what is insanity?

[Plenum]

this point was brought up in another thread (on the kundalini and the creation of imbalance), but I'm not sure I know what insanity is.

there was another thread I started on mental illness, but the 'concept/word' of 'Insanity' seems to mean something quite specific.

in regards to Herr H: "Thus we see the so-called insanity which may often arise when an entity attempts to polarize more quickly than experience may be integrated."

what is Insanity?

is it a disarrangement of the mind-complex to the degree in which one is distorting data (stimulus) to such a degree that you literally adrift from reality?

that the world you create in your head has no bearing to material experience/reality? ie, it becomes total fantasy?

thanks for your thoughts.

[Hototo]

Insanity is any action sufficiently alien, from the self imposed island of conformity, so as to enable the self to use the degratory term "insanity."

Analogue: "Black" is any skin color sufficiently alien, from the self imposed island of "Non-Blackness," so as to enable the self to use the degratory term; "******"

[Brittany]

I see it as an inability to reconcile one's experiences with consensus reality, causing one to detach from physical reality to the point they can no longer function in those activities which define human existence. A person may have all sorts of perceptual experiences that go outside the boundaries of what is considered normal and still remain quite sane. Though most psychologists would like to label these experiences in themselves as insanity, I believe it is how these experiences are processed and integrated that determines the sanity or insanity of the individual.

I often have conversations with invisible people, see visions of things that other people are not privy to, and constantly experience my environment with a slightly altered sensory perspective that few can relate to. However, I am still able to get up, go to work, have a social life, take care of my family, study, create and lead an enjoyable life. I am able to function without difficulty in my chosen environment, though my experiences go beyond the boundaries of consensus reality within that environment, and most who know me well are more likely to consider me wise and informed than insane.

There was a period in my life when these things first started happening in full force, though, that it all became too much and I was reduced to a ball of fear that screamed gibberish, pulled out my own hair, drew random shapes on the walls and couldn't even maintain a grip on my own personality, spending a good deal of time in hospitals because I was considered a danger to myself and others. I would definitely consider this point in my life one of insanity, because my concept of reality broke down to the point that my life was put on hold until I could fully process and understand my experiences, at which point I returned to sanity.

Sanity and insanity are quite relative when viewed from a wide scale, as practices in one culture that are deemed perfectly normal can be considered completely insane by a different culture. What is rational in your mind could be entirely irrational in the mind of the person next to you. It is the ability to harmonize your own perceptions with the reflection around you that makes all the difference.

[Hototo]

Perhaps more to the point, what is sanity?

---

(If insanity is the opposition of sanity then insanity grows larger as we define sanity more and more narrower as everything existing outside of that definition of sanity will be insanity and eventually all but the self will be seen as insane and if there is a definition of insanity I would say that state is it)

[reeay]

'Insanity' is the old way of saying psychopathology, mentally ill, having a psychosis etc. It is used primarily in legal terms e.g., pleading not guilty for reason of insanity. It seems like people use it as they use other terms rather incorrectly:

'I'm going insane' to mean that person is going thru some distress over experience
'I'm antisocial' to mean that person is not social (but it's a personality disorder with specific characteristics)
'I'm depressed' to mean that person is sad (but it's a mental illness with specific parameters)

The term has a social context attached to it, and without that social context it is just a term people use incorrectly. The number of psychopathology conditions available in the U.S. and rates of cases here is quite high, because, among other reasons, it's part of the culture or sub-culture here. If you look at psychosis in other cultures it's often times temporary, has good prognosis, and it's not treated as a medical illness so there is a different connotation to it. If a person is having what seems like a 'hallucination' or delusions the correct way to assess this is to do what's called a 'reality testing' - to understand if this person's experience is within the 'normal limits' of this person's belief systems, world views, practices and so forth. It's a contextualized phenomenon.

An example will be a person telling you that Jesus keeps leaving you phone messages on your answering machines or that the CIA is after you and there are bugs everywhere (that could be investigated). I saw the devil and I spoke to it is something that is not clear cut and needs to be looked into bc it means many things, has many social/cultural/religious/spiritual meaning.

To have experiences that are beyond what we have in daily life may not necessarily be part of psychosis, for example, having visions, seeing deceased loved ones, seeing beings, etc. However, if such events do distress a person greatly, it could be a mental health concern.

I think energetically it becomes pretty clear when something is psychosis - if you're energetically sensitive you will feel the 'electricity' and a sense that something is kind of 'off'. Physiologically, there may be some neurological issues like temporal lobe epilepsy or genetic predisposition to what we call Schizophrenia. To have 'breakdowns' does not necessarily mean one is mentally ill either. This all depends on the context of the situation, and how person responds to the 'breakdowns'.

Human perception is interpretive data that is based on one's world views, beliefs systems, and values. It's possible to have a breakdown in information processing and having maladaptive perceptions that create excessive distress and disability. Considering that we are intersubjective beings, we are able to understand or relate in some way to have shared experiences or understanding. When this intersubjectivity is not there, then there might be something that needs to be further investigated. The perceptual difference may be due to the person's belief system, which could be 'foreign' to the other thus labeled as a psychosis. This is how the mental health institution messed up until someone said, whoa, just because we can't objectively or intersubjectively understand it doesn't mean it's an illness. Within the life experience, the belief system, and world view of this person, is this experience extraordinary and distressing enough to be considered a psychosis? That is the question.

[Ashim]

Insanity is the condition that Society has declared to be the least desirable of all.

If you are insane then you are the Mad Hatter.

You have 'had matter'.

You exist in the realm of the physical along with its time /space counterpart without bias.

The highest compliment and the greatest honor.

[Unbound]

I have always seen insanity explained simply as doing the same thing over and over, but continuously expecting different results.

[Ashim]

If you are sane ...what are you?
So what do you enjoy whilst in (in)-sanity?

[AnthroHeart]

I enjoyed building a galaxy in my mind, but it wore me out. And when I was weary, asking Ra to please kill me.

[reeay]

I have always seen insanity explained simply as doing the same thing over and over, but continuously expecting different results.

If this is the case then we are collectively insane and we shall all stand together and enjoy the solidarity of all being insane lol

[Ashim]

I enjoyed building a galaxy in my mind, but it wore me out. And when I was weary, asking Ra to please kill me.

I went through a period of "please let me die".
Then I was informed that my mission did not involve this, rather just the feeling of 'please let me die'.

In a way I have already 'died'.

This is what we wish all humanity to experience - with the least discomfort possible.

[Guardian]

Loss of insight coupled with being unamenable to reason.

[Unbound]

I have always seen insanity explained simply as doing the same thing over and over, but continuously expecting different results.

If this is the case then we are collectively insane and we shall all stand together and enjoy the solidarity of all being insane lol

When I met a Tibetan Lamas he told this story:

In this kingdom there is a king and his people and they were fairly prosperous, although the king wasn't always generous but it was normal.

One day, the kings astrologers came to him urgently and told him how in a week there would be a rain that would come for days and this rainwater, if drank, will make the person totally crazy!

The king had his own private well from which he drew, so he could avoid drinking the rainwater, but the rest of the people did not have a protected well. However, the king decreed to all that when the rain comes that none must drink the rainwater, or they will be totally crazy!

So, time went and the rains came. Sure enough, the king was well as he had his private well to draw from, but the people were struggling and after a couple days they had no choice but to drink the rainwater and sure enough, everyone suddenly went completely crazy!

The king sees this from his castle and storms in to the town astounded by the antics of all the people going about their crazy ways, and tells them, "Now you are all crazy because you drank the rainwater, absolutely crazy!"

The townspeople then turned to him and since they were all crazy they said, "No, it is you who is crazy because we are all this way!"

-

So you see, by incarnating, we have all drank the same crazy rainwater, and so there is no reason or need to judge others for their crazy behaviour. Therein is a way to view compassion by realizing there is nothing to judge.

There is also another interpretation, which is that even if you are only one person, the truth is still the truth. I believe there is a quote from Ghandi to that effect...

[Hototo]

There is also a quote to that effect from Mulder of X-Files fame

[Adonai One]

An image is worth a thousand words.

[reeay]

lol@crazy rainwater (nice story) yup I've had that water.

I guess the term 'insanity' has come to be interchangeable with crazy or weird/eccentric too instead of its original meaning which means mentally ill.

Adonai: but we don't know the context of the picture. It looks weird or unusual to us but we don't know the backstory. E.g., if you didn't know a person had bluetooth and you thought this person was speaking to imaginary people you would think this person is 'insane' but if you take this situation into context and you see the bluetooth the assessment would change, wouldn't it? If a person was walking down the street with the phone receiver w/ coiled cord of a rotary phone and speaking to someone then it's more obvious that this person is perceiving the world quite differently from us.

[AnthroHeart]

I enjoyed building a galaxy in my mind, but it wore me out. And when I was weary, asking Ra to please kill me.

I went through a period of "please let me die".
Then I was informed that my mission did not involve this, rather just the feeling of 'please let me die'.

In a way I have already 'died'.

This is what we wish all humanity to experience - with the least discomfort possible.

I haven't been notified if this is my path or not, to die young. I feel centered with it either way. But I just wouldn't want to leave my dog alone, and possibly my mother to fend for themselves. Other than that I have nothing holding me here. Perhaps there are many 3D lessons for me to learn, and I am concerned I might not learn them all without many, many years. Or perhaps there aren't many lessons to learn. When I had to pick the lessons I would learn in this life, perhaps I took it easy and just said "let me experience some mental breakdowns for Creator's sake, and touch on insanity." Is there insanity in death? Or do you wake up and finally are sane? If so then maybe we're all insane here.

[Wai]

What is Insanity?

Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Albert Einstein

I go to work day in day out. I come home for dinner and eat the same food that is becoming more and more genetically modified. I work for money. I lie. I manipulate. I do things that are mostly service-to-self so that I can survive.

And I hope to graduate to a higher positive density.

Am I insane?

[AnthroHeart]

As harvestability is merely being able to handle a certain amount of Creator's love/light, I think we'll be fine Wai. I've heard it said not to worry about harvest. That such thinking would only put lines on our faces. I sometimes feel selfish too. At work I sometimes don't work as hard as I could. I am lazy there.

[Ludi]

edited

[AnthroHeart]

Delusion is the belief that the illusion is real.

Since all is illusion, that would make us all deluded.

[Lycen]

What is insanity? What is not insanity? We all have our own thoughts/perspectives/truths on things and we live them. I think it's just a word used to describe people which, one or more people do not understand. Also I think it's a foolish practice to do so, at least as I think heh .p

---

Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Albert Einstein

I go to work day in day out. I come home for dinner and eat the same food that is becoming more and more genetically modified. I work for money. I lie. I manipulate. I do things that are mostly service-to-self so that I can survive.

And I hope to graduate to a higher positive density.

Am I insane?

If there is something you wish to change, then that is in your and only your power to do so. If I may suggest, choosing to live ones truth and accepting where this leads you might be a fruitful endeavour .)

Edit: sentence structure

[anagogy]

what is Insanity?

Unconsciousness.

Or as close as consciousness can get to it.

Not to be confused with physical unconsciousness, which is not unconsciousness, but rather the switch of focus from space/time to time/space, and then forgetting it upon reentering the physical body.