Substantiating Positive Psychology

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[Francis]

How about the isotropic vector matrix as a social model? The "pyramids" i.e. half-octahedra are now radiating out from the "one" top dog at the center (dashed lines) and the bottom dogs interact along the periphery (solid lines).

[Francis]

How do unworthy, selfish and exploitive “top dogs” rise up, maintain power and exploit the system? Why don’t we have worthy, selfless and benevolent leaders? Answer: emotional abuse. Perhaps this term is inadequate but we can deal with jargon issues later. Emotional abuse is a way to beat people down emotionally and rob them of their sovereighty. This way, incompetent losers can reign supreme. It's time to step on it hard.

Adapted from the work of Kali Munro:

Emotional abuse is a pattern of repeated incidents - whether intentional or not - that negates, insults, threatens, isolates, degrades, humiliates, and/or controls another person.
It may include a pattern of one or more of the following abuses: insults, criticisms, aggressive demands or expectations, threats, rejection, neglect, blame, emotional manipulation and control, isolation, punishment, terrorizing, ignoring, or teasing.
Emotional abuse can take place anywhere: at home, at school, in relationships, and in the workplace. Contrary to popular beliefs that bullies are only found in the school yard, many bullies also exist in the workplace. Because self-pity is so common emotional abuse can seem all but ubiquitous. It’s also frequently veiled, disguised and mixed with more rewarding responses and behaviors. Each situation has to be evaluated on a cost/ benefit basis. Some minor and infrequent incidents may be worth tolerating if the rewards are deemed to sufficiently compensate. Still, all such abuse should have some consequence or recompense.
Countering the negative messages that you received is really important. You may need to write down all the insulting things that you learned about yourself and counter each one with the truth. It may feel unnatural or foreign to counter these messages, but it will help you to feel better in the long-run. Catch yourself when you find that you are putting yourself down. Take a breath, and remind yourself that you don't want to do that anymore, that you don't deserve to be hurt, and that you want to think of yourself differently.
See if you can come up with something that you like about yourself. If you can't come up with something good, think about how you would like to think about yourself. The idea is to interrupt the flow of insulting thoughts you have, and to find ways to replace those thoughts with self-soothing ones.
By finding ways to be gentle and soothing with yourself, you are directly countering those messages. Being kind to yourself by asking yourself what you need, what you want to do, and letting yourself do those things are all ways to create a more positive and loving relationship with yourself.
No matter what you've been told or how you've been treated, you are worthy of love and respect. The more you know this, the less likely you will be to accept disrespectful or abusive behavior towards yourself or others. You should not have to take emotional abuse from anyone - no matter what the excuse. You deserve to be treated well.
If you know that you're currently being emotionally abused, you'll need to find ways to protect yourself emotionally; to reduce or stop contact with the abusive person; to find allies; to talk about what is going on, and to look into options to keep yourself from being further abused. This can get complicated, depending on the context, but there are many resources to help you with workplace bullying and abuse in relationships.
Identifying the abuse as abuse is an important step in your healing. It means that you recognize that what happened to you was wrong, hurtful, and not your fault. Placing responsibility for the abuse on the abuser is key to healing from abuse. But the next step is to take responsibility for it yourself. Allowing the abuse after you realize what’s happening is your own fault.

~ Adapted from: http://www.kalimunro.com/article_emotional_abuse.html

[Jana]

Interesting diagram.

Emotional abuse is not just emotional...it is brain damaging, cancer generating, life-killing, fertility harming, creatively damaging...it is sociopathic. However because of the fact that at the lower end of the socioeconomic scale sociopathic emotional abuse is more common than not, we cannot outright pathologize it or we remain caught in a permanent feedback loop of "damage = abuse attraction" dynamic. Thus if we are getting constantly beaten up and eaten away by the power trips of workmates, bosses, landlord, family, partner etc...  we must generate the perspective of using these energies to get stronger and rise out of the energetic of self-abuse, self-defeat, self-pity and self-destruction. This is where studying primate status-stress dynamics and building up a sovereignty practice comes in. For the lower human animal will normally fall like water to the lowest behavioral state unless an enormous degree of love, presence, care and upliftedness are bought to every interaction.

http://gnosticmedia.podomatic.com/  —Podcast #032  Neal M. Goldsmith, Ph.D. is a psychotherapist specializing in psychospiritual development and resistance to change. He sees “neurosis” as the natural unfolding of human spiritual maturation. He views psychology as the science of personal emergence and spiritual maturity and so Dr. Goldsmith treats “neurosis” as a sign of immaturity, not pathology. Therefore coming from the perspective of seeing the pyramid-as-one, we must interpret the psychotic behavior of the top dog as also being a sign of spiritual immaturity. True alpha males and females achieve their leadership status through developmental maturity which is a sign of divine power rather than petty tyranny. The psychotic behavior of those that inflict emotion abuse comes from a sense of powerlessness and lack of intimacy with their sovereign Self. Though it is not our job to save petty tyrants from themselves...we can improve the health of the dynamic through not succumbing to victim mentality in any way.

In the supersensoral nature of the sovereign Self there is much more to understand, but within the boundlessness of resilient spirit understanding comes that much easier. And thus we mature out of the reflective carnage of our lower primate natures.

[Francis]

Yeah, the really qualified leaders have no motivation to lead. Why bother? It's a hassle. They don't need it to salve their insecure egos, since they are already secure in themselves. So we end up with the worst types seeking power and getting it.

Munro's analysis has some weak spots. Not least, she seems to fall into the victim trap. Take some responsibility for chrissakes! Anyway, I tried to patch it up, best I could.

 

[Jana]

Those that seek power-over others enact dominance magic...a type of entrancing hex on followers...in order to maintain their position of superiority or leadership. Which is why we must formulate new concepts of leadership. The way to do this I think is first establish the language, practices and social movement related to sovereignty...and then higher forms of leadership would naturally arise from the increase in basic good-will and honesty. It an't rocket science, it is pretty straight forward...if you give away your power and seek to find it in the world, you will be screwed, for our power is no where else but within.

Sovereignty is Self generation. Meaning, whatever quality you want more of from people, the sovereign individual generates that for themselves. For example if it is character, substance and interest we want, we set about creating more of those in ourselves. The world is as it is. We cannot expect the world to provide us with that which we desire. Maturity is the progressive reduction in ignorance, and the progressive ability to infuse our being and life with the qualities we desire more of. That is sovereignty is Source driven. The essence of sovereignty is that we find higher, mature qualities within in order to attract and resonate with those qualities in the world. It is then that deprivation consciousness and acquisitiveness end and satisfaction begins.

If we can grok the reasons and nature of the pathologies inherent in the degenerative complex and the misguided pyramid model, then a great deal of forgiveness and understanding arises. Looking at ones daily interactions with people through antropogenic eyes and thinking in terms of vast time scales rather than present moment hells...then the power hooks that others try to drive into us don't seem to stick for more than a few seconds. And if we remember that it takes two to enact a power relationship then maturity, grace and freedom enters the picture.

There are no victims, but those who give away their sovereignty.

Those that harm others, harm themselves far more. As maturity deepens and the prefrontal lobes act to further integrate the triune brain our sense of morality changes from a childlike response to punishment and reward, to a tacit knowledge of universal justice that requires little weighing up. It just is, through the egos adjustment to a higher reality.

[Francis]

I think the goal should be conscious control your own power. In fact, this should be the definition of sovereignty. There’s nothing wrong with consciously enjoining your power with the power of others to achieve some worthwhile goal. The problem comes when we give away our power. Even if this giveaway is done consciously, it’s a bad idea. I’m thinking of the difference between collaboration and obedience. The former is ok, the latter is not. Usually, it’s not really a gift, but an exchange. We get love, money, security, etc. in exchange for giving away our power. This is a devil’s bargain. These things should be obtained by other means, so that we can retain our sovereignty.

For what shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his soul? ~Mark 8:36

[Francis]

Are You Giving Away Your Power?
You give away your power when you ...
•   Doubt yourself. Energetically other people sense this and take advantage of it.
•   Try to be nice and polite, and make everyone else happy.
•   Just go along so you don't make waves, cause trouble, or disrupt the "peace." Does the phrase "peace at any price" mean anything to you? Are you giving up your own personal inner peace to create the illusion of peace with others?
•   Over-empower others by looking for approval and validation from them, instead of getting it from yourself. This gives other people the power to hurt you.
•   Forget that you do know what you're doing, and you are good at it.
•   Have poor boundaries.
•   Get energetically "mixed up" with other people by not staying in your own energy. Or, you let other people take over your energetic space by leaving your body or by pulling back.
•   Allow yourself to be intimidated by bluster, bragging, or emotional assaults from other people.
•   Don't say what's true for you and then honor it. You can do this without being confrontational.
•   Energetically and emotionally buy into other people's dramas, emergencies, and aspersions.
•   Allow other people to run your life, or try to run other people's lives.
You might do these things because ...
•   It's a habit, or you're engaged in unconscious patterns of behavior with another person.
•   You've been raised to be a "good girl" or a "good boy" who doesn't cause trouble.
•   You doubt yourself, your reactions, and your truths. Our society doesn't validate your high sensitivity, so you've learned to doubt ALL of yourself.
•   You fear confrontation.
•   You try to take care of people.
•   You think that if the superficial level is quiet and peaceful, you will feel better. Sometimes this is true in the short term. But again, at what long-term price?
Here's what you can do instead:
•   Remember to breathe! Focus your breath into your solar plexus and third chakra, which is your personal power chakra.
•   Practice staying in your own energy, your own body, and your own skin.
•   Learn energy skills to strengthen your energetic and interpersonal boundaries.
•   See yourself as a whole, resourceful, and spiritual being, with your own best answers. When you choose to focus from the inside out in this way, you'll be less susceptible to outside influence.
•   Learn to say "No" and mean it. This means being firm -- and not just with the tough people, but with everyone. Your personal power must become your habit, not a reaction, afterthought, or counterattack.
•   Use your anger wisely -- anger is the energy of personal power -- and stand up for yourself.
•   Stand on the courage of your convictions. Believe in yourself no matter what anyone else does or says, or how they behave.
•   Ask for what you need and want. Give yourself what you need and want.
•   Similarly, don't burden others with the task of validating you. Use your own yardstick to measure your successes. Look to your higher self for validation and approval.
•   Own this truth: Other people have their own path and you are not responsible for them. You might even be doing them a disservice by not acknowledging this.
•   Claim your rights and place in the world. You do have the right be treated respectfully by other people.
•   Be detached and practice detachment by observing other people's behavior without attachment. Think to yourself: "Isn't that interesting? I wonder what that's about?" Remember that another person's behavior has almost nothing to do with you.
A final thought:
When I talk about power, I'm talking about operating in the world from a deep place of strength, trust, and alignment within your self. Owning your power is having the courage to show up as your full and true self, without apologies, and without holding back about who you are and what you want. It doesn't mean being rude, pushy, inconsiderate, or uncompassionate. But it does mean speaking your truth, honoring your sensitivity, and believing in yourself.
 ~ http://www.highlysensitivesouls.com/news/january06.htm

[Jana]

I think the goal should be conscious control your own power. In fact, this should be the definition of sovereignty. There’s nothing wrong with consciously enjoining your power with the power of others to achieve some worthwhile goal. The problem comes when we give away our power. Even if this giveaway is done consciously, it’s a bad idea. I’m thinking of the difference between collaboration and obedience. The former is ok, the latter is not. Usually, it’s not really a gift, but an exchange. We get love, money, security, etc. in exchange for giving away our power. This is a devil’s bargain. These things should be obtained by other means, so that we can retain our sovereignty.

Yes, I am just a beginner in this which is why I am writing a book on it.

Regarding your conscious control your own power ...this is not quite right

Sovereignty is the divine right to be the source of ones own origination. Because we ARE the genesis/genius of our being anyway and so sovereignty is just facing the truth of existence. The lie inherent in religions and the power pyramid is that they deny that spirit originates in in the sovereignty of each individual. By being fed a lot of brain numbing dogma and droning a few mindless incantations (media propaganda) the lower partial humanoid surrenders his powers of original thought for the feeble exchange of belonging to the jailer that holds him captive. This level of immaturity is plainly an evolutionary cul-de-sac or dead end that humanity has dropped into and fallen asleep, because of the huge leap across the abyss that is needed to awaken sovereignty in a culture of copycatting and dull obedience. Till now many of us have been engaged in slow suicide rather than to make this leap alone to the sovereign condition. If we build up the language, communicate the sovereign meme, conduct sovereignty salons and enact sovereignty practices...we can move gently and courageously into the new era of original creativity...to consciously "allow" the full measure of our true empowerment.

The degenerative matrix originates from the imbalance in the use of consciousness through the suppression of the emotional brains (enteric and right brain). Because the stomach brain and right brain operate on a serotonin system, and serotonin is the kick off point for spiritual chemistry…the harm that dominance/status poisoning does to these serotonin brains greatly diminishes the power of our Muse, ie: our connection with divine intelligence. Thus punitive authoritarian based cultures create left-brained, noncreative, Yes Men that obey orders and don’t question authority. Although some of us have managed to mature beyond this…the left-brained partial human of the pyramidal bottom dog composes the majority of the human race within the commercial hegemony. Thus we have social control by fear, intimidation, paranoia and appetite seduction. Perfect conditions for an enslaved consumer culture, but not in any way reflecting the higher aspects of our human potential and not allowing the breeding ground for evolution beyond the pyramid that holds us down.

To stay in reactivity and fight Big Brother, The Matrix, or the NWO is simply lumping aggression onto fear chemistry and nothing new is “created.” Instead we unwind from the vice of life suppressing armor to become a Creatrix, by detoxing from the pathological control mechanisms established in the wiring of the left brain that suppress 95% of our vitality in an effort to exist as a supplicant in a power-over based society. Besides temporary autonomous zones (TAZ), that is celebratory explorations of new tribalism, probably one of the best methods for throwing off the parasitic dominance of the left-brain is Ayahuasca journeying. The reason being that it deals directly and fundamentally with rectifying the brain hemisphere imbalance Western Man has created in himself over the last 10,000 years. Both a radical clearing out of the old suppressive operating system and a profound depth experience in 8Hz unification are achieved through a shamanic encounter with the Ayahausca snake. Out with the old and in with the new, and we allow the cosmos to in-form and evolve us within the anti-life matrix. Until we have transformed and transcended the dominance/submissive imbalance within our own nervous system and come into Whole Person functioning, we will forever be at the mercy of the abusive system of social control that constitutes modern human existence.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.” Charles Dickens (1812 - 1870), A Tale of Two Cities

[Jana]

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/img/news_feeds/13_TrobriandIslands_400x300.jpg

[Francis]

What are the first four letters of the word ‘culture’? Mind control, brainwashing; it’s all here. We can use strong medicine to deprogram ourselves, but in doing so we break all our social ties at a deep level; the level of belief. Social bonding begins with shared beliefs and it ends when beliefs diverge. That’s why we have all these sub-cults, like Integral, Scientology, etc. – because people don’t want to live like hermits, they want social bonds. They need shared beliefs and so they come up with some new set of beliefs that they think is somehow better. Buy into their memes and they promise social reinforcement, even love. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. As long as the all terms of the quid pro quo arrangement are explicit and freely agreed, then it’s all good. Trouble is; these cults usually have some hidden baggage and blind spots. The cult of sovereignty could subvert this problem by declaring the shared belief that personal sovereignty is more important social bonds. So we’d have more like a herd of cats instead of sheep.

[Jana]

I hope you are working on a book on sovereignty...for I am going to be quoting you in mine.

Herd of sheep.
When I was five or so we lived on an amazing farm in NZ and I had a dream that there was a line of sheep descending single file on a road down the hill with raw meat hanging out of their mouths. This was probably the most advanced dream of my childhood. It was certainly so disturbing I told my sisters about it and deeply registered its importance. It took me another 45 years however to understand its true meaning.

At the Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny, at Salk Inst. the codirector Ajit Varki has been researching the importance of cell membrane communication molecules or "glyconutrients" on primate evolution and human disease. (His website is cmm.ucsd.edu/varki/). He found that humans are the only primate genetically incapable of producing the mammalian sialic acid N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc), due to an inactivating mutation in the enzyme synthesizing it, which occurred around 2-3 million years ago. This “Neu5Gc" sialic acid is a type of glycan, or sugar molecule, that can be incorporated into human tissues from exogenous sources as a result of eating red meat and milk. The body then develops anti-Neu5Gc antibodies in immune response that could potentially lead to chronic inflammation. Ajit Varki’s team have shown a new mechanism for how human consumption of red meat and milk products could contribute to the increased risk of cancerous tumors.

Back to the dream—I propose that the eating of read meat and dairy may be instrumental in keeping the human species on a path of descent into a more gross "animal" existence by perpetuating cellular inflammation and disease, generating biological anger and frustrating the atomic communication and EMF integration of our higher human nature. Thus we are seeing a window into how cell membrane communication systems contribute to the spiritual realization of individuals, and how that plays out in the socio-economic structures we live in that affect absolutely everything we do, think and experience.

The interesting thing is that this miss-match of biocommunication doesn’t make us independent carnivores like cats. Instead…this atomic disharmony in our cell membrane communication glycan systems makes us into sheep-like codependent followers on the one hand, being lead by predatory wolves down the slippery slope to oblivion. That is it fundamentally breaks what is human in us…such that we forget the good (“God”) in our humanity. 



SELF PERPETUATING UNNATURAL ARMOR

Unnatural causes…is inequality making us sick?

I am finding Wilhelm Reich's book "The Function of the Orgasm" to be the most precise description of how punitive dictatorial conditioning turns to the frustration and anger in the neuromuscular system that translates as the life negating armor of the individual...which extrapolates into the patriarchy - that renews itself with each generation. In re-establishing sovereignty we dissect our own experience and our knowledge of the human species through bio-anthropological eyes. We clearly see where we have in the past succumbed to the fear radiating armor and forfeited on life, and so remained childlike in our responses to situations. Once we clearly see it, then we can commit to becoming fully alive by working to removing the armor, changing our behavioral responses and returning to life! To not do so is to contribute to the demise of the human species through pathological social processes that destroy the good in our humanity.

What is the armor composed of? The neurotic psychic structure involves somatic innervation and the deadening of nerves and tissues. Parts of the neuromusculature structure that lose their energy supply can no longer feed and detoxify themselves properly and so become “dead zones” cut off from the flow of life and consciousness. As the shell of defense builds itself the repressive mechanisms of the ego armor become what is known as “second nature” or neurosis. This neurosis constitutes an emotional-spiritual immaturity and rigidity in thought processes which is both created by and creates a mechanized pyramidal civilization, by reducing independent functioning and flourishing. Instead we become grey children caught in a cage, unable to express or know ourselves to any significant degree in order to break free. Lining up patiently to receive our spirit from the purveyors of dogma and parental control. When we lack faith in the life process we are at the mercy of the subterranean forces that compose the pyramid of fear.

The life negating trap is that we are caught in the armor, which is generated by our resistance to that which creates it. We remain reactive puppets with artificial character, fear of spontaneity and our frustration in the lack of genuine natural pleasure inevitably turns to biological hate. Hate is the polar opposite to a luscious and exuberant love of life. Wilhelm Reich believed that cultural happiness in general and sexual happiness in particular are the real content of life. The emotional abuse that contributes towards armoring boils down to ubiquitous sexual abuse!...for psychoneuroses reduces sexual fulfillment and relational potential. In this way the fascist pyramid maintains itself through reducing sovereignty, original thought, creativity and reduced fulfillment of the real content of human life.

The function of the psychosomatic armor is to protect the individual from unpleasurable experience. And so as our armor builds up over the years, collecting our resistance to circumstance in our tissues and faithfully recording each “harm,” we become increasing unable to receive pleasure and more twisted and counter-intuitive in being able to fulfill our will to happiness. We become our own worst enemy, unable to love ourselves and hence unable to bond with and love others. By dearmoring we come back to our Self, to life and to Pleasure! Frustrated lifeforce and the aggression of displeasure break free. Paralysis is lifted and second nature now becomes “first nature” or Essence, and hate turns to love. In this way we free Eros from the forces of Thanatos that would destroy it.

http://www.unnaturalcauses.org/about_the_series.php  —UNNATURAL CAUSES is  a PBS series on the root causes of our alarming socio-economic and racial inequities in health. The four-hour series describes how the social circumstances in which we are born, live, and work can actually get under our skin and disrupt our physiology as much as germs and viruses.

[henry]

recommended is the work of don hanlon johnson or deane juhan. wilhelm reich ain't gonna help with anyone's "armoring" from his orgone box in the sky: past-life therapy for the somatically timid. find a genius bodyworker. they are rare, but so are people who want to Heal

[Jana]

Dearmoring: Allan Saltzman's books are good, as are my Inner Arts and Kundalini Skills for dearmoring. Iboga and ayahuasca are good for fundamental rewiring of the pleasure-reward system. Sailing across the ocean or some similar epic journey away from the known will liberate conditioning. Dance and African dance in particular is very liberating to the body and will prevent armor from reestablishing itself. Genius level bodyworkers, especially of the hands-on variety, but not necessarily as intense as Rolfing. Obviously yoga and sports in general will release armor as will outside labor. Even magnesium, a raw diet high in greens and plentiful hydration will help...electrolyte-wise potassium being the opening element, while calcium being the contractive. The spinal shower and my spinal roller, combined with my tool for opening the pelvis and liberating kundalini sexual energy...are some of the best methods out there for dearmoring...however these are yet to be manufactured due to lack of funding.

[Francis]

Let's assume for a moment that the memes (that are themselves each composed of a set of shared beliefs) behave like parasitic organisms. In this model, the meme itself has its own armoring. When the meme feels threatened, it responds by dumping stress chemicals on its hosts. This way the meme uses negative reinforcement on the host in order to protect itself. Therefore if the meme, say some old zeitgeist, is dying out, then its last gasp will be painful even to watch. Angst galore. This is part of the problem with plain old positive thinking; it coddles old dying memes that should be put down for the good of everybody. But no one can take all the screaming so they pacify and patronize old memes for the sake of peace. Idiot positivity.

Real positivity then has more of a 'live and let die' atititude. We need to find or compose more memes that will fit comfortably with the current circumstances and that won't feel unduly threatened by every challenge. Even better if it had some flexibility so that its component beliefs can be tweeked or even replaced as circumstances change. Heresy, I know.

[Jana]

Life is a sovereign flow from Source. So whenever we are stagnant, stuck or regressing as individuals or cultures, there is some aspect of sovereignty we have failed to address.

Predatory authoritarian systems create depersonalization, which is characterized by non-integration, non-unification, disharmony, divided will, stasis, fixation, contactlessness, reduced streamings of pleasure and a reduction in the ability to palpate right from wrong. The chronic sympatheticotonia of the sexually repressed and abused produces a machine-like body incapable of natural vegetative responses and resulting in anxiety, anger and depression. This depersonalization reduces the tacit sense of pleasure and unpleasure, thus we lose our sense of right and wrong. This numbness or reduction in the electric charge of affect (psychic impulse) means there is an increased ability to take emotional abuse without moving a muscle…largely through the inhibition of the exhalation of the breath (parasympathetic). This is how antibiogenic, life negating memes, behaviors and cultures come into being…because our sense of universal justice is impeded by our autonomic shutdown and so we become robots only able to respond to the rules, laws, dogma and propaganda of the systems that subjugate us while they suck us dry.

Rather than to sacrifice health, vitality and creativity for the purpose of fitting into pathological social structures and unhealthy memes…we should establish a lifestyle and community that actually enhances rather than conflicts with Whole Person well-being.  Thus it is high time we establish the science and lived experience of the Evo-spiritual model and set our humanity free from endless unconscious mechanisms of destruction.