’t available for normal brain functioning and depletes other areas of the brain from operating at their fullest potential”. ( James Carroll, class lecture 2003) When the brain is under constant stress, such as the condition of PTSD, Collier believes that it is this process that can lead the individual into chronic illness and discomfort. Collier encourages the improving of the brain environments to reduce chronic and acute stress and it is then that the brain will make every effort to heal the individual. A child or adolescent that carries the stress of PTSD for a long period of time can show signs of deterioration of brain functioning. Children who experience trauma and or have been diagnosed with PTSD need a professional counselor, psychologist, or therapist.

“Art therapy has been found to be very successful for symptoms of PTSD and offers a pleasure component. It gives children and adolescents the opportunity to symbolically express their feelings and it creates a non-threatening environment over which the adolescent has control. Therapists can ask children to draw whatever comes to mind, give them a question or topic to draw about, or develop skits or puppet shows about what happened during or after traumatic events.[6]

“The family environment, the external world of peers and society, and depression, all seem to get better when children can express their anxieties through art. Children have difficulty expressing themselves verbally. They also have a problem responding to direct questions, can get restless, bored, have resistance to authority, and lack trust. When therapists and parents enter the world of a child instead of trying to coerce the child into entering the adult world, children feel more accepted and understood, and a deeper emotional connection is established between parent and child. Art therapy also allows the therapist to focus on the child’s needs without designating him or her as the patient, and the child can have positive and negative feelings safely without the fear of consequences. This type of therapy may elicit thoughts and feelings the child may not be aware of, or may have difficulty expressing. The visual representations can convey messages to the therapist that cover the entire scope of a situation. Secrets of sexual abuse can’t be talked about because the adolescents have been trained by the perpetrator not to tell, but no one told them not to draw. Art can be the beginning of verbal dialogue. If adolescents have a voice through art, adults tend to accept their views, because they are presented in a non-threatening way. The art that the adolescent produces can help the therapist gain some idea of the youth’s concerns about life circumstances, especially in those situations that are too risky to reveal, or too embarrassing to relate. This awareness helps the therapist protect and support the adolescent during this turbulent time”. (Western Journal of Medicine).

As numerous people diagnosed with PTSD have experienced miraculous healings through simple artistic endeavors. Regina Lafley wrote: “Through art, I am able to express myself in ways I cannot put into words. I discover and heal and sometimes I just scream. We all need to scream and art is a quieter, more productive way of doing so. If sharing my experience and pain helps others feel that they are not alone, I am glad to do so. It gives me a sort of validation”. [7]

With the knowledge I have now, I can look back and remember having PTSD symptoms at the age of six. That was the first time I picked up a piece of clay to play with in class. I remember it was grey in color, and very pliable, and didn’t smell very good. The figure I sculpted that day has stayed with me my entire life, and has led me to my own self-discovery and healing. I can remember feeling scared and excited while I made the head, body, arms and legs of a figure about 4” in length. I then decided the clay doll needed clothes and I made a wrap around skirt out of clay that fit snugly around the lower half of the body. Then I started to roll out the clay in a long snake-like shaft, which was thick at one end and came to a soft rounded point at the other end, and was as long as the doll. I very casually parted the skirt on the doll and attached this shaft between the legs. I remember the teacher walking by about this time, and I quickly shoved the shaft under the skirt on the doll. Something in side of me said that I would get in trouble if the teacher saw this. I sat there with the doll in my tiny little hands, and just stared at the doll with the hidden part under it’s skirt. I was scared to death someone would see this, and at the same time, I couldn’t squish it all back into a ball, and forget the whole thing. For the next few years, I would draw this doll with the “funny thing” (I finally had a name for it) in my storybooks, and on walls with color crayons. I must have really gotten in trouble for this, because I forgot all about it, and didn’t have this memory again until the mid 90’s, after I had been in therapy for about 10 years. The art and memories flowed in succession for a few years. I chose to write about art therapy because of its relevance to my own healing process. I believe my creativity helped me get through some pretty tough times. I was questioning what happened to me, because of the art I was producing. It was morbid, bloody, dark, scary, and much more revealing than I ever imagined. More and more memories were revealed through art, and that helped me find myself, and come out of the confusion. I finally trust and believe all my memories and the art I create now is uplifting, colorful, spiritual, nurturing, wild, and marvelous.

As Richard Bangs Collier states Pleneurethics is a way of life based on the notion that chronic personal dissatisfactions are caused by patterns of disorder in the central nervous system. Therapy is aimed at restoration and preservation of central neurological competence. Art Therapy is simply one way of restoring emotional health.

Elaine Shor, leads Art Therapy classes at the New Jersey Center for the Healing Arts (NJCHA) and offers programs and services in the areas of mental, physical, and spiritual health. Shor explains that “painting or working with art forms is healing in itself. Once the process takes hold, people began to open up. ”Clients taking part in Shor’s art therapy sessions work with a variety of media; acrylic paint, pastels, oils, crayons, colored pencils, clay, and cardboard. Different art materials elicit different responses, Shor explains “ If someone has slipped back from reality, the use of something easy to manage, such as crayons, works best. Anything too hard to control, or too fluid, would only add to the frustration and powerlessness the client is experiencing. Working with crayons or colored pencils allows for the creation of clear boundaries with no smudging. In verbal therapy, patients are expected to express how they feel at times when talking is difficult and art therapy is one step removed.” In art therapy one doesn’t need to be an artist to benefit, as there are no rules. [8]

Art Therapy is based on the belief that the creative process involved in the making of art is healing and life enhancing. Through creating art with an art therapist, one can increase awareness of self, cope with symptoms, stress, traumatic experiences, enhance cognitive abilities and enjoy the life affirming pleasures of artistic creativity.

The Inner Journey Healing Arts is a non-profit organization that an serving clients in October of 2000 and their offices are located in Spokane, WA., and Portland, Or. They utilize holistic, expressive arts, and other complimentary therapies. Specific techniques are used to empower clients to heal and recover. Eisner believes that “The arts have a powerful, mysterious and healing impact on humanity. The arts are not only needed; they are the foundation for our survival and growth as a species. Art is perhaps the most essential, most universal language. It is not a frill but a necessary part of communication.”[9]

The American art Therapy association, Inc. states that expressive arts and play therapies have been shown to be very successful with children.[10]

Martha Wakenshaw contends that “a skilled play therapist is aware of developmental stages and provides an array of materials that appeal to children of different ages. Play therapy is an approach to gaining insight and awareness into a child’s world through their primary means of communication which is play. It is the best way children express their feelings”.[11]

“There are two types of play therapy: non directive and directive. Non-directive therapy involves allowing the child to explore the play therapy room and gravitate to an activity, toy, or game that interests him or her. The therapist’s role is to listen, observe and note the symbolic actions of the play”. (Martha Wakenshaw)

“Directive therapy involves taking an active role in the play and structuring the session for assessment and diagnostic purposes. The therapist may ask the child to draw themselves or their family, or suggest an interactive game with a child who is reticent to engage with others”.(Martha Wakenshaw)

“Both non-directive and directive play is used in abused and neglected children to play out traumatic scenes again and again until the child attains a degree of mastery over the event”. (Martha Wakenshaw)

Cathy A. Malchiodi, MA, ATR, LPAT, LPCC Author of “Breaking the Silence,” a book about art intervention with children from violent homes, states, “The process of art making can alleviate the feeling of helplessness, confusion, and disequilibria involved with crisis, thus moving children into a place of stability and crisis mastery and strengthening their internal loss of control to self esteem.”[12]

National Standards for Education,1994 ,pg.5 states “The arts are societies gift to itself, linking hope to memory, inspiring courage, enriching our celebration, and making our tragedies bearable. The arts are essential to the development of the human spirit and are extremely useful when dealing with children whose relational skills have been damaged or who have stunted verbal capabilities”. [13]

Michael Samuel, M.D. and Mary Rockwood Lane, R.N., M.S.N. state in their book “Creative Healing” that art heals by:

Autonomic nervous system shifts the body to the relaxation response.

Hormones shift the body to a healing mode.

Blood flow shifts, bringing nutrients and immune cells.

Killer T-cells eat cancer cells.

Neurotransmitters and endorphins reduce pain. Self-healing mechanisms are released. [14]

In the fall of 1999, the Health Committee of the Canadian Center for Victims of Torture, approved a pilot project, an Art Therapy/ Psychotherapy group for their clients. The group was co-led by Dr. Abbas Azadian, M.D. and Art Therapist, Mary Sanderson, R.C.A.T. “In their use of art therapy they have found that art is a universal language and needs no interpreter. This doesn’t mean that the “artist” can’t shed light on their own work and that an explanation isn’t important. However, often the art speaks for itself in profound ways that can’t be verbally conveyed. Art therapy’s gentle and non-directive approach transcends verbal expression and allows the client to easily and quickly tap into issues and memories that may be blocked or unexpressed. There are sometimes no words to describe what one has experienced and even if there were, one is often unable to articulate them because of pain, shame, or grief. Certain images are vivid and ever present and it is not difficult to put them on paper or make them out of clay. Then, amazingly it becomes possible to talk about them in the third person and the images seem to loose some of their power. It is the client that decides what art materials to use and what to draw, paint, or sculpt and whether or not to talk about the art. Being in control, even for the length of the therapy session can be very therapeutic for someone who has had little control over his life”. [15]

The creative process itself is healing. The simple act of creating can be life-giving and empowering. Creativity cuts through pain and anguish and taps into the inner spirit. For many, art therapy is the first life-enhancing and creative activity they have engaged in. Art therapy is a safe and natural means of expressing strong feelings. The emotion connected with the experience must also be expressed and shared. Often the victim has survived because they have been able to repress strong feelings of anger and fear. Now safe, these emotions must find an outlet if healing is to take place. Loss, whether physical, emotional, or social, must be grieved and reconciled. Anger and rage must be expressed. Humans can’t suppress only their negative feelings as joy and love are also constrained when grief, anger, and rage are suppressed. Unexpressed anger manifests itself in depression and spontaneous art allows strong feelings to emerge when one is ready to face them. What once may have been incapacitating pain can now be surmounted and the survivor can begin to develop new and healthy patterns of living. (Dr. Abbas Azadian & Mary Sanderson R.C.A.T)

Works Cited

Alat, Kazim “Traumatic Events and Children: How Early Childhood Educators can

Help Childhood Education” (Fall 2002), Volume 79, Issue 1,pgs. 2-7, Proquest. Tacoma Community College lib., Tacoma, Wa., 19 April 2003,

American Art Therapy Association, “About Art Therapy”, (March 29,2003), AA

Board of Directors, 12 May, 2003, <>

American Psychiatric Association, (1994), Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of

Mental Disorders. (4^th edition). Washington, D.C.: Author.

Armsworth, M.W., & Holaday, M. (1993). “The Effects of Psychological Trauma on

Children and Adolescents”. Journal of Counseling and Development, 72(1),

pgs.49-56.

Armstrong ,Ph.D., Stephen A. and Chris S. Simpson “ Expressive Arts in Family

Therapy: Including Young Children in the Process” (Fall 2002), Volume 30,

Issue 2, pgs. 2-8, ProQuest. Tacoma Community College lib., Tacoma, Wa., 19 April 2003,

Azadian M.D., Abbas and Mary Sanderson, R.C.A.T. “Group Art Therapy/

Psychotherapy at the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture” (summer 2002),

11 Nov. 2003, <>

Carroll, James F., Director of the Pleneurthetics Institute and is a member of the

Pleneurthetics Society Board of Directors. He is program coordinator of Tacoma

Community College’s Human Services Program.

Eisner, (1987), pg.35

Fox, Dana “Art Therapy”, (April1999)

Green LCSW,ACSW, Arlene M., “Healing with Art”, (April 22,2000)

Compwellness.org>

Harris, Heather L. “Super Kids! Using the Arts to Empower Children Faced with

Chronic Community Violence”,

Hensley, Laura G., “Journal of Mental Health Counseling”, (Oct.

2002), Volume 24, Issue 4, Pgs. 330-347, Proquest. Tacoma Community College

lib, Tacoma, Wa. 19 April, 2003,

Malchiodi M.A. ATR, Cathy and Linda Peterson Ph.D., “Art Intervention”,

The National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children,

National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, (2001)

Ness, Linda “Art of healing” (1991)

Riley, Shirley. “Art Therapy with Adolescents” Western Journal of Medicine, ( July

2001), issue 1, pgs. 54-57, ProQuest. Tacoma Community College lib., Tacoma, Wa., 8 April 2003, il.proquest .com>

“Safe Horizon: The Effects of Domestic Violence on Children” ( 1 Oct. 1997),

Samuels M.D., Michael, “Art as a healing Force”

Samuel M.D., Michael and Mary Rockwood Lane, R.N.,M.S.N.,” Creative Healing”

(1998), pg. 88, 11 Nov., 2003,

Shor, Elaine, “Healing Through Art”, UD Messenger, Volume 9, Number 3, 2000,

http://www.udel.edu/PR/messenger/00/3/heal.html

Steffan Ph. D., Andrea, “Writing Through the Body”

The Survivor Art Gallery, (2004),

Wakenshaw, Martha A., CMH, “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder” and “ Play

Therapy”, (2001), Publisher’s Marketing Association, Small Publisher’s association of North America, Small Press Center, 22Nov., 2003.

<Http://www.thischildofmine.com/parenting/f_playtherapy.html>

Western Journal of Medicine July 2001, volume 175, issue 1, pgs. 54-57

Williams, Rachael Marie-Crane, Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society,

(Winter 2002) Volume 31, Issue 4, pgs. 293-303, Proquest. Tacoma Community College lib., Tacoma, Wa., 8 April, 2003,

1 Carroll, James F., Director of the Pleneurthetics institute and is a member of the Pleneurthetics Society Board of Directors.

2 Brown, D.(1996) “Counseling the victims of violence who develop posttraumatic stress disorder ”, 30(3), 218-227.

Fitzpatrick, K.M., & Boldizar, J.P. (1993). “The prevalence and consequences of exposure to violence among African American youth.”

Journal of the American Academy of Child and adolescent Psychiatry,32(2), 424-430.

Richards, T., & Bates, C. (1997) “Recognizing Post Traumatic Stress in Children”. Journal of School Health, 67(10),441-444.

3 “National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder”, (2001). Helping survivors in the wake of disaster. At the disaster site or in sheltered/relief centers. www.ncptsd.org.

4 “American Psychiatric Association”. (1994), Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4^th edition). Washington, D.C.;

author.

5 Arnsworth, M.W., & Holaday, M. (1993), “The Effects of Psychological Trauma on Children and adolescents”. Journal of Counseling and Development, 72(1),49-56.

[6] “Western Journal of Medicine”, (July 2001), volume 175, issue 1, pgs.54-57

[7] “The Survivor Art Gallery”, (2004),

[8] Shor, Elaine, “Healing Through Art”, UD Messenger, Volume 9, #3, 2000.

[9] Eisner, (1987)

[10] American art Therapy Association, “About Art Therapy”, March 29,2003, AATA Board of directors.

[11] Martha’s tips and facts, “Play Therapy”, <www.thischildofmine.com/parenting/f_playtherapy.htm>

[12] Malchiodi, Cathy “Breaking the Silence”, New York: Brunner/ Mazel; 1990

[13] National Standards for Education, 1994, pg.5

[14] Samuel M.D., Michael, and Mary Rockwood Lane, R.N., M.S.W.

[15] Azadian M.D.,Abbas and Mary Sanderson, R.C.A.T., Health Committee of the Canadian Center for Victims of Torture.

Scholar's Paper Example: Steve-Ingvar Olson 6/10/2004

2006-04-07T15:34:00.000-07:00

Pleneurethics and Traditional Chinese Medicine

6/10/04 - Final Copy

Steve-Ingvar Olson

ON THE PSYCHOSOMATIC ORIGIN OF DISEASE PROCESSES

A Comparison of the Two Systems

Richard Bangs Collier was an original and intuitive thinker. His philosophy of Pleneurethics, which he began to record in 1963, is an inclusive system with a strong emphasis on ethics, responsible behavior and self-healing. In his idiosyncratic treatment of the origin of disease processes, and his emphasis on the importance of a holistic positive lifestyle for health maintenance and emotional balance, Collier anticipated much of the current trend in the alternative medical field. In Pleneurethics Volume I, he writes:

Pleneurethic advocates the creation of substantial and sustained well-being by fostering effective operation of the neurological system in the human body…Pleneurethic recognizes the human neural system as the axial agency in our human organism. It is the immediate controller and regulator of the development, operation, and maintenance of the human body…Where neural energy sufficiency exists, chronic illness cannot persist. (1)

Of course, Collier recognizes that the causal factors for some physical disorders can be pathogenic influences or physical injury. In these sorts of cases the emphasis shifts to the degree of resistance a particular individual's body might demonstrate and the speed of their healing processes. In the cases where the individual has "neural sufficiency", they will tend to be more resistant (have a stronger immune system) and heal more quickly and easily after any type of sickness or injury. Clearly recognizing the fundamental importance of neural sufficiency even in cases of infection, Collier points out that many types of pathogenic microorganisms are present in our bodies at all times. Properly functioning control processes (neural sufficiency) keep them suppressed most of the time. In medical terms, this translates into a properly functioning immune system. When pathogenic influences do get out of control and cause inflammation or other symptoms of viral, bacterial or parasitic infection, the underlying causal principle for Collier is always the failure of the body's control processes. This invariably involves some form of specific, local neural insufficiency. (Pleneurethic Vol I 30, 32, 33)

Dinah Heide Dring, a Pleneurethics scholarship recipient from The Evergreen State College, captured the essence of Collier's system in her article: "Pleneurethics: A Way of Life":

Pleneurethics teaches a balanced view of the whole person through an understanding of the several environments that encompass that person. Pleneurethics, as a system, operates on three levels…The first level is the physical…The second level of malady is the psychological one…The third and last level is the chemical level…In all of these instances, a chain of events can be seen. It begins with an imbalance on some level in the body. This impairment diminishes health potential, resulting in illness. (252, 253)

Collier created Pleneurethics out of his need to provide an inclusive modern philosophy which was scientific, pragmatic, and yet spiritually satisfying. The foundation of his therapeutics is an emphasis on body energetics. Health for him consisted of the proper flow of bioductory energy in the body, which he also termed neural sufficiency.

Unbeknownst to Western science, there already existed a system in China with roots going back thousands of years, with a similar emphasis on body energetics as the basis of health, happiness and holistic balance. This is the system, which has come to be known in the West as Traditional Chinese Medicine or 'TCM'. Collier's bioductory system is a functional system based in the physiological dynamics of the nervous system. Therefore the understanding and practice of Pleneurethics does not require the understanding of human anatomy. Similarly, TCM emphasizes the functional energetics of the human body. The ancient Chinese did not share the Western fascination with the minute anatomical details revealed by cadaver dissection. Their collective genius lay in their intuitive interpretation of observable superficial signs which reflect and reveal the ongoing deeper internal processes of the living body.

The story of Traditional Chinese Medicine is a long and intricate one. There are three primary threads from which modern TCM derives. The first is the medicine of the people. This consists of the collective local folk medicine traditions that have flourished in China's many ethnic subcultures across the vast expanse of Chinese history and geography. The second is Temple medicine. This is a generic term for the healing techniques developed and preserved among the various monastic and priestly traditions of China. The third is Court medicine, which served the Emperor, royal family and the courtiers and bureaucrats of the capitol.

The fabric of modern 'Traditional' Chinese Medicine was woven rather recently from these three ancient threads. Because of their defeats in various conflicts with Western powers in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the last of the Chinese emperors decided on a policy of isolation, and exclusion of foreigners. The Chinese learned well the lesson that Western technology gave the colonialists a decided advantage in armed conflicts. From these painful lessons they derived an uncritical respect for all of modern Western technologies, including medicine. An institution of Western medicine, "the Peking Union Medical College, built and paid for by the Rockefeller Foundation in 1916" (Eckman xviii) was established in China prior to the existence of any similar modern teaching institutions of Chinese medicine.

As late as 1941, a prominent Marxist, T'an Chuang, could still call Chinese medicine, the "collected garbage of several thousand years." However, the realities of the health needs of the Chinese people dictated that traditional medicine be allowed a place, and as early as 1928, Mao Ze-dong had advocated the use of "both Chinese and Western treatment,"…It was only in 1958, based on the prestige associated with the development of acupuncture "anesthesia," a feat which finally impressed even the Western world, that Mao made his famous remark, "Chinese medicine is a great treasure house! We must make all efforts to uncover it and raise its' standards."…Two institutions seem to have exercised predominant control over this process: the Experimental Institute of Acupuncture…set up in 1955 under the Ministry of Public Health, and the Institute of Acupuncture…set up in 1955 under the Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine. (Eckman 86, 87)

One must however consider that regardless of the changing attitudes of the ruling Chinese governments over time, the three ancient threads of Chinese medicine have continued to weave their way through the Chinese culture as they always have. The lines of transmission continued within families, within the monastic and priestly lines, and from master to apprentice in the time honored fashions. And in spite of the incredible diversity and extent of the tradition, a few basic principles pervade Chinese medicine, the importance of which were recognized by almost all of the practitioners of the art and science of Chinese medicine. As mentioned earlier:

The tendency of Chinese thought is to seek out dynamic functional activity rather than to look for the fixed somatic structures that perform the activities. Because of this, the Chinese have no system of anatomy comparable to that of the West…In the Chinese system, the Organs are discussed always with reference to their functions and to their relationships with the Fundamental Substances, other Organs, and other parts of the body. Indeed, it is only through these relationships that an organ can be defined.

(Kaptchuk 51, 53)

The most fundamental relationship in all of Chinese cosmology, energetics, and medicine, is the dynamic between yin and yang. To understand the concepts of Chinese medicine the way the Chinese do may be impossible for a Westerner. Because of the indeterminacy of their language (the lack of direct correspondence between spoken and written languages, and the vast number of multiple meanings, connotations and associations between all of their words and concepts) understanding anything in Chinese requires the exercise of the intuition to a much greater degree than any Western language. Keeping this in mind, anything translated into a Western language from Chinese will fail to convey the network of associations which a native would almost instinctively comprehend. But understanding the concepts of yin and yang is essential to even beginning to attempt to understand Chinese medical energetics.

Realizing the existence of human energy, the ancients were immediately confronted with perplexing questions: Why the alternations of sleeping and waking: Why hot and cold? What difference between physical strength and mental or moral strength?...The ancient Chinese were confronted by the same dichotomy of spirit and matter as Europeans…They concluded that there is a universal unity wherein matter is only concentrated, solidified energy, and spirit only vaporized matter returning to its immaterial form, both in a state of movement and perpetual becoming, without any unchangeable, permanent state…Yin and yang in humans is relativity and alternation in constant movement, not a fixed condition. (Morant 50,5l)

Originally the idea of yin referred to the shady side of a mountain, and yang referred to the sunny side. In human anatomy, yin refers to substance and yang to functionality or dynamic process. "The correspondences of Yin - Yang" from Beinfield and Korngold are:

Yin… (is)…substantive, contracting, descending, cold, watery, forming, heavy, hidden, interior…

Yang…(is)…active, expanding, ascending, hot, dry, transforming, light,

revealed, exterior…

Physiologically,

(Yin is)…generation of: blood, lymph, hormones, mucus, urine, perspiration, nutrient substances, collagen, fat…

(Yang is)…process of: circulation, secretion, discharge, peristalsis, pulsation, metabolism, respiration…

When making a diagnosis, a Chinese medical practitioner observes certain visible signs of 'constitutional patterns.' When there are extreme tendencies of any kind, these may indicate the presence of imbalance or disharmony. Because of individual differences and variations, what is extreme in one individual may be normal for another. Here again, a holistic sense of the interplay of all levels of the human constitution, and an intuitive sensitivity come into play. Some common constitutional patterns are:

(Yin)…low energy, lethargic - sallow, pasty, pale complexion - small, soft, flaccid body - delicate features - weak soft voice - hypotensive - tends to feel cold - tends toward damp…

(Yang)…high energy, hyperactive - ruddy, swarthy, flushed complexion - large, firm, fleshy, body - coarse features - projecting loud voice - hypertensive - tends to feel warm - tends toward dry…(Beinfield and Korngold 59)

When a constitutional sign of disharmony is observed, the appropriate therapeutic course in Chinese medicine is energetic in approach. If an individual is too yin, the treatment needs to make them more yang. If they are too yang in some respect, the appropriate treatment will be designed to move that sign in a more yin direction. In addition to the overall categories of yin and yang, there are eight diagnostic parameters in Chinese medicine that further refine the categories of observable signs for diagnostic purposes. These parameters are themselves paired into four yin/yang pairs: internal / external, cold / hot, deficiency / excess, and chronic / acute. (Beinfield and Korngold 59)

The Chinese materia medica, consisting of thousands of plant, animal and mineral substances, has been categorized over millennia in such a way that their energetic influences in terms of these parameters are known. Each of the items in the materia medica will move energy in certain known directions: upward or downward, inward or outward. Similarly they will warm or cool, and supplement (for deficiency) or help clear excess. All of Chinese medicine reduces to observation of the energy flow in the body followed by the therapeutic response which is designed to assist the restoration of harmony through correction of imbalance. The acupuncture branch of TCM deals with the patterns of energy flows, excesses and deficiencies, and blockages to normal flow. The patterns of needle placement in acupuncture are designed to redirect the flow of energy in the body in a more harmonious way.

The causal influences of disharmony, according to TCM, are extreme environmental influences (which include pathogenic influences) and excessively intense emotional experiences.

TCM recognizes, similarly to Pleneurethics, that some persons will be more easily thrown out of balance than others, due to individual differences in innate energetic strength. This is very similar to Pleneurethic's concept of neural sufficiency. The significant difference between the two systems is that Chinese medicine has existed and proven itself through practical application over several thousand years.

Renee Stocks summarizes the Pleneurethic attitude toward harmony in this way:

An individual who lives in harmony with his or her environment as well as in a state of ethical conformity creates minimal brain exhaustion. Conversely, conflict between the individual and his environment depletes energy and leads to what Collier refers to as brain exhaustion. To simplify a complex physiological idea central to Pleneurethics, I will refer to brain exhaustion as stress. An ethical mind in balance is more methodical in the utilization of energy than an unethical mind. Therefore, it is logical to deduce that stress on the mind can alter the way the brain regulates the body which in turn can lead to an imbalance that impairs the body's ability to function. (Stocks 43)

I believe this brief comparison shows the similarity between Richard Bangs Collier's Pleneurethics and Traditional Chinese Medicine as energetic systems. Both emphasize that health and harmony are due to the interplay of energy flows on several levels. Both recognize that preserving or restoring harmony is central to both normal functioning and the fullest realization of human potential.

Steve-Ingvar Olson, 6/10/2004

WORKS CITED

Beinfield, Harriet, L.Ac., and Efrem Korngold, L.Ac., O.M.D. Between Heaven and Earth -

A Guide to Chinese Medicine. New York: Ballantine Books, 1991

Collier, Richard Bangs. Pleneurethics Volume I. Bangkok, Thailand: R.B.Collier, 1969

Dring, Dinah Heide. "Pleneurethics: A Way of Life." Essential Pleneurethic 3rd Ed. Tacoma: Pleneurethics Society, 1989

Eckman, Peter, M.D., Ph.D. In the Footsteps of the Yellow Emperor. San Francisco: Cypress Book Company, 1996

Kaptchuk, Ted J. The Web That Has No Weaver - Understanding Chinese Medicine. New York: Congdon & Weed, 1983

Morant, George Soulie de. Chinese Acupuncture. Brookline, Mass.: Paradigm Publications, 1994

Stocks, Renee. "Reconciliation and the Imbalance of the Body: A Pleneurethic Perspective on the Writings of Elie Wiesel." Journal of Pleneurethics. Vol 1 Number 1, 1993

Scholar's Paper Example: Steve Thorp

2006-04-07T15:11:00.000-07:00

LIVING WITH NATIVE AMERICAN VALUES IN A DOMINANT SOCIETY

By Steve Thorp

It is my understanding, the Plenuerethic society requires a bibliography for information gathered. These teachings here have come to me from the experience of many nights inside a teepee, listening to the wisdom of my elders and the teachings shared from other relatives walking this “Red Road”. I am, for the better part repeating what has been shared with me. This is not a philosophy or doctrine. It is a discipline, a way of life to walk on this “Red Road”.

Dr. Richard Bangs Collier wrote in depth about the brain, the nervous system, and the body that protects it, as a complete system. It is my belief his conclusions were incomplete. He left out the most important part of each beings individual system, the fourth element or spirit. Everyone has a spirit. The indigenous people of this continent knew this from the beginning. It’s the belief of many of the nations of the North American continent every natural thing has a spirit, Earth, water, fire, air and so on The basis of this paper will address this issue, using the model of the medicine wheel.

The medicine wheel is divided into four equal parts, mental, physical, emotional and spiritual. The colors of the wheel are black, yellow, red and white. The colors of the wheel represent the four directions, the four stages of life, the four winds and the colors of the four nations. There are only four tribes on Mother Earth, red, black, yellow and white. (It’s my belief, there are really only two races, male and female.). This was the belief of the indigenous people’s great-grandfathers and their great-grandfathers and so on.

Throughout this writing, you will read of the circle of life, the sacred hoop or medicine wheel. However, at times these terms might have different connotations. For the purpose of this paper, they will all be used in reference to the circle of life, and maintaining the balance each of us needs in our own individual lives. The people then knew the circle has been and is a true sign of balance. It’s the way we keep in balance with the Creator, Mother Earth and ourselves. Whatever you may, happen to call, feel, or sense to be that force behind life, it is also the indigenous way to respect all belief systems. This way a Buddhist can sit in the same circle as Gentile, Jew or Muslim and be in harmony, not only with those around them, but in harmony with themselves as well. With this kind of mutual respect, there is no space for fundamentalist dogma. In a circle, there are no corners to hide. The circle allows us to keep a clean table between, creation, others and ourselves.

I spoke earlier of many nights sitting around a fire; it’s known as The Native American Church (NAC). The prayer services are usually held in a teepee, but during the wintertime, in the mid-west, and even here, when it’s cold, there are house meetings. After all, Lakota for home is teepee. I understand in the desert southwest open-air services are held; yet bound by strict protocol as if held in-doors or in a teepee,

The door to the teepee faces east, to greet the morning sun. On the west, side of the fireplace is a carefully fashioned, semi-circle mound of earth. At the apex of the two sided mound is engraved a fine line the full length of the semi-circle. This represents the road of life. At the western most point, or center of the half-moon lays a bed of sage on which the chief medicine sits. In reality, this half moon still represents a full-circle. The first quarter (southeast) of the moon (circle) is un-seen. It represents the time when we are still in the spirit nation. Our spirit has not been called up. Our feet have not yet touched Mother Earth. The second quarter (southwest) of the moon represents the time of our lives from birth to the present. The third quarter (northwest) represents the future, until it’s time to go back to the spirit nation, the fourth quarter (northeast).

At the end of the night, close to sunrise, women bring in the spiritual food. The colors of the wheel also represent the four sacred foods used in the NAC ceremony. The white is for the water spirit. Water is the happiest spirit of all four. It can fall from miles in the sky, and when it finally hits the ground, it dances. Water is vital to our survival. Our bodies are 90% water. We call it the water of life with respect, because we know water can also be the taker of life.

The color yellow is for corn, or the spirit(s) of the plants we eat. It represents the mind. Red represents berries, or the emotions. After a prayer service, the left over berries are usually the first thing the children go for. It’s no wonder they’re always jumping around laughing and happy.

The color black represents the meat, or the physical body. We give thanks to the spirit of the animal that gave its life that we can survive. After all our own body is the vehicle by which our mind, spirit and emotions get around. That is how we pray for one another, body, mind, spirit and soul, or mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually, always remembering to take care of these parts of our lives.

I only spoke of the significance of the full circle of the moon, and the color of the foods and their significance in the Native American Church. In reality the service is many ceremonies combined, put together by the elders long ago. The way it was set up so long ago was meant that no one adds or takes anything from the ceremony it’s what ‘s called a generational fireplace. The ceremony is the same now as it was for great grand fathers’, great grandfather, and with following strict tradition, it will be that way for our great grandsons’, great grandsons and so on. This is what is meant when indigenous peoples refer to the traditional ways. Tradition brings repetition, repetition brings a constant, and a constant brings balance. After all, deep down that’s what any of us wants and needs in our lives-balance.

SWEAT LODGE

I will write about the sweat lodge ceremony, often referred to as the womb of Mother Earth. I will explain how the Lakota conduct a sweat. The door faces west to honor the sun-dancers. As with the teepee, one enters the door and turns left, always moving in a clock-wise direction. As with most everything native, there are four rounds. In the first round, the four elements are honored Fire, Water, Wind and Earth. We thank them for creation as it is, because without any one of these elements life would not be, as we know it. We heat 29 stones by fire, and use seven stones (Stone People, Elders or Ancient Ones) per round. The one remaining stone is left in the fireplace to honor the oldest of the four elements, fire.

There is ritual in even the way the stones are placed in the fireplace. First, we put down a bed of wood for the stones to rest on. The stones are not to touch the ground; there are seven primary stones. We set the first four down in the four directions starting in the west, again putting each stone down in a clock-wise direction then a stone is placed center, representing the center of the universe. The way the remaining two primary stones are placed determines whether the sweat will be for healing or purification. It all depends on what is requested. The sixth stone represents the chief or eagle, and the seventh stone, the great mystery. These first seven stones also represent the seven sacred directions North, South, East, West, Father Sky, Mother Earth and the Great Mystery. The next seven stones are placed in a fashion to complete the shape of a medicine wheel. Before placing the remaining 15 stones on the pile, a small amount of tobacco is placed on the original seven stones. Once the remaining 15 stones are in place, a ring of tobacco is sprinkled, clock-wise around the whole pile and crossed to form yet another medicine wheel. Split cedar is then placed, starting from the west going clock-wise, in the four directions again. When the stones are brought into the lodge, they are placed in the same order they were set up in the fireplace. The reason behind this is we are asking for help from the seven sacred directions.

The lodge, also called the womb of Mother Earth is a dome structure built with 17 willows, the same number as in a woman’s ribcage. Before the first door, or round, is started, we share water. We also share water before each consecutive round. Once the door is closed four waters are poured on the hot stones to open the round, then it is up to whoever is sitting behind the water to decide how much, or how little water is to be used. As I said before, the first round is to honor the elements. The second round is to honor our young people. The third round is to honor the women folk, and the forth round to honor our elders, and those who have gone on before. After the forth round over it is permitted to go out, but often times, the men will go in for what is called a spirit, or warriors round. Some might even call it the buffalo round. Instead of using a dipper to splash water on the stones, they’ll bring a full bucket and pour the whole thing. Mostly Sundance people go the fifth round, which brings me to the next topic, the Sundance and the pipe, or Chanupah.

SUNDANCE

Sundance is a rite of summer. The Sundance medicine originated with the Cheyenne and was passed to the Lakota. Each nation that conducts a Sundance has a story of origin of how the dance and the pipe came to the people. I would be willing to say every one of these stories involves The White Buffalo Calf Woman. I will quote verbatim the story, as written by my good friend Joseph Shields Jr. how the Chanupah came to the Lakota people.

“It is said, one summer so long ago nobody knows how long, the sun shone all the time but there was no game and the people starved. The chief of the Lakota sent two young men on foot to hunt. The men climbed a high hill to scan the whole country and there met a beautiful young woman wearing a white buckskin dress who floated as she walked. One man desired the woman and tried to touch her but was consumed by a vicious cloud and reduced to a pile of bones and snakes. The woman then instructed the other man to return to camp and erect a great lodge and assemble the people for her arrival. The other man returned and told the people the holy woman was coming. When she arrived, the woman pulled a sacred pipe from a bundle on her back and taught them how to use it to pray to Wakantanka. “With this holy pipe, you will walk like a living prayer,” she said. She told them that whenever they smoked the pipe they would be joined by all life in the cosmos. Before she left, she told the people she would return; and, as she walked away, she rolled over four times, first turning into a red and brown female buffalo calf, then a white one followed by a black one and then finally she rolled one more final time before disappearing.”

Since that time the Chanupah has been passed to many of the other original Americans, but this is how the pipe came to the Lakota. A person does not own a pipe. They take care of it for the all people, because the pipe belongs to everyone. To be a pipe carrier is a lifetime commitment to sacrifice of your self, that others will not have to suffer needlessly. Without dishonoring the Sundance all I’ll say about this sacred ceremony is; it’s a four-day spiritual fast without food or water, usually held in July or August in the high plains or in the mountains where the temperatures are sure to be well above 100 degrees.

The correlation between the three of these ceremonies is simple. It is about helping your self, and in turn enabling your self to help others. The easiest way to get out of your own junk is to help someone else get out of theirs I know this is counter to the me society we live in, but it sure makes life a lot less confusing in my world.

In conclusion: This is what I’ve come up with, after reading a number of Dr. Bangs essays, I really think he’s missed what I’ve been trying to put across – spirituality. Dr. Bangs has a great knowledge of human anatomy and physiology. He spares no words proving his points, about keeping good health to protect the body that, in turn, protects the brain. The good doctor is very elaborate on those points, almost to the point of analysis paralysis. What I am getting at is Dr. Bangs misses, ignores or purposely omits that part of each one of us that makes us unique – the human spirit. Its ones own personal spiritual health I have been getting at throughout this entire paper. For this reason, I quit writing about my own spirituality, because what works for me, might not work for you. What Dr. Bangs does get across is the power comes from within. We will not get it by polluting our bodies with drink or drugs. The best way I can put it myself is the same way a good friend at the tables told me, “Find something your comfortable with and run with it”.

Cited Works

Origins of the Pipe and the White Buffalo Calf Woman: Quoted verbatim from CD Inner cover;

Wahancanka Lakota Pipe and Ceremonial Songs; Performed by Joseph Shields, Jr. (Ihunktowan Dakota/Sicangu Lakota) 1998

Canyon Records Productions

4145 North 16^th Street, Suite #6

Phoenix, Arizona 85016.

Bibliography

I’m a 46 year-old broke-down cement finisher, who supported an alcoholic tapeworm that lived the life of Riley for 30 years. I cleaned up four years ago and got into Human Services, with the thought that if I didn’t put my 30-year ordeal/experience to work helping others, then all I was doing was getting loaded and getting old for no reason at all. If, in the long run I’m able to help anyone, it will have been worth it.

Scholar's Paper Example: DeWind June 10, 2003

2006-03-31T14:28:00.000-08:00

Applied Pleneurethics and the Roles of the Registered Nurse
Leigh S. DeWind
June 10, 2003

“Pleneurethics is a comprehensive philosophical system featuring an Absolute Force as creator of the cosmos, and a science for health care based on brain structure, function, and content. Its ultimate purpose is the improvement of world civilization by assisting the individual to be a better person physically and mentally through enlightened brain management “ (Collier, 1). The work Pleneurethics is comprised of three components: plenary, meaning completely competent, neural, pertaining to the brain, and ethics relating to conscientious behavior.

The central issue of Pleneurethics in health care is the human brain, its structure, production of energy and how that energy is used. Chronic illness, the major focus of Pleneurethics, is the result of continuous, cumulative assault to the brain and central nervous system. Patients are unable to heal because the brain’s capacity to work with the body is decreased. Registered nurses can be invaluable in application of the Pleneurethic principles.

The role of the registered nurse is a complex and dynamic one. Often, nurses find themselves performing several roles simultaneously. Primarily, the registered nurse is a manager of care, provider of care and a member within the discipline of nursing. Pleneurethic principles can be successfully applied in all aspects of the of the nursing scope resulting in promoting more effective, individualized health care, prevention of chronic illness and enhanced nursing interventions resulting in optimal health for their clients.

As a manager of care, it is the Registered Nurses responsibility to review each patient’s chart and plan his or her most appropriate path of treatment not just medically, but holistically. This pathway often involves direct patient care from the nurse as well as referrals to other health care specialists. When viewing the patient’s case with a critical eye, it is possible to discern which patients would likely benefit from a referral to a health care provider who specializes in Pleneurethic care. In today’s climate of alternative therapy, patients are more receptive to treatments that may be considered less mainstream. By providing referrals and enlightening patients with concepts and principles pertaining to Pleneurethics, the nurse can manage patient care more effectively and provide greater health benefits for the patient.

The Registered Nurse is also a direct, first line provider of care for patients. In this capacity, the nurse is in a unique position to influence a patient’s thought processes related to health care. A nurse that is informed in the principles of the Pleneurethic system can provide patient education related to the deterrence of chronic disease as well as enhancing overall health.

Prevention of disease by promoting a healthy lifestyle is one of the major focuses within the health care community. According to Pleneurethic principles, damage to the brain and it’s related structures can be accomplished several different ways. While direct injury often times cannot be prevented, there are several factors in which nurses can use their influence with patients to improve heath. Nutrition, stress and an ethical existence are all contributing factors to brain health and early intervention is necessary to preserve brain integrity thus prevent disease.

Much is written about nutrition and it’s far reaching effects. “The subject of nutrition is very important to mental and physical health because food affects blood chemistry in the brain” (Collier, 111). Choices of food and drink do not directly cause chronic illness. Malnutrition, however, does aggravate chronic conditions, cause decreased strength of the body leading to susceptibility to illness and sever damage to fetuses and children with lifelong consequences.

With all of the contradictory information concerning nutrition that is popular today, patients find themselves confused about what a proper, adequate diet is. In a clinical setting, the nurse providing Pleneurethic care should be well informed about nutrition as it relates to the mind-body connection. The opportunity to teach patients the best diet for building strength and preserving the integrity of the brain should never escape the competent nurse. Patients must comprehend the connection between the chemical composition of the food they eat and it’s affects on the body and the brain to facilitate remaining healthy.

Stress, another major issue in our modern culture, seems to be unavoidable. Americans, as a whole, are working longer hours with less rest and family time. The immediate, physical manifestations of stress are readily apparent but it is the long-term effects that should be of most concern. “Stress accumulates in the brain, leading to its structural distortion (either micro, macro, or both) and causes mental and physical disease concurrently” (Collier, 274). When stress is compounded in the brain, the brain’s ability to deal with new situations is severely impeded. Reducing stress is an essential step towards maintaining brain energy balance and avoiding destruction of the brain.

Modern medicine attempts to treat chronic stress and its manifestations with “miracle” pills and drugs without addressing the central cause. Nurses, on the other hand, view patients in a holistic manner. A nurse that understands the principles behind Pleneurethics is of great value to the client’s health. As trusted professionals, they have an effect on how patients view health care. It is essential that patients understand simply taking a pill is not going to cure them. Drugs may not even postpone the inevitable because the brain is still being damaged; the patient just doesn’t notice the signs and symptoms until it is too late and a serious, chronic disease has developed.

Stress elimination, in our society, may not be feasible at this point; however, steps can be taken to reduce the anxiety level as much as possible. Not only are nurses trained in medical management of stress, they are also knowledgeable in non-pharmacological stress reduction techniques. Relaxation techniques are readily taught to patients that have high levels of stress; additionally, patients should be encouraged to cut back whenever they can to decrease pressure. Giving patients control over stress reduction without relying on pills is critical in patient care because feeling a loss of control only exacerbates the current condition resulting in an increased expenditure of precious brain energy. The vicious cycle must be broken wherever it can be.

Ethics is one of the cornerstones of Pleneurethics. The view of ethics and its purpose is perhaps different than what the majority of society is familiar with. The practice of ethical principles is not related to religion, social thought or politics. “Ethic is evaluated in terms of personal responsibility for constructive utilization of neural energy” (Collier, 196). Simply put, ethics should be applied not because it is right or wrong, but to conserve as much neural energy as possible. Thus, what is good conserves energy, what is bad wastes unnecessary energy resulting in one of the contributing factors of chronic illness.

Much of what is considered ethical is learned in the home, school and church environment. The nurse has no control in those particular settings; however, clinically, nurses can once again provide information and education. Nurses are not directly teaching ethical principles but assisting patients to optimal health; a key function of the registered nurse. “Pleneurethic believes that breach of universal law automatically results in illness or discomfort” (Collier, 198). Nurses following Pleneurethic care are obligated to explain this concept to patients in order to help them deter illness. Once a patient understands this concept, the nurse and the patient can work together to design an individualized plan of care that aids in the prevention of chronic illness.

Pleneurethics is not a widely known or understood concept. Germ theory and drug therapy has been central to the treatment of illness in the modern Western culture. “As a result, the largest branch of the healing profession is so hopelessly married to the commercial drug industry and the concept of germs that it cannot be salvaged by its own effort “ (Collier, 229). Physicians currently prescribe pharmacological means to resolve every ailment and until recently have not been willing to entertain the notion of alternative methods of healing. As a result, they are doing a disservice to those that they are sworn to help.

Perhaps the most important role the Registered Nurse embodies, for the purpose of Pleneurethics, is that of a member within the disciple. Not only the discipline of nursing, but also as a member of the healing profession. “Unfortunately, no person has as yet been taught…healing by the Pleneurethic method, but when a few are taught their number will grow; and, because they will be encouraged to seek and think and expand on ideas, their ultimate contribution to medicine and mankind will be great” (Collier, 230 Holistic care is the nurses specialty). This encompasses not just medicine per se, but healing as well. A nurse that recognizes the importance of the Pleneurethic perspective is valuable in advancement of non-traditional ideas by way of verbalizing and practicing these ideas. If respected members of the health care team can enlighten other health care providers about the merit of Pleneurethics then, as the author eloquently wrote, their number will grow.

Pleneurethics is a complex topic “…its basic message was health and the good life through an understanding of eternal health principles- Pleneurethic principles” (Collier, 246). Assisting patients to optimal health is also the goal of the Registered Nurse. The nurse is the manager of care, provider of care and a member within the discipline of nursing. By practicing Pleneurethic principles and educating their patients to do the same, the nurse can help prevent chronic disease and facilitate improved patient care.

REFERENCES

Collier, R. 1972. Pleneurethics. (Terrey, J. Ed.). Tacoma, WA.

Collier, R. 1990. Pleneurethics: a philosophical system uniting body, brain and mind.

(Terrey, J. Ed). Tacoma, WA.

Scholar's Paper Example: Patterson Spring 2003

2006-03-31T13:50:00.000-08:00

Rosemarie Patterson

Pleneurethics, a way of life

Heal Yourself

The Brain, Heart, Body and Soul (mind) are unique in every aspect. The four entities bond together to control the human entity called the being. The branches work together as a deeply rooted tree by the riverside. Every part of the body is a branch and every branch is connected to the head. The head cannot survive and function on its own to maintain the life in the body. When one or more members of the body, ceases to function properly then an imbalance occurs. Turmoil is evident, and the imbalance causes the roles of the four major entities to shift.

If the brain slows down or works overtime an imbalance in the whole body occurs. In Pleneurethics, mind and body are not the same but are separated from one another by the brain. The brain, a biological tissue, interrelates both with mind and with body. The brain is a demarcation terminal, a “biological buffer,” a sensitive device for transliterating conditions of body into sensations meaningful to mind, or activities of mind into commands for somatic activity.[1]

The head (brain) is the control center, it sends signals to the body, and it demands the heart to pump. There are six known neurotransmitters: Acetylcholine, serotonin, gaba, dopamine, Norepinephrine, and Endorphins, each having their own distinctive function. Acetylcholine promotes memory, sleep, and helps us get ready to act. Serotonin inhibits behavior, reduces aggression, regulated body temperature, helps recognize pain and helps regulate mood. Gaba helps to decrease anxiety and agitation. Dopamine controls your decision-making, controls fine muscle coordination, integrating thoughts and emotions, and stimulates the thalamus to release hormones that affect the thyroid, adrenal glands and sex hormones. Norepinephrine controls your ability to be alert, stimulates the fight or flight response, helps you to learn new information and helps with memory. Lastly, endorphins change emotional reactions to painful experiences. It is part of the brain’s reward center, part of your drive to eat and promotes growth of the brain’s mechanism for consolidating your memories. Truthfully, the brain produces living cells continually and can short circuit at any time.[2]

The head (brain) is the control center, it sends signals to the body, the leg to move, eye to blink, a muscle to twitch and it also demands the heart to pump.

The heart is the ever beating pulse that pumps water and nourishment (blood) throughout the body. It is the reservoir of life. It supplies vitality to every blood vessel, arteries and cells within the structure of the body.

The body houses the being and keeps everything intact within its boundaries. The brain, in all its glory and all other organs are contained and subjected to the boundaries and limitations within the walls of the body.

The soul is the everlasting spirituality housed within the body. It is fed and nourished by all the teachings learned and passed to you from family, teachers, friends basically from relationships and the absolute power. Spirituality is what we believe about the meaning of life, the existence of ourselves, other and a deity which we will call the absolute.

Man has created many remedies to keep life going, whether it is medications, operations, biopsies, implants, amputations, valves and or replacements. Man can fix it! Or can he? The soul is one entity that can not be manually “fixed”. It survives on relationships. Without relationships in this thing we call the “human being” the soul diminishes and the whole being suffers.

Even in the depth of the mentally challenge, the soul exists. Good, strong, loving relationships send messages to the soul to send impulses to the brain, and then the brain forwards it to the heart and body. When all of this happens, the entities work together as glue and heal the being holistically. But when one or more entities malfunction or an imbalance occurs, this is where the absolute power comes into play.

The absolute power steps in and provides balance to the being when it is in turmoil. The absolute is the supreme, guardian or keeper of the holistic body. This absolute power works as a catalyst which promotes healing among the being.

The absolute works as an attachment or bond and it can be found in the form of relationships. Carl Roger’s theory about relationships between the child and his or her major care takers is the most significant factor in development. He believed that all have the need to be loved.

My belief is that no matter what background, nationality, race, creed, sexual orientation or preference a person holds, he or she at some point in time has the ability to become 100% able to be responsible for his or her actions and also with proper guidance has the ability to achieve that success. I would like to incorporate the mentally challenged in this theory with the assistance of their care providers working together as a team introducing relationships and sociality to achieve the same results.[3]

Social interaction such as conflict, disequilibria and learning should be allowed to promote responsibility, and self-control. Autonomy is also required for self-growth. Basically Society makes us Human. Children do not develop naturally into human adults. Although their bodies grow, if raised in isolation they become little more than big animals. The concept of language must be experienced in order to understand what we know as brothers, sisters, mother, father, friends, teacher, and so on. Without the warm and friendly interaction, children would not be “friendly” in society’s acceptable sense of the term; nor would they cooperate with others. Through human contact people learn to become members of society, culture and members of the human community. Socialization into a group is what makes us human.

A person develops a personality through learned behavior. The behavior can be influenced through family, peer, teachers, professionals and daily contact. If there is no socialization that exists, then the personality is underdeveloped, stunted and retardation becomes quite evident in the being. To develop an acceptable personality, healthy socialization must exist. I believe a person has the ability to change his or her personality by changing their social environment. With the assistance of good counseling techniques and responses, using the behavior modification principles and working through the helping map guidelines, a person will have the tools and opportunity to overcome personality retardation.[4]

According to Piaget, a reference: Wadsworth, B.J. (1996). Piaget’s theory of cognitive behavior and moral reasoning and moral behavior in children. Certain stages of life children learn and grow into responsible adults. Children grow through stages which is a common process as they learn to reason. [5]

If you believe that the brain can survive on its own without the heart, body and soul, then you know something that the rest of us don’t. Each member of the being is very important and each needs to be included in the make up. The human being is a whole and works together as a whole. Man has learned how to make substitutions for a heart, and how to alter the brain and its matter, the soul is being continuously expanded by knowledge and beliefs. Have you heard of the saying that if the “head” is sick, so is the body? If the brain is diseased; then the whole body suffers. It suffers like a person with a mental disease trapped in a hole of bondage.

Richard Collier states that “Pleneurethics endeavors to strengthen the neural system and preserve its integrity by preserving its resources”.[6] If you maintain a healthy brain and its environment without constant anxiety or depression it will enhance the functioning of the whole being. A realistic and simple approach to our mentality is encouraged with periods of rest and meditation to balance the over-stimulation of modern society. [7]

From the information that has received from reading the Pleneurethic research, I believe that the Absolute which is the alpha and the omega cannot be manipulated by man. Man has created medicines that just treat the symptoms and not the disease. Nourish the brain, body, heart and soul by keeping yourself healthy and responsible for your mental welfare and illness will not take root in your life. Get plenty of rest and meditation to heal your own body. Good and healthy relationships with others will help guide you through the process. The supernatural does exist and is within our grasp. We respect the laws of nature, by making the choice of living your life to the fullest by understanding the concepts of Pleneurethics.

[1] Journal of Pleneurethics, Volume 5 Number 1, page

[2] Patterson, R – Tacoma Community college, Personal Theory of Counseling, November 5, 2001

[3] Ibid

[4] Ibid

[5] Wadsworth, B.J. (1996)

[6] Richard Bangs Collier, Pleneurethics: A New concept of healing, Vol.II, 2^nd ed., (Tacoma, WA: PleuneurethicsSociety, 1990), p. 1

[7] Jim Carroll, Pleneurethics:Ten Principles of Pleneurethics, Journal of Pleneurethics, Volume 5 Number 1, 1997

Scholar's Paper Example: Walling 6-13-03

2006-03-31T13:33:00.000-08:00

Joe Walling

6-13-03

Final Paper

PLENEURETHICS VS. COMMUNISM

Communism

Communism was primarily founded by Karl Marx. Communists strictly believe that God is a Supreme Being, a Creator, a Ruler, and does not and can not, and must not exist. God is considered a hindrance to a scientific, materialistic, and socialistic outlook. For Marx, man is God, and man created God in his own image. Man created religion in order to worship himself. Atheism is the foundation of Marx's thought and life, and atheism today is still the foundation of the Marxist/Leninist worldview. Marxism is atheism in theory and in practice. The elimination of religion is the theory of atheism in practice. Marx's search for "scientific truths" to support his atheism led him to the conclusions that shaped his communist theory. As he moved from his idealistic basis for his atheism in to the "socio-economic" realm, he reached the conclusion that religion is merely an anti-depressant for the oppressed working class.

"Religion," said Marx, is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the sentiment of a heartless world, as it is the spirit of the spiritless conditions. It is the opium of the people."(1) Eventually, when the whole world has embraced communism, no one will be oppressed, and therefore no one will cling to the unscientific fairy tales of religion. Marx explains, "Communism is that stage of historical development which makes all existing religions superfluous and supersedes them." (2)

Lenin is another major contributor to communism. He believed that the idea of "God" encourages the working class to drown its poor economic plight of slavery and misery "in sort of spiritual booze" of some mythical heaven. The idea of "God" encourages the working class to drown its economic troubles in a sort of "spiritual booze" of some imaginary heaven. Those who believe in this theory are harming the working class and cause them to forfeit their only chance of creating a true heaven on earth: global Communism.

Engels, a fellow atheist of Marx, states that they want to destroy everything that claims to be supernatural and superhuman because of the untruth and lying in the "pretension" of the human and the natural to be superhuman and supernatural. Engels states, "All religion is nothing but the fantastic reflection in men's minds of those external forces which control their daily life, a reflection in which the terrestrial forces assume the form of supernatural forces."(3)

Philosophy

Humanism's atheism is foundational not only to its theology but also to its philosophy, which is naturalistic. Humanist philosophy is that matter is ultimate reality. They trust the scientific method as the only sure method of arriving at knowledge. If something cannot be observed, tested, and experimented on, it cannot exist. Only what can be tested is meaningful; that which can't, is unreal. Since God is not laboratory tested, the supernatural does not exist. Because nothing exists that cannot be observed and tested, ideas, imagination, and rationality are all viewed by Humanists as side affects of the physical brain. Humanist philosophy believes matter is all that exists. They disregard and rule out all forms of the supernatural that regards nature as the "totality" of being and as a constant changing system of events existing independently of any mind or consciousness. Naturalists are unwilling to believe in a universe that includes too much design, because this design could be "construed" as evidence for a Designer. Naturalistic Humanism is the denial of the supernatural, and it is a complete philosophy.

For Marx, the “ideal” is nothing else than the material world reflected by the human mind, and translated into forms of thought. Lenin, like Marx, “believes the existence of the mind is shown to be dependent upon that of the body, in that the mind is declared to be secondary, a function of the brain, or a reflection of the outer world.” In this way, Marxists try to avoid the whole problem of perceiving thought as material, since no one can claim to have seen a thought or an idea, therefore maintaining a strict materialistic worldview.

The dialectical process was not created by the Marxist philosophy. But the Marxists used the ideas, which were based on an idealistic foundation, and configured them to fit into a materialistic method of reality. “Dialects see change or process due to conflict or struggle as the only constant—bearing in mind that this change and conflict always lead to more advanced levels.”(4) Marxists believe the proof for dialects is all around us. Matter can only be understood when one understands that it is constantly going through an eternal process (Theory of evolution). Engels lists three basic laws of the dialect: the law of the unity and struggle of opposites, the law of the transition from quantitative to qualitative change, and the law of the negation of negation. (5)

Ethics

Marxists' ethics proceed out of Marxists' theology, philosophy, biology, economics, and history. According to the Marxist dialect everything in the universe, including society, is in a state of constant change. This change in society is a move toward the elimination of all social and economic class distinctions because evolution encourages more advanced civilizations. The next social advance in history will be the move from capitalism to socialism. This will certainly result in a change in society's ideas about morals. The dialectical view of history dictates the conflict between the working class and the bourgeoisie. Marxist/Leninists believe that the morality of these two classes is totally different, and when the working class family (proletariat) finally destroys the bourgeoisie, a new morality will reign - a new morality for the new man.

"The bourgeosis is not a human being with individual traits, but a social abstraction, a creature devoid of virtue or free will and without the right to live." (6)

Marxists remain hopeful that the new man created by a classless society will discover a new, higher morality. Garaudy believes, "It helps us understand that man is a creator, that he is his own creator, and it provides us with the means of overcoming alienation, which is the opposite of creation-of overcoming it for all of us: it enables us, that is, to base an indivisibly social and personal ethic not simply on its theoretical justification but on its practical realization: an ethic whose ultimate end creates the conditions which will make it possible for every man to become effectively a man, that is to say a creator." (7) So, for some Marxists, man's becoming a creator will be the next moral good after a classless society is achieved.

Politics

Marxists believes socialist democracy is a better form of government. No political system is acceptable. Marxism perceives the state itself as a "vehicle" for maintaining class antagonism. The aim of Marxist politics is to create a society in which the state is an outdated, unnecessary institution. Because Marxism seeks to abolish all class distinctions and the state is simply a tool for enforcing those distinctions, the Marxist believes the state will naturally shrink away as mankind evolves into a classless society.

Marxist/Leninists believe the proletariat must take hold of political power to bring about socialism and set the stage for the abolition of classes and eventually the state. Democracy for the Marxist is not the cause that much of the Western world thinks it is. It is a means to an end, a necessary tool for maintaining the early stages of socialism. Democracy has no value at all as an end in itself. Democracy is useful in establishing the dictatorship; but it is this dictatorship, in the excuse of a democracy, that is a crucial part of Marxist political development.

Marxists believe that the establishment of a new world order, world communism, and the withering away of the state are inevitable steps in mankind's biological and social evolutionary development. Just as man is evolving biologically, so society is evolving socially, economically, and politically. The new world order is an evolutionary progress over nations, states, tribes and other race and class distinctions. This has been the goal of all Marxist/Leninists since the beginning of Marxism. For Marxists, world community is not enough. It must be a world community based on communism. Only communism puts the means of production in the hands of the people, abolishes classes, the state, and leads man into a world of cooperation.

Theology of Pleneurethics

Richard Bangs Collier, the creator of Pleneurethics, believes that the "Inner Being" is not a God. It is a substantial amount of inspirational strength, but not in a hostile way. It is a secure place, but not an overlooking offensive power. It will not move a rocky mountain, but can contain enormous amounts of personal struggle and fright. It's not a power that will protect one's body from injury, but can temporarily calm the outer being when certain death from destruction is about to happen. Pleneurethics is a system leading to the development of an orderly mind, operating with ease, receiving a full explanation by the Inner Being and with a responsive neural system and soma at command. Mind and body are partly secondary to a utilizing society which Pleneurethics calls the Inner Being or Inner Individual. Therefore, people are not humbled before a mysterious outer god, but to an Inner Individual instead. Pleneurethics is then, more than just a special operation for the creation, preservation, and constructive utilization of neural sufficiency.

The church, by its own nature, becomes a plague on earth because in its modern form, the church is beyond the will of the people. The church is autocratic, dictatorial, and intransigent. It breaks the will of the humble upon its firm and inflexible outdated self-supporting doctrine. The church destroys the integrity of those who are converted by their worldly purpose, and divides human personality on an unrealistic basis.

Pleneurethics does not debate with the state, as the church has done in the past, and even continues to do so now. Pleneurethics works with, but below, the state and does not harm, obstruct, or attempt to challenge the state. Pleneurethics recognizes the fact that nations must have government, cities must have government, good families are governed, and each individual must govern himself, all in agreement with all the laws both natural and civil.

Philosophy of Pleneurethics

The aim for Pleneurethics is to master the mind so that it becomes a powerful and reliable tool, useful for its highest ethical purpose. Pleneurethics is not negative or critical of human on earth. Bangs does not believe that life is nothing but suffering, pain, imperfection, emptiness, unhappiness, greed, and a desire for pleasure. Pleneurethics does not support the presence of an everlasting God. He also does not believe that the idea of "me" or "mine" is unwanted in itself. "Belief in self can just as easily lead to high ethical responsibility with true humility and real charity." (8) Pleneurethics is only concerned with things of this world.

Pleneurethics sees no clear evidence for life as it is known on earth after death. May it be rebirth through reincarnation, heaven or hell. Pleneurethics does not deny the possibility of rebirth through reincarnation although technical defects are seen in the logic of reincarnation. Pleneurethics is concerned with the total being of Man.

The guideline for Pleneurethics is "Do not increase the survival problems of others, but act so as to reduce them instead." (27) Therefore, act constructively and not destructively. Consider the needs of others, and act responsible to eliminate future needs.

Ethics in Pleneurethics

There is no conversion in Pleneurethics. Turning one over to some god in a non-existing heaven is not tolerated. No one is asked to self-surrender or self-sacrifice in the study of Pleneurethics. No one can run away their responsibility for their destiny. Pleneurethics improves the mind by energizing, expanding, restructuring, and polishing it. Yet, a mortal mind cannot exist without a mortal body.

The ethics of Pleneurethics are not slanted to support itself. It offers a complete guide to moral conduct. It will rise above the imbalanced ethics of church and controlling religion. The ethics of Pleneurethics is based on rational consciousness, not mystery. It places moral responsibility on the individuals themselves.

In Pleneurethics, anything of nature that a person really wants to do is worthwhile. All responsibilities that reflect the true being of the person are admirable. One may find fulfillment in a task that may be simple or difficult as long as it fits into one's inner nature. Any task that one may find pleasant is in harmony with one's basic nature.

Politics of Pleneurethics

Pleneurethics sees the need for some form of government over groups of people as long as people cannot control themselves. Churches and states come and go because they are manmade to fit into special social and regional occasions. Pleneurethics does not accommodate to special occasions or adjust to any particular era. It is interested in popular thought and current events.

For Pleneurethics, there is no division between it and the state. Church and state have always been enemies. Their attempt for control of the people regularly contradicts one another. This "divergency" of purpose can and may lead to terrible turmoil among people. Pleneurethics stands strong for the moral life free from crime and ethic. There are no costly offices in Pleneurethics. Pleneurethics teaches that one's government is truly one's government. All governmental workers are held to be honest and capable until proven otherwise. It seeks to inform, make possible, and encourage individual man. If this happens, then the state must be good. The form of government is not nearly as important as the ethical stature of those in high office.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Oxford University Press. Oxford Family Encyclopedia: First Edition. Copyright George Philip Limited. New York: 1997

David A. Noebal. Understanding the Times. Harvest House Publishers. Copyright Summit House Publishers Ministries. Eugene, Oregon: 1991

FOOTNOTES

1. Marx and Engels, Karl Marx-Fredrick Engels: Collected Works, 40 volumes (New York: International Publishers, 1976), vol. 3, p.175.

2. Marx and Engels, Collected Works, vol. 6, p. 103

3. David A. Noebel, Understanding the Times, (Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 1991), p. 72.

4. David A. Noebel, Understanding the Times, p. 140

5. David A Noebel, Understanding the Times, p. 142

6. David A Noebel, Understanding the Times, p. 224

7. Kurt Baier, "Comment by Kurt Baier on Schneider Article," in Humanist Ethics, ed. Storer, pp. 194-195

8. Richard Bangs Collier, Pleneurethics: A New Concept of Healing, (Washington: The Pleneurethics Society Publishers, 1968), p.16

9. Richard Bangs Collier, Pleneurethics: A New Concept of Healing, p. 27

Scholar's Paper Example: Karlsson Winter-05

2006-03-30T13:32:00.000-08:00

Pleneurethics

and the

Metabolic Mandate

Gina Karlsson

Pleneurethics Scholarship

Winter, 2005

The core principles of Pleneurethics enjoin us as individuals to make sensible, informed choices with regard to our physical health. In order to enjoy the benefits of overall neurological and physical health, we are charged with the universal responsibility to care for the bodies we are gifted with, so that we will then have optimum freedom to pursue more cerebral goals without the debilitating concerns of ill health. The principles of metabolic health directly coincide with Pleneurethical principles; overlapping in the supposition that when an individual enjoys excellent physical health all other systems, including ethical considerations and neurological function, will directly benefit.

Pleneurethics, as defined by its creator, Richard Bangs Collier, is a philosophy which advocates neurological fitness as the fundamental precept of good health. Collier claims that excellent neurological health has a direct influence upon subsequent ethical conduct, and was ahead of his time in recognizing the importance of establishing a holistic approach to body systems. This overarching theme illustrates his belief that when this holistic approach is implemented, a person’s health, character, and ability to make responsible choices are enhanced, benefiting both the individual and society. Collier’s writings consist of an analysis of his beliefs on the value of integrating chemical, mental, spiritual and physical body systems for the express purpose of creating a more nurturing society, and he charges the community at large with his humanitarian mandate: “If the greatest good is sensitive awareness of the collective need of the living community, then the lowest evil is ignorance of such a need, and it does not matter if such ignorance is witting or unwitting, premeditated or unpremeditated” (Collier, “Philosophy” 69).

Collier’s exposition of Pleneurethical principles seeks to examine the connection between the brain and the mind, and to apply that understanding to the context of the human body system. He further notes that if the brain experiences ongoing mental stress, it can result in damage to the actual structures of the body, resulting in a negative impact on whatever healing process is undertaken to address that structural damage. Collier declares that “brain exhaustion provoked by mental stress can cause the body to become imbalanced” (Collier, “Concept” 29). He coined a term for that mental stress; “brain exhaustion,” and cautions that this state can lead to a metabolic imbalance which then interferes with the body’s ability to function efficiently. That inefficient function can impede the person’s ability to exercise sound judgment (Collier, “Concept” 125). In his compelling quest for holistic “balance,” Collier infers that individuals must seek to understand their surroundings, and in so doing contribute to the efficiency of the brain’s processes. “Proper interaction with one’s environment can lead to positive influences on character, physical health and an improved quality of life” (Collier, “Essential” 174-6).

Collier’s theories are based upon the belief that the human brain is in a circuitous relationship with the body, each directly impacting the other.

“If the brain is disrupted, no matter what the source, the mind will be subsequently influenced. The reverse is also true. If the mentality of mind is first insulted, this will eventually be reflected into the physical brain…That which is true for the mind/brain relationship is also true for the brain/somatic organ relationship” (Collier, “Philosophical”).

Collier concludes, “In Pleneurethics, all chronic disabilities of man are diagnosed in terms of brain involvement, and all avenues of therapy are directed at relieving the cause of whatever chronic debility exists” (Collier, “Journal” 4). The answers to the paradox between the quality of life and chronic debility from aging lie within us. The results of multiple bodies of research conclude that it is metabolism, not genetics, which determines how we age. This theory is called the metabolic model of aging.

Stephen Cherniske, a noted biochemist, expresses the two components of metabolic aging as anabolic and catabolic. Anabolic metabolism refers to the rebuild, repair and restoration activities of the body. Catabolic activity basically refers to breakdown and degeneration. The ratio of damage to repair is fundamentally responsible for determining at what rate we age (Cherniske 6).

The primary building block of life, the DNA molecule, is understood as a double helix which has two long strings coiled around one another, called nucleotides. Those nucleotides are matched and connected, one string to another, in mirror image of each other (“Mitosis”). Every cell in every living thing contains DNA. When cells divide, which they do over 300 billion times a day (Cherniske 200), one string goes to the old cell, and the other goes to the new cell. Each string then begins to generate its mirror image. When this happens over and over throughout our lives, error eventually occurs. This error in cell mitosis results in the biomarkers we term “aging.” However, the good news is that we do have clear choices which can impact the quality of our aging.

We routinely endure a plethora of illnesses that are entirely preventable. We suffer from irrational fears and poverty of spirit. In our desperation, we turn in the wrong direction for help—albeit to technology instead of nature. We behave as though our upset stomach is the result of an antacid deficiency, our fatigue is from a lack of caffeine, unwanted fat will melt away with a diet pill, cancer can be cured with poisons, and muscle and joint pain are caused by an ibuprofen deficiency (Cherniske). These are bizarre notions, as is the belief that the answers to our stressful existence could be anti-depressants or better scheduling. In 1998, an extensive study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association showed that 106,000 people die annually in American hospitals from medication’s side effects; and those are just the recorded incidents. Collier comments on this trend: “The current definition of the practice of medicine focuses exclusively on the use of drugs and medications in the treatment of disease. It was steered away from the practice of using anything found effective, largely because law and modern precedent have circumscribed its role. Thus, the current practice of medicine has chosen to interpret the course of chronic illness as essentially biochemical in nature” (Collier). It is clear that a shift in philosophy is crucial to maintaining optimal health.

Understanding the fundamentals of the metabolic plan as outlined by biochemist Stephen Cherniske is about “learning the rules so you can enjoy the game to its fullest—achieving maximal life span and high-level wellness” (Cherniske 9). There are two keys to this puzzle: the first is to maximize anabolic metabolism, that astonishing capacity for self-repair and regeneration, and second, we must somehow stop catabolic activity by discerning the metabolic shift which naturally occurs as we age, then using appropriate tools to counteract that phenomenon. Metabolism can then be summarized as the process of anabolic repair versus catabolic damage within the body.

The typical model of aging which embraces the theorem that aging is the inexorable process of degeneration has been replaced with a new model in some circles, which suggests that metabolism is the major factor to be considered in aging and health. Cherniske has stated that, “Aging is a dynamic process over which we have considerable control (Cherniske 19).” If it is true, as Cherniske states, that only about 35% of aging is controlled by our genes, we can deduce that 65% is under our control. Aging occurs because of a metabolic shift from the anabolic stage of high energy, rebuild and repair to a catabolic stage, characterized by low energy and breakdown. There is a balance of these two forces at about age 30. As stated above, the human body produces about 300 billion new cells every single day. Beginning at about age 30, the new cells are not as healthy as the cells they are replacing. The key, then, is to keep producing healthy cells by providing the body with the raw materials needed to support its ability to regenerate itself. Anabolic metabolism is circular: high muscle mass sends longevity signals to the brain, and the brain responds by sending anabolic instructions back to the body, which then maintain critical muscle mass. All of this communication is accomplished biochemically—with “a dizzying array of enzymes, hormones, and nerve signals that control life” (Cherniske 24). It logically follows then, that if the 300 billion cells made today are stronger and healthier than the cells they replaced and this is done consistently, day after day, then every aspect of who we are will improve: appearance, strength, stamina, sex drive, memory, and even mood. This is now possible, and it’s not genes or luck—rather, it is the result of conscious, ethical choices.

Prevention also plays a vital role in healthy aging, and nutrition is the catalyst in that process. The two major factors affecting anabolic metabolism are raw materials and hormone signals. It is difficult to get the raw materials which would nourish the body and restore anabolic health in the typical American diet. Depleted soil produces deficient plants, and when that is combined with bad food choices, cooking methods, and selective breeding; many of the nutrients vital for anabolic repair are simply unavailable. This obstacle can be overcome by incorporating longevity foods and quality supplements into the diet (Cherniske). Secondly, our bodies need a signal to tell the body what to do with those raw materials, and this signal comes from hormones. In youth, DHEA, estrogen, testosterone and progesterone combine to send the messages that tell the cells to rebuild, restore, and repair. In the evolutionary design, our bodies are programmed to initiate shutdown sequences at about age forty. It then becomes incumbent upon us to provide our body with nutrients which can support healthy cell regeneration. The body requires only about forty-two nutrients to keep us alive, but literally hundreds are required for optimum cellular repair (Cherniske 200). Invariably, these nutrients—which include polyphenols, flavonoids, isoflavones, carotenoids, vitamins, and trace minerals—are found in whole grains, fresh fruits, and vegetables, yet surveys indicate that Americans are consuming fewer of these foods than ever before (“Benefits” H54). The typical person eats on the average, only eleven types of food and only two to three servings of fruits and vegetables per day (Brewster). Most nutritional scientists recommend at least nine servings of fruits and vegetables to maintain sufficient antioxidant power. “A healthy diet is rich in whole ‘natural’ and unprocessed foods. It is especially high in plant foods, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, seeds and nuts, as these foods contain not only valuable nutrients, but also dietary fiber which has remarkably healthy properties. A healthy diet must contain adequate, but not excessive, quantities of protein, and include at least eight glasses of water per day” (Murray).

Another problem was uncovered by researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington. They report that “plant nutrients known for their anticancer capabilities have been effectively removed from American foods through processing and selective breeding” (Drewnowski 124-35). This is because these compounds have bitter flavors, and growers and manufacturers have altered them for marketing purposes (Cherniske 32). The overriding motivation is money for the manufacturers. There is a solution, however; food scientists have created extracts from the most nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables. These compounds can be used to supplement a nutrition-poor diet and to provide the building blocks necessary to optimal health.

“Pleneurethical principles endorse the practice of a healthy diet and a sensible exercise regime. “The dietetic system of Pleneurethics is based on neural economy and upon the notion that the best foods are those which are most easily digested and assimilated and which provide all necessary nutritional and biological essentials. Food is to be selected and prepared in a way that provides optimum nutrition; and that requires the least expenditure of neural command to distribute, metabolize, and engineer the disposal of waste. Natural foods, grown on fertile, unpoisoned [sic] land, with minimal processing or refining are preferred. Vegetable foods are held to be superior to animal flesh…” (Collier, “Journal” 9).

Stress is a catabolic disaster. It stealthily weakens the immune system, accelerates aging, interferes with deep sleep and sets us up for a ferocious cycle of fatigue, illness and even more stress. Stimulants like caffeine cannot supply real energy—biologically, caffeine actually exacerbates stress. The jolt received from caffeine raises hormone levels and constricts blood vessels. This feeling becomes normalized and we are obliged to consume even more of the stimulant to duplicate the previous sense of mental sharpness. Caffeine also causes us to become dehydrated, compromises our immunity, and has a negative affect on our sleep patterns. Add to this dilemma the fact that we often don’t get what we want, and do get what we don’t want (Cherniske 115). Our reactions to this irony can result in stress, which saps our energy, creates unhappiness, and prevents deep and restful sleep. Life is not about avoiding stress or pretending to be happy. It is about meeting life’s challenges in creative and effective ways which can then transform that stress (Cherniske 116).

Dehydration adds to catabolic damage because water is essential for good health. Coffee, caffeinated tea, soft drinks and alcohol are diuretics which dehydrate the body. Even slight dehydration can disrupt critical cell functions. Ironically, thirst is not an accurate gauge of the need for water. Research shows that the body can become significantly dehydrated before we actually feel thirsty. A recent study has shown that “minute changes in cell hydration produce dramatic alterations in cellular metabolism and gene activity” (Haussinger E343-55). That very gene activity affects every cell in our bodies, influencing the body’s ability to repair and reproduce. It is clear that our intake of water has a critical bearing on our mental and ethical well-being (Cherniske 225). Water is vital to all the body’s functions, including movement, digestion, and temperature regulation. It is important to be moderate with dehydrating beverages, and to compensate by eating lots of fruits and vegetables and drinking filtered water throughout the day.

This is where the two paradigms of Pleneurethics and metabolism reach consensus. The precepts of Pleneurethics demand that individuals use all means available to assist the body in functioning optimally. I submit that lifestyle changes which would enhance the brain’s ability to function at peak level are ethically mandated. This optimum performance would then result in better ethical health for the individual—both the metabolic and the Pleneurethical systems working in tandem to achieve ethical health, because “…Ethics is the final goal of Pleneurethics…” (Collier, “Concept” 336).

The old labels don’t apply. There’s nothing “alternative” about it. It is incumbent upon us as individuals to educate ourselves on how we can best support our bodies, even at the metabolic level, so that we may enjoy the freedoms associated with good health. It is even more important to consider the question of “Why do I want to live a more dynamic life?” The next logical step is to take small, achievable steps to get where we need to be in order to create or maintain that level of intensity. Decisions never come without a price. Progress is accomplished in small, deliberate steps, and that is where the power to change our journey lies; all that is mandated is that necessary first step.

Works Cited

“Benefits of Fruits, Vegetables Still Go Unrealized.” Los Angeles Times; August 16, 1990: H54.

Brewster, L., and M. F. Jacobson. The Changing American Diet. (Washington, D.C.: Center for Science in the Public Interest, 1978).

Cherniske, Stephen, M.S. The Metabolic Plan. (Random House: New York, 2003).

Collier, Richard Bangs. Essential Pleneurethics. (Tacoma, WA: Pleneurethics Society, 1989).

---. Journal of Pleneurethics. Vol. 3 No. 1 (Tacoma, WA: Pleneurethics Society, 1995).

---. Pleneurethics: A New Concept of Healing Vol. 5, 2nd ed., (South China Morning Post, 1969).

---. Pleneurethics: A Philosophical System Uniting Body, Brain and Mind. (Tacoma, WA: Pleneurethics Society, 1990).

---. Pleneurethics: A World Class Philosophy. (Smithtown, New York: Exposition Press, 1981).

Drewnowski, A., and C. Gomez-Carneros. “Bitter Taste, Phytonutrients, and the Consumer: A Review,” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 72, no. 6 (December 2000): 124-35.

Haussinger, D., F. Lang, and W. Gerok. “Regulation of Cell Function by the Cellular Hydration State Part 1.” American Journal of Physiology 267, no. 3 (September 1994): E 343-55.

Murray, Michael T., and Joseph E. Pizzorno. Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine: Prima Publishing, Rocklin, CA, 1991.

“The Cell Cycle and Mitosis Tutorial.” (The Biology Project). University of Arizona: April, 1997. .

Scholar's Paper Example: McCoy 01-21-05

2006-03-30T12:41:00.000-08:00

Amanda McCoy

01-21-05

The effects of Pleneurethics on Dermatomyositis

There are many treatments for the autoimmune disease dermatomyositis, but few are completely successful. Though, according to public record, pleneurethic therapy has not been

used as a treatment for dermatomyositis, pleneurethic therapy could be beneficial to patients that are diagnosed with dermatomyositis. To understand how pleneurethic therapy could be helpful in the treatment of the autoimmune disease dermatomyositis, it is important to first understand what the phrase “autoimmune” means, how autoimmune diseases work, and what are some well known autoimmune diseases. Once that is understood it is then important to know what is dermatomyositis, what are its symptoms, and what are the cause and treatment of dermatomyositis. Only then can one understand the relivence of what is pleneurethics, how does

pleneurethics see chronic illness, and why is it important that pleneurethics finds the root of the problem. This leads to the understanding of how pleneurethics can help treat dermatomyositis,

does an illness that effects the whole body need a holistic treatment, and how has pleneurethics helped in similar cases. It is also important to know whether pleneurethics treat illness other

than physically, and in what way does pleneurithics treat the mind and body together. Furthermore, it is important to understand what mind structures are, does pleneurethics create a sense of well being. how does a positive attitude make a person healthy, and how is positive and negative attitudes, and their effect on health, commonly experienced. After these elements are analyzed, it will become clear that when pleneurethics is applied to the treatment of the autoimmune disease dermatomyositis the patient can receive a more complete form of healing.

First of all, what are autoimmune diseases? What does the term “autoimmune” mean? How do autoimmune diseases work? And what are some well known autoimmune diseases?

The term “autoimmune” in the phrase “autoimmune disease” is derived of two basic or root words, auto and immune. According to the website www.niad.nih.gov/publications/autoimmune/ autoimmune.htm “The word auto is the Greek word for self. The immune system is a complicated network of cells and cell components (called molecules) that normally work to defend the body and eliminate infections caused by bacteria, viruses, and other invading microbes.”¹ So in essence, “autoimmune disease” means that the immune system works independently with out considering the body’s best interests.

When a person has an autoimmune disease the person can develop a variety of different symptoms depending on which autoimmune disease they have. A person with an autoimmune

disease’s symptoms occur when ”. . . the body’s immune system, which normally fights infections and viruses, does not stop fighting once the infection or virus is gone. The immune system then attacks the body’s own normal, healthy tissue through inflammation . . .or

swelling.”² Without proper treatment the immune system, of a person with an autoimmune disease, can cause serious and permanent damage to a body’s healthy tissue.

There are a variety of autoimmune diseases that can attack a body’s healthy tissue, in lots of ways. Some of the most well known autoimmune diseases are: Multiple sclerosis, Lupus, and type one diabetes. According to www.niad.nih.gov/publications/autoimmune/autoimmune.htm,

in multiple sclerosis, the autoimmune reaction is directed toward the brain. In the case of lupus, the effected areas can vary from person to person. With type one diabetes, the immune system destroys insulin producing cells in the pancreas.³

Now that the phrase “autoimmune disease” has been identified, the next questions are what is dermatomyositis? What are the symptoms of dermatomyositis? What is the cause and treatment for this disease? Like the phrase “autoimmune”, dermatomyositis is also made up of two root words “derma” and “myositis”. The first word ,derma, means skin. The second word, “myositis means inflamation of the muscle . . .”⁴ So, the term Dermatomyositis means the

inflamation of muscle and skin.

The symptoms of dermatomyositis can vary from person to person, though people usually have a few symptoms in common. According to the A.A.R.D.A., most patients suffer from a skin

rash on their upper chest and face. Muscle pain and swelling are also common symptoms of dermatomyositis. Weakness of the neck and limbs is often seen as a “hallmark” of dermatomyositis and related conditions. ⁵

The cause of dermatomyositis is unknown, partly because dermatomoysitis is a very rare condition. Though the cause of dermatomyositis is still not completely clear, many speculate that

it is caused by a genetic weakness. It is believed that this genetic weakness can be passed down from generation to generation, usually through female members of a family.

Dermatomyositis is usually treated by the suppression or by restraining the immune system. According to M.D.A. diseases, the first treatment used is usually oral prednisone, a corticosteroid hormone that suppresses the immune system. Though oral prednisone is effective when treating dermatomyositis, it can also have negative side effects. Some of the side effects of predinsone are: weight gain, osteoporosis, diabetes, and mood swings. Several other treatments exist, but are only offered as a last resort. These treatments include : whole body irradiation, and thymus gland removal.⁶

Now it is important to know, what is Pleneurethics? How does Pleneurethics perceive chronic illness? How does Pleneurethics find the root of the problem?

Like the terms “autoimmune disease” and “dermatomyositis”, the term “Pleneurethics” is also made up of basic or root words. The term pleneurethic is derived from three words: plenary

meaning completely competent, neural relating to the brain, and ethic having to do with responsible behavior.⁷ So, pleneurethics is a complete understanding of the brain, and its related systems’ correct behavior.

In pleneurethics it is believed that all illness or disease is in some way linked to the workings of the brain. “Chronic illness, which is the primary concern of pleneurethics is a degenerative disturbance to the brain.”⁸ With the pleneurethics way of treating chronic illness, it’s believed that it is impossible to effectively treat the chronic illness without first finding and correcting the mis-workings of the person’s brain. Without correcting these mis-workings of the brain, it is very unlikely that the person would return completely to the state of good health.

Pleneurethics gets to the root of a chronic illness by “. . . correcting the prime source of the disease process.”⁹ Because in pleneurethics it is understood that a person’s body and brain have an inseperatable link, pleneurethic therapy does not treat only an

illness’s symptoms; it also treats the source of a person’s symptoms found in the person’s brain. It is because of the way pleneurethics perceives chronic illness, that pleneurethics therapy can get to the root of the chronic illness.

Now that it has been stated what pleneurethics is, the next questions should be: how can pleneurethics help treat dermatomyositis? Does an illness that effects the whole body really need a holistic treatment? How has pleneurethics helped in similar cases?

Patients with dermatomyositis often suffer from muscle pain, fatigue, and depression. With traditional medical treatment each of these symptoms would most likely not be seen as connected, and would be treated separately. Because symptoms are treated individually, most people do not receive full relief from their symptoms. In pleneurethics, all the symptoms are thought to be connected and treatment would be specialized so all the symptoms and the source of the problem (the mis-workings of the brain) could be treated. It is because “Pleneurethics is a way of life and a system of therapeutics based on a balanced view of the whole person.”¹⁰, that it can help to treat dermatomyositis better than traditional medical treatment.

An illness, like dermatomyositis, that effects the person’s whole body does need a holistic treatment. With traditional medical treatment a patients symptoms are often treated with an unbalanced priority basis, and some symptoms , which doctors believe are unimportant or life threatening, can go neglected or completely untreated. Many patients with dermatomyositis never return to full health. These patients spend the rest of their lives, after diagnoses, suffering from the side effects of their medication, lesser symptoms from their condition, and from exacerbations and remissions of their illness. Because it gets to the root of the problem, pleneurethics leaves no symptom untreated or neglected. “Pleneurethics also seeks to preserve structural integrity to foster the biological basis for spontaneous health.”¹¹ This form of therapeutics allows the patient to return to full health and stay there.

Though there is no public record of a person with dermatomyositis being treated with pleneurethic therapy, there are instances of people with similar symptoms being treated with

pleneurethics. These cases resulted in positive outcomes. In one account, according to Collier, a young boy was suffering constant fatigue and illness. “. . . afflicted with one cold after another

and just did not have any energy . . . He just seemed to blossom out over the weeks of (pleneurethic) therapy.”¹² In a short amount of time the patient began to see positive results with no sign of reoccurrence of his illness. If pleneurethic therapy can improve

the health of patients with similar symptoms as people with dermatomyositis, there is little reason to doubt there would be similar results for people with dermatomyositis.

Because pleneurethics treats not only the physical, but also the source of the problem in the mis-workings of a person’s brain, it is important to understand how pleneurethics treats illness other than physically. How does pleneurethics treat the mind and body as one unit? What are mind structures? Does pleneurethic treatment create a sense of well being?

Pleneurethics treats illness in more ways than physically by finding the root of the problem, which could be a malstructure of a person’s brain or it could be a physical injury in the brain and related systems. “Structural distortion produces functional abnormalities that is the primary cause of both mental and physical health problems.”¹³ By correcting malstructures or treating injuries in the brain and related systems, pleneurethics treats both physical and mental health problems at the same time. This allows people treated with pleneurethic therapy to return to physical health and to be in a state of mind to enjoy their good health.

Pleneurethics can find the source of a person’s illness and treat both physical and mental problems at the same time because of its understanding of mind structures. According to Collier the “. . . mind is divided pleneurethically into three sectors: infrallect, intellect, and ultrallect. The infrallect is related to that part of the brain that controls body maintenance, the intellect receives sensory stimuli, and produces mentality, the ultrallect is involved with ethics, equality

and welfare of other life.”¹⁴ Because pleneurethics understands that a person’s body, mind, and understandings of ethics are connected, it can treat a person completely without any remaining symptoms or side effects of the person’s illness.

People who are diagnosed with dermatomyositis often suffer from depression, which is indirectly caused by their condition. If people with dermatomyositis were treated with pleneurethic therapy they would receive relief from both the symptoms of their illness and from their depression. According to Collier “During the first few weeks of care, an individual will usually experience a feeling of well-being, clear headedness, renewed energy, and optimism.”¹⁵

This natural feeling of well-being, for the patients, is almost never achieved with more traditional forms of medical treatment.

A person’s attitude can effect his or her health both positively and negatively. There are definable reasons why a positive attitude can improve a person’s health. In contrast, many people have experienced for themselves that a negative attitude, depression, or a lot of stress can negatively effect a person’s health. People with weakened immune systems, like people with dermatomyositis, need to be very careful about their attitudes because they are already

vulnerable to viruses and infections. Because pleneurethic therapy naturally gives a patient a feeling of well-being, it helps to promote a positive attitude and it helps eliminate already existing negative attitudes.

It is very important that people with dermatomyositis keep a positive attitude. A positive attitude, for people with dermatomyositis, can help with their body’s healing processes and even strengthen their immune system. “A positive mental out look can actually promote your body’s healing. During the last few years doctors and researchers have explored the interconnectedness of a person’s immune system and mental state.” ¹⁶ One of the many researchers studying the connection between positive attitude and a person’s health is the “CHEER” project. In research done by the “CHEER” project “it was found that when you laugh your body sends some

incredibly great chemicals into your humor or fluids of your body. They fight disease, reduce the effects of aging, and kill various cancers.”¹⁷

Many people have experienced for themselves that negative attitude, depression, or a lot of stress can negatively effect their health. In ,1999, I was diagnosed with dermatomyositis; and

ever since, any time I experienced a period of high stress or depression it was soon followed by several days of various kinds of viruses, infections, or an exacerbation of my condition. For

example, like clockwork I seem to catch a cold or flu during every final exams for school. In contrast, I rarely become ill or experience exacerbations of dermatomyositis during my summer vacations. Though my condition is rare, my examples are not unique. Many people with autoimmune problems are needlessly afflicted with one cold after another, a problem that could be solved quickly and easily with pleneurethic therapy. This form of therapy would encourage a

person to naturally develop an optimistic attitude. When one understands what is an autoimmune disease, what is dermatomyositis, what is pleneurethics, and how pleneurethic therapy can help treat a patient with dermatomyositis, it

becomes clear why pleneurethic therapy could offer a patient with dermatomyositis a more complete form of healing. People suffering from dermatomyositis often have minor symptoms of their illness or emotional that are neglected or even not treated when the person is treated with traditional medical practices. Because of pleneurethics gestalt way of viewing a person with an illness, pleneurethics treats the person’s physical and emotional problems. Because pleneurethics

treats the source of the problem, pleneurethics can return a person with dermatomyositis to full health and keep them that way. This is almost never achieved when a patient is treated with traditional medical practices.

Notes

1. National Institutes of Health. National Institute of Allergy. Infectious Diseases.

Autoimmune diseases (General). June 25 2004. Jan 20 2004. www.niad.nih.gov/publications/autoimmune/autoimmune.htm

2. Myositis Association, The. About Myositis. 2004. Jan 20 2004

www.myositis.org

3. National Institutes of Health. National Institute of Allergy. Infectious Diseases.

Autoimmune diseases (General). June 25 2004. Jan 20 2004

www.niad.nih.gov/publications/autoimmune/autoimmune.htm

4. Muscular Dystrophy Association. Disease: Dermatomyositis (DM). 2004. Jan 15 2004. www.mdausa.org/diseases/pmdmd.html

5. American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association. Polymyositis and Dermatomyositis. 1997-2003. Jan 15 2004. www.aarda.org

6. Muscular Dystrophy Association. Disease : Dermatomyositis (DM). 2004. Jan 15

2004. www.mdausa.org/diseases/pmdmd.html

7. Bangs Collier, Richard. Essential Pleneurethic. Tacoma, Wa: Pleneurethics society,

1987,1

8. Ibid pg. 2

9. Ibid pg.4

10. Ibid pg. 1

11. Ibid pg. 1

12. Bangs Collier, Richard. Pleneurethic Vol. 1. Tacoma, Wa: RB Collier, 1969,6

13. Bangs Collier, Richard. Essential Pleneurethic. Tacoma, Wa: Pleneurethics society,

1987,1

14. Bangs Collier, Richard. Essential Pleneurethic. Tacoma,Wa: Pleneurethic society,

1987

15. Bangs Collier, Richard. Pleneurethic Vol.1 . Tacoma, Wa: RB Collier, 1969

16. Femhealth. The Health Benefits of a Positive Attitude. 1997-2004. Jan 20 2004.

www.femhealth.com

17. Cheers project, The. References and Research. 2002. Jan 20 2004.

===========================

NOTE: The spacing issues in this post are problems related to posting on the Blog and not the responsibibility of the author. (rok)

Pleneurethics Paper Example: Watkins 12/2004

2006-03-28T14:09:00.000-08:00

Comparing Pleneurethics’ Intellectosis to Psychology’s Cognitive Distortions

Deepak Chopra and Richard Bangs Collier: Strange Bedfellows

Collier’s Outspoken Views on Psychology

Intellectosis and Twisted Thinking

How Intellectosis and Twisted Thinking Affect Society

Intellectosis and Family Values

Where Do We Go From Here?

Comparing Pleneurethics’ Intellectosis to Psychology’s Cognitive Distortions

Deepak Chopra and Richard Bangs Collier: Strange Bedfellows

Seven years ago I attended a lecture by established author and spiritualist Deepak Chopra. Upon leaving, I knew that I had just heard one of the finest speakers alive. He had shared complex thoughts extemporaneously with perfect precision, never even uttering the word ‘uh’ once during a presentation that lasted close to two hours! I thought that was quite a feat, given that English was probably not his first language, and I left Seattle Center knowing that he was, like former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, a great communicator.

But more importantly, Chopra made the point that the human being, in his estimation, had maximized his physical evolution, and that it was unreasonable to think that man would become much more different physically than he is today. He wasn’t saying that we were through evolving, but he was saying that many recent physical changes like increased height and chronic back aches indicated that deleterious physical evolutionary changes were becoming the norm.

By contrast however, Chopra established that the mental capacity of the brain was almost entirely underutilized. Moreover, he said that the part of consciousness that was most ripe for development was the space in between thoughts! That space, as tiny as it might seem, is actually almost infinite in its possibilities. For I believe that space in between our thoughts is the breeding ground for Collier’s intellectosis. That is, according to Collier, caused by “structural disorders of the intellect producing acute but true illness of the mental acuity.” (Pleneurethics: 184)

With that in mind, I find it hopeful to imagine that future folks can develop cognitively to overcome or even eradicate many mechanisms of intellectosis, as Collier describes them. With

this paper, I explore Collier’s views on them and offer personal and social insights.

After exploring the details of intellectosis, I offer a comparison and contrast of so-called distorted thinking patterns from the view of psychology’s cognitive behavior model. I explore the ideas of Dr. David D. Burns, author of “Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy.” I choose this source because his ideas are very accessible, and use language that is both explicit and understandable.

Collier’s Outspoken Views on Psychology

Though the main thrust of Pleneurethics correlates to Psychology’s Biological model, Collier’s intellectosis can be compared to distortions described in Psychology’s Cognitive model. In other words, the biological model focuses on the roles that genetics and anatomy and physiology play in determining personality and behavior. While the cognitive model focuses on the similar roles of beliefs and thoughts.

In general, Collier’s view of Psychology can best be described as disdainful and derisive, based on the following. “Present-day psychotherapeutic apologists lay it down that the infant’s mouth, anus, and reproductive system account for the preponderance of forces which form the child’s psyche (Vol II 2^nd: 261).”

Collier makes his outspoken contempt for Psychology even more evident. “It appears that the philosophical principles of psychiatry and psychotherapy attract those adults who need to have an academic and socially acceptable reason for discussing anuses, penises, and vaginas. Pleneurethics stand in opposition to all this preoccupation with anal tissues and phallic symbols (Vol II 2^nd: 261).”

Intellectosis and Twisted Thinking

The “...persistent desire to appear superior to everyone around them” (Collier’s 1^st adverse intellectural mechanism) relates to the cognitive distortion of magnification. Specifically, magnifying one’s own importance. The cause of such thinking in pleneurethical terms might be traced to trauma in one’s bioductory system. As Collier points out in his February 29, 1972 speech, research is still needed to prove bioductory causes of intellectosis.

Some think that such magnification stems from a lack of self esteem, and from overcompensation by magnifying one’s worth. In either case, the distortion stems from concern about how one is perceived by others.

The cure might be to change the internal message from “I need to appear superior to feel better about myself” to “I have little control over what others think, and my efforts are more productive when I focus on perfecting my own existence.”

Why do people get extremely nervous before a performance or a speech? Is it a concern that one isn’t prepared or talented? Most times, people are asked to perform because others enjoy their performance! So the worry and nervousness usually is a magnification of the importance of the event beyond what’s reasonable.

Is the cause of the anxiety a physical trauma to the bioductory system? Again, more research is necessary to substantiate Collier’s claims. But my own experience is that careful preparation including exercise and nutrition usually contribute to a positive outcome. Whether one calls that pleneurethical living or just plain common sense makes little difference to the positive outcome.

Similarly, Collier’s 6^th adverse intellectual mechanism (Pleneurethics, 185 -186) focuses on acceptance from others at the expense of acceptance of self. The ‘tendency to say only that which you believe the other person wishes to hear” is a source for more negative outcomes than positive ones.

Is it beneficial to answer someone’s question “How did I do” by telling them what you believe they want to hear? Would it not be more constructive and honest to respond with a question of how they thought they did? Encouraging excellence is a far cry from lavishing praise to endear oneself.

How Intellectosis and Twisted Thinking Affect Society

Perhaps the sociocultural influences on both mechanism #1 and #6 bear examination. Let’s face it; we are in a competitive society. Winning competitions are rewarded with higher salaries, more prestigious material goods, and higher social standings. Family pride and dependent care are often the motivators.

The cognitive model suggests that the cure for the cognitive distortion of magnification involves ‘the healthy pursuit of excellence.’ (Burns, 176) “You don’t have to earn love and friendship by impressing people with your intelligence or your success.”

For me, as it probably is for most who are interested in Pleneurethics, it is difficult to imagine not thinking about such things as intellectosis or distorted thinking. Those interested in either think to try to comprehend why. Why are things the way they are? Why does it feel good when I do that? Why do I feel guilty when that happens?

Collier’s stated goal of Pleneurethics is ‘ to aid the brain in its chore of processing stress and shock whether it be of mental, mechanical or chemical genesis.” Burns’ implied goals are included in the title of his book, that is, ‘feeling good.’

Whether stated with simplicity or with complexity, feeling good seems like a universal goal. I’ve known few people who I thought truly wanted to be miserable, even though their actions or behaviors or decisions seemed to virtually assure that outcome.

How many people do we know that say “I want to be on a television talk show someday, so that everyone can laugh at me and the plight that I’m in.” And yet life’s challenges are tough and overwhelming, and we all know some who may qualify as ‘contestants’ for such a display of grief. (How would Mr. Collier or Mr. Chopra react to the Jerry Springer Show?)

One philosopher, Noam Chomsky, maintains that people make intellectual choices based on convenience rather than need. His “Manufacturing Consent” displays Americans being able to recite sports statistics by their favorite players, but unable to provide the name of their Congressional representative or senator.

Given that television, radio, and printed news contains special daily coverage of professional sports teams, such intelligence is not that surprising. The point is that sports competition is woven into the sociocultural cloth. So much so, that we remember sports figures as much for their failures as their victories or triumphs.

As a kid, I was the typical Texas boy interested in baseball and football and running around in the humid heat looking for a swimming hole to jump in. But as an adult, having seen sports stars traded to richer teams or heartbreaking officiating mistakes, I tend to agree with Chomsky’s assertion that our intellectual powers are mostly wasted on sports trivia.

One could even go as far as saying that one’s habits of media immersion contribute to intellectosis. I reckon that any news media executive, confronted with such a challenge, would reply that their customers are free to change the channel any time they wish. C-SPAN is just as accessible to a cable television viewer as WWE wrestling. And perhaps since professional wrestlers like Jesse the Body Ventura have become Governor Ventura, there isn’t that much difference between the two!

Next consider three related adverse intellectual mechanisms. Number 9 (Collier, 187) entails the ‘persistent and stubborn resistance to modify one’s views.” Mechanism # 2 defines extremism as “ ignoring many pertinent factors in order to preserve a biased perception about an issue” and mechanism # 22 describes the “premature closing of one’s mind to serious consideration of any additional evidence.”

These three examples of intellectosis seem closely related to Burn’s twisted thinking forms of : 1) all or nothing thinking, 2) overgeneralizing, 3) mental filtering, 5) jumping to conclusions, and 9) labeling. (See Tables 1 & 2)

Recent political events illuminate the interplay between politics and intellectosis. President Reagan was widely held to be a man of conservative political principals. For some, “conservative” politicians often have core beliefs that equate into policies that are inflexible. For example, a card-carrying member of the ACLU, or the American Civil Liberties Union, is often derided by conservative politicians.

And one wonders, what part of civil liberties are they opposed to? Isn’t civil liberty at the core of American heritage and culture? Don’t my neighbors have a right to listen to hip hop music even though I find it repulsive? Isn’t the concept of a secret ballot based on the idea that we are free to express our political vote any way we choose?

Intellectosis and Family Values

Closer to home, my family and I are busy making preparations for my father to live in an assisted-living facility. Though he is 88 years old, his assistance is in no small part due to his inflexible thinking that he should not use a cane or other walking-aid device. So now, after several falls and cracked vertebrae, he is bed-bound.

His rigid, inflexible thinking may have contributed to his being a steady father and provider, but it also contributed to his failing health and loss of freedom. Now, he is faced with the future of needing help to manage something as basic as washing himself.

How does one maintain intellectual vitality and the ‘‘the healthy pursuit of excellence?” How does one have a flexible mind even as the joints stiffen? The disengagement theory (Berger, 680) holds that “aging makes a person’s social sphere increasingly narrow.” Berger goes on to list such activities as volunteering, continuing education, and mentoring as ways to cope with the naturally-shrinking social convoy.

Again, it would be interesting to conduct Pleneurethics experiments with folks like my dad to assess the physical neural effects of falls and cracked vertebra to the bioductory system and associated mentosis. As it is now, he deals with pain and its pharmaceutical management, with the cost to his liver and cognitive acuity.

There is no question that pain in, what Collier refers to as, the bioductory system has a fast track transmission to the pain centers in the brain. Even as efficient as the human body is, much energy must be consumed as neurons fire and pain transmissions are sent or blocked. Human behavior is almost always affected by pain, and the results seldom seem to be positive or beneficial.

Think of how many children have been spanked or hit because the parent lost their temper too quickly and overreacted. Think of how many bosses yelled and cursed at an employee who’s actions probably had little to do with the yelling or cursing. And think of all the guilty energy consumed by those who lost their temper, and who then felt remorse for their behavior after regaining emotional homeostasis.

I believe these illustrations demonstrate the benefit to becoming aware of human inclinations toward intellectosis or distorted thinking. Perhaps the bigger question becomes how to impress others that undertaking some self evaluation is worthwhile. Any one can sit in the special Collier room at the Tacoma Community College library and espouse lofty ideals. But how to make a change?

Where Do We Go From Here?

The fact that there is a Pleneurethics Society with bright active members instills hope. There may never be a day that ten minutes of the nightly news is dedicated to principles of better living or to eliminating twisted thinking patterns. But little by little, with each of us doing one small act or saying one important thing, long-lasting positive change is possible. I have a feeling that Mr. Collier would whole-heartedly agree!

Resources:

Berger, Kathleen Stassen. The Developing Person Through the Life Span 5^th Ed. New York: Worth, 2001

Burns, David D. The Feeling Good Handbook. New York: Morrow, 1989.

Collier, Richard Bangs. Pleneurethics: The Basic Principles. Ed. by John Terrey. Tacoma, WA: The Pleneurethics Society, 1999.

Collier, Richard Bangs. Pleneurethics: A New Concept in Healing. Vol. II 2^nd Edition. Ed. by John Terrey. Tacoma, WA: The Pleneurethics Society, 1966.

Collier, Richard Bangs. Pleneurethics: A Philosophical System Uniting Body, Brain, Mind. d. by John Terrey. Tacoma, WA: The Pleneurethics Society. 1990

Table 1: Collier’s Mechanisms of Intellectosis (Pleneurethics: 184 - 191)

1	Many people waste time and energy to appear superior to everyone around them. (Going nowhere in a hurry)
2	Coping with a complicated situation by ignoring many pertinent facts (oversimplifying)
3	Desiring to speak but refusing to listen (narcissism)
4	Evading the heavy responsibilities of personal success or failure by placing it elsewhere (the buck stops there)
5	The end always justifies the means (superiority and arrogance)
6	Earning false friendship or loyalty by telling people only what they want to hear (Kissing up, or brown-nosing)
7	Evading problems and hoping for better times (wishful thinking)
8	Forcing one’s views on others (my way or the highway)
9	Refusing to modify one’s views (obstinance)
10	Hiding imagined inadequacies with a facade of aloofness
11	Testing others to determine their worth (personal boot camp)
12	Presuming that another person shares your intellect and personality
13	Preaching abstinence after becoming impotent (sexual narcissism)
14	Specious deportment, or habitually acting as if one were someone else (dissociation)
15	Sudden shock of realization, and impending action without forethought (shooting from the hip)
16	Donning the cloak of humility to inspire the respect and endorsement of others
17	Ignoring others good points and concentrating only on their flaws (filtering)
18	Abdicating responsibility for one’s own happiness
19	Desiring to return to childhood and youth. (Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt.)
20	Being non-committal. (A tree with no roots can’t stand)
21	Exaggerating the difficulty and importance of one’s own work
22	Prematurely closing one’s mind to serious consideration of any additional evidence.
23	Losing one’s temper to achieve an adrenalin rush and a sense of power
24	Resorting to subtlety to exhibit superiority.
25	Failing to assume full responsibility for one’s own acts and omissions.

Table 2: Burn’s Cognitive Distortions: (Burns, 1989: 77)

1	All or nothing thinking	Perceiving absolute, black-and-white categories
2	Overgeneralization	Perceiving a (-) event as a never-ending defeat pattern
3	Mental Filter	Dwelling on negatives and ignoring the positives
4	Discounting the (+)	Insisting one’s accomplishments or positive qualities don’t count
5	Jumping to conclusions	a) mind reading: assuming people are reacting negatively to you when there’s no evidence for that assumption b) fortune-telling: arbitrarily predicting bad outcomes
6	Magnification and Minimization	Blowing things out of proportion, or shrinking their importance inappropriately
7	Emotional reasoning	“I feel like an idiot, so I must really be one.”
8	“Should statements”	Criticizing yourself or others with “shoulds’ or ‘shouldn’ts’
9	Labeling	You identify with your shortcoming or other’s failures. Eg. “I’m a jerk” or “you’re a loser.”
10	Personalization and blame	you accept inappropriate portions of blame, or assign the same to others, discounting your own contributions.