As an example of this, we find the following description of the mind on the Scientology website (my summary):
The mind has two very distinct parts.
The analytical mind, which thinks, observes data, remembers it and resolves problems has a standard memory capacity with mental image pictures, and uses this capacity to make decisions that promote survival. When a person is fully conscious, his analytical mind is fully in command.
The reactive mind contains physical pain and painful emotions When the individual is “unconscious” in full or in part, the reactive mind cuts in. The reactive mind exactly records all the perceptions of negative traumatic incidents, including what happens or is said around the person. It also records all pain and stores this mental image pictures called engrams. These engrams are a complete recording.
Granted, the claims are a bit exagerrated, but essentially we're in the world of pop psychology. Paradoxically, while I think Scientology is simply an uninteresting watered-down version of Freud, I must applaud Tom Cruise's anti-drug comments during his recent argument with Matt Lauer. We all probably need to be a little bit more skeptical about the psychaitric community's current love affair with drugs. Even so, I'm not quite ready to replace my science journals with a copy of Dianetics.
Other blogments on Scientology can be found at Chortler (spoof), Roemerman on the Record, and Destined to be the Crazy Cat Woman.
6 comments:
My problem with Scientology has to do with the kind of money they extort from the rank-and-file, while they suck up to the high-profile celebs. I have a friend who lost his marriage because he put $30,000 on a credit card to pay for some 'counseling'.
$30,000! That's amazing.
The history of psychiatry doesn't really get scarey until pharmaceuticals are introduced. Then it gets really scarey.
There are most likely some valuable tools within the Scientology teachings as there are in most philosophies, but you have to be able to take what you need and leave the rest for another time, while you move on to the next learning opportunity.
Any situation that forces you to think about who you really are is a good situation in my mind. It keeps you from trying to figure out who I am, which is my job.
http://www.stopshrinks.org/
I'd agree that introspection and increased awareness is always good.
Amazing but true. I was just aghast. No exaggeration whatsoever. And he's a musician who was basically supported by his wife, a schoolteacher. $30,000 is an awfully big chunk out of a schoolteacher's salary.
But psychiatry is crazy and believing that we are inhabited by alien souls from another planet is 'scientific'? Nuggets of standard pop psychology aside, their basic premise is pretty bizarre. And being hooked up to 'e-meters' to get rid of psychic bushwa...if you want to check out something truly bizarre, go here. It is just staggering, the science-fiction nonsesnse they expect you to swallow after you've spent so much money you can't afford not to believe it...
Dagnabit anyway. I guess I never stuck around scientology long enough to get to the interesting stuff. (:
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