A Very Old Perspective on Health and Wellness
There is a growing number of diagnosable psychological disorders that psychological health care providers treat. We will not be going over the contemporary treatment strategies or disorders here. Instead, we will be looking at mental health from a very old spiritual perspective of Oneness.
Mental health refers to psychological health involving emotions, cognitions, and behavior. Spiritual based approaches to healing don't always differentiate emotions, cognitions, and physical ailments. They are interrelated. A depression primarily encompasses an issue with stuck emotions. If these emotions remain stuck long enough, it will begin to impact our cognitions. We start to look at and interpret the world and our life based on these distorted emotions. Someone whom is depressed long enough, will start to develop certain physical ailments that can vary wildly from person to person.
Everyone experiences some level of trauma in their life. A traumatic situation is defined as a moment in our life where we feel overwhelmed and unable to respond in a spiritually appropriate manner.
Even the most sheltered of folks still encounter trauma. Each person is different and has their unique level of ability to respond to specific traumas. This ability, evolves as we age and learn how to deal with these difficult situations. We can anticipate that the younger we are the more susceptible we are to trauma. This changes with learning and experience. Someone calling us an offensive name may be fine for a 34 year-old but for a 5 year-old it could be traumatic.
During these traumatic moments, we are often unable to feel the massive rush of emotional fear. The emotion can consume ourselves with a feeling of panic and terror. In these moments we often react in thoughtless and chaotic ways. Or we may disassociate. This is like the mouse playing dead as the cat bats it around. A temporary paralysis falls over the mouse. We are aware in these moments but have no control over our thoughts. Soon the paralysis fades and the moment feels more like a dream we had rather than something that actually occurred. Regardless, of whether we know we have been traumatized or not, we all carry some form of trauma in our lives.
These moments carry an energy that can be excruciatingly painful. The longer we hold on to them, the more physically painful they become. We go through life pretending the pain isn't there but this causes problems. Any future moments that resemble the experience of the trauma, triggers the hurt place we have been harboring. A new layer of unfelt emotions begin to collect around this painful place we feel. With time, these unfelt emotions build and build behind a dam we feel we must maintain.
Maintenance of this dam takes a lot effort on our part. We strive to hold back the pain so that it isn't felt and that it doesn't impact our daily life and responsibilities. But sometimes we can't hold it back anymore and these emotions begin to leak out. We slip into a major depressive episode, we have a panic attack, there is a psychotic break, we snap with an uncontrollable rage, or we simply have a mental breakdown.
A psychological disorder is often reflected by these regular uncontrollable leaks in the dam. However, even those without a disorder, have these regular leaks.
We are holding onto an energy of these ongoing overwhelmed moments in our life. Every moment in our life holds an energy. Often we mistake resisting this energy as a form of healing. On the contrary, it is actually perpetuating and exacerbating the issue.
It starts with painful emotions, then spreads to distorted thoughts, and then spreads to physical ailments.
Our spirit has three major tools on this earth to help us navigate towards our true identity, Oneness: a physical body, emotions, and cognitions. These tools are essential in our spiritual journey on earth. Utilizing these tools properly, keeps us healthy and happy. However, improper use leads to sickness and disease.
We were given emotions that tell us when something in the moment is of Oneness or lacking Oneness. Generally speaking, comfortable and pleasant emotions are associated with Oneness. These emotions are indicating to us that our moment holds Oneness. Uncomfortable and unpleasant emotions can often be associated with a moment that holds a lack of Oneness. Emotions can be a guide to our Oneness.
Our cognitions will also create a feeling in the body that is either pleasant or unpleasant. Pleasant cognitions typically reflect accurate beliefs that are true of our Oneness. Unpleasant cognitions typically reflect inaccurate beliefs of our Oneness. This includes inaccurate beliefs of our pleasant and unpleasant emotions.
If our body feels a continued unpleasant feeling from an inaccurate cognition over a long period of time, it will develop a physical ailment.
All three of these tools interact and can present a complicated mess if we have lots of stuck traumatic moments in our life. These stuck places are not really stuck but rather we are fanatically holding on to them. One trauma at the age of five might have loads and loads of similar traumas by the age of 20. By then, the trauma feels like it has grown to the size of the earth. For most, there is no chance they feel capable of letting go of some of these emotions and feeling them. They are way too intense and overwhelming. We need help.
By holding on to these painful moments, we don't realize we are not only perpetuating the problem but we are intensifying it. There is a life lesson in these intense emotions that is guiding us to our Oneness. Painful emotions are painful because they are supposed to feel this way. They are revealing to us, what is not really us. The pain is guiding us away from what we believe is us. It is pointing at an inaccurate belief. It is pointing at a moment that held one or several activities that betrayed our Oneness. It can feel like it is killing us because it is, slowly.
We live in a world that as a whole, largely basis its belief in individuality.
From a perspective of individuality, we see how we can benefit ourselves and assure that we have shelter, food, and water (at least the basics). Excess beyond the basics is also very important to most people as well. However, to assure that our wants are met, a perspective of individuality will promote us to do activities that betray our Oneness.
Regardless of whether the betrayal is done in plain sight or hidden, it can be felt by everyone, especially those involved. Just the thought of it can be felt by everyone. The actions of a betrayal are likely to cause trauma with others and the betrayer. The discomforting feeling we have in these moments is a reflection of a betrayal of Oneness. We may not have any physical evidence to substantiate this betrayal but it is felt. These moments are highly confusing for the betrayed because they can't explain why they feel so poorly. Sometimes this turns into an anxiety disorder or a major depressive disorder.
When we experience moments that reflect and support our Oneness, we feel content, peaceful, safe, and blissful. The moment passes with comfort. Our mind lacks the distortions and sees the moment for what it is. We can feel the truth in the moment. Our passive cognitions are optimistic and easily find solutions to our problems. Our body's chronic pain is less noticeable and sometimes unnoticeable.
Navigating betrayal from Oneness is far easier than from a perspective of individuality.
The perspective from individuality means that you and only you are doing what you are doing. You and only you can resolve your problems. Most of our personal problems are massive because they have been ongoing and unresolved for years. However, you also have problems at your school, work, neighborhood, community, country, and world. You can pretend to side-step these problems but they are impacting you regardless. Worldly problems are typically seen as too massive for an individual to resolve. And this is true. What we often don't realize, is our personal problems are also too massive for an individual to resolve. If this wasn't correct, then the problem would have been resolved a long time ago. We are largely powerless from an individual perspective.
Really this is a good thing. If we had the power of Oneness and attempted to betray our Oneness with this power, we would likely kill ourselves instantly. Oneness would continue on and our physical body would cease to exist. Our energy would simply lose the illusory veils that maintained our sense of individuality. This is all hypothetical of course because any intentions that betray Oneness will lack the power of Oneness.
If we wish to effectively address our problems both personal and on the worldly level, we will need to see it from the perspective of Oneness. If we see it from the perspective of individuality, our problems will not only remain but they worsen with time. We as individuals will fail more often than we succeed. In order to heal and learn from our life experiences, we will need help from everyone and everything: Oneness.
Note: this blog is not a psychological treatment plan. It is a theoretical description of how one understands mental health from the spiritual perspective of Oneness. If you are in need of treatment, please seek out of a licensed health care professional for help.