I’ve been doing Dr. Joe Dispenza’s online meditation work lately — because why not when I’ve hit a brick wall? — the overriding mantra of which is that personality (influenced by the past and associated emotions) creates personal reality. In so doing — in many hours at this point of solo meditation spent in self-induced blackness, just me and my thoughts — I’ve picked up on a curious disposition that I believe permeates like a social contagion our advertising-laden world: the inability to suspend disbelief just enough to get past my own nihilism and doubt, even for a moment.
Jon Rappoport wrote an interesting article recently about the death of journalism and writers. He asserts we no longer have writers. We have readers who think they’re writers. Gifted writers draw from a wealth knowledge and word usage from which they’ve gleaned understanding and they so eloquently communicate in their works. Since the decline of this world-class art, idiocracy has increased exponentially. A perfect inverse relationship.
I watched an interview with Dispenza. for me, some truth, some psychobabble. the part I saw was similar/identical to cognitive behavioral therapy. CBT is in part based on Stoicism which is (I am told) similar to Buddhism. the latter must be very accessible where you are. In my 30's (I'm 77 now) I benefited from reading about existential psychotherapy ideas. e.g James Bugenthal, (Search for Existential Identity (Copyright 1976 Jossey-Bass Publishers)).
One lesson for me about life is: "don't overthink it."
I was reading Ernest Kurtz, and he praised the 12 step approach, for several reasons, but one being that (maybe I can express this correctly) humans can aspire to be powerful gods, yet at the same time are beasts that require social interactions with others. 12 Step programs are based on a philosophy that the person is not dependent on a SUBSTANCE, rather that the human being needs to acknowledge he is DEPENDENT and always will be. So accept the dependence and find healthy relationships to depend upon. The Christians who know that we are all sinners are onto the same general thing. We need to ineract with other humans who will support us but also give us a space wherein we can confess to our weakness and frailty. Another quote, not sure who said it: "the alcoholic is an all-or-nothing kind of person." All or nothing thinking traps us, judges too harshly, and offers no helpful solutions.
Not trying to be snarky here. It's just that your article maybe explains why Jesus threw the money changers out of the temple. That nihilistic fire wall had to go. In spite of what Mr. Knopfler had to say, there is no "money for nothing". You pays your money and you takes your chances.
New age BS might abound and come with a price tag but it doesn’t have to necessarily negate simple and beneficial life affirming methods many have been making use of for millennia.
This right here. For me it was a mix of psilocybin and LSD that changed my life . An intended microdose turned messy megadose lol . 16 hours later my only regret was why I waited so long. Thanks for sharing about the gateway protocol .
Nice post. I also suffer from this "curious disposition," and friends have been pushing Dispenza on me for some time, but I persist in resisting. I'm thinking maybe I should just suspend disbelief and do the work without any attachments merely to see what results I get. 😁
Dispenza appears to be running a cult. He is not a doctor, but claims only to have Chiropractic degree from a school no longer in business. While his initial positions seem innocuous, those that get drawn in: (a) pay thousands and thousands of dollars to attend his retreats; (b) are not trained in his ideas, instead told only he can purvey them; (c) are strongly encouraged to pull in others; and (d) keeps his family and external identity very confidential. My wife received incessant pressure from a “friend” to come to these retreats; and when she investigated, she found the above information. Jesus asks nothing (and everything) but kept it simple: “follow me.” As for everything else, caveat emptor.
There is a horde of predators out there eager to scam anyone looking for some way out of the Black Iron Prison of modern society.
But there are legitimate paths to pursue. I've managed to change my life for the better with spirituality. It's a hell of a lot of work, but it's been worth it for me.
Also: there are no guarantees. The OCD you're struggling with sounds like absolute hell, and I don't know that there will be any easy answers for it.
I don't detect nihilism. I don't mean to argue. You are a keen observer of society's significant flaws. You're pessimistic, but why wouldn't you be given what you see? I discern a romanticism. Your love of good music is a giveaway. Maybe you're doing exactly what you're supposed to be doing right now.
There's nothing new here, writing about the video in particular. The reason we had the alcohol prohibition, one of the worst ideas ever, was of saloons on every corner of every street. That is only slight hyperbole. Husbands and fathers spent their wages every week at those saloons and starved the family. I can understand how women, newly empowered with voting rights, felt. And, why they pushed for such an extreme law that never works and only serves to create even more powerful problems, like organized crime.
But, at that time, the nation was on an upswing. Issues like addictions could easily be covered over by the upward momentum (writing now after the depression). Today, we are on a definite downswing; our rotten human nature is no longer masked but uncovered and raw. Nothing good is going on, and that is the problem.
The children seem to understand the adults are the idiots. ☺️btw, much harder times are coming, they are determined to start a war with Russia, hide your children.
Aside from a brief lecture/ reading or two , I never got too serious with the big name new age theorists / pop psychologists as I too often felt as though they are spewing BS as part of their brand.
That is not to say some of their teachings lack validity.
You are seeking for a reason. Where you seek answers depends on what answers you are looking to hear. The answers will come to you from both internal and external sources.
For the most part, most of my personal advances came through psychedelics but also cutting out the noise and connecting with nature. When I say cutting out the noise , I truly mean almost full detachment from social media, music, movies, tv … Not ground breaking by any stretch but it helped me to identify inner vs external noise, intrusions and the like. Also , nature , sunlight, being surrounded by living things can bring us to a state of peace way beyond any of those big name lecturers .
I tell you this as someone who lived in a state of terror, grief, self hatred, you name it - till i was freed. Like you, I pursued every avenue imaginable to no longer be tortured.
There is so much behind the curtain of this reality that even Joe cant comprehend let alone master, though to some degree these new age artists are on the right track.
Nihilism is just another subterfuge employed by the mind that is fearful of being fully in the power seat of being totally responsible for your reality. It too shall pass.
E.M.Cioran, you and I and undoubtedly thousands/millions of others suffer from the same "black dog" which sometimes present as gray and sometimes as puppies but are always with us. Our dependence on others is both the curse and saving grace in the world of duality in which we live. Hell is other people and also the love of one other person can save us. Understanding does not bring peace.
Blame the enlightenment, blame your parents, blame who or whatever, we are all existentially flawed.
I listened to several lectures of Joe Dispenza in person, and read one of his books. As to my experiences, yes, you can achieve something with it.
For example, in 2015, I was trying to find a new job and started a meditation and focus exercise. In this instance, it seemed to work out quite well. Since I did not only pass the job interview. But I also managed to get a rented apartment very quickly. For me, that was almost like a miracle, since in this crowded city, rented apartments were incredibly hard to get.
There are other instances where it was not so easy, of course. But I can confirm that if you are at it, you can at least punch a hole in the wall here and there, and improve your life.
Jon Rappoport wrote an interesting article recently about the death of journalism and writers. He asserts we no longer have writers. We have readers who think they’re writers. Gifted writers draw from a wealth knowledge and word usage from which they’ve gleaned understanding and they so eloquently communicate in their works. Since the decline of this world-class art, idiocracy has increased exponentially. A perfect inverse relationship.
Same old question: Is it paranoia if they really ARE out to get you?
I watched an interview with Dispenza. for me, some truth, some psychobabble. the part I saw was similar/identical to cognitive behavioral therapy. CBT is in part based on Stoicism which is (I am told) similar to Buddhism. the latter must be very accessible where you are. In my 30's (I'm 77 now) I benefited from reading about existential psychotherapy ideas. e.g James Bugenthal, (Search for Existential Identity (Copyright 1976 Jossey-Bass Publishers)).
One lesson for me about life is: "don't overthink it."
I was reading Ernest Kurtz, and he praised the 12 step approach, for several reasons, but one being that (maybe I can express this correctly) humans can aspire to be powerful gods, yet at the same time are beasts that require social interactions with others. 12 Step programs are based on a philosophy that the person is not dependent on a SUBSTANCE, rather that the human being needs to acknowledge he is DEPENDENT and always will be. So accept the dependence and find healthy relationships to depend upon. The Christians who know that we are all sinners are onto the same general thing. We need to ineract with other humans who will support us but also give us a space wherein we can confess to our weakness and frailty. Another quote, not sure who said it: "the alcoholic is an all-or-nothing kind of person." All or nothing thinking traps us, judges too harshly, and offers no helpful solutions.
Nice additional input
Congrats
Kurtz, Shame & Guilt, 1981.
Not trying to be snarky here. It's just that your article maybe explains why Jesus threw the money changers out of the temple. That nihilistic fire wall had to go. In spite of what Mr. Knopfler had to say, there is no "money for nothing". You pays your money and you takes your chances.
New age BS might abound and come with a price tag but it doesn’t have to necessarily negate simple and beneficial life affirming methods many have been making use of for millennia.
Details plz?!
Psilocybin done once,
carefully and with proper intentions,
is a one-step that may not work for everyone but works spectacularly for many.
It does not require
endless subscriptions, appointments, and 'just one more' set of sessions.
Another that is freely available is the Gateway protocol
which is pure self-guided self-help.
All the materials are freely available in various internet sites.
You need a comfortable set of headphones and a quit space.
It is basically prayer/meditation/contemplation on steroids,
with a focus on improving your self-control,
but without chemical intervention.
This right here. For me it was a mix of psilocybin and LSD that changed my life . An intended microdose turned messy megadose lol . 16 hours later my only regret was why I waited so long. Thanks for sharing about the gateway protocol .
Nice post. I also suffer from this "curious disposition," and friends have been pushing Dispenza on me for some time, but I persist in resisting. I'm thinking maybe I should just suspend disbelief and do the work without any attachments merely to see what results I get. 😁
Dispenza appears to be running a cult. He is not a doctor, but claims only to have Chiropractic degree from a school no longer in business. While his initial positions seem innocuous, those that get drawn in: (a) pay thousands and thousands of dollars to attend his retreats; (b) are not trained in his ideas, instead told only he can purvey them; (c) are strongly encouraged to pull in others; and (d) keeps his family and external identity very confidential. My wife received incessant pressure from a “friend” to come to these retreats; and when she investigated, she found the above information. Jesus asks nothing (and everything) but kept it simple: “follow me.” As for everything else, caveat emptor.
There is a horde of predators out there eager to scam anyone looking for some way out of the Black Iron Prison of modern society.
But there are legitimate paths to pursue. I've managed to change my life for the better with spirituality. It's a hell of a lot of work, but it's been worth it for me.
Also: there are no guarantees. The OCD you're struggling with sounds like absolute hell, and I don't know that there will be any easy answers for it.
Nice input!
I don't detect nihilism. I don't mean to argue. You are a keen observer of society's significant flaws. You're pessimistic, but why wouldn't you be given what you see? I discern a romanticism. Your love of good music is a giveaway. Maybe you're doing exactly what you're supposed to be doing right now.
I don't think nihilists lament.
There's nothing new here, writing about the video in particular. The reason we had the alcohol prohibition, one of the worst ideas ever, was of saloons on every corner of every street. That is only slight hyperbole. Husbands and fathers spent their wages every week at those saloons and starved the family. I can understand how women, newly empowered with voting rights, felt. And, why they pushed for such an extreme law that never works and only serves to create even more powerful problems, like organized crime.
But, at that time, the nation was on an upswing. Issues like addictions could easily be covered over by the upward momentum (writing now after the depression). Today, we are on a definite downswing; our rotten human nature is no longer masked but uncovered and raw. Nothing good is going on, and that is the problem.
Huh?
What’s your point? The guy tells you he is lost. And you give some odd historical over view?
Have you ever heard about perspective Hoss? You obviously have no thinking skills or understand how history helps us understand the present.
tut tut boys, the children will hear you
The children seem to understand the adults are the idiots. ☺️btw, much harder times are coming, they are determined to start a war with Russia, hide your children.
Sad. You’re dealing with narcissistic nihilism . You need help. Your education is inadequate to your sense of yourself.
Try a Basic 12 step group.
Aside from a brief lecture/ reading or two , I never got too serious with the big name new age theorists / pop psychologists as I too often felt as though they are spewing BS as part of their brand.
That is not to say some of their teachings lack validity.
You are seeking for a reason. Where you seek answers depends on what answers you are looking to hear. The answers will come to you from both internal and external sources.
For the most part, most of my personal advances came through psychedelics but also cutting out the noise and connecting with nature. When I say cutting out the noise , I truly mean almost full detachment from social media, music, movies, tv … Not ground breaking by any stretch but it helped me to identify inner vs external noise, intrusions and the like. Also , nature , sunlight, being surrounded by living things can bring us to a state of peace way beyond any of those big name lecturers .
I tell you this as someone who lived in a state of terror, grief, self hatred, you name it - till i was freed. Like you, I pursued every avenue imaginable to no longer be tortured.
There is so much behind the curtain of this reality that even Joe cant comprehend let alone master, though to some degree these new age artists are on the right track.
Nihilism is just another subterfuge employed by the mind that is fearful of being fully in the power seat of being totally responsible for your reality. It too shall pass.
E.M.Cioran, you and I and undoubtedly thousands/millions of others suffer from the same "black dog" which sometimes present as gray and sometimes as puppies but are always with us. Our dependence on others is both the curse and saving grace in the world of duality in which we live. Hell is other people and also the love of one other person can save us. Understanding does not bring peace.
Blame the enlightenment, blame your parents, blame who or whatever, we are all existentially flawed.
I listened to several lectures of Joe Dispenza in person, and read one of his books. As to my experiences, yes, you can achieve something with it.
For example, in 2015, I was trying to find a new job and started a meditation and focus exercise. In this instance, it seemed to work out quite well. Since I did not only pass the job interview. But I also managed to get a rented apartment very quickly. For me, that was almost like a miracle, since in this crowded city, rented apartments were incredibly hard to get.
There are other instances where it was not so easy, of course. But I can confirm that if you are at it, you can at least punch a hole in the wall here and there, and improve your life.