posted May 31, 2014 02:34 PM            

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Examination – Mental Illness and Other Issues in New Age Land
http://fisswhisp.wordpress.com/2013/08/16/examination-mental-illness-and -other-issues-in-new-age-land/

In the last post I touched on a few specific examples of what it could look like when someone who has a clear as day mental illness or other serious issue becomes enmeshed in the New Age community. Often times the behaviors, signs, and/or red flags are accepted and unquestioned. There’s quite a lot in New Age Land that facilitates this camouflage. Not only are people’s critical thinking skills weakened, not only are most the people too spineless to say anything, not only are all of them too weird to notice anyway, but there’s even things post-diagnosis that keep the people who need help from getting it.

The first and most obvious factor to the mental health camouflage is the surface eccentricity that often comes with these communities. People wear unusual things, say unusual things, and have many unusual interests. While these things are not indicative of a mental illness in and of themselves, they help people who actually do have some issues blend right in. Here’s a few examples -

1. Fashion: It’s one thing to dress in mismatched, baggy, or gaudy clothes because it’s your personal style that you’ve come to love. It’s quite another to dress in strange fashion because you can’t connect with to reality or social expectations long enough to realize how bad your outfit looks. This can be especially bad if Asperger’s, schizophrenia, or some other issue is at play here.

2. Hygeine; in New Age Land “au naturel” extends to personal hygeine – it’s almost preferred that people smell a little oily and sweaty in New Age Land. This can easily cover for people who don’t follow hygeine rules due to mental illness, general slovenlyness or other things going on. Lack of hygeine is common to many mental illnesses and other issues.

3. Odd movements/gestures; In New Age Land, it’s very common to see things like body rocking, empty stares into space, way-too-intense eye gazing, spontaneous dance, and other strange things. While most of these people are doing it because they feel whimsical, it mimics some of the telltale signs of other issues and could make them hard to spot.

4. Abstract language; People in New Age Land have very odd word choice. This is usually harmless in residents of New Age Land, and is just used to fit in. Other people, however, might be doing it for reasons that require attention/help.

A. It could be because they can’t or won’t express themselves in anything but abstracts. This could be a sign that having/showing feelings is scary for them. It could be temporary fear due to the people they’re speaking with which is normal, but if it seems to be a consistent pattern that they are scared to feel anything, that’s a little different.
B. Sometimes people talk abstractly because they don’t want to admit to things that don’t sound good when spoken in plain English. “Tapping into Scorpio energy” sounds better than “Lashing out at people over tiny offenses that don’t match my cataclysmic reaction.” In New Age Land these could mean the same thing, but tell two very different stories.
C. Then of course there’s the scary possibility that their abstract language is meant as literal. Maybe you think they’re just equating aliens with wisdom in their head when they actually think they were speaking to extraterrestrial beings. Again, two different stories.

You have to watch carefully, and ask questions if you want to find the truth behind what people say when they’re abstracting it.

With general good-intentioned weirdness out of the way, let’s move on to some of the more substantial ways that New Age enables and camouflages mental illness and other issues.

5. Superstitious thinking; New Age encourages a few different types of superstitious thinking. When I refer to superstition, I mean the thinking patterns that erroneously link two things. New Age is full of stuff like “Wear carnelian for a healthy heart” or “Control your thoughts for a better future.” Certain mental illnesses take to this like white on rice. Sufferers of OCD in particular latch onto little rituals and compulsive actions to ward away something they fear. Law of Attraction is a goldmine of things for people with OCD to latch onto as a way to feel in control of things that either aren’t in their control, or are but require enitely different actions to achieve.

6. Everything is a sign; New Age in general encourages one to look for “signs” or things in the physical world that affirm that they are “on the right path.” Usually it’s looking for petty cooincidences, but it could also be a lucky number, a particular animal, anything. Again, while this practice is usually harmless it provides cover for people who have an unhealthy understanding of reality.

7. “FREEEEEDOM” (not to be confused with freedom); New Age Land is extremely lax due to a severe aversion to rules, regulations, and boundaries. You’re not supposed to express comments or concerns because that would be stifling their FREEEEEEDOM. I think the purpose of this is to make people feel accepted, but it just goes too far. It goes beyond benefit of the doubt and just straight up ignores things that need to be addressed. It lets things slide that ought not to slide. It’s a close cousin to this next one –

8. Unconditional Love; In general, New Age Land condemns judgement and hurting people’s feelings for any reason. Breeching the topic of a possible severe maladjustment or mental illness does tend to hurt people’s feelings. So you’re not supposed to question anything anyone does. You’re supposed to just love and accept them unconditionally the way they are; even if it looks like they’re flushing their life down the toilet and your love ain’t doing a damn thing to help. This is a horrible combination with drug addiction and many personality disorders. BPD, NPD, sociopathy, and a whole slieu of other disorders NEED firm boundaries if they have any hope of improvement or recovery. Unconditional love and FREEEEEDOM provide none.

9. Visions and “abilities”; You’re no one in New Age Land if you don’t have some sort of supernatural title or ability. You must be able to heal people with energy, talk to ghosts, sense spirits, direct you chi, or something of the like. This is a good hiding spot for delusional people. When they start telling people about their halluicinations, it seems like they’re just having encounters with the spirit world or something, when really they are in bad need of some assistance.

10. Delusional horsecrap in general; even mental illnesses and such aside, New Age Land is chock-a-block full of liars, exaggerators, and people who need to have tea with reality more often. There is virtually nothing that you can’t get away with saying. In general, if you offer to believe other people’s bullcrap, they’ll gladly believe your bullcrap. No one will ever call you crazy if you call no one else crazy. It’s sanctuary for anyone who doesn’t want to manage serious mental health issues.

11. Drugs; While alcohol is largely spat upon unless you’re a shaman, and cigarettes are nothing short of Satanic, there’s a huge tolerance for psychedelic drugs in New Age culture. Drugs are often thought to “open your mind” or facilitate spiritual truths. When it’s seen as something so positive, who’s to stop you when you’re sitting around all freaking day “facilitating spiritual truths” or “opening your mind” right before going into work. There’s virtually no bar for addiction in this community. Everyone can point to someone who does more [pot, LSD, mushrooms, salvia] than they do. This is bad in itself for getting addicted people to get help, and complicates other mental health issues they may have.

11. Conspiracy; Another HUGE HUGE factor I can’t stress enough in sheltering people with mental illness, personality disorders, and addiction is the conspiracy mindset of the New Age community. They are extremely skeptical of doctors and other professionals, and have very little faith in the benevolence and/or effectiveness of science-based medicine. They think that the pharmaceutical industry is unamimously out to make and keep people sick to make money off of them. They think every single doctor and health professional is in on this scam. So they will actively try to steer anyone with a diagnosis away from services that actually work. Which leads us to our last contributing factor

12. Alternative medicine; In New Age Land, the medicines your doctor gave you supposedly just make you sick and psychically suppressed. You need to take herbs instead, or go see someone to hit your pressure points or fix your aura or something. This accomplishes diddly squat beyond the placebo effect. Not to mention insurance will laugh if you expect them to cover a dime of these expensive services. New Agers of course would say that that’s a part of the conspiracy – they don’t want you to get better so they don’t cover it! That logic doesn’t even make sense – ideally, insurance companies want you to stay healthy while paying in so that they don’t have to pay back out when you get sick. As such, they only cover things that are proven to work.

It really is ridiculous just how perfectly New Age covers for people with some really severe issues. I’ve touched on how it covers up abuse before, but really when I think of it, it pretty much covers for, enables, and even feeds into every ****** behavior you can imagine. Every vice, character flaw, pitfall, illness, and anything else you want to hide from and never work on, ever. If you ever do realize you need help, it will be by your own insight. No one in the New Age community will ever call you on anything you do unless it’s in the most off-kilter stupid way ever. Even if they do call you on it you will never get the treatments you need unless you seek them out yourself. No one will ever make you get help, and may even discourage you from getting the kind of help you need.

It’s really no wonder that for every person who came to New Age to improve themselves, there’s two more who are just stuck in the same old crap they’ve been in since they’ve arrived on the scene. It’s one thing when you’re just one of those people who are voluntarily helpless and wasting their time on this Earth. It’s quite another when there’s a person with an illness, disorder, or addiction who’s life is being destroyed.

THIS right here was seriously one of the most heartbreaking things I ever saw in New Age Land. People who used to be sane slowly siphoned into a world of paranoia and conspiracy, with people encouraging their transformation every step of the way. People I used to go to for rational advice succumbing to delusions and hallucinations with others applauding them on their “spiritual development.” People treating other people like complete **** repeatedly, and receiving no consequences whatsoever.

But more than heartbreaking, you know what was the most frustrating of all? The silence. When people clearly know something is going on, but they don’t say anything. When someone is always under the influence, and no one says anything. When someone shows up at a gathering looking/smelling like they havent showered in a month, looking frightened, acting paranoid, and mumbling under their breath like a madman, and no one says anything. When someone claims to have a shamanic vision while driving a car, which is a two ton piece of machinery down the highway, and no one says anything. I think that is the most frustrating part of this community.
http://fisswhisp.wordpress.com/2013/08/16/examination-mental-illness-and -other-issues-in-new-age-land/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Narcissism in Spirituality: Illnesses and those irritating “New Age” Diagnoses
December 20, 2010 by JoyfulAliveWoman

http://joyfulalivewoman.wordpress.com/2010/12/20/illnesses-and-new-age-diagnoses/

quote:

---

I feel that I can’t stress this enough: as a former bodywork and ethereal healer as well as counseling astrologer, I found that I had to learn not to be attached to when someone might gain insight or feel complete healing — or even any relief at all. We’re there to facilitate progress and healing — not impose or force — a positive outcome. Sometimes it just doesn’t happen, especially in the case of congenital birth defects or severe trauma.
I don’t foist my untrained non-medical opinion upon people who are already suffering — thereby increasing their suffering. That is unprofessional, and it serves no positive or useful purpose whatsoever.

---

quote:

---

People, do.your.empirical.research. Don’t blindly accept something on some list that is unproven.
Just what the hell was Louise Hay actually thinking when she wrote that stuff?! I think she needs to take responsibility for misleading thousands of people with that list. Yes, that list has contributed to some healing, but also misconceptions and discord. Sometimes some of the things on that list might be true, but they are not generally true. And there is no empirical way to measure them.

We need to listen to our own guidance. If we can’t do that, we learn to do that first. Then we go within and ask for guidance about our problem. We shouldn’t accept as fact something written by someone who’s never met us, who’s not a trained physician or scientist, who makes absolute statements in a generalized list.

Most “New Age” people mean well, but they can be just as dangerous as any fanatical Christian or any other adherent to any other religion. Some of them are very wounded and seriously delusional, just as in the general population.

---

posted May 31, 2014 02:40 PM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by MetalAphrodite:

I think OP addresses those people who adhere to magical thinking without any sense of being grounded. Don't know if I'm right or wrong on that.

---

posted May 31, 2014 02:54 PM            

NEW AGE ANONYMOUS

12 Steps For The Recovering New Ager

full here: http://www.snakelyone.com/12step.htm

I was reading the rest of it and the Glossary along with Robin & Chuck's full stories, last night and at one point laughed so loud and so hard that my dog came tearing out from underneath the blankets furiously growling and barking, ready to fight, thinking someone was trying to break in or something. She's never heard me laugh like that before and apparently it startled her awake too quickly from the doggy astral realms I guess.

posted May 31, 2014 02:59 PM            

So you think you're gonna leave us?

posted May 31, 2014 03:06 PM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ellynlvx:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0G1Ucw5HDg&feature=kp

So you think you're gonna leave us?

Muahaha

---

Holy crap! I've been listening to the Eagles for the past hour or so. Because this one came to mind yesterday in regards to something someone said to me in a thread [i refrained from finding it and posting it, but just put them on an hour or so ago]:

I'm Already Gone http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8o_C50JFkc

[right now New Kid in Town is playing]

posted May 31, 2014 04:07 PM            

I was 17, and this was less than a year after the Columbine shooting (which the nation was still reeling from, especially in regards to "goth" and "trench coat mafia," and I happened to wear a black trench coat). I was learning witchcraft (not the new age kind) and the Western Mystery Tradition (which was also when I was first introduced to books by Linda Goodman, btw). I thought I'd see if the new age shop had anything of interest to me (though in retrospect none of the witches or occultists talked about going there). The guy in the shop seemed startled when I walked in but recovered.

I didn't find it particularly interesting, but I got some incense and a couple of cards with art I liked and while my purchases were being tallied (it was old fashion, the guy actually used a pen instead of any kind of machine) I saw a little card with a parlor game that could tell things about you by your number. I did the math in my head (which I was good at) and found my number and excitedly said how it fit. Then I read the other numbers and saw that most of them said the exact same thing just in different words, and the couple that said something different still applied to me (that is, ALL the numbers fit me).

When I pointed that out (just sharing) he got real uncomfortable so I tried to put him at ease by saying, "Ah well, all numbers are infinite." When he blinked in confusion I added, "You know, Crowley, Liber 777?"

Then his eyes flashed wide in fear so I just grabbed my stuff and left never to return. My WMT teacher laughed when I told him about it and that was when he started to tell me all kinds of stories about Crowley and his life. That inspired a short story involving me, Crowley, and time travel that really ticked off some Thelemites (naturally, I made sure they saw it). I could be such a brat at 17.

posted May 31, 2014 10:32 PM            

I think fundamentalism in any form can be dangerous. If people start to follow a belief blindly without questioning any aspect of it, the end result will be fundamentalism.

IDK I guess I simply have issues with organized religion, and adopting some of the new age principles has helped me to reconcile. I left my old religion because I got tired of the hypocrisy: you can justify your sin because you can always go to confession and make it 'disappear,' you can preach about love and acceptance but turn the other cheek on certain issues (I.e. gay marriage), interpret the bible to validate your actions even though a few pages later it contradicts itself, and as woman I can't be a priest/minister which makes no sense to me.

posted June 01, 2014 12:39 AM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by T:
They are extremely skeptical of doctors and other professionals, and have very little faith in the benevolence and/or effectiveness of science-based medicine. They think that the pharmaceutical industry is unamimously out to make and keep people sick to make money off of them. They think every single doctor and health professional is in on this scam. So they will actively try to steer anyone with a diagnosis away from services that actually work. Which leads us to our last contributing factor

12. Alternative medicine; In New Age Land, the medicines your doctor gave you supposedly just make you sick and psychically suppressed. You need to take herbs instead, or go see someone to hit your pressure points or fix your aura or something. This accomplishes diddly squat beyond the placebo effect. Not to mention insurance will laugh if you expect them to cover a dime of these expensive services. New Agers of course would say that that’s a part of the conspiracy – they don’t want you to get better so they don’t cover it! That logic doesn’t even make sense – ideally, insurance companies want you to stay healthy while paying in so that they don’t have to pay back out when you get sick. As such, they only cover things that are proven to work.

---

Well... this is one thing I disagree with, just to narrow in on something that's not too "abstract" lol. I have no patience for the whole fundamentalist, crazy, "just let nature take its course" mentality when it comes to illness and treatment (which honestly I've never seen anywhere other than in Christianity) but the part about the pharmaceutical industry and insurance companies just wanting you to stay healthy isn't entirely true.. Western medicine has made great advances, and no I don't think someone is secretly trying to kill you every time you go to the doctor's office, but to think it's also not a business would be naďve..

Here's a video made by a guy who was diagnosed with cancer but refused chemo and overcame it using "nutrition and natural therapies"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsRVBH3MCQU&feature=kp

posted June 01, 2014 01:53 AM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by BellaFenice:
FireMoon, have you heard of the Gerson therapy? I do not believe we should get rid of chemo because it does save peoples lives, but I do question why pharmaceutical companies blacklisted Max Gerson years ago when he proved his therapy works. There is a good documentary on this too.

---

Interesting, I had never heard of him or this therapy before... It doesn't surprise me that he was blacklisted though. I'd be interested to see the documentary..

And I agree, chemo does save lives, I have family members that beat cancer through chemo. It's just unfortunate that there really are "alternative" treatments that a lot of ppl aren't even aware of. I don't think it was very popular but the somewhat mainstream movie "Dallas Buyers Club" looks into Western medicine's approach to HIV/AIDS treatments. But of course the main character who stands up for alternative treatment is a former drug addict forced to befriend outcasts of society at the time (he's also a bull rider and a gambler-gambling with his life metaphorically lol) It just bothers me how these things are portrayed.. usually either as "new age" hippy mumbo-jumbo, or just risky and looked down upon...

posted June 01, 2014 07:24 AM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by BellaFenice:
FireMoon, have you heard of the Gerson therapy? I do not believe we should get rid of chemo because it does save peoples lives, but I do question why pharmaceutical companies blacklisted Max Gerson years ago when he proved his therapy works. There is a good documentary on this too.

---

Yes, Cancer can be cured with natural means, in almost all cases imo but if the person does all the chemo and radiation, which mar the immune system, it may be too late.

However, prior to this, there are countless, countless people who got rid of cancer with a Gerson kind of program or Dr Richard Schultz ( 1-800 HERB DOC) for anyone who is interested

He wrote a book--There are No Incurable Diseases. It shows how they body can heal disease if it is given a healing climate such as fasting, juicing etc, which he explains in his simple book.

He is awesome for just supplements, too. He is a true hero. He has been jailed several times and has to carry a gun for attempts on his life.

He has clinics in Europe but cannot practice in the US but can still sell his products due to Free Speech( as long as it lasts )

Anyway, he is awesome and I pass his name along for anyone who needs a great and very well priced supplement and great literature.

Also,Lorraine Dey MD, an orthopedic surgeon, wrote a book about the kinds of natural treatments I am talking about. She cured herself of cancer with them.

------------------
Want To Ask Any Question About Bible Prophecy? Go For it. It is Free, of course.

posted June 01, 2014 09:00 AM            

------------------
Want To Ask Any Question About Bible Prophecy? Go For it. It is Free, of course.

posted June 01, 2014 09:25 AM            

This is an honest question. I genuinely don't get it.

posted June 01, 2014 09:38 AM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by FireMoon:
^Ok I appreciate what both of you (Randall and Ami) are saying. But if you really believe these things, can I just ask one question....? WHY are you so adamantly opposed to things like Obamacare, and anything that doesn't follow an extremist- right wing agenda??

This is an honest question. I genuinely don't get it.

---

Obamacare CANNOT work. It is impossible for the gov't to give quality health care in this model, even allopathic health care, which is the traditional medicine.

However, the larger issue, imo, and the opinions of many scholarly people, is that Obamacare is a front to gather all info on everyone and to basically control the population.

It is not about healthcare, at all.

Furthermore, on one of the over 2000 pages is a clause that a "medical device" can be implanted in anyone who signs up for Obamacare and this can be done w/out the consent of the person.

On that device, can be all the info about that person in microchip form. At any rate, the person cannot refuse it, whatever form it is in.

The end game is everyone will be in Obamacare because the insurance business will be destroyed in the process.

I am answering your question cuz you asked, even though this is not the Forum for it.

I hope I answered your question to your satisfaction.

------------------
Want To Ask Any Question About Bible Prophecy? Go For it. It is Free, of course.

posted June 01, 2014 09:45 AM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by FireMoon you want to post cute videos Ami but you're filled with negativity... Sooner or later I'll move on from LL and I appreciate the bonds I've formed here but I can say bye peacefully as many other members have. And it's getting to that point, would probably be best for everyone...

---

To me, you are filled with negativity, so one man's passion is another man's poison

------------------
Want To Ask Any Question About Bible Prophecy? Go For it. It is Free, of course.

posted June 01, 2014 09:45 AM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ami Anne:

Obamacare CANNOT work. It is impossible for the gov't to give quality health care in this model, even allopathic health care, which is the traditional medicine.

Obamacare is a front to gather all info on everyone and to basically control the population.

It is not even about healthcare, at all.

---

Whatever. What alternative do you propose?