Posted by Eddie Sylvano on September 18, 2003, at 9:05:11
In reply to I could spend hours responding to each item... » zarathustra, posted by fachad on September 17, 2003, at 22:14:20
> But your issues are philosophical at root, and are manifesting behaviorally (including cognitive behavior patterns and resultant emotional experiences) so the intervention needs to be at that level. "Plato not Prozac" is a book that you may find helpful.
---------Do you think that it's the stories people believe about the nature and purpose of their existance that keeps them from depression? I have to wonder how many religious people truly believe the things that they report. I know that studies support the idea that relgion helps people live longer. What about it works? Is it the belief in an afterlife? Religions answer questions, but beyond the fear of death, I don't see people really asking the questions. On the occasions that I've talked to people about their religious beliefs (usually because they're trying to save me, being an atheiest), I come away with the impression that I know more about their religion than they do (12 years of Catholic school does that).
Personally, I imagine that natural death for most people isn't horrific because the brain is usually in such a degraded state at the time that the passage into it isn't alarming (or even identifiable). It's like HAL getting his memory removed in 2001. Awareness is whittled away like a dimmer switch, and you can't really point to the moment that conciousness is gone. People tend to think of death in terms of their typical state of awareness and anxiety, though, which is more like facing down a gunman.
poster:Eddie Sylvano
thread:260543
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030917/msgs/261326.html