#Understand that despite the trauma and all that we have dealt with previous; we cannot afford to rely on the same behaviors forever. They

[sepiasys]

I will be putting us to bed shortly

Forgive me for the post being here rather than in my own designated space

Realize that as much as we are in a new environment, as much as it feels unsafe, we need to adapt to it nonetheless. And haven’t we been so great at that before?

This new environment is meant to be safer for us; we no longer are required to endure the verbal onslaught of our family, of the previous household.

It will take time, much more than has passed. But eventually, I promise, this will become a safe place for us, in some way or another.

But it requires adjustment.

[uptoolateart]

Why there's actually NO love triangle in Inuyasha (looking at the story from an eastern perspective)

So, this is going to be one of my long posts - bear with me!

I see a lot of debate about Kikyo vs Kagome, and I wanted to share some thoughts on the love triangle aspect of Inuaysha. Although I am white British (originally American), I was raised with an Indian religion – and despite leaving it about 20 years ago, it never fully leaves your system. And I really think you really need to look at Inuyasha from an eastern perspective to understand the Kikyo / Kagome thing.

So, let’s first look at why I personally had such a problem with Kikyo in the beginning – and then we’ll look at why we have to see her in a different way.

I have two problems with Kikyo. The first is that she was a high priestess of the village, known to be so powerful that she was entrusted to purify the shikon jewel, and so forth. She dealt with demons on a daily basis. She knew better than most that they often took on dual forms and they were deceitful. And yet the instant ‘Inuyasha’ attacked her, she didn’t so much as blink at it. She accepted his betrayal without hesitation – which tells me she never truly trusted or loved him.

Exhibit B – her proposal to use the crystal on him, to make him fully human. Essentially, this would have eradicated the world of one more demon – she was slaying him under the guise of love. It was a means to de-claw him, which to me is symbolic of stripping away all his passion and strength - everything that makes him him. He would have been tamed and weakened and in her hands. It’s pretty realistic, because a lot of women fall for the ‘bad boy’ and then work hard to domesticate him until he is unrecognisable. I just don’t like it.

So, to my mind, Kikyo didn’t really love him. She didn’t accept him for what / who he was. He was fatherless, his mother died when he was young, and he had to look after himself in a cruel world of bullies and bigots. He naively fell for the first suggestion of kindness because it was the first he ever had of it – but it wasn’t sincere.

She sealed him to the Tree of Ages and the world moved on, while he remained frozen in an older time. I see this as metaphor for Inuyasha being emotionally and mentally stuck, unable to move forward from his trauma. This is why (apart from just being a demon) he doesn’t age. Kaede is an old woman and he’s still the young naïve reckless kid in desperate need of love and acceptance, unable to grow.

But Kikyo never grew either. She died and sealed away the crystal in her grave, freezing the whole moment in time. She still had lessons to learn – they both did. And this is what leads us to Kagome. She is drawn back to Inuyasha because they have unfinished business from a previous lifetime.

When Kikyo is first resurrected, her soul is removed from Kagome’s body and returned to its former body, Kikyo. But this is not how it should be – that soul is ready to move forward. It’s had time to learn lessons. In fact, an interesting question would be: what was that soul doing for nearly 500 years? Because it had to have gone through other incarnations between the feudal period and modern Tokyo. In that time, Inuyasha remained stuck in one moment, unable to grow, while his lover’s soul reincarnated again and again and learned the lessons it needed to learn in order to go back and resolve this matter.

So Kagome drags her soul back into her modern body – but leaves one crucial piece behind in Kikyo’s resurrected body: her hatred / anger. Kikyo is then a walking body of rage. Symbolically, we are seeing the soul (now in Kagome) leaving the past in the past and wishing to move forward, without the anger it held onto for so long. The anger then gradually becomes purified, we could say, through the infusion of other dead souls mixed in to keep Kikyo’s body alive a while longer. She gains the experience of other souls, to heal that anger so that it no longer lingers in the world.

However, as long as Kikyo is present, Inuyasha cannot move forward. It isn't so much about her as an individual - because we have to remember she's already there as Kagome. Kikyo's presence is a symbol of the guilt and anger Inuyasha needs to let go of. He is still emotionally stuck to the tree.

Kagome has had other incarnations to teach her the wisdom of letting go of those emotions. Her special innate skill seems to be healing – as Kikyo, she was a healer, but now she is even more so. The very birds flock to her. She is also a seer. She sees not just the shikon shards but into people’s hearts. She can read the emotions in their faces. She sees their vulnerability, and their worth, underneath all their bravado and anger. Her kindness touches people. She might struggle with algebra, but she has innate wisdom from lifetimes of experience. She is an old soul. In many ways, although Inuyasha is 200 years old, she is at least 500 and therefore older, despite appearing younger. This works in a way that ‘Twilight’ never did, because of the reincarnation angle.

Kagome is patient – she’s been patient for 500 years, after all – and continues to be there, waiting for Inuyasha to let go of the past, symbolised by the phantom of Kikyo.

This is not really a love triangle – Kikyo and Kagome are the same person. Kagome learns to realise this. At one point, she finds herself in Kikyo's memories of the day she was killed, and Kagome even yells at Kikyo something to the effect of, 'That's not him! He would never do that! Why can't you see it!?' This is her remembering her own past life and reflecting on how blind she once was. But not anymore - she has learned, and she is a seer.

Kikyo is not a threat. She is a figment of the past, and both Inuyasha and Kagome need to let that past go. This is symbolised when Kagome is tested and held over the cliff by a fake Kikyo, and Kagome has to let go of her hand and declares that she doesn’t need to worry about her – she is enough in herself.

Inuyasha finally comes to see that it’s time to move forward. This is him overcoming trauma, pain and anger. He doesn't simply move on with Kagome once Kikyo dies for good - this is him releasing himself from the past and moving forward with the same lover, but in her older, wiser form. This is the moment that the anger dies. All that matters about Kikyo lives on as Kagome. He isn't choosing one over the other, because there is only one woman.

By the end, when Inuyasha has faced his demons (Naraku and more), he is a whole person and finally able to embrace true love. Kagome, as well, in all these incarnations has learned to accept and love for real. She doesn’t want to de-claw him anymore. She never wants him to go full human, but also doesn’t want him to go full demon – because it is vital that we find balance between our animal and civilized sides. It’s a Buddhist notion, this treading the middle path. Inuyasha is the ‘perfect man’ (I mean that as the western magical term), in the sense that he is equal parts beast and human / instinct and intellect. Neither aspect overwhelms the other – and Kagome is the one who teaches him how to walk this path and be whole.

Kagome gives Inuyasha the acceptance he needs to love himself and therefore love her and see love in others. At the end, when he declares to the demons in the crystal that he was born to meet her and she was born to meet him, he doesn’t just mean as Kagome – he means first as Kikyo and now as Kagome. Their karma is entangled. They have been on this path for 50 years (for him) / 500 years (for her). They share a thread of fate. However, it wasn’t their time, 50 years ago. Neither of them was in the right mental place for it to work, yet. And so it was all put on pause, allowing her time to grow, learn, and come back and teach him what she learned along the way, through all those lifetimes of experience, so that they could both grow together and finally be together. I even like to think that now he might begin to age, because he is no longer emotionally stuck to that tree.

When Kagome’s mother so quickly accepts that it’s time for Kagome to leave forever, this is such an eastern viewpoint, as well. Growing up on the location of a shrine, she clearly understands that this is not really her daughter – this is an old soul who incarnated as her daughter in this particular lifetime, and it is now her time to go back and do what she was born to do. She doesn’t belong to her mother. She was on loan, so to speak.

The ending reminded me so much of a novel I’ve read a few times called 'Mipam' by a Tibetan lama named Lama Yongden. It’s quite an interesting story, again about a romantic couple and their fate throughout incarnations.

So Kikyo is bothersome – but it’s because she is the immature form of Kagome before the benefit of 500 years’ worth of lives / experience. As a soul, she learned love along the way, to the point of becoming someone who can love nearly anyone and anything. Kagome forgives so much – including Sesshomaru and Kouga, who are rather abominable, if you think about their beginnings in the story. I see Kagome as a bodhisattva (another Buddhist concept), choosing to incarnate even when she no longer has to, in order to pass on her wisdom to others and teach everyone the path of love. And in true bodhisattva fashion, she isn’t really aware of it during this lifetime – she is humility.

So there you have it – a love triangle…but between two people! Inuyasha never chose one woman over the other, because they are the same - you can’t have Kagome without Kikyo. Kikyo struggles with it because she knows that part of herself will be gone forever (the anger). Kagome struggles with it because anger is hard to release, and yet she just wants it gone already! But they are not distinct characters, if seen from an eastern philosophical perspective - which we have to do, because the foundation of the story is that Kagome is Kikyo’s reincarnation.

That perspective is essential to understanding what’s happening, who they both are, and the ending / the path everyone takes. Inuyasha has that revelation by the end and accepts that she will return to him because they have been on this path for so long, and been separated before – by death, no less – and she still came back to him.

And when Kagome dies, I can only imagine he will wait for her to return to him in some other form, or he will die too and join her somewhere - because they were not simply born for each other as Inuyasha and Kagome but as their two souls underneath those physical forms.

[glassessence]

Elriel Hint and Analysis - includes analysis of Feysand & Nessian (ACOSF Spoilers)

I’m pretty new to the fandom, but I am currently obsessed with Elriel. This is my ship and I will go down with it until the day I die. As a fairly casual reader, I honestly had zero doubts the next book would be Elain’s and that the couple would be Elriel. 

Then I discovered the existence of the extra POV chapters and Azriel’s threw me in for a bit of a loop. Especially with the ending (which I genuinely believe is a red herring. I lean very heavily into the lightsinger Gwyn theory).

However, stalking Tumblr made me come across this again: 

Life and death and rebirth

Sun and moon and dark

Rot and bloom and bones

Hello, sweet thing. Hello, lady of night, princess of decay. Hello, fanged beast and trembling fawn. 

Love me, touch me, sing me.

And then my brain accidentally vomited an essay on the symbolism in each sister’s journey... 

Life and death and rebirth so clearly symbolise Feysand’s journey. Feyre leaves behind her life of poverty for a brand new one with Tamlin. She journeys Under the Mountain for love of him and ultimately succeeds in saving not just him, but all of them. In the process, she dies. Not just in the physical sense, but spiritually too. Feyre the human perishes, giving rise to Feyre the High Fae. In a purely physical sense, this is definitely a rebirth. But it’s stilted, incomplete. She’s the newly born phoenix - young, fragile and yet covered in the ashes of its fiery death. Her spiritual rebirth lags behind her newly changed body. Like a bird in a cage, she is trapped in Tamlin’s realm, unable to finish developing, to spread wings and fly. 

That all changes when she is whisked away to the Night Court. She learns to read and some of the ash falls from her body. She makes friends and some more ash is brushed away by the Inner Circle. The final remnants of ash are blown away by the taste of freedom and the kiss of wind, and Feyre’s rebirth is finally complete. Spiritually and physically, she is changed. She becomes Feyre the High Lady. From life back to life, she is returned through the power of love. Take note that while love is important in all the sisters’ journeys, it is the focal point and highlight of Feyre’s. She is someone who has never been loved in that wholesome, selfless way Rhysand loves her. Tamlin was possessive and abusive; Nesta was barbed and sharp. Elain was fragile and ethereal. Love was something she had never really known and consequently something she desperately, desperately needed. That’s why the phrase that symbolises her is love me.

Sun and moon and dark refers very much to Nessian. Nesta is the sun and she is burning. Has been burning for a long, long time. She is aflame, nothing but ashes inside, and her words are fire. She scalds anyone who dares approach, just as everything melts before the sun. Like Feyre, she has had her physical rebirth, but not her spiritual one. She is trapped in her own head, locked behind her own self-hatred, her own raging inferno that yields to no one. Like Feyre, she is also a phoenix, but one whose fire never stopped. In that sense, she has never died. Her spiritual rebirth is not simply incomplete; it has never happened.

Until she starts training with Cassian. Until she starts befriending Emerie and Gwyn. This is what marks the death of Nesta the human and the emergence of Nesta the High Fae. (I use the term ‘human’ loosely here, mostly as a way of conveying my point about her spiritual journey rather than the state of her physical being). She loses her solar flare, that inner blaze that was killing her and blackening her soul. She mellows from unapproachable sun to a softer moon. It’s here that she stays a while, seeming to progress and regress in her healing journey as the moon waxes and wanes. It’s not until the hiking scene that she finally breaks. She weeps despite Cassian’s expectations to the contrary. Through her tears, she finally extinguishes the long-raging fire and hatred that has been destroying her. No more blazing sun, no more wavering moon. Only darkness to cradle her, and acceptance. Through Cassian’s ceaseless efforts and her friends, her journey reaches its apex. She finally becomes Nesta the Valkyrie. 

Her journey hinges heavily upon the fact that nobody could reach her through the flames. Nobody had kept trying after getting burned again and again. Nobody except Cassian. He reaches out, time after time, even when she hurts him. Even when she burns him. Until he succeeds and touches her soul. That’s why the phrase that symbolises her is touch me.

Of course that leaves only the last line: rot and bloom and bones. I wonder who this could symbolise! Surely not the Archeron sister who is associated with roses and has a complicated romance dilemma with someone from the Autumn Court (rot) and someone else from the Night Court (bones)! Surely not!

Jokes aside, I strongly believe this line reveals Elain’s journey. If we continue thinking of the words as a progression, I think it makes a lot of sense. Keeping in mind the theme of life, death and rebirth, this is how I think of it: 

Life / Rot / stagnation, the start of the journey

Death / Bloom / change, the start of healing

Rebirth / Bones / ascendance and acceptance, the start of the future

There are several interesting things to note about the sentence: 

The word bloom is nestled among rot and bones

Elain’s two potential love interests both have strong associations with those words

I’ll address each point as we delve into Elain’s analysis. 

Let’s start with Elain the human. As previously established, this is when the character is at their worst, blind in the dark before the dawn. I see this as Elain’s forced transformation by the Cauldron. Everything she knows is ripped away from her and her marriage crumbled to dust. She is thrust into a world both unknown and at war. She emerges changed and cursed with powers she cannot control and does not understand. Her life, once a slow-blooming flower, has just rotted into nothing. She is lost, confused and deeply depressed. Her physical rebirth may be complete, but her spiritual rebirth cannot begin until she gathers the shattered pieces of herself back together.

This happens slowly. So slowly, in fact, that it’s hard to notice and easy to dismiss. She befriends Nuala and Cerridwen. Begins gardening again. Talks to the Inner Circle and buys them gifts for Solstice. Slowly, so very slowly, she is starting to piece herself back together. Off-page, she quietly unravels Elain the human and emerges from her cocoon as Elain the High Fae. Like a wilted flower that has dropped its petals, a new season has come, bringing with it new buds. She is blooming, opening herself to new possibilities for companionship, love and for a new self to rise to the surface. But blooms are fragile, newly born things. Elain hasn’t dealt with the full force of her trauma, of her lifelong lack of choice (I’m not going to delve into this as there are so many amazing analyses out there!). She is a trembling fawn, still trying to learn how to walk.

But her spiritual rebirth will remake her. Bones. It’s so different from the previous two words that it really leaves an impact. Blooms rot and fade. Flesh breaks and dies. But bones are strong, the frame that holds up our entire beings. Bones are unyielding and solid, taking no other shape like blood nor bruising like flesh. I see this as Elain standing up for herself, unswayed by external forces that have always governed her life and breaking away from the fragile flower people have always thought she was. By cutting away the rotting flesh, she will reveal the backbone beneath and ascend as Elain the Kingslayer/Seer. 

Of course, closely tied to each sister’s personal growth arc is her love interest. For me, I don’t see it going any other way than Azriel. 

SJM chose rot not only to represent the ‘life’ section of Elain’s personal journey, but also to represent Lucien. He has connections to the Autumn Court, a season that is often associated with decay and rot, but also with harvest and bounty. Highlighting the negative aspects of autumn invokes a strong sense of wrongness. Lucien is not right for her. Not to say anything bad about his character; he’s just not right for Elain. His presence in the books eats away at her newfound boldness; he rots away the path she is trying to carve for herself. 

On the other hand, Azriel is closely tied with death, with blood and bones and shadow. He’s not only Rhys’ spymaster, he’s also his torturer. His association is with bones, a word that invokes a sense of everlasting, of persevering beyond death. Bones is also used to describe the ‘rebirth’ section of Elain’s personal growth arc, the final aspect that leads to ascendance, and acceptance of one’s past and present. Meanwhile, bloom represents Elain herself and the ‘death’ portion of her story, the aspect that heralds change and healing. 

Rot, bloom and bones represent both her personal journey and her love interests. It’s all intrinsically linked. Lucien is ‘life’ and stagnation, Elain is ‘death’ and change, and Azriel is ‘rebirth’ and acceptance. As a progression, this is how I interpret the sentence: 

By rejecting the bond with Lucien, she is stepping into herself and forging something everlasting with Azriel.

Lastly, let’s not forget that the phrase symbolising her is sing me. This didn’t make much sense to me until I read Azriel’s bonus POV. In it, he confesses to Gwyn that he does sing. Why include this if it’s not a subtle callback to this prophetic paragraph in ACOMAF? It feels like a treat to hardcore fans who like finding all the little connections (since they’re the ones most likely to have read the bonus chapters). The fact that Gwyn also sings signals to me there’s an important plot point regarding song. Maybe homegirl Elain will be forced to throw a hardcore metal concert to save Az XD Wouldn’t that be a plot twist HAHAHA. 

I don’t know when SJM started planting seeds for Elriel in any serious capacity, so perhaps I am reading WAY too much into this. Either way, I am super keen for the next book!

Please feel free to comment and let me know your thoughts! I am desperate for Elriel right now hahaha. Thanks for reading! 

OH, BUT ONE MORE THING. 

The greetings are really interesting. Sweet thing obviously refers to Feyre. Lady of night and princess of decay are clearly meant for Nesta. 

Fanged beast and trembling fawn are left for Elain. It’s easy to write this off as being about her LI and herself, respectively, but I don’t know. The sentences build upon each other. A single moniker grows to two - the first separated by a comma, the second expanding to use an and. It’s something you see a lot in poetry, generally used to emphasise a point. I’m not entirely sure what the point is; it might just be a nice writing flourish, but wouldn’t it be interesting if both those statements were referring to Elain herself? Wouldn’t it just be juicy? 

[elriell]

Well I might disagree but I never mind hearing other peoples thoughts, this is fascinating to me actually... So lets dive in to it, i have lots of Elain thoughts as I am sure you know ☺

I definitely think her POV will indeed clear a lot up and give us a better idea, because what we have to take in to account much like with Nesta, our only view for so long was through Feyre’s mind who is quite biased and as we know not always the most reliable perspective. 

It was unfortunate that the few Nes/El scenes we got were tainted by Nestas rightful anger, but I especially think the “Fuck you” scene between them is such a normal sibling dynamic we never saw through Feyre previously.

Listen, I don’t disagree that she could frustrate some people, I cannot think of a single ACOTAR character that hasn’t frustrated me at some point... I think the bigger issue is people use her kindness as a weapon against her, and do not give her any space to evolve.

This time last year when people were backing Nesta (me included) and we took to time to understand that despite her sharp tong and razor sharp looks she had so much to uncover as we saw in ACOSF. What bothers me is that people do not seem to extend this same leeway because she is not you “typical-sassy-bad-girl”... not every character has to be that way to be interesting or strong. 

There is nothing bland about being kind... I think a few people on this site could learn a thing or two about that to be frank.

Anyways I am veering sorry, so to answer your questions, I think that is a very simplified view of the situation, and though I agree you might be right about if she spoke to him they could just resolve it, that simply isn’t realistic when emotions are so high and trauma is being dealt with. I will also link a phenomenal post about her trauma and its correlation over all. 

If it were that simple Nessian would not have been 24/7 angst for years. If they had just communicated in general they would have had a much simpler journey, but that is not always life... When you have your plate full.

She also might be feeling a certain sense of duty to not disrupting the ties between them all and that can only be further seen in that POV when Rhys prioritises just that.

As a reader we know Lucien, we understand him and the situations with Ianthe like you said, and just generally he is a good male, but she doesn’t. 

She does not know him all that well to make those kind of big judgement calls, especially being surrounded by quite possessive mates as it were, though for them it is reciprocated that is her experience thus far, so for her to be potentially weary is normal in my opinion... 

And to be honest I think they will simply have a talk and work shit out, but it was not going to happen in previous books, that simply wouldn’t make any sense, us watching her make a crucial choice through Nesta/Feyre’s eyes rather than on her own journey and book. Of course it hasn’t happened yet...

Also the way Feysand was pushing Nessian together despite Nesta’s protest I can’t quite blame her for not feeling super comfortable. She is being clear enough with how she feels in all her scenes with him and yet they continue to invite him to family holidays and force their proximity.

I think of course for a period Elain was her own obstacle but ACOSF started laying the groundwork for her rising...

She definitely put her foot down in ACOSF wouldn’t you say? Do you not think she asserted her own autonomy?

I think she has certainly been overcoming her past and dealing with it in a constructive way, she is helping other, finding friends and being happy. She has made major leaps from say ACOWAR.

Elain has never been weak, she has always been rather quiet and wise, but she has never shied away from things when eventually push came to shove. 

I still think she has a ways to go breaking the mould her family put her in but I have no doubt she will because it has already begun. And I for one look forward to it, and giving her the patience to grow as I have for past ACOTAR characters.

I feel like I got a lil sidetracked at time lol but I hope that made sense!

[artificiallyimplantedmemories]

[ ooc: FINALLY got around to this, after the foible this morning with it, so this is try number 2 at ep5 liveblog/commentary... under the cut as always ]

this has a speedrun/summary version of impressions the first third of it because I’d already watched all of that before tumblr ate the post so I might miss stuff idk. and then after that it’s my typical sporadic livebloggy madness. this got SUPER long oops

We have a lot of motifs in this episode, including the bloodied shield, the use of the shield as essentially a giant blunt blade rather than a shield, the conflict between different people’s interpretations of what ‘fighting because one has to’ means.

Walker is running from himself at the beginning, but where does one run to when the war is in your head? Particularly poignant for me (because I know that in the comics he joins the army to emulate his deceased brother) is how deeply the loss of a brother-in-arms cuts, but even more so how much the thought that he’s disappointed Lamar hurts. I think that in some ways, Lamar may have been a part of John’s moral compass, and his sustained belief in him has always helped him. It’s a reversed parallel to Steve and Bucky, actually, and I could elaborate on that but it might turn into an essay.

John tries to walk away from the fight at first, partly because he has other priorities, and partly because I think he does genuinely recognize that Bucky and Sam are good people. Of course there’s also the layer that he thinks of them as the original Cap’s sidekicks and therefore as the new Cap shouldn’t fight them, but… anyway the fight sequence is interesting to watch because it does show John as fairly well matched with them despite the fact that MCU Bucky has the serum. Part of this might be their reluctance to kill him while John has given up the façade and is now willing to do that in order to further his own plans as long as he doesn’t get caught. He cannot lose the title he’s given or he’ll be lost, now that he doesn’t have his best friend.

“Don’t go down that road. Believe me, it doesn’t end well.” “I’m not like you.” The difference is that Bucky was brainwashed. Yes, he’s still ruthless even after he’s broken free of it, but he’s taking conscious steps to be better. And thus the determination behind the “Yeah we do.” The shield deserves better than being in John’s care.

I paused to write and stopped on this face I’m laughing

The “why are you making me do this?” is obviously coming from a place of delusion but also speaks to how John’s personal motives are super unclear. Why did he take on the mantle of Captain America when it was established from the very beginning that he wasn’t completely comfortable with it? Was it, as he told Lamar, because he wanted a chance to be good? (In which case, obviously he’s having a breakdown about not achieving that?) Was it for his ego? Because he was commanded to? Having a John muse makes this a very interesting thing to explore.

Seeing Bucky’s arm get electrified and him knocking out because that’s directly tied to his neural implants was not any easier the second time around oof

“This isn’t you, John.” Further proof that Sam Wilson has more heart than legit anyone else, he’s still trying to believe that John is good.

I find it interesting that they have John remove the cowl in order to growl “I am Captain America.” It speaks to a rejection of what the old Cap was (though the cowl is the US Agent / updated Cap one) and his insistence that his version of Captain America is valid. (It’s not.)

Also because my literary obsessed reads way too much into tiny things that the show runners probably didn’t really care about as metaphors, I definitely saw the ripping of Sam’s wing as a reference to the restriction of freedoms by the US government lol just ignore me on that.

Bucky and Sam repeatedly saving each other’s asses is my jam. Also Sam using the power from the wing pack keeps reminding me from my observation back at the beginning that he’d do so well with full out repulsors. Tony totally would have set him up with that if MCU hadn’t killed him alas.

More of me finding parallels where there shouldn’t be any: they broke Walker’s left arm, just like they took away Bucky’s left.

I took a screenshot of this image when I watched it in the previous round, and it’s still going to haunt me. There’s something so tired and haunted and defeated here.

Bucky gives Sam the shield, because there’s nobody who deserves it more. The look on Sam’s face when he takes it and tries to clean the blood off of it (physically and symbolically of course) is heartbreaking. It’s a man who regrets his decision not to take it on originally but also now has to deal with the implications of both taking on that responsibility (in a country that doesn’t treat him fairly) and whether people will approve of anyone carrying the shield after John has fucked it up so badly.

A note that carries over from my first watch: people don’t usually refer to their enemies by first name. It’s done in comic books and movies with some frequency to remind people who is who, and in this case may also be a bit of humanization for Karli, a reminder that she is a sympathetic character despite the vicious way she does things sometimes. I also appreciate them reminding the audience that she’s competent and has a lot of support.

ALSO TORRES MY DARLING I’VE MISSED YOU. I wonder if Sam letting him keep the wings will actually develop into something (a la comics) or if they’re leaving that open ended. Also his smile is literal sunshine I’m not even joking about this, please give me all the Joaquín content thank you. Just look at him!!

I think by this point most viewers are fairly convinced that John Walker is Not A Good Man, but I think that his rant about always having done what he was told and done it well is purposeful and poignant here. His motives have always been to serve, but the matter of who he’s serving (or more importantly what - the military machine, the government that simply gives orders without thinking of the personal ramifications for those who carry them out) is put in contrast to Sam and Bucky, who are also veterans. I can’t help but draw parallels to the Nuremberg trials, people who did heinous things under orders and try to use that as an excuse for their innocence. It’s a reminder that a person doesn’t have to be visibly part of an evil group in order to do evil things. I won’t outline everything here but at least as far as the US Military goes, more info can be found at https://www.thebalancecareers.com/military-orders-3332819 about how and when it is defensible for people in the military to disobey orders.

You can hear John’s voice break during his rant, the conviction that he was doing what he was supposed to. He could have gotten away with more if he hadn’t been such a public figure, but an “other than honorable discharge” lmao what a diplomatic way to tell him how badly he fucked up xD

Also hey it’s Olivia. Most people forgot that John has a wife. (I’m glad she’s telling him to visit Lemar’s parents, they deserve that.) Also is this Valentina or is this a Skrull? Only time will tell.  (She’s probably not a Skrull, FATWS is too short for that, but on the other hand I’m not sure how I feel about the implications otherwise. Is she a SHIELD infiltrator? Is she manipulating him on SHIELD’s behalf? Did they steal the name and get rid of her backstory?)

The resignation on Zemo’s face during his encounter with Bucky (especially with a gun to his face) is unnerving. Zemo calling Bucky “James” made Natasha outright glare though. Her priorities are a little odd. But I’m glad Bucky didn’t kill him, I’m glad he’s not allowing him to be a victim of his conditioning. The Dora Milaje are taking him to the Raft… oh wait there might be Skrulls after all.

“If you ain’t bitter, you’re blind.” I feel that. I feel that hard. But I also understand the misplaced blame, the tendency for people who have been Through It seeing anyone outside their minority as their oppressor.

For someone who has dealt with the immensity of the trauma that Isaiah has, including the experimentation, the social isolation, the experience of being in the jail system for so long, it’s no surprise at all that he would be quick to assign blame. Add to that the risk of being killed for being part of an experiment that you didn’t agree to partake in early on, followed by extensive experimentation after? There are so many factors at play: violation of self, lack of agency, lack of safety… D: and the physical reminders of them are everywhere. look at the scarring D: D: D:

The range of emotion in this is so good, the acting is so good, I’m just overwhelmed with how honest this feels. 

“They erased me. My history. But they’ve been doing that for 500 years.” OOF

The crease in Sam’s brow when he’s told that no self-respecting black man would wanna be Captain America, there’s such righteous indignation there, but he has to temper it in the face of Isaiah’s grief. Over and over he proves himself capable of putting compassion first and foremost.

This sibling dynamic has been really nice to see. There’s tension, there’s individual struggles, there’s support (not always in the ways it needs to be, but they’re trying), but more obviously there’s a depth of love there. Seeing it is so rewarding.

LOOK AT THE WHOLE COMMUNITY SHOWING UP!! Oh man so this gets me, because I grew up in a neighborhood where we supported each other and threw block parties and everyone trooped into our backyard to play on the swingset that had been left behind by the previous owner. It wasn’t family, sure, but we took care of each other. In India, it was even more so, and even now when I go there, I crash at my next door neighbors’ place instead of my family’s house most of the time. I miss having that sense of community, that closeness to people because we all had each other’s backs. Where I live now, I don’t even know most of my neighbors’ names. It sucks.

Ahh, there’s the part that I’ve seen the gifs of, with Bucky showing up at the boat. I like the idea that Bucky has slowly come to think of his metal arm as more of a normal part of him despite the ache and heaviness of it. Of course in MCU, he has the serum so maybe he doesn’t notice as much, but I can’t imagine he wouldn’t experience phantom pain in it until at least he internalized it as his own body part, and even then the shoulder joint would probably ache. Still, perhaps it’s more akin to an old injury than a foreign object now, and therefore Bucky still does what he would do naturally, using his dominant hand instead of the ‘enhanced’ one.

I have Feelings about Bucky saying “I’m Bucky” with a smile okay I HAVE FEELINGS

Bucky must have worked the docks a lot way back in the 40s. His level of competence is one of natural instinct, he’s just used to it. I wonder if he worked extra to help pay for medication for Steve after Sarah passed away… oh, more feels :(

Meanwhile Sam is over here doing his human best and I love that. He calls in the crew to help, relies on people, but it never stops him from being a part of it. He’s not taking a managerial role, he’s another tooth on the gear.

“They don’t care if you wear small tee shirts or have six toes or your mom’s your aunt” lmao my brain went ‘You don’t happen to have six toes on your right foot, do you?’ ‘Do you start all of your conversations this way?’ But also look how happy they look here!!!

“Don’t flirt with my sister. Because if you do I’ll have Carlos cut you up, feed you to the fish.” SAM YOU’RE SO RIDICULOUS. But also the way Bucky goes a little pouty after. <3

Lemar’s family! Okay so Walker is straight up lying to them about who it was that killed him, but given the circumstances, I don’t expect anything different. And perhaps part of that is to assuage the family about the fact that there’s ‘justice’ done, but part of it also has to be a slight ego play, and you can see on his face that when they talk about him resting easier, his jaw sets. He’s going to go after who actually did it, whether he has the jurisdiction to or not. He does seem genuinely regretful and I will reiterate the brother-in-arms bit above. Walker needed Lamar as a support system, a confidante, and a nudge in the right direction.

What is Bucky thinking about when he sees the kids playing with the shield? Is he remembering his own childhood? Is he thinking about a future where the shield will be valued and honored and carried right again? Is he thinking about what it’s like to have a family, and missing his own? I need to know these things -_- -> WAIT I THINK IT GOT ANSWERED DURING THE TRAINING MONTAGE. Oh it’s even more than I thought augh. The closest thing he’s got left to a family is the shield because Steve was as much a part of it as it was a part of Captain America dfsjhdgfsd

Sarah telling the boys off! Good for you, girl. (Also I’m laughing at “she’s a very mean person” and “there’s a prowess that goes into my madness” pfft Sam)

“You gotta stop looking to other people to tell you who you are.” is SUCH AN IMPORTANT SENTIMENT. And “You want to climb out of the hell you’re in, do the work.” As someone who deals with a lot of mental illness bullshit, this is the TRUEST statement. Yeah, you might need help. It might be therapy, it might be meds, it might be other coping skills and distractions, but if you don’t want to be better and do better for yourself and face the rawest and most uncomfortable parts of your psyche, you don’t improve. You stay complacent, stay stuck in that rut, doing the same things that didn’t work before. I need to say it doubly because you know some people are going to say that Sam’s not giving Bucky the support he needs to climb out. IT’S NOT HIS JOB. He will choose to give support when Bucky asks/needs because he’s a compassionate person, but this speech right here is compassion, it is exactly the tough love he says it is. Bucky needed to be called out on not coping and I’m glad that it happened.

….also now kiss, thank you.

“We’re partners.” “Co-workers.” “But we’re also a couple of guys with a mutual friend.” “Friend’s now gone.” “So we’re a couple guys.” XD -cue vine- two guys chilling on a boat and…- wait that’s not how it goes.

“This is our history. We can’t lose this fight.”

“But what would be the point of all this pain and sacrifice if I wasn’t willing to stand up and keep fighting?”

Training montage! I hope he doesn’t slice his fingers off on that shield yeesh. Also my Clint muse is watching those flips like oooooh the dude’s got moves on the ground too now, oh no.

Okay we get that the Flag Smashers are going for intimidation but the trope of the red lighting makes me laugh every time. Nobody is going to turn out the lights and then turn on a different set of conveniently red lights that probably weren’t normally installed in that building. Even emergency lighting wouldn’t look like that. It’s just funny, I dunno. And of course we get a cliffhanger ending.

Post-credits we get John’s new shield being built, and all I can say is 1) if he’s able to pound that out, clearly his new shield isn’t vibranium, and 2) LEARN HOW TO WELD NEATLY AUGH THAT WAS AWFUL XD

Overall thoughts: Good episode! Not a huge amount of plot furthering, aside from the very last bit, but good insight into characterization and believably building the relationship between Sam and Bucky while also reading into motivations and differing views from people who come from similar circumstances. I’m really enjoying the compare & contrast I’m getting to do between Isaiah and Bucky and Sam, because there are so many overlaps and stark differences between them. The first half also gave us some great headway into understanding John as a person, though it’s possible some of that is me overanalyzing because I have a muse for him.

[solitaire-dreams]

Pokespe Gold, Silver and Bronze? An Arc Progression Analysis

Hey readers! I'm back and ready to attack a long post that had a long time coming. It is time for the part 2 of my prediction for the Gen 8 Pokespe dexholders/dexholder analysis. I would recommend reading my previous “What Type are you?” but there is a recap below for need-to-know info. Skip to the asterisks if you've already read (thanks).

Grass type dexholder = character who has self-intrinsic motivation despite life pushing them down and the path to their goal doesn't hurt many people.

Fire type dexholder = character who tramples over anything or anyone in the way of their goal.

Water type dexholder = character who hides important information from other characters and is secretive.

Gen 8 Male Character Counterpart = water type

Gen 8 Female Character Counterpart = fire type

Relationship (platonic) between the two = more emotionally charged and dramatic than other pairs.

***Today in our analysis, part 2 looks at exploring the progression of Pokespe against the evolution of...comic books of all things...and how the sets of holders mirror the ages of comic books.

DISCLAIMER: I am personally not a fan of comic books, despite my love for the superhero shonen of BNHA, and all this information is extrapolated from online research. Also this post was inspired by a post on the dexholders opinions of the pokedex which I can't refind for the life of me because I DON'T KNOW HOW TO USE THIS FREAKING SEARCH BAR CORRECTLY. Credits to them for inspiration. Somewhere out there.

SPOILERS BEWARE.

So, let's start at the beginning with the main arcs for our first three dexholder trios (RGB, GSC, and RS; with Yellow and Emerald to a lesser extent). These arcs represent the Golden Age equivalent in Pokespe.

The Golden Age (from the late 1930's to the middle of the 1950's) is described as the introduction of archetypes for the genre, and heroes and villains were depicted as very white and black in order to provide moral for a society in wartime.

While the original arcs of the manga were marketed towards 10 year olds in the 1990s-2000s instead of 10 year olds in the time of WW2, there is many of the same patterns in how they present the stories.

The RGB arc is the most shonen-esque out of all of them, where Red simply plays the role of the standard protagonist you've seen countless times and an episodic formula for chapters. The rival of Blue also feels standard by this definition and the conflict with Team Rocket is pretty black and white. Giovanni is a mafia boss who kidnapped an entire town, genetically engineered multiple Pokemon through harsh experiments, was willing to murder kids; and all for “The Glory of Team Rocket.”

GSC gives you the exact kind of story you expect with a shonen target market and a hot-headed + headstrong main protagonist (a f*ckboy). The main villain of the Masked Man who kidnapped children also keeps him firmly on the evil side and our protagonists who oppose him firmly on the good one.

Then while RS may have been unexpected for most readers, considering a secretive male protagonist clashing with a headstrong female protagonist, a stronger character focus and development was to be expected. Plus, despite Ruby initially ignoring the fight against the region and Norman (who I still maintain is a sh*tty parent and should not have been forgiven for his treatment of Ruby that easily) both are still painted on the side of good. Ruby does the closest in giving a complex protagonist, but by the time he locks Sapphire in the aircar and teams up with Courtney, the reader can understand he's still on the side of good.

Mainly, the reason they never seem too morally grey in the first arc is that the in universe characters do not address their flaws as in depth as they should. Plus, the villains of Maxie and Archie are both shown be extremely corrupt and willing to endanger their own for the end means; providing a level of villainy to overshadow the grey tones of Norman and Ruby.

The arcs are all often grouped together when talking about Pokespe as well because the first three regions of dexholders are the only ones that have actually interacted with one another. And the post which I CAN'T find classified their stance on the Pokedex as they take their roles as protectors of the region seriously and accept the responsibility.

This translates well into the Golden Age characterization as this view of all the dexholders makes them appear more noble than most; magnifying the heroic traits of dexholders and heightening the contrast with the villainous teams.

Next up in the timeline was the Silver Age. The notable features of the Silver Age (mid 1950's to 1970) are hard to peg down, but they conclude important aspects are: targeting a wider audience including girls and adults, science fiction overcoming gods and magic in use in stories, and the pop art style started in this time period.

The Silver Age honestly doesn't have much to apply to Pokespe, but the Silver Age is a transitional era for comic books, as its boxed in by the much more influential ages of the Golden and Bronze ages. For Pokespe, its version of the Silver Age does seem to adjust its target audience to a wider audience of kid Pokemon fans (as there isn't too much “mature” content in Sinnoh or Unova arcs). However, its new hook lies in “the power of friendship”; also noted in that elusive post.

The DPP arcs centres around a trio that all become very close friends, with the Pokedexs canonically serving a role to demonstrate the bond all three of the characters have developed. Plus, Dia is a protagonist who completes believes in friendship for all as he listens to Cyrus is the Platinium arc, possibly giving him the chance to amend his wrongs.

BW may not have a trio of great dexholder friends, but the connection that develops between Black and White have a strong focus, and Black's friends of Cheren and Bianca also have a strong present in the story and exhibit the friendship that exist all between them. Meanwhile, the power of friendship cannot really apply to Team Plasma, but they definitely manifest the transition from “evil for the sake evil” to “complex motives that may not make them evil”. Despite N being the near definition of “morally grey” in Pokemon, the manga keeps him in a dark enough light that the reader can't fully think of him outside of evil—unlike the game.

Following up the Unova adventures in B2W2, this arc does a better job of emphasizing friendship. While Lack-two/Blake claims to lack any emotions, I'm not sure if it would hold up to a power of friendship punch in his emotionless face. Whi-two/Whitley also learns a lot about becoming friends as she gets closer and opens up to Blake—despite it being a ploy for information—still pushes the friendship theme. The evil is team is dealt with better as well, because Whitley has sympathy for N and the old values of Team Plasma, being a former member herself; and we see one of the older members aid Hugh in his search for Purloin. By having the new terrorist branch of Team Plasma cover the evil, it allows the members who follow the previous values to be painted in a redeemable light.

Finally, we arrive at the two most recent arcs of XY and SM/USUM. Or the Bronze Age equivalent of Pokespe.

The Bronze Age (1970-1985) of comics is the one people who are fans may know fairly well. Darker plots returned in full forces, tackling more serious topics such as poverty, pollution, and dangerous substances. Heroes were also more flawed and complex than they had ever been; and villains were dipped deeper into grey.

And if you've read the XY arc, these traits are probably ringing some alarm bells. The arc was extremely dark, expanding on the games in a way they never managed to achieve. The main theme of the arc is the apathy of society and how its flawed, self-serving natures screws over anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in its wake. This stance that Team Flare took against society had radical actions (tons of it), but the sucky behaviors demonstrated by Kalos citizens in the manga prove society is far from perfect. The story of Emma/Essentia is also compelling as you understand she is on the wrong side, but with some right reasons.

X is additionally one of the most flawed male player character protags by far; the best way to describe him being all the negative mental problems shoved into one 12-year old boy (which I mean in the most loving way possible). Y also has her repressed problems, and a standoff-ish/headstrong nature that puts her at odds with others; most notably with the huge fight with her mom.

Then, in the SM arc, despite the more lighthearted vibes that come from Alola; that does not undermine the Bronze age themes present throughout the arc. The manga does not shy away from manifesting the trauma Gladion and Lille have sustained from Lusamine going insane, Guzma smashes his head into a wall after losing a fight, and Lusamine's fusion with Nihelego horrifies our protagonists; as it probably should if you saw that for the first time. The manga seems to be going in the direction that Lusamine has lost all her marbles and can't be fully held responsible for her crazy actions. Plus, Sun's flaw of hyper-focusing on gaining all the yen he needs to buy back the island/hatred for the Aether Foundation; and Moon's flaw of a hero complex that causes her to help one problem, but abandon it for a new one when it comes up (on top of her cold attitude to people initially).

Their Pokedex stance was summed up in the post by: “WTF is this thing? I don't want it.” which fits pretty well with their overall stance on the region crisis. None of these four protagonists ever truly consented to saving the region. In Kalos, the reasons the protagonists fight back is that their town is destroyed and they are being assaulted by the evil team. And as for Alola, both Sun and Moon get sucked in slowly with smaller events until it's like: “Hey, you've bonded with the incarnations of the Sun and Moon. Guess you’re the last line of defence for Alola now!”

Thus, if the Ages have each of the three rotations sets in it, Gen 8 in the Galar region will also stick with the Bronze Age vibes. Though, that's to be elaborated on in a later post (so sorry).

Tl;dr The progression of arcs in Pokespe follow the same progression of comic books throughout the different ages. RGB-RS (also Emerald) are in the Golden Age, with standard archetypes and black and white divides between heroes and villains. The Silver Age doesn't tie in much to DDP-B2W2, but they are both transitional periods for villain characterization (evil, but with a chance for redemption) and have a new hook; this time in the form of friendship boosts. Last lies the Bronze Age for XY and SM arcs, known for darker plots, and complex and morally grey villains paired with complex and flawed protagonists.

[bestofme24]

only that i must

today i was assigned a 1-on-1 coach for my dieting and i asked her “what can i talk to you about?” to which she replied, “it’s super important for both of us to know what we’re working towards! if you’re open to sharing i’d love to hear more about what brought you here [to this dieting app].”

and i don’t know how not to say, “childhood trauma.”

because unlike other faults that i’ve discussed with my previous therapist, it seems silly to associate something as essential as food to my experience as a child. and as i’ve told my previous therapist, i did ultimately have a great childhood though something being great in its ultimate form does not mean that its parts cannot be less-than-great. 

my mother, who at the time did not know any better, suggested i join her in doing weight watchers. i was in fourth grade. she did not actually enroll me but she did share with me the little pamphlets in which we were encouraged to log our meals. now not only was my academic prowess graded but i was only allowed to consume up to “25 points” a day. 

i remember after class, i told my best friend about it. i whispered it to her in the corner of the room before we lined up for dismissal. i showed her the papers my mother had given to me like i was showing her drugs which had been dealt me. i remember wearing a pinkish coat. or perhaps my best friend was wearing a pinkish coat. i remember a vague sense of shame. i don’t know why i thought it was a secret. my mother certainly hadn’t sworn me to secrecy. 

i was told that if a person lost enough weight, they got a keychain and to that keychain, little charms would be added. 

my mother got the keychain with the charms.

i did not.

i was not actually enrolled.

...i was not old enough to be enrolled and could therefore never attain the prize of the keychain with the gradual collection of charms. they had a matte silver finish. i liked touching them. their smooth texture was comforting.

still i do not know how to tell my new 1-on-1 coach that i’ve downloaded this dieting app because, in so many words, i did not have the understanding mother i ought to have had as a fourth grader. i look at pictures from that year and i was so painfully normal. i was not a remarkable child but i was unknowingly led to believe that i was not the size a fourth grader should be. i was too big despite being one of the shortest in my class.

i recall how a friend responded after i told them how young i was when put on my first diet. my friend said, “but your parents were the ones who were feeding you. so, if your weight was a problem, wasn’t it their fault for feeding you too much food? or unhealthy food?” i’d never thought of it like that.

but isn’t it too late to blame them?

all i can do now is recall the deepest reasons for present-day triggers. 

i don’t know how to tell my 1-on-1 coach that the reason i have joined this dieting app is “childhood trauma.” i know only that i must. 

[scrambledgegs]

Lives vs Livelihood Tradeoff?

#SOanoNA?

    Just a few Mondays ago on July 27, 2020, President Duterte delivered his 5th SONA, and to no one’s surprise, it was composed of nothing but his usual angry tirades, off-tangent, incomprehensible ramblings and violent threats. His SONA has confirmed again – that apart from lockdowns, he still has no clear, feasible battleplan to counter this crippling pandemic.

     Much can tirelessly be said about his SONA, but one statement that I found satirically amusing was when he admonished the telco industry to strengthen their connectivity so that he jokingly, would be able to call Jesus in Bethlehem. I found myself actually wondering humorously, would Jesus even take his call?

Perhaps Digong wants to make an attempt at a lifeline call because where he knows he is eventually headed, I doubt there is reception down there, nor is there any broadcasted television shows, by his own special request.

On the 5th Month of Lockdown

    Less than a week after Duterte’s SONA, on August 1, 2020, the Philippine College of Physicians (PCP), through a signed letter, expressed their clamor for a revert to ECQ for the whole “Mega Manila for a period of two weeks, from August 1 to 15,” the same measures that were imposed beginning March 17, 2020 which was extended to May 15, 2020.

     Well-intentioned as these pleas were, and indeed, a validated cry for help, due to hospital over-congestion and the government’s weak response; I could not agree with the recommendation of another blanket ECQ, for we’ve already witnessed how the national government has made a mess of things. We all know what improvements happened during the first ECQ – absolutely nothing. I am no expert, but it seems that a better scenario would be for Manila to stay at the most, a GCQ environment and isolate specific at-risk areas.

    Let me start by first saying that do not get me wrong; I have the utmost respect and gratitude towards our doctors and members of the medical field. Enough cannot be said about what our medical frontliners have been doing for the country – the bouts of hardships they undergo everyday – physical and emotional battles that we as members of the non-medical sector would never truly understand. They are indeed heroes, and they are dealing with the ugliness of this pandemic on a whole other level. It would also be hypocritical for me to say that truly I understand what they are going through because I am not a medical frontliner, or even any kind of frontliner.

     However, as much as I stand with our medical frontliners, I also stand for an optimal mix of health/medical and economic initiatives, led by fact-based, scientific approaches to combat our relentless problems. Of course, we all know this is easier said than done.

In the words of another Filipino physician, “Whatever type of lockdown we impose – ECQ, MECQ, GCQ – we will not beat the pandemic without a comprehensive, scientific and systematic policy” (Alliance of Health Workers, National President, Taken from ANC, August 3, 2020).

  NO to ECQ, but a resounding YES to a better Health response by the National Government

    I agree that COVID-19 began as first and foremost a health problem and should have been dealt with as such, but now on our 5th month of community quarantine and entering a recession, the problem has snowballed into a socio-economic and political fiasco. In my Facebook feed, I read a post by the honorable Congressman Toff de Venecia who, in the context of the Lower House proposing a comprehensive Php1.3 Trillion stimulus package, stated that:

“Cong. Stella Quimbo, one of our fiercest lady legislators and a top economist in the country, has estimated that the Philippine economy will be losing 12 billion pesos a day for every day that we're on a two-week lockdown. That's a cumulative amount of 168 billion lost to our economy.”

 The post was referring to the country’s current state, as the government has reimplemented stricter lockdown measures: MECQ from the previous GCQ, beginning August 4, 2020.

     Yet, imagine, what will be further lost if an actual ECQ is imposed? These frightening numbers represent industries, companies, SMEs, employees, daily wage earners, sole breadwinners, etc directly and indirectly connected to businesses and counterparties that will not be allowed to operate during ECQ. Whatever was salvaged by easing restrictions, will be killed off or reduced to morsels by a second ECQ. Tip of the iceberg scenarios are: Life-savings of smaller-time entrepreneurs (who make up more than 90% of the country) will be wiped out, and they will have no means of financing, as banks and microlenders are understandably practicing austere and conservative lending measures right now. With continuous rock-bottom revenues, mass layoffs will increase and companies could default on their existing loans, and as a result, smaller banks may shutdown. Many could literally die before COVID-19 even finds its way to them, and as we know, ECQ does not allow for family members or loved ones to be present at their burial.

     To impose ECQ at this point in time with NO other moving parts or ongoing strategies in place to supplement it, is a futile attempt. It is a jab in the dark, band-aid and short-term solution at the cost of staggering resources and lives. We will have both rising COVID-19 cases and a dead economy.

     Furthermore, strict lockdowns, such as ECQ, are convenient tools that the administration utilizes to divert attention away from the real problems and boost their own agendas, through authoritarian and militaristic approaches.

In an article from The Economist (July 11th-17th 2020), entitled “Four months and counting, A ferocious lockdown lingers on, despite uncertain benefits,” the author writes: “On July 3rd [Duterte] signed into law a sweeping anti-terrorism bill which, among other things, allows suspects to be detained without a judge’s approval for up to 14 days. How this will help the Philippines through its current trauma is anyone’s guess” (The Economist, July 2020).

  “WE are in a losing battle against COVID-19, and we need to come up with a consolidated plan”

     These were the words written in the PCP’s letter. To supplement their ECQ recommendation, they have proposed seven (7) points in the letter. Below is the copy of the letter:

Multi-dimensional Problems

     Nobody in the right mind would disagree that there is a case for this letter; these are reasonable points that truly warrant immediate and swift action, but I also wonder if the physician writers of this letter consulted with experts or consultants from the economic sector and related fields? It is not my intention to pit industries against each other. In fact, how I wish these points would be granted. Yet these lofty recommendations sound more idealistic than feasible, and may possibly further handicap the health sector.

     I DO agree that this letter identifies specific gaps and presents a guiding framework on what needs to be prioritized pronto. I however have comments pertaining to numbers 4, 6 and 7:

#4. On Transportation safety

But how about Public Transportation?

    In the event of another ECQ, one concerning aspect is that all modes of public transportation are to be firmly suspended. Again, how will commuting medical frontliners, not to mention employees of “essential services” get to work? In a Manila Times article written last April 4, 2010, which was during ECQ, business columnist Robert Siy wrote:

“Frontline workers are suffering from the shortage of public transport services. My estimate is that 2/3 of these workers are seriously affected — they are either unable to get to work or experience serious difficulty in reaching their destinations (e.g. having to walk over an hour each way). In supermarkets and groceries, lines at checkout lanes are long because many cashiers have not made it to work. Those who do are already weary by the time they get to their posts then they have to carry the load of those unable to get to work. A similar story is playing out in hospitals and clinics” (Siy, April 4, 2020).

    It must be highlighted that government departments such as DOTr and the AFP during ECQ made some commendable initiatives too like by chartering over 100 vehicles to transport medical frontliners to and from work. However, this number, including other factors such as, the way our roads are built, limited bus routes and strategic drop-off/pick-up points, “are reaching only a small fraction of those in need.”

     “As of March 24, when there were 72 buses fielded on 14 routes, only 1,113 workers were served. On March 27, the DoTr and other agencies fielded 106 buses on 18 routes; these buses collectively carried only 1,402 health workers that day — an average of just 13 passengers per bus for the entire day” (Siy, April 4, 2020).

     Since no tricycles or jeepneys will be allowed to operate during ECQ, this leaves medical frontliners still having to walk great distances to get to and from drop-off/pick-up points, and of course feeling exhausted and fatigued by the time they get to work and thus, further increasing their likelihood of getting sick.

     This type of free shuttling service is also not economically sustainable, unless the private sector gets more heavily involved. For them to be able to stay involved, is that they need revenues – which they will not be able to achieve with ECQ.

#6: On Public compliance with self-protection

But how about the revival of the economy, Mental Health and well…Hope?

I somewhat agree with the PCP’s statement that “The progressive lifting of quarantine has sent a public message that the pandemic is getting better. It is not.”

     However, I’d also like to think that there are many well-informed Filipinos who know that the number of COVID-19 cases have escalated (now more than 119,000), and perhaps it was not the intention of (at least some officials) to convey this message of false hope. The rationale behind easing community quarantine restrictions was to slowly resuscitate the dying economy.

      Under GCQ for instance, I recognize that while some are able to practice “voluntary ECQ” or strict social-distancing and stay-at-home measures because they can afford to, many more cannot afford this luxury. I can see why a direct and definitive ECQ proclamation seems like the only way to really enforce these critical daily practices. However, like earlier mentioned, at destructive socio-economic costs.

     Moreover, let us not forget that the Philippines holds the record for having the longest lockdown in the world, but we as a sociable and gregarious culture, also have the strong need to be with other people. Naturally, nobody can really withstand being alone and forever cooped up, and indeed, a social facet of a prolonged lockdown are detrimental effects on mental health. Mental health problems are very real and present, and should not be taken lightly. All of us have been directly affected in one way or the other, and we all by now have felt the pangs of hopelessness and anxiety creeping up from time to time. Some days are better or worse than others.

#7 On Social Amelioration

But what are to become of the deemed “non-essential” industries and the services sector?

     The PCP letter also sought to “ask your good offices to reconsider the pronouncement of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) regarding the approval to reopen businesses such as gyms, fitness centers, tutorial services, review centers, internet cafes, pet grooming services, drive-in cinemas previously closed.

     Again, I am of mixed feelings about this statement. The Philippines can be described as a consumption-driven economy, and as such, it only follows that the Services sector makes up 56.2% of the Philippines’s GDP, well at least as of FY 2018. Prior COVID-19, services consistently posted an average growth of 6%-7%, leading the pack among the other economic sectors    

     Indeed, “Healthy people to reinvigorate the economy” are of course needed to win this battle, but the country also needs the wheels of business and commerce to keep going on, in order to keep healthy people healthy and pump monetary fuel into the economy.

Recalibration

     In no disrespect, perhaps the medical industry can recalibrate their efforts to collectively clamor for such above (7) points, together with a meeting of minds from the economic sector and related fields, but remove ECQ from the equation. It is a hard reality that the loss of lives and livelihood is tragically inevitable, but it does not have to boil down to a stark “lives vs livelihood” tradeoff.

Our health sector have their countrymen’s support, and only a tyrant would dismiss this alarming distress call.

And indeed, after above PCP letter was made public, President Duterte was again all over the news lambasting our health workers and goading them to indeed start a revolution, even if none of that was remotely articulated in the letter. However, now that I think about it, perhaps his pre-emptive taunts for one may be what needs to be done, at least in our own way for now.

[motivationsuccess]

PSI Belief – The Rock Upon Which Your Success Will be Built by Stuart Goldsmith

Stuart Goldsmith

PSI (pronounced "sigh"), means Positive Self Image. We should all have a Positive Self Image if we are to be happy, successful, loving and complete human beings. Unfortunately, few of us have a very strong PSI, and a lot of us have a pronounced Negative Self Image (NSI).

In the previous chapter I told you how lack of PSI-belief WILL prevent you from achieving the things you want in life. How much it will prevent you, depends entirely upon the depth of your Negative Self Image.

There is a very simple relationship between your PSI and your achievement potential: The STRONGER your PSI, the MORE you will achieve.

The converse is also true: The STRONGER your NSI, the LESS you will achieve.

Remember that this is INDEPENDENT of your abilities, and independent of 'luck', although these two are frequently blamed for the failure which always accompanies a Negative Self Image.

I also told you that PSI cannot be improved by rational argument, this is because the subconscious mind does not understand argument, and PSI is buried deep in the subconscious.

Therefore I will not devote this chapter to telling you what a really wonderful human being you are and how you deserve all the things you really want in life. Although this is true, it will not have much of an effect on your Negative Self Image.

Instead I want to explain a little bit about how people get Negative Self Images in the first place; then I'll tell you how to dramatically improve your PSI to the point where you can unlock the doorway to success.

Where Does NSI Come From?

All people are dealt a full hand of PSI at birth.

Deep in the womb, the baby feels warm, relaxed and loved. It has no inkling of the potential dangers which lie outside. If it could enter into a discussion with you, it would probably say that it felt valued and wanted; in other words, it would have a high PSI-level. (Arguments about pre- birth traumas aside for the moment.)

After birth, the baby enters the 'stage of life' upon which will be enacted an important drama. All good drama has conflict as an underlying theme; and in this case the conflict is between the forces which increase the child's PSI level, and those which decrease it.

You entered onto this stage the moment you were born, and since that moment, you have been subjected to some forces which made you feel good (increased your PSI), and some forces which made you feel bad (decreased your PSI or increased your NSI).

These forces we will call "strokes". (A term used by Dr Eric Berne.)

The present level of your PSI-belief is a direct result of these conflicting strokes throughout your past life.

If you have a high PSI, then you received more (or better quality) positive strokes than negative.

If you have a low PSI, then you received more (or stronger) negative strokes than positive.

I will now tell you something which is very important:

These strokes have far more effect upon your PSI when you are younger than when you are older. (By 'older' I mean over about twelve!) Remember also that strokes are stored away subconsciously, so you don't have much access to them via your conscious mind.

Positive and negative strokes started to accumulate when you were born (some would argue before). As a baby you immediately started to store away feelings about your own self-worth (PSI- belief), depending upon how your parents handled you and spoke to you. If they spoke softly and were kind, loving and gentle, then your PSI started to increase. On the other hand, if they were rough and unkind, your PSI started to decrease.

In the real world, most babies are neither loved absolutely, or continually brutalised, so you probably received a mixture of positive and negative strokes. Hopefully you received far more positive than negative, but if it was the other way round, then you were off to a bad start with a pronounced NSI.

The process did not stop there. As you grew up into a toddler and learnt to speak, you started to be bombarded with messages intended to alter your PSI one way or another.

Wait a minute! Surely the PSI is not affected by messages like these?

That's right! It is not really affected by the CONTENT of the message (although the I-CAN is!), but it IS affected by the EMOTIONAL TONE of the message. Put simply, the WORDS are not important, it is the WAY THEY ARE SAID which affects the PSI.

For example, you could say really softly, gently and lovingly to a one-year-old: "I wish you would go and boil your head, I can't stand the sight of you!" The chances are that the child would smile sweetly back at you.

Alternatively, you could yell loudly and angrily at the same child: "I think a banana is a yellow skinned fruit!" and no doubt it would burst into tears and become very upset.

The CONTENT was unimportant, it was the EMOTIONAL TONE which had the effect.

I will now tell you something surprising: Even when you are old enough to understand language it is STILL the emotional tone of the message which affects your PSI-level and not the content.

(The CONTENT affects your I-CAN level but we will be discussing that in the next chapter.)

Let me give you some examples:

Danny is four years old and very pleased with the model boat he has just made. He toddles up to Daddy and proudly displays his handiwork.

Daddy says in a flat monotone without looking up from his paper: "That's really very good Danny, well done." Danny feels dejected and toddles off to play by himself.

Although the CONTENT was correct, the EMOTIONAL TONE did not support it! The EMOTIONAL TONE effectively said: "I don't care about you, I'm far more interested in my newspaper." And this was the message received and filed away in Danny's subconscious.

Score minus-one for Danny's PSI-belief!

How about this though? :- Danny toddles up with his model boat and shows it to Dad. Dad puts down the paper, takes the boat, admires it, smiles broadly at Danny then gives him a great big hug. ALL WITHOUT SAYING A WORD!

Danny goes away glowing with pride, even though the verbal CONTENT of the exchange was zero!

Score plus-one for Danny's PSI-belief!

The messages received between birth and about five years old play a major part in determining your present level of PSI-belief. I would estimate that these messages formulated over half of your PSI belief, and that the remainder came as a result of all the years since!

If at least half of your PSI-belief was formed before you were five, is it any wonder that you cannot access it via your conscious mind? It is there nevertheless and it controls your life as effectively as a puppet-master controls a puppet.

School Days

When you went to school you opened yourself up to an absolute barrage of messages, a great many of which affected your PSI-belief.

Even here though, the CONTENT did not really affect your PSI-belief, but the EMOTIONAL TONE certainly did.

Supposing your mathematics mistress took you to one side and said to you very kindly: "Although you have a lively and inquiring mind, and despite the fact that you have tried really hard this year, I feel that maths is probably not the subject for you. However, your many other abilities outweigh this and I have suggested to the headmistress that you be allowed to join the fourth year Latin class."

The CONTENT of this message is a bit of a downer. She is effectively saying that you are useless at maths, AND THIS WILL BE NOTED WELL BY THE I-CAN. However, she has not really affected your feeling of self-worth because her EMOTIONAL TONE suggested that she liked you, and that you were a really worthwhile person.

Contrast this with the same treatment your friend receives at the hand of the dreaded Mr Masters: "Pay attention Jones, you disgusting, snivelling little creep! Just because you're top of the class and get every answer right, doesn't give a smart-ass like you permission to dream your worthless life away staring through the window!"

A little extreme perhaps, but the CONTENT was effectively telling Jones that he was really good at maths! (AND THIS WILL BE NOTED BY HIS I-CAN), however, how do you think the message affected his PSI? BADLY! His PSI-belief only heard the EMOTIONAL TONE of the exchange, which effectively told Jones that he was not a worthwhile person, and that the master despised and loathed him.

His PSI-belief will be greatly reduced if exposed to too much of this type of treatment - particularly if it is being re-enforced in his home life.

Out of School

As we grow up and mature, we become somewhat less sensitive to direct assaults on our PSI-belief. (As I said earlier, a large part of your PSI-belief is formed before the age of five.)

For example, if you were involved in a car accident and an offended party started waving his fists and saying things like:

"Your sort shouldn't be allowed on the road", it is unlikely that you would allow this to affect your PSI- level. You would (hopefully) be mature enough to make allowances for circumstances.

However, a great deal of PSI-damage can be done by a process called 'discounting'. Put simply, anything which discounts you as a human being is likely to decrease your PSI-level. Two trivial examples will suffice - I'm sure we have all experienced these, or something like them:

You are waiting to get served at a crowded bar. Your turn comes and goes, but no matter what you do the barman seems to ignore you, (although he serves several people on either side of you).

You feel discounted and worthless because the implied message is: "All these people are more important than you, you're worthless."

Or: You are waiting in a queue, (a peculiarly British pastime), when someone pushes in front of you. Again you feel very upset; not because you have to wait a little longer but because you received the message: "You're so worthless I'm not even going to acknowledge your presence."

Too many of these situations without the compensating positive strokes can cause a gradual decrease in an otherwise mature person's PSI-level.

It is very important that you understand that PSI is a dynamic, changing thing and is affected by daily positive and negative strokes. EVEN THE MOST RUGGED PSI WOULD CRUMBLE IF DEPRIVED OF POSITIVE STROKES FOR TOO LONG.

No person is an island unto themselves. For example, if someone with a really high PSI were to find themselves in solitary confinement, say in a prison camp where they were being continually brutalised, and without access to positive strokes (e.g. other prisoners), it would be an alarmingly short time before their PSI level was reduced to nothing. This extreme example should serve as a reminder to us that we have to continually maintain our PSI-belief.

Later in the book I'll be giving you methods for improving and maintaining your PSI-level on a daily basis.

I was very excited when I first realised that PSI-belief was VITAL to achieving success, because up until that point I had blamed external forces for my lack of achievement. Of course these external forces (lack of money, bad luck) being external were OUT OF MY CONTROL. If they were out of my control I couldn't do anything about improving my situation could I? I wasn't to blame! I could happily carry on moaning about my bad fortune, complaining about my lack of abilities, talents or money and starting every other sentence with "If only....". After all, what could I do about it?

When I realised that PSI-belief was the real controlling factor, and that all the other things which I had blamed were MINOR by comparison to this, it was as though I had suddenly woken up. The shock of realisation was quite a powerful and liberating experience. It is my sincere hope that through this book, you will come to have this experience yourself.

I was still puzzled by one thing though. WHY does your subconscious mind prevent you from achieving all the good things which you deserve? It seemed to me to be plainly stupid that a part of your mind could plot against you to stop you from being happy! I could understand it if it were the other way round, for example if the subconscious mind prevented you from smoking, drinking or taking drugs because it knew that these things would harm you! But the very reverse is true. Most of us do some or all of these things KNOWING that they WILL harm us!

The Pay-off

The mind does not do things without a reason. There has to be a 'pay-off' for all behaviour, EVEN NEGATIVE BEHAVIOUR.

The 'pay-off' for positive behaviour was obvious to me. We indulge ourselves in good food and drink and we wear nice clothes, because these things feel good and have very few negative effects.

I could also understand the 'pay-off' for physically harmful things like smoking. Obviously the instant pleasure was a stronger influence than the spectre of some possible future health problem.

What I could not understand, for a long time, was WHY the subconscious should seek to prevent you from achieving something good which had no (obvious) negative effects. Why should your lack of PSI make you act in a way which was guaranteed to make you fail, hence make you feel more miserable and worthless and thereby RE-ENFORCE your NSI? It seemed like a vicious circle with no obvious reason or 'pay- off'.

I pondered over this for a long time without coming to a firm conclusion. It seemed to me to be an essential flaw in the argument, an irritating 'missing link'.

A behavioural psychologist could easily have answered my question for me, but at the time I didn't realise this. I had to read several psychology books before I found the answer.

The answer I found in those books may surprise you; it certainly amazed me!

Put very simply, I believe the answer to be this: The subconscious mind doesn't really care a fig for 'happiness' as such. Happiness is an extremely abstract concept anyway.

A Zen monk is exceedingly happy sitting for long hours every day meditating, whereas you or I might be extremely unhappy doing this.

I might be happy running a large company, whereas this same situation could cause another person extreme distress.

You might be happy painting pictures all day long, but I might find the same thing tedious in the extreme.

I might think that I would be happy with a million pounds, but find that I was unhappy when I actually got it.

The subconscious mind COULDN'T CARE LESS about your goals, ambitions and dreams. It is REALLY NOT INTERESTED in your plans to become a millionaire or your ambitions to run your own chain of designer clothes shops. All these things are as illusory to the subconscious mind as your dreams are to your conscious mind!

The subconscious mind views the conscious mind as a whirlpool of thoughts, ambitions, hopes, half-formed ideas and sensory data and DOESN'T PAY MUCH ATTENTION to the detail - it finds it confusing.

Similarly, the conscious mind views the subconscious mind as a whirlpool of images, feelings emotions and dreams.

I was now on the trail of something big. If the subconscious mind doesn't give a damn about your 'success' or 'lack of success', (two extremely difficult concepts for the subconscious mind to grasp anyway), what does it care about?

Physical World View

The answer is SURVIVAL. Or, more accurately, MAINTENANCE OF A COHERENT WORLD VIEW. That's a bit of a mouthful, but what it really means is that the subconscious is DESPERATELY trying to make sense of the external world and your place in it.

Furthermore, IT DOESN'T LIKE CHANGING ITS BELIEF IN THE WAY THE WORLD IS! No sir, not one little bit! It doesn't mind making the odd little adjustment to the picture; a little tweak here and there to keep the picture in line with the facts, but it HATES making any major changes.

Why is this?

Because the WORLD VIEW, which you painstakingly pieced together in your very early years, is an essential survival tool. Without a consistent World View you are doomed.

Your World View tells you that a floor in a room is likely to support you as you walk across it. It tells you that most people are friendly and are unlikely to suddenly attack you unprovoked.

It tells you that rain will not kill you but that electricity might. It tells you that you can drink water but not bleach.

If you had to work these things out for yourself every time you encountered them, you could not possibly survive. It's hard enough surviving your first electric shock or brush with fire!

The Mental Jigsaw

There are thousands upon thousands of pieces to this jigsaw puzzle which the subconscious mind painstakingly put together, through bitter and painful experience, to comprise a picture of the world and how you fit into it. It was hard-won!

Because this picture is so hard-won and required real EFFORT to construct, the subconscious mind is VERY RELUCTANT to change large, firmly established pieces of the main puzzle.

Unlike real jigsaw puzzles, the WORLD VIEW picture is growing all the time as you find out new things about the world around you, but at your age, these are changes to the periphery of the puzzle and are quite minor; they do not affect the main body of the picture.

For example, you might watch a T.V. documentary on fashion trends in the young and thereby expand your World View to include the possibility that short skirts were back in fashion. But if another T.V. documentary told you that the moon was made of cheese, you would strongly suspect a spoof!

The first example involved a change only to the periphery of your World View jigsaw, so you were willing to accept it, but the second example threatened a change to some of your central pieces, so your subconscious mind rejected it.

But the moon really could be made of cheese for all you know! You've never been there or touched it, so how do you know? Obviously the facts don't matter so much to the subconscious, it is belief which holds those central pieces of the puzzle firmly in place.

This is why people who hold deep-seated irrational beliefs like racial prejudices, do not require the inconvenience of facts to back them up; belief is quite enough.

Changing the Puzzle

What happens if you try to change one of the main pieces of the puzzle?

The answer is that the subconscious mind will respond strongly with FEAR and RESISTANCE to the change. It will ask the conscious mind to examine the data again and again to see if the change is real, or whether it can be squeezed into the existing World View.

It will effectively ask: "ARE YOU REALLY SURE ABOUT THIS???"

If the change is a really big one then a mental breakdown could result, such is the strength of the subconscious resistance to changes in the main body of the picture!

For example: Supposing you walked into a room and saw a man suddenly rise up from the floor and hover, suspended in mid-air, six inches from the ceiling. This event would seriously undermine a major piece of your World View puzzle. (The piece which says that people cannot defy gravity without artificial means.)

Your first response would be SHOCK. Shock at such a basic piece of the jigsaw being violated. The conscious mind would attempt to change the World View of the subconscious mind by saying: "Look, a flying man!" The subconscious mind would respond with, "NO WAY!"

Such would be the reluctance of the subconscious mind to change the World View, that it would INSIST upon the conscious mind examining the facts very carefully again.

So you would dutifully examine every detail of the floating man. You would check carefully for ropes or wires, mirrors or other foul means of deception. Then you would pass this summarised data back to the subconscious mind; effectively saying, "Sorry, but it really is a floating man!"

The subconscious mind would STILL REFUSE TO ACCEPT THIS, and certainly would NOT start to alter the basic World View. It would suggest that the conscious mind look yet again! It must be a joke, surely? Or a trick; yes, someone was playing a trick! It wasn't a real man up there, probably a hydrogen-filled balloon in the shape of a man.

In short, the subconscious would try ANYTHING, no matter how wild, to convince itself that what was being experienced could be fitted into the EXISTING World View. It would FIGHT and SCREAM and KICK against making any alterations to that World View.

If, despite everything, the conscious mind could find no trickery, deception or illusion; would the subconscious then grudgingly accept that men could, under certain circumstances, float up to the ceiling? NO WAY! NOT A CHANCE! Instead, you would run out of the room screaming with terror! Anything rather than change such a basically- held belief.

Later on, you would go over the incident and think up some logical explanation for the event; something you had missed at the time, some reasonable method which would account for what you had seen. It was probably a publicity stunt; the man MUST have been supported somehow, after all, it was no different to those conjurors on the television, they were always doing things like that weren't they?

When your subconscious mind had seized upon an explanation, no matter how bizarre, it would breathe a BIG SIGH OF RELIEF at not having to change the World View! Everything would be back to normal, it could relax.

The Mystery Horse

Here is something which happened to me recently: One night I walked into my bedroom without bothering to switch on the light. I nearly died with fright! There, lurking in the corner, was the shadow of a horse!

My World View was being hit hard! How could a horse be in my bedroom? It wasn't possible! My subconscious mind didn't believe it either, and asked me to look again. Closer examination revealed, not a horse but a crane. A crane? That was just as daft! The subconscious again refused to start tinkering with the jigsaw and asked me to check more carefully. I went through several other possibilities in my mind before I realised that it was the new bookshelf which I had installed that very day, casting a strange shadow on the wall.

All this happened in the space of less than one second!

This fascinating experience gave me great insight into how the subconscious mind works. It FEARS changes in the World View and it will desperately try to fit a known explanation onto the unknown event, in an attempt to make it CONSISTENT with its existing World View. It will try every combination of ideas to explain the unknown, until it comes up with one which fits. If, despite trying everything, it is still confronted with the unknown, then it will often PANIC and run a mile! This has great survival value.

Obviously the World View can, and does change. The subconscious is not set in concrete! However, pieces of the jigsaw which are considered inviolate require a great deal of effort to change. Other pieces of lesser importance require less effort to change.

Five Wheels on my Wagon

For example, most cars have four wheels. If you saw one which had five wheels you would look at it for some time and try to evaluate it. Eventually you would be prepared to consider the possibility that five wheeled cars do exist, but this change is unlikely to cause you major problems.

However, it is interesting to note that even such a minor change as this is likely to cause you to comment on it to friends and associates: "Hey, you'll never guess what I saw today....", because the subconscious mind is SEEKING RE- ASSURANCE on even this minor point. It wants other people to say: "Haven't you seen a five-wheeled car before? They're getting really common now!" Then it can RELAX and stop worrying about this irritating unknown event.

Let me tell you in four simple sentences how the subconscious mind operates in this instance:

IT BUILDS A CONSISTENT WORLD VIEW (Mainly in the early years)

IT ACCEPTS SMALL ALTERATIONS (But grudgingly)

IT FEARS AND REJECTS LARGE ALTERATIONS

IT TAKES INCREDIBLE EFFORT TO CHANGE LARGE PIECES OF THE JIGSAW

Obviously the subconscious mind is vastly more complex than this, and has been the subject of many books and a great deal of scholarly thought, but this simple explanation will suffice for our purposes.

I have told you a little about how the subconscious mind likes to build a physical picture of the world around it. This is essential if you are to survive. However, in addition to building a nice, cozy picture of the physical world around you, the subconscious mind also likes to build another picture which is equally as powerful.

This is the picture of WHO you are and HOW you fit into the society and environment around you. It it this facet of the World View which is important to our discussions.

Here is something very interesting:

The subconscious mind works in EXACTLY the same way when it comes to defending its views about WHO you are and WHAT you are, as it does to defending its picture of how the outside physical world should behave.

In other words, the subconscious will KICK HARD against any attempt to change your beliefs about who and what you are.

And the pay-off is............. SECURITY!

To the subconscious mind, SECURITY is everything. It will vigorously oppose any attempt on your part to change the World View, and it will do this DESPITE ANY EFFECT ON YOUR 'HAPPINESS'!!

As I said earlier, it couldn't care less about your happiness, but it DOES care about SECURITY - the security of a consistent World View.

This was the answer to the question which had been puzzling me for so long. Here was the secret of WHY a lack of PSI prevented you from achieving all of the things which you deserved.

The subconscious mind is SCARED of changing main pieces of your jigsaw just as it is of changing main pieces of your physical jigsaw. Once it has worked out where you fit into the social scale, IT IS MOST RELUCTANT TO MAKE A CHANGE IN THIS PICTURE.

Your earliest experiences affected your PSI-belief until your subconscious mind had built up a nice, solid picture of WHO you were, and HOW MUCH YOU WERE WORTH as an individual. During the first few years of your life, your Positive Self Image (or lack of it), became firmly established in the subconscious mind; it became, (along with many other things), one of the CENTRAL pieces of the jigsaw; remember this, not an OUTSIDE piece (where the jigsaw can grow), but a CENTRAL piece.

This social picture covers many topics, for example it defines:

Your 'Class'. How you feel about yourself. How you think others feel about you. How much you feel you are 'worth'. How lovable you are. How much you feel you deserve. And many, many more things.

All those positive and negative strokes received during your formative years, helped the subconscious to build a firm level of PSI-belief, which was then added to the rest of the social jigsaw to form a nice, cosy World View. Whilst the subconscious mind is happy to tinker around with the edges of this picture, it HATES to touch the main body of the picture because of the INSECURITY which this will bring.

That is why the methods which I will share with you are so powerful! When you alter your PSI-belief you swap some pretty large pieces of jigsaw puzzle. This will cause FEAR and INSECURITY in your subconscious and you must be prepared to deal with these whilst your PSI is being overhauled.

Believe me it is a small price to pay for the lasting happiness and success which my method will bring you.

A Place For Everyone

There is a saying that "Everyone likes to know their place." I have found this to be very true!

Some time ago I went to a party where I did not know many people.

I was apprehensive about this party because I had not been told much about it. For example, I did not know what type of party it would be (e.g. dinner or disco), what dress standards were expected of me, what time to arrive, what to bring, or really anything very much at all.

I guessed at the clothes I should wear, (something nice and safe to cover the maximum number of possibilities), took along a bottle of quite good wine (just good enough for dinner but not too good for a disco), and arrived at a fashionably safe eight o'clock.

I took this opportunity to examine how my subconscious mind was working - and I was really amazed! (You have to be very alert to catch your subconscious mind in operation because it acts very quickly.)

I walked into that room, (clutching my bottle of wine), and my subconscious mind was ALIVE and RACING in an effort to evaluate the social position as rapidly as possible. So DESPERATE was I to work out my social position in this strange group, that for a good ten seconds I just stood in the doorway, soaking up data.

My eyes raced around the room examining a cross-section of the people there; men first, then women. (Had I been a woman it would have been the other way round.) In under two seconds I had scanned twenty people and worked out an average standard of dress, compared it with my own, and filed away the difference.

(Not too significant, I was about right.)

My subconscious mind breathed a small sigh of relief!

Then my eyes flitted round the room and evaluated the whole 'scene' as one entity. Within less than a second I had evaluated the 'type of party', and compared it with the complete list of every other party I had ever been to in my life, before filing it away under the heading which fitted best -'Smart disco/buffet'.

Since I had been to many such parties, I also attached an anxiety level to this information - (low anxiety).

My subconscious mind breathed a slightly larger sigh of relief.

IT WAS STILL ONLY THREE SECONDS SINCE I HAD WALKED THROUGH THE DOOR!

I was a bit more relaxed by now, so I took a leisurely two seconds to examine the groupings of people. Since I was on my own, I was looking to see if people were mainly in couples, or if there were quite a few obviously single people.

I could relax again; there were quite a few single people.

After this, I took three seconds to evaluate the average CLASS of the people at the party. This incredible feat involved scanning about thirty people at random and making value-judgments about each one's clothes, hair, posture, face, voice and manner; then averaging the whole lot to arrive at an 'average class' of the party, (chosen from an internal subconscious scale of about 100 sub-classes). I compared this average with my own class (a deeply held PSI- belief), and worked out if I was higher or lower class than most of the people there.

The subconscious mind didn't really care if I was higher OR lower class so long as I was ABOUT THE SAME as most of the people there. What it feared was the UNKNOWN situation of spending an evening with people of a very different class.

I could relax! My subconscious mind was not being forced to re-evaluate its World View. My level of fear diminished and I walked into the room with confidence.

Total elapsed time? Under ten seconds!

In America, and other nearly classless societies, an identical process would be carried out, but with wealth as the criteria rather than class. In Britain, despite what anyone says, it is definitely CLASS which people evaluate first, THEN their comparative wealth.

Do you see how my subconscious mind was DESPERATE to know where it fitted in? It was REALLY SCARED about that party, until it had evaluated the data collected by the conscious mind and worked out exactly where the party fitted into its World View.

Had I walked into that room to find everyone dressed in funny blue uniforms and doing a dance which I had never seen before, I would have been REALLY ANXIOUS, almost to the point of turning and running! I would have spent the first few minutes FRANTICALLY trying to work out where I fitted into this party, and how I related to these people.

An Experiment

Parties are excellent places for realising the extent to which your subconscious needs to know where you fit in.

You can try this interesting experiment for yourself: Next time you are at a party and a stranger asks you what you do, try the following style of conversation:

Stranger: "What do you do?" (They mean for a living)

You: "Do? Well sometimes I play golf."

Stranger: "Oh! You're a golfer."

You: "No, I just play golf sometimes."

Stranger: "I see, but what do you really do?"

You: "I read quite a lot."

Stranger: "Do you work in a library?"

You: "No, but I like books."

Stranger: "Where do you work?"

You: "At home."

Stranger: "Oh, you're self employed! What do you do?"

You: "Well sometimes I play golf..."

Obviously this is not guaranteed to win you many friends, but the object of the experiment is to avoid giving the other person any concrete information about yourself for as long as possible.

Then watch them get more and more upset until they walk away!

Why do they get so upset? It is because their subconscious mind is struggling to 'classify' you, to get you neatly pigeon-holed away under the heading, 'Writer, lower-upper- middle class, fairly well off, unmarried, fanciable but not sexy,' or whatever label applies to you.

Until their subconscious mind can file you away in this manner, it cannot relax because its immediate World View is unknown. Their ANGER stems from FEAR.

So now you know something about PSI-belief! You know that it is ESSENTIAL to have a high level of PSI-belief before you can achieve all the things which you desire. I have told you that your level of PSI-belief is formed very early on in your life as a result of positive and negative strokes which you received.

You also know that this PSI-belief is a deeply held conviction on the part of your subconscious; it is a central piece of the main jigsaw puzzle which forms the picture of the world, and the subconscious is VERY RELUCTANT to change it.

In fact rather than change the level of PSI-belief, the subconscious will FORCE you to act in a manner which 'proves' that the currently held level of PSI-belief is correct.

How Does This Work?

Put simply; if your PSI-belief tells you that you are a failure and do not deserve to succeed, your subconscious will make you act in a way which is GUARANTEED to ensure failure, rather than change a piece of the main jigsaw picture. In this way it ensures stability and security.

Do you remember my business friend? Do you see now why he failed?

His subconscious KNEW that he did not deserve to succeed, a central piece of his jigsaw had the words "You're useless", written on them. Despite the best efforts of his conscious mind to change his circumstances, his subconscious was NOT WILLING to tinker around with basically-held beliefs. It was far more

interested in SECURITY and MAINTAINING ITS WORLD VIEW.

The result? The subconscious forced my friend to act in a way which would ensure failure, thereby PROVING the subconscious right! The subconscious could now relax again because its World View was not being threatened, leaving my poor friend's conscious mind to wonder what went wrong!

In the second section of the book, I'll be showing you how to BOOST your PSI-belief, thereby removing one of the main obstacles in the path of success. Once you have been freed from NSI, the SKY IS THE LIMIT! You can achieve ANYTHING which you want to.

You will no longer limit yourself to second best but instead, you will travel FIRST-CLASS through life. Why? Because you will know that you deserve it.

Extracted from the book 'The Midas Method' by Stuart Goldsmith

 buy this book

via SOFT SKILL AND MOTIVATION

[pyotra]

Given the topic, both of the many loves and the violence, as well as the novel being in the first person, did you ever consider that people might consider this story to be about you?

In a sense, all stories are about you. I was once reading in Heidelberg, when a German woman claimed that the only reason I could write so realistically about Kilvenmani was because I was there! And I was like, no, I was born like nearly two decades later – and she was like, no, you were there, you were there. It was your previous birth. I don’t know what to say when someone throws the idea of reincarnation in my face – but it taught me something. You can write about anything, and people will assume that it is about you, and find ways to believe that it is indeed about you.

Having said that, this novel is shamelessly informed by my own experience. This is not the exact way in which things happened – my mind had blocked out a lot of the sadness and unpleasantness and trauma, possibly as coping mechanisms. But this is how I remember them, and this is how the form of a novel allows me to give memory some coherence. It was to allow any reader to imagine herself in the shoes of the narrator, I left my narrator unnamed, undescribed even. She could be any woman. The specifics, the manifestations, the exact words may vary from one abusive marriage to another – but the woman’s experience of subjugation, humiliation, obliteration and pain largely remain the same.

Despite the horrific tales of domestic violence and murder that are common fare in India, we have rarely seen much writing about it – who were you influenced by?

I think we have a very Indian knack of choosing to depict a literature slightly disengaged from our everyday. Caste is one of those examples – in society, it is all-pervading, in Anglophone literature, it is absent. About fifteen 15 years ago, as a teenager who read everything she could lay her hands on, I’d read some works of Shashi Deshpande and Anita Desai that dealt with trouble in marriages – but that was it. To write this novel – I decided to bring in all the texts that had an influence on me, texts which are central even to the conflict in the novel: whether it is the Communist Manifesto or the Little Red Book or the poetry of Kamala Das – and to create a different way of saying a story – which was at once intellectual and theoretical as well as personal and intimate. The fragmentation owes a lot to the non-fiction I love: Roland Barthes and Guy Debord, to the master of it within fiction Italo Calvino and to the poets Sandra Cisneros, Maggie Nelson and Anne Carson, among others.

The husband is very much a Leftist cadre type, a Maoist even, but the character goes out of her way to distinguish between him and the party’s ideals. Are you absolving the “woke” groups of the violence and misogyny that their cadre are guilty of?

No, no, no, no, no. I do not think there are Leftist organisations who encourage their cadre to beat up women and abuse them and violate them. The tragedy is that even the most progressive ideology – here Communism – can be twisted and selectively quoted and misutilised by opportunist bigots to abuse women. I have also come across Leftist men who berate women who do not indulge their sexual desires or women who are in committed relationships by saying that they are middle-class, petty bourgeois prudes who do not understand Communism. Clearly, patriarchy works either way – the aim being to control women to its ends. I personally think that violence and misogyny within progressive Left spaces is very vicious and very heart breaking. I think that more than any one else, the Leftists must not shield rapists and wife-beaters within their party ranks, that they must fight misogyny tooth and nail, and this is the only way in which we can take on oppressive structures like caste or racism or capitalism. So no, never will I dream of absolving any misogynist – Marxism is opposed to the oppression of one class of people by another class – which includes the oppression of women by men, among other things. I do however make the difference between a radical organisation on the whole and the actions of few individuals, who use the aura of sacrifice and revolution attached with such self-effacing organisations – to pursue their sexual conquests and their reprehensible misogynist violence.

The silencing of the woman’s moans, the suspicions about sexual freedom, runs like a ragged wound across the text. How much of freedom is sexual freedom?

A lot of it, I guess. I find it a load of bullshit when people on the Left start telling me that economic freedom is the first, fundamental step – and so on, and that the question of sexuality will be eventually addressed – and I loathe such an approach. Women and men have both a limited time in the world, and we cannot wait for the revolution to finally happen and then we realise that we are free to love and live with people of the same gender or another caste, religion, race, nationality, whatever. Especially when the idea of women being passive receptacles of men’s passion happens to be the normative idea of sex in our culture – it becomes important for women to claim autonomy over their bodies, to talk about their pleasure, to talk about their rights. When oppression seems to be built on the edifice of controlling women’s bodies, I think dismantling oppression has to begin there too.  

[ryodan]

SasuNaru and the pin hole

(semi anti ending but not tagged as such as its mainly pro, so beware..vv semi tho)

@sasuke-prevails

Okay, so I’d reblog your post with a reply but my computer always freezes up when I do that and try to add pictures and I can barely use the tumblr app as it is so gaaaah. Plus, I’ve always wanted to make this post debunking everything SNS claim anyways. So here you go. sorry about the wait, i was so lazy..sorry about some shakey images i have GAD

First off, I’d like to say that when I say I am a Naruto fan, I don’t mean the character. I mean, don’t get me wrong I love Naruto too, but I am referring  to the series. I genuinely love this series despite all of it’s inconsistencies, I am late on the band wagon but I prefer that since it allows me to think objectively.  SNS tends to view the series with what I like to call pin hole vision where the entire series is naruto  x sasuke, they are the center bond because they represent everything the series itself stands for. They are not together all the time, they haven’t had the healthiest relationship but they’re the centre  bond because as proven by the first and final battles in the VOE, both at the end of part 1 and part 2 respectively it’s a ‘it boils down to this’ type of thing. However, when I say I am anti romantic SNS it does not mean I am anti their friendship. Do I think its unhealthy? Some aspects of it, yes. Problematic, yes tbh.

These are good examples  I think. Narutos worst fears early shippuuden were disappointing his comrades, and this. Why is is problematic on Narutos side? I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it

I’d like to mention what naruto as a series stands for, and always consistently stood for.

‘Nande?’

‘Onagi dakara’

‘why?’

‘because we are the same.’

-Narutos first bond, Iruka

‘Konoha o mamoroto tsuyui ishi’

‘strong will to protect the hidden leaf village.’

-Hiruzen

‘sato wa nanda?’

‘what is a village?’

-sasuke, ill get to it

‘Kono hi no ishi mote oru kagiri kono sato no mono wa subete kazoku sono mono nanja’

‘as long as one has this will of fire everyone in this village is family.’

‘Iruka sensei? Nande hito wa hito no tameni inochi o kake- ah fuck this translation takes too long im sorry omg

‘Iruka sensei why do people risk their lives for other people?’

‘When one person dies, their past , their present and their future disappears along with them----those people who die have dreams and ambitions, but everyone else has something just as important. Parents, siblings, friends, lovers..those who are dear to them. They trust each other and help each other—that string gets which connects those people gets stronger and thicker by time. It’s impossible to explain why, those who hold those strings just do it, because it’s important to them.’

‘yeah. Somehow it’s clear even to me.’

-Iruka and Naruto when Hiruzen died protecting the village

‘When someone has something they want to protect, their true power comes along’

-Haku

It’s because we help out when they’re in trouble that we can count on them to come running when we need it.

-Shikamaru, about Suna

‘If comrades that you trust gather around you, hope can take physical form and become visible. That`s what I believe...’

-kakashi, to obito

I won't allow my comrades to die. I'll protect you with my life. Trust me.

-kakashi

The next generation will always surpass the previous one. It's one of the never-ending cycles in life.

-kakashi

If you don't share someone's pain. You can never understand them.

-Pain

‘A long cycle of hatred humans have come to call history’

Just by living, people hurt others without even realizing it. So long as humanity exists, hate will also exist. There is no peace in this cursed world. War is just a crime paid for by the pain of the defeated...

-pain

Now there's something I understand a little better. Hate, sadness, even joy. To be able to share it with another person... Naruto Uzumaki. From fighting him I learned that. He knew pain like I did and then he taught me that you can change your path. I wish that one day I can be needed by someone. Not as a frightening weapon... But as the sand's Kazekage.

-Gara

  People's lives don't end when they die. It ends when they lose faith.

-itachi

‘ill never let my comrades die, those words and the conviction behind them are not lies, because neji was able to store those words in his heart. Brother Neji died! It’s not just you Naruto, we all hold those words and feelings in our heart.That is what binds our lives together and makes us comrades. If we all give up those thoughts and feelings Nejis final act would have been for nothing. And that is when your comrades truly die.’

-Hinata

The pain of being alone is completely out of this world, isn't it? I don't know why, but I understand your feelings so much, it actually hurts.

-Naruto

That void is something that everyone helps you fill. Just because you face adversity and hardships, is no reason to give up on this world. A person willing to throw away all those memories... of their friends and comrades, will never find peace of mind. Resorting to something like that isn't going to bury that hole. If you persevere and endure, someone will be there to support you!

-Kakashi, to obito

 I love sasuke. I love all of his bonds, and despite the shit he dealt with in the series he really does represent the message of the series really well…an atypical antagonist, an incredibly well written character who fills not only his shoes in the story, but the shoes of many other characters.

You say Sasuke offered his food to Naruto because he cares about him and I agree, empathy stems from care. But going by your argument.

Despite this

He did wait for her to wake up, also risking elimination and a halting of his revenge plans.

It’s important noting that before any of this, their goals were very self centered and none of them were playing by teamwork..except sasuke, who boasted that he was better than them to Kakashi, but was still the only one who linked them together, by feeding naruto and by saying the whole ‘we are a 3 man cell aren’t we?’

That’s another thing I love about this guy, he really brings people together despite the fact that does not talk for 98% of the series. Taka developed because of him and so did 7.

A constantly relevant theme.

the first mission bought light to what their relationships would be like very early on, and also imprints these guys as personal bonds based on friendship and affection that sasuke shares, a feat that no one else in the series was able to do aside from his family.

From the tree climbing exercise that combined their rivalry and their friendship to this moment that made a grown ass man cry

 ENCOUNTER WITH FRIENDS WHO CAN EASE HIM FROM LONELINESS!!

【仲間】 「それまで恋や友情に見向きもしなかったサスケは、ナルトやサクラと出会い、少しずつではあるが、仲間を受 け 入れ始める。サスケにとってナルトは、いつの間にか互いの能力を高め合う良きライバル���なり、 また大蛇丸の 邪悪な呪印にのみ込まれんとするその心を、サクラに救われたことも．．．  」

↳ 【COMPANIONS】 Though until then he had taken no notice of either love or friendship, after meeting with Naruto and Sakura Sasuke begins to accept them as nakama, even if only little by little. In Sasuke’s eyes, before he even noticed it, he and Naruto became mutual good rivals capable of boosting up each other’s skills - and also, when his heart was about to be swallowed by Orochimaru’s wicked cursed seal again, he was rescued by Sakura…

‘as they go on countless missions together, he sees her strengths and weaknesses and views her as someone he needs to protect’

「呪印の影響で暴走するサスケを身を挺して鎮めるサクラ。サクラのサスケを想う心が、邪な力を 包 み込む。」  

↳ Sakura willingly and bravely calms the rampaging Sasuke under the influence of the cursed seal. Sakura’s heart, thinking of Sasuke, devours the wicked power.

 For Naruto who was considered a failure, Sasuke was more than an annoying guy who got the best grades: he was also the rival that won Sakura’s heart, for whom Naruto is in love …! That’s why he always gets annoyed with Sasuke

Sasuke, who only had power for revenge, becomes stronger because of his companions. His true place would have been a future among them.

Growing distant, towards darkness. The one to appear before him as he began leave was Sakura. To the back of a Sasuke that tried to avert from what was being left behind, Sakura desperately conveys her feelings. Bright and earnest feelings - feelings that did not want to lose Sasuke. The one who filled his lonely existence with the emotion called love was Sakura. But, as expected, Sasuke cannot respond to those feelings. Sasuke was only able to leave a single word of thanks as word of parting. 

Friendship and love, a future filled with warmth. But as long as he is there, he cannot make his dream come true. This is why he throws away a future with his friends. To make dreams of revenge a reality…

As is confirmed by the databook.

Sasuke risked his life for them both, and he would have done it again no thinking what so ever, partly because he is a selfless person and also because they already imprinted on his mind. Sasukes relationship with Naruto is given a rivalry mixed with friendship context early on and my friend who had 0 to do with naruto burrowed volume one from me and in school while she was reading asked me if sasuke and sakura end up together, because authorial context is clear

In fact this scene builds up a very good argument I have for this ship that I will get to, where we first learn of his entire stance in the story and sakura is like? Mind you, this was at a time before sasuke ever spoke about these things to anyone…he made me cry is not something he ever told anyone other than sakura. She was intuitive to he him, even during the war when she had a feeling he’d start shit up early on.

You could argue he is blushing bc he is embarrassed… but he has had girls thirsting after him since he was fresh out the womb. ‘he came off stand offish’ well, yes naturally when a person is suffering from trauma and survivors guilt they tend to isolate themselves and become reclusive and irritable. Now, add the fact that the trauma happened at such a young age and you have a sasuke. But he still, took out the time to say he’s emo (a joke ofc)

The only ‘romantic context’ ever given to Naruto and Sasuke was the ‘accidental kiss’ which ended up like this

Over the course of the series we see Sasukes attachment to team 7, in the same context given before. Best friend and rival, girl he feels protective affection for.

however, the context between sasusaku was always romanticized

 Part 2 : http://sasukeuchihayas.tumblr.com/post/160820240389/this-comes-full-circle-in-the-gara-fight-when

Part 3 : http://sasukeuchihayas.tumblr.com/post/160820241909/if-we-do-a-time-skip-to-after-the-akatsuki-arc

[nerdynformed-blog]

Logan is a superhero movie - Part II: the ‘superheroism’ in Logan

I am going to try to be more concise this time around, I promise. This is going to take more parts than I originally planned. I am currently looking at 4 parts total: Part I was about what a superhero movie is. Now in Part II I will try to show that Logan is a superhero and the movie actually concentrates on that more than we might have noticed. Part III is going to be about how the movie uses that and to what effect. Finally, Part IV will be why superhero movies matter and why we need more good ones.

Even if you have not read Part I (and why would you), what I am going to talk about here is not hard to follow. Basically, you just have to know three things:

A)     Superhero is not a movie genre. It is a subject and a kind of character that movies of any genre can and should explore to different effects.

B)      A superhero movie is therefore a movie of any genre that centers itself on a character endowed by the traits that define a superhero.

C)      The way the movie explores the subject defines the kind of movie it is.

(now that I am writing this, I see that I really could’ve been more concise in Part I - if you still whant to read it, you can click this link: https://nerdynformed.tumblr.com/post/158824439050/loganisasuperheromoviepart1).

With that in mind, le me just talk about how the superhero traits not only appear, but also are prevalent in Logan. They are in fact the main subject. The movie is a drama about the redemption of a fallen superhero: how it happens and why it is important.

So if you think that Logan is not a superhero movie, read own.

Lets talk about justice, secret identities, superpowers, uniforms and the ‘X’ factor.

 Motivation

As I said before, a superhero (like the cowboys and detectives) fights for what is right not in service of (and sometimes despite) a higher authority, but following his own moral instincts.

It is not a behavior that he has to perform since the beginning of the story – some of the best stories are about the learning of that behavior through example, empowerment or even trauma.

Now, in the beginning, Logan only agrees to help Laura in exchange of money. Many American hero (see Part I) stories actually begin like that. Towards the end of the movie, however, his motivations change to the point that he refuses to take the money. His motivation becomes helping her and her friends/family. In the final showdown, he even dies doing that.

The entire internal journey of the character in this movie is the rediscovering of this motivation – heroism. It is not the first “superhero return story” movie out there, but it might be the best one we have so far. He begins jaded, cynic and having given up, but ends up living his most super-heroic moment right before dying. He reembraces the most important part of himself.

He is not just fighting for a group, but protecting innocent children from evil doers – just look at the people he is facing. They are your typical super-villains: immoral mercenaries working with an evil scientist that creates evil clones and does experiments in children.

In the end of the day, that is what the movie is on its surface: a lone man, fighting to protect innocent people against the actions of evil agents.

Plus, the fact that this is not another “will he save the world” superhero movie is GREAT. Fewer movies should do that scenario. A superhero doesn’t have to save the world, just save someone. But I digress.

 Double identity

Logan not only has a double identity, he has a secret one.

It is just a very badly kept secret. He is flying low so people don’t recognize him as the Wolverine, as an X-Men (X-Man? Ex-X-Me? Ex-X-Man?). Not only that, but there is a clear distinction between his “human” and super personas.

One is a limousine driver down on his luck and just trying to survive and getting a way out. He has some very human worries. He doesn’t have money, he needs to keep his father figure medicated, he wants to buy a way out of it.

During the movie he alternates between fighting “the bad guys” and pretending to be just a normal person – he even dines with a family at their farm pretending to be Charles’ son and Laura’s father. In that moment, he is living a fake identity and giving excuses to cover up his superheroic quest. That is what most superheroes do.

He is not just someone pretending to be someone else. Sure, he hides his superhero side, but his “normal” persona is not even that fabricated: there are references to his past as a bad student and his relationship with Xavier is actually an honest depiction of the real thing. It is a real part of him.

His super persona is also present and important throughout the movie. “Wolverine” doesn’t just reemerges in the end, but is constantly haunting him, since before the movie even begun. He tries to keep it in the past, but it is such a big part of him that he can’t. Again, the return of this super persona in the last minute is what the movie is all about.

I have to mention something. The theme of a superhero trying to keep his identity in the past but ultimately failing to do so is reminiscent of my favorite graphic novel of all times – The Dark Knight Returns.

 Superpowers

Now let’s talk about the superpowers. One of my favorite thing is how they dealt with that in the movie. His powers are not only showed in an array of ways and functions in the movie, but they play a more than significant role in the narrative and character development.

First we see them failing: his claws jam and his healing factor is too slow. His powers are older and more tired. That does not keep him from using them time and time again – in almost every fight, honestly.

Near the end of the movie, he takes some drugs and we see him in his old powerful self – clawing, fighting and healing violently fast. Finally, right before the movie ends, his powers scale down again so we can see him face the odds without the enhancement.

The powers demonstrate how much of who and what he is he cannot avoid. Using his powers is an instinct. It is part of him. They show his innate violence, the decrease of his resilience and, ironically, how weaker he feels now.

Not only that, his powers play other roles. The adamantium in his bones (kind of a superpower if you ask me) is maybe what is killing him. His strongest and scariest antagonist has the same powers and in a much better shape. And the enemy is only defeated with his personal break-the-glass-to-commit-suicide kryptonite: the adamantium bullet.

His powers are what initially connect him to Laura – the first evidence that they are related. Laura plays a commentary in the figure of the sidekick and the powers help the movie do that.

On that note, when they fight Evilverine, they do it together. Sure, the other kids help, but is the cooperation between the two that becomes the high point of the fight.

You have three people with the same powers: a kid, a tired Old Man and an evil terminator. That kind of conflict between similar powers has appeared sometimes in movies and is a common trope in comic books – and for a good reason.

It brings more risk and raises stakes so we can be worried about a character that seemed so powerful. It inverts the feeling of security the superpowers bring when we see the hero wield them, especially when the villain is more able with them.

This scene also shows how cooperation can be the defining factor in a conflict, once Laura and Logan are weaker than the villain.

Almost every character is affected by their superpowers, some in very original way. It is why the kids were created and are being persecuted. Caliban is captured and tortured so he will use his powers and track Logan. Xavier has become an impossible to calculate liability because of the combination of his superpowers with something that is very human: mental disease.

Superpowers are not some superficial decoration: they are the most important character elements, and they all say something about the human condition. But that is for Part III.

 Uniform

Finally, the uniform. Oh, you got me there, right? Wolverine doesn’t wear a uniform. Yeah, we have the yellow uniform shown in the comics they read, but he never wears it. And we don’t even see the black uniforms from the previous movies.

Well… what if I tell you that he does use an uniform in this movie? What if I tell you, that the uniform he uses is the same he uses most of the time in his other movies? It’s not yellow nor is it black.

Think about it: what are his most famous, cosplayed and recognizable garments? Well, two things.

First of all: the beard and the hair. That is a look that should look ridiculous in any actor by any standards and the guy still pulls it off every time. Only Wolverine wears that. I most movies and even comics, that is the constant in his appearance.

And yeah, it is not a mask, but think about how many superheroes do not wear masks, even if they have secret identities. You can see this hairstyle in anyone and it will be the Wolverine hairstyle.

Ok, but it is just half of it.

The second part is of the uniform: a pair of jeans and white sleeveless shirt.

Yes, everyone remembers that look. It appears in so many important moments to the character, although not always in the best movies. Since the yellow uniform doesn’t appear in the movies, what do you think is more recognizable? The shirt and jeans or the black bodysuit?

Before you say that doesn’t count, think about it: the Punisher and America Chaves wear apparently civil clothes and no masks. However, they do that so consistently that it works like a uniform.

Now, this “uniform” doesn’t just appear in the movie, but it has a very specific function.

To understand it, look at how the movie shows the look to us. It doesn’t appear in the trailers, so we don’t expect it going in. Most of the movie, he doesn’t wear it. His hair and beard are different, just as his clothes.

It is because then he is not a hero again yet. He is hiding and, most of all, suppressing his heroic identity. So Clark Kent puts on the glasses and never takes them off again. That is a uniform not being used.

In a similar way, some superhero movies and series wait until the hero is fully realized or the final fight to show him or her in uniform. We have some movies and series in which they do that and it works for the best – the Netflix Daredevil is a good example.

It is only after his motivations change that he starts to wear both parts of his. The kids shave him and mess with his hair exactly because they know how the Wolverine should look like.

Finally, he wears this uniform only to the last and most important conflict. Then, he is juiced up and doing the same moves we recognize from previous movies, filmed in a way that reminds us of some old Wolverine action sequences.

That is when he is Wolverine again. Same hair, beard, shirt and powers. He is still wearing it when he faces Evilverine and he dies. That is his final “suit”, and it dresses him well.

 Bonus: the X marks the spot

Finally, we have one of the most impactful moments in the movie, that had many people crying and I will not tell you if I did. It was surprisingly unexpected and, against all odds, it was done in a very dramatic motion and in very good taste.

Laura picks up the improvised cross on his grave and turns it into a X.

That is the last piece, the final confirmation. Only X-Men wear that X. It is the iconic, unmistakable symbol of a superhero. And he has earned it back.

In his final rest, he will forever wear the sign that marks: here lies a superhero.

 So, I hope you liked that.

As you can see, this is not just a movie with superhero tropes tossed here and there. The superhero figure defines the narrative and permeates the emotional response the movie gets.

Part III will be about how this movie uses those traits to create drama, emotion, tell a story about redemption and all that stuff – so we can begin to understand why superheroes are a great material for that. Hope you like it. Hope someone reads it, actually…

 And remember, stay nerdly informed.

[apochem]

Chapter 72 Thoughts and Analysis

Chapter 72 has blessed the beginning of 2017. I feel (mostly) whole again. Thoughts, analysis, hopes, dreams, and imaginative fabrications below the cut!

Adachitoka has finally redeemed themselves from sadists by ending this hell-hole of an arc. The best news?? Everyone gets out alive. Considering how many death flags were waved in the previous chapters, nothing short of a miracle has salvaged all of our favorite characters from death or reincarnation.

The Covenant and Imperial Regalia

As we can see from these panels, it looks as if Amaterasu is upset, even angry, that heaven was found in the wrong. Why would this be her reaction if the order for Yato’s execution was not her own? Is she afraid of how her appearance and seat of power has changed in the eyes of heaven as the result of the covenant? Or did she have another plan involved with Yato’s execution and Yukine’s imprisonment? 

Unfortunately for us readers, Amy’s appearance in this arc has raised more questions than it had answered. Her demeanor was practically in direct opposition in comparison to her first appearance in the manga. In addition, her jurisdiction was found to be wrong by the covenant, which will no doubt upset the governing stratification of heaven for the future. Despite the covenant, and this monstrosity of an arc, I’m 100% certain that we have not seen the last of Amy.

Just a reminder that this covenant not only pardoned Yato, Bisha, and their vessels, but also overturned the former edict to force Ebisu to reincarnate. This covenant proved that the real sorcerer is still at large while Ebisu was wrongly convicted of holding that identity. Of course, I doubt that heaven will admit this.

Despite heaven being in the wrong, we are reminded yet again that heaven is corrupt:

It seems that even though heaven was wrong, it still refuses to admit defeat, by ways of Amy’s reincarnating regalia. Ebisu mentions that “rule-makers everywhere rig the game in their own favor,” which is interesting given that we are not sure if Amy is actually the absolute rule-maker of heaven. If a rule-maker wanted to assure complete despotism over heaven, why allow covenants in the first place? Heaven is not democratic by any means, so it seems unfitting to have a covenant in place to overthrow heaven’s judgement. Again, this begs the question of who is actually controlling heaven. Although the answer to this question may not come anytime soon, I expect it to be addressed at one point in the series. 

As for Amy looking upset, I assumed it was because of heaven’s edict being overturned rather than for her shinki dying for the reason that they can reincarnate. Like @nanielavnz said in their analysis, the imperial regalia are special in that they homunculi born of objects rather than spirits that turn into objects. As the above picture depicted, the imperial regalia turn back into their physical object forms after “dying,” similar to how Tsuyu dissipated into plum blossoms after she was “beheaded.” Like the imperial regalia, Tsuyu is also a spirit derived from a physical object; as a result of this characteristic, I believe that she was able to “reincarnate” like Amy’s imperial regalia are also empowered to do. 

Although I suspect that is the reason that Tsuyu was revived, she may have been brought back by Amy herself as a sort of reward for winning the covenant. I suspect the former because she may serve as an example of how the imperial regalia can “reincarnate” in a separate manner than gods. Either way, Tsuyu coming was pretty wild and unexpected to say the least.

Father and the God’s Greatest Secret

Father is--no surprise--MIA yet again. I really thought that he would interject during Amy’s edict, but I guess Tenjin beat him to the punch. I think that this arc demonstrated that Father cannot be dealt with by physical assaults. He’s too cunning, not to mention he has the deadliest weapon when it comes to dealing with deities. In order to face the sorcerer, gods must cooperate and devise a plan for addressing the god’s greatest secret. Heaven at least now knows that the sorcerer still exists, which is at least a step in the right direction. 

(Lil shit bitch Nora listening in on the convo, get rekt stray)

I think we can prematurely call this arc the “God’s Greatest Secret Arc” because it will the main focus of the next few chapters as, we are painfully reminded, Yukine is undergoing liberation. The reason that we didn’t see Yukine’s past while he was in the box was probably because Hiyori wouldn’t have been able to witness it. As I have said beforehand, Hiyori is the main protagonist of the series; if she doesn’t understand what happened to Yukine in the past, how can she emotionally support him in the future? If Yukine happens to survive liberation without any assistance from Hiyori, she will become emotionally isolated from the golden trio. But it seems like Hiyori is beginning to catch onto what is happening:

Not to mention she probably overheard Yukine calling out for his father while standing in the doorway of the shed(?):

And, since she is a smart gal, probably understood the implication of gods trying to keep their distance from their shinki in order to protect them:

I have no doubt that she will be an important component in helping Yukine survive liberation, just as she was the one who helped save Yukine when he was degrading into an ayakashi. 

Although we have not seen Yukine’s past yet, it seems that our assumption that it was Yukine’s father that had killed, or at least abused, him was valid:

We are starting to see the effects of liberation physically manifest within Yukine, as demonstrated by his panic attacks, vacant emotional state, and overall exhaustion:

This panel is reminiscent of PTSD. Adachitoka does an excellent job of capturing the raw fear within Yukine and the sudden, unexpected, and seemingly illogical nature of post traumatic stress disorder in people. My heart broke in this scene--this poor boy has endured so much and is no doubt going to struggle against his past in the upcoming chapters. Yato reminds the readers that Yukine does have a caring, compassionate guardian who is willing to usher him out of any painful situations:

But even the presence of supportive friends and family can’t magically erase anxiety and trauma. We are all disillusioning ourselves when we say that Yukine is fine since he was released from the box. Yukine is in no way mentally or emotionally stable, and I anticipate the next few chapters to display his suffering as he endures liberation.

God and Shinki Relationships

Unsurprisingly, Bishamon remains in a comatose state from all of her injuries. I mean, can we take a moment to appreciate Bishamon’s fucking iron will to live?? She survived not only countless injuries from heaven’s army but also an ancient spell meant for entrapping gods, shikki’s slight degradation after looking at her past, extreme blight from Kazuma, and a heaven-splitting swipe from sekki. She’s like one of those video game bosses that only power up after getting injured. I want to marry her.

Kazuma the Dumbass is back and dumber than ever!!!!!! Instead of staying by Bishamon’s side and communicating his feelings to her like he should have learned the last time Bisha almost died, homeboy went on a soul-searching journey to bumblefuck. Seriously though, I think, “Oh, here’s an opportunity for Kazuma and Bishamon to demonstrate what 2000+ years and first-hand experience has contributed to the strength of their relationship” and then Kazuma fucks it up. What does he think he’s going to do on his own?? Bisha still owns his ass and most of heaven hates him anyway. I expect Bishamon to wake up in the next chapter only to find Kazuma missing. I honestly have no idea what Kazuma is up to, but I predict that Adachitoka will at least touch upon it either next chapter or the one after that. Kazuma will probably be absent while Yukine is struggling with liberation--I think this point in the series truly marks the divergence of student from teacher. Yukine and Kazuma have chosen (not necessarily voluntarily) their own paths and will endure separate experiences that will (hopefully) help them grow as hafuri.

As many of you know, I love Nana so freaking much and I am SO glad that it looks like she’ll be a reoccurring character within the series. Despite this good news, my heart has officially broken for my hafuri daughter in this chapter. She lived for countless years in a cramped little box under the heart-wrenching assumption that her master was gone from the world and that she would never see his face again. She agreed to assist Bisha only under the condition that she may die afterward, that she may be granted freedom from the memory of her former master and pseudo-father. 

But Nana had lived and unfortunately encountered an even greater tragedy: the fact that her master not only lives but has forgotten who she ever was (I WAS RIGHT). His appearance must have raised the last few shreds of hope that she clung to, only to have them ripped from her yet again. Her former master’s appearance will forever remind her of what she lost and can never regain.

Not only does Nana’s former master live but also he never rescued Nana from her prison. It must hurt to know that the man you once called father had utterly abandoned you.

In addition to that, Nana has no hope of returning to serve her master in any way. We have finally received an explanation behind Kuin’s cryptic “Once a hafuri is lost, it cannot be regained”: once a shinki has been released, the same master cannot rename it (it’s a good thing that Bisha didn’t actually release Kazuma that one time lol). 

I want to hug my poor hafuri daughter and tell her that everything will be ok. Adachitoka may use the mutual experience of having a father figure abandon them as a way to allow Yukine and Nana to connect to one another. If you have read one of my previous posts, you will know that I will sell my kidney to have Nana and Yukine rely on one another as sources of strength, comfort, and friendship.

It seems like Nana can also anticipate some drop-by visits from heaven in the future. Arahabaki states that though Nana has been pardoned from the treason she enacted with Bishamon, heaven is not willing to overlook her previous crime. Nana’s bell probably serves as a monitor for heaven. If the bell had been broken, heaven probably had no other way to let Nana survive under the punishment of her previous crime while being pardoned for her most recent one. Therefore, heaven would have executed her.

Interesting Tidbit

My brain thinks everything is either a conspiracy theory or has hidden meaning, so I was up at 2 am looking at the symbolism for the bird that Yukine followed into the shed.

Based on its appearance, it seems to be a sparrow. A Tsubame, or barn swallow, is known to portend bad luck from the gods or deities (bad luck from father, aka liberation?). A Suzume, or regular sparrow, sometimes symbolizes loyalty (common motif with Yukine). Anyway, there is a Japanese folklore about the “Tongue-Cut Sparrow.” Although the story seems to place a heavy emphasis on the value of friendship, it seems to have no relation to Noragami, but I thought I’d share: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shita-kiri_Suzume

Sparrows are hella common in Japan so I may be reading into this waaayyyyy too much but I wanted to provide the info anyway.

In Conclusion

This was a hella long analysis

Thank you so so so so so much for reading my craziness

You know I’m always down 24/7 to discuss Noragami theories

I honestly cannot wait to see more of Nana banana

I am terrified for Yukine but let’s just pretend he is ok for now

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

This chapter is the calm before the storm

Kuraha is a cute lil kitty in this panel

[currenthealtheventsblog-blog]

This is what Black female therapists wish they could tell all Black women about mental health

New Post has been published on https://currenthealthevents.net/awesome/this-is-what-black-female-therapists-wish-they-could-tell-all-black-women-about-mental-health/

This is what Black female therapists wish they could tell all Black women about mental health

This is what Black female therapists wish they could tell all Black females about mental health

In “I Rise, ” a series from HelloGiggles, Black females writers examine Black women’s mental health from every angle–from what it takes to access therapy, to the exchange of trauma across generations. We hope this series arms women with information and power, and opens up more space for this important conversation to take place.

The thought of going to therapy used to give me anxiety. Ironic, right? While to many people going to therapy may seem like the obvious solution to feelings of overwhelming stress, sadness, and anxiousness, for me–a Black woman–it hasn’t always felt like a clear and reasonable alternative. Personally, I had never known another woman who looked like me who had gone to therapy. So I grew up thinking therapy was a “white thing” or a “rich thing” because all the women around me just dealt with their problems–or so it seemed.

According to the Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, African Americans are 20% more likely to experience serious mental health problems than the general population. Despite this being the example, according to the National Alliance of Mental Illness, merely about one-quarter of African Americans try mental health care, compared to 40% of whites. This is due to the negative stigma surrounding mental health, lack of access, and a general distrust of the medical field among Black people( for valid reasons ). Thankfully, the increased visibility of Black females attempting therapy and the creation of tools built with Black women in mind( such as the Therapy for Black Girls directory ), conversations about mental health care are being had in spaces and by people who didn’t have them in previous years.

Still, there’s room for improvement. I spoke with six mental health professionals–also Black women–about common misconceptions considering mental health care. From letting run of the Superwoman Schema( yes, that’s a real thing ), to determining the right therapist and sticking with it, they told me what they wish they could tell all Black women about mental health.

“What I tell Black girls about mental health is that it is okay for you to be honest about your ache and where it comes from. You do not have to explain it away, and it is possible to have both inner strength AND vulnerability at the same time. Learning how to connect with yourself, what you truly feel AND need is the best track to healing, because then not only can you ask for help, but also know how to truly take care of you .”

— Shena Tubbs, founder of Black Girls Heal

“Sis, you can take the cape off! I know we are taught to be strong, but you are not superwoman. It is okay to take the cape off and realize that you are human too. You cannot take care of others if you are not taking care of yourself first. Taking care of yourself starts with your willingness to talk to a professional about why you feel like it is your responsibility to save the world in the first place.

You can find someone who looks just like you. I am an African American woman, a millennial with natural hair, and bears and raised in Compton, California. You can find a therapist who understands you, is able to help you through difficult times, and that you vibe well with. So let’s not use that as an excuse to avoid getting the help you need.

Stick with it. Therapy is a process. While some therapeutic modalities are shorter in length, there are some others that require more time to get to the root cause. Please do not expect a quick fix. Be willing to invest day, fund and resources to help your therapist help you.”

— Kiaundra Jackson, licensed matrimony and family therapist, founder of KW Couples Therapy

” As Black women, we’ve been told that we’re strong for centuries. For many of us, that label has become a badge of honor. As a result, we push through every challenge without asking for help or taking a moment to remainder and recharge. But I want Black females are well aware that our strength is not found in our ability to withstand a lifetime of attacks against our humanity. Our strength is found in our healing. I want Black women are well aware that we don’t have to normalize our ache and our trauma. We can open ourselves to peace and pleasure when we begin to prioritize our mental health and mending .”

— Davia Roberts, licensed professional counselor, CEO& founder of Redefine Enough

“It is okay to seek support, assistance, and help from someone else. We often become attached to narrations. At some phase, those narrations served us. As we grow, those narratives can limit us and our experience of life. One of the most impactful narratives for Black females is that of the Strong Black Woman. This narrative is narrow and limiting and does not generate the space for black females to get in touch with their vulnerability. Gratifying with a mental health professional on a regular basis can assist with letting go of that narrative and creating one that better serves them.”

— Erica James-Strayhorn, licensed wedding and family therapist, founder of Erica James Counseling

“Loan your roles but own yourself. Entailing that the titles of mother, spouse, sister, friend, executive, etc. can, if we aren’t careful, become our identities. This can negatively impact one’s mental health if something happens to that role( e.g. losing your job, becoming an empty nester, filing for divorce, etc .) Women who are mothers can especially fall prey to this way of thinking. They get so consumed by their maternal role, they begin to’ lose themselves’ and come to therapy to help them rediscover their identity and what induces them who they are. Practice self-awareness. Recognise what attains you uniquely you( adjectives and characteristics that are not conditional to a role) so that you are able to feed the person that you are and not just the roles you provide.”

— Farah Harris, licensed clinical professional counselor

“I often tell black women that mental health is an investment you’re making for your soul. Remember: mental health does not mean mental illness, and find a therapist can help to minimize stressors in your life. As Black girls, we have to recognize that we can take off the superwoman cape and be vulnerable, seek help, and convey our stressors to others. Taking care of your mental health is just as important as taking care of your physical health.”

— Marline Francois, owned of Hearts Empowerment Counseling Center

The post This is what Black female therapists wish they could tell all Black females about mental health appeared first on HelloGiggles.

Read more: hellogiggles.com

[neilmartinus]

PTSD Treatment Centers San Diego

San Diego PTSD Treatment Centers

Women, Children, Veterans and Military Personnel in the Time of War and Conflict

In this day and age, conflict and war is no longer a rare occurrence that people get pulled into. Political conflicts, religious disagreements, and hate, in particular, are the causes of the various firefights and senseless killings around the world. While there are many governing bodies and institutions that are looking to help resolve the violent conflicts to achieve a global state of peace, the sad fact remains that cases like these cannot be avoided as long as all sides are willing to cooperate. If you or someone you love is struggling and would like to speak with someone about help from a PTSD treatment center in San Diego California please contact us now by clicking on the contact tab.

  Currently, there are countless firefights occurring back and forth in many areas in the world; most particularly in Middle Eastern countries. The fights have brought nothing but pain and losses to those who are stuck at the center of it. Clashing ideologies and radical beliefs are also at the center of these conflicts which many are dying from.

 Countless lives are affected by war and at the forefront of these unwanted occurrences are soldiers who are fighting for the protection and well being of others. These soldiers have undergone rigorous training before being destined to war-torn countries such as Syria and Iraq. The training they receive is designed to push a human body to its limits so that it can overcome any situation.

The Soldiers’ Sacrifice

 Other than expanding their physical capabilities, soldiers are also trained to become mentally and psychologically tough. In doing so, they are able to surpass any adversity through determination and a savvy on ranged and melee combat. Despite the rigorous training, some soldiers are still prone both physical and mental anguish. Regardless of how high we look at these soldiers, we must never forget that they are only human and being in the line of fire is no walk in the part.

 We’ve all heard stories about the Vietnam and World Wars and how the survivors from them have to live through a case known as post-traumatic stress disorder. It may sound like a light condition for some but in actuality, PTSD has drastic effects on a human mind and those who never get the chance to seek help are bound to suffer day in and day out.

 70% of adults in the United States have been on the receiving end of a traumatic state at least once during their lifetime. From a grander perspective, that 70 percent is equal to a staggering 223.4 million people. This basically means that there are countless individuals who could be suffering from PTSD, which is something that we should not take lightly.

 PTSD – the Unfortunate Upshot of Wars to Soldiers

 This state is for the population of the United States in general and it does not refer only to the military population. Studies have revealed that 1 in 5 soldiers return from war-torn areas like Iraq and Afghanistan return home with PTSD. Even more harrowing is the fact that the number of diagnosed cases continue to jump up each year. That’s just the undiagnosed cases though as there could be a lot of others who are unwilling to open up. In actuality, a lot of others are affected by the disorder.

 Yes, the harsh reality is that PTSD can happen to anyone and it is not just limited to people who are active in military combat or those who have been a part of previous wars. Men, women, children; everyone is prone to this disruptive disorder so long as they’ve been through a harsh struggle in life.

 The Golden State’s Few and Proud

 People who enlist in the army or other military groups come from all walks of life. Each state in the United States is home to countless brave men and women who are willing to fight for peace and the lives of others. Some states, however, contribute more to the overall military population than the others.

 North County is the second most populous region in California next to San Diego. The area is known for its vibrant night life, extravagant houses, beaches, and more. It is also an area in the United States that carry a vast number of military members and officials.

 Military Population in North County

 San Diego’s North County massive military population is due to the fact that the area is where a ton of military bases are situated at. In total, the state of California is home to a whopping 32 military bases situated across the shorelines and across the state. The Golden State has the most military bases out of all the states in America. The Navy and Marine Corps are mostly taking bases in San Diego while the rest of the state houses the United States Army.

 This should not be a surprise anymore but California is the state that houses the most military active-duty personnel. As of September 2017, the state of California is the home to a staggering 184,540 military personnel, most of which are active in their line of work. In total, there are 1.3 million active duty military personnel in the United States.

 In total, there are 128, 737 active military members in California. 6,567 are from the Army, 44,838 are from the Navy, 55,101 are from the Marine Corps., 17,243 are from the Air Force and 4,624 are from the Coast Guard.

 What’s good though is that with all the military bases situated around the Golden State, California remains to be one of the safest areas in the United States. The soldiers in these military bases are more than ready to spring into action whenever they are needed and as such, Californians can rest easy most of the time knowing that they are being safe guarded by highly trained individuals.

 The Growing Concern of PTSD in California

 Like most people in this line of work, the military personnel in the state of California are very prone to experiencing traumatic events.  PSTD in the military is rather common. As active personnel, they are tasked with springing into action when necessary and they could face tough adversity along the way.

 The Others Who Suffer Through PTSD

 As stated, everyone can be a victim of PTSD so long as they went through a horrible experience. Women, children and especially veterans from previous wars are very prone to it and in fact, they attribute a huge number to the total cases of PTSD cases in the United States. Locating some of the best PTSD support groups San Diego locations can sometimes be difficult.

 According to studies, 1 out of every 9 women develops PTSD. That makes them the gender most prone to it, as they are twice as likely as men. PTSD causes in adults vary but for women, the most common cause for them is through sexual harassment encounters and advances. Women are victims of cases like these and as such, their PTSD cases continue to grow.

 Although there are men and women who experience sexual assaults, such traumatic incident is most common in women. And among the traumatic events that could happen to a person, sexual assault is known as one of the main causes of PTSD. That being said, apart from war veterans, PTSD is also prevalent in women compared to men.

 PTSD in Children and Young Adults

 Of course, the young ones; including children and teens are also victims of PTSD. Since they are at such a young age, traumatic experiences leave a long-lasting imprint on their memories as their minds are yet to fully process a keen understanding of events. The traumatic event could range a lot and it includes bullying in school, molestation, and so many more.

 Looking at the PSTD statistics, studies show that girls and boys go through at least one traumatic experience in their lifetime. To be more precise, 15% to 43% of girls, and 14% to 43% experience these traumatic events. Of these causes, 3% to 15% in girls develop PTSD and 1% to 6% in boys develop it.

 Children and teens that develop PTSD at such a young age and refuse to get treatment for it tend to suffer from the disorder for a really long time. PTSD symptoms vary from person to person but with kids and teens going through it, a part of their symptoms include the inability to interact with others, anxiety, depression, and in worse cases, they develop suicidal tendencies too.

 PTSD in Veterans

 Of course, another group of PTSD victims worth looking into is the veterans. The different World Wars and the Vietnam Wars has produced a ton of PTSD prone veterans. At such an old age, it is saddening to see these veterans suffer through the events of their past and they are greatly affected by it the most.

 Suicidal Tendencies and Mental Illnesses in Veterans

 Veterans of modern and previous wars went through a lot and after the war, they would feel like their life has lost its direction. PTSD symptoms in veterans vary from person to person but a common factor among them is that most of them develop suicidal tendencies. If they don’t get help or if their disorders aren’t dealt with immediately, it could eventually lead to them taking their lives and it is something treatment centers are looking to avoid.

 War veterans, for example, are one of the people who usually develop such mental illness. No matter how experienced a person is in the war zone, killing someone or almost getting killed could still cause traumas which is the main reason why patients develop PTSD.

 There is Hope

 The term PTSD is very broad and vague, under it are various ideas and theories but it all boils down to how traumatic events affect and individual’s life in the long run. Though it is a harrowing condition, PTSD is curable and there are even various establishments that center their functions on ridding veterans and other military personnel of PTSD. Before anything else though, it is important to first get a clear understanding of what PTSD is, what it does to an individual, its symptoms, and how it is acquired.

 The Effects of PTSD

 Most people would feel scared, anxious, or sad when they experienced or witnessed something tragic and it is normal as it is the body’s natural reaction when it senses danger. However, if an individual’s negative feelings did not go away even after a few weeks or months, it might cause further problems.

 Inability to Perform Properly

 PTSD, as well as other mental health problems, if not treated, can negatively affect an individual’s everyday life and even his or her overall health. Because PTSD includes symptoms that affect a person’s ability to think and focus, he or she would have a hard time performing well at work. PTSD patients also experience changes in their moods thus, it could negatively affect a person’s relationship with others.

 PTSD and Depression

 Furthermore, PTSD could result in other mental illnesses. PTSD and depression often accompany each other. In fact, more than 40-50% of diagnosed PTSD patients also experienced depression. And depression is also often linked to other mental health problems. Thus, there is a possibility that a person struggling with PTSD could develop other mental illness if left untreated.

 The Link Between PTSD and the Brain

 In addition, persons with untreated PTSD are prone to greater health risks. It is still unknown to experts as to why PTSD patients are more prone to physical health problems. However, it may be because of the changes happening in the brain. Experts think that this activity in the brain could make the body vulnerable to health issues such as hypertension and other cardiovascular disorders as well as abnormalities in the thyroid, etc.

 Causes and Development of PTSD

 When a person directly experiences something tragic events like terrible accidents, natural disasters, or war, he or she could develop PTSD. Domestic violence, physical abuse, sexual assaults, or any catastrophic events that are very traumatic for a person could also result in PTSD. However, those who experience life-threatening or depressing tragedies at first hand are not the only ones who are likely to develop such mental illness. Even those who have witnessed such horrendous incidents, as well as those who already had mental problems in the past, are not safe from developing PTSD as well.

 In spite of the statistics that prove that PTSD is real and could happen to anyone, not everyone who experienced or witnessed a traumatic incident has a high chance of developing PTSD.

 Factors That Cause PTSD

 There are lots of factors that play a part in developing such mental health issue. These are as follows:

 Frequency of a tragic event.One of which is the frequency of the incident – is the person physically or sexually assaulted repeatedly? Is the person exposed in a war zone for a longer period of time or whatnot?

The kind of treatment the victim is experiencing in his environment.In addition to that, how an individual is treated by his or her family members or the society after the incident plays a major role. Did he or she receive an ample amount of social support after what had happened? Or was the person criticized for the traumatic incident?

Heredity.The family’s mental health history contributes as well. If there is a history of mental health illness in the family, it is likely that a person who experienced traumas would develop PTSD.

 Diagnosing Treating PTSD

 The way to treat PTSD in people varies from people to people and it’s up to the heath expert on what the proper treatment should be for an individual. Most people would tend to ask, “How is PSTD diagnosed?” The treatment all begins with the initial process of physical and psychological evaluation.

 Treatment centers for PTSD use an array of techniques and devices to give an individual a thorough diagnosis of his case. Considering how California has more PTSD cases than most states because of its massive military personnel population, the state’s facilities offer top-of-the-line service even at the early stages of treatment.

 Examination Process

 During the examination process, the doctors and the professionals at hand are going to use a criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders by the American Psychiatric Association to see whether or not the individual is indeed suffering from PTSD.

 Experts specializing in mental health also refer to such prerequisites for adults and children older than six years as “Criteria A – H.” Below are the formal criteria to be diagnosed with PTSD.

 Criterion A. The person must have been exposed to a threat or an actual death of another person encountered an incident that led to a serious injury or witnessed or experienced sexual or physical violence as well as emotional abuse.

Criterion B. In this criterion, the possible PTSD patient must have experienced recurring, uncontrollable, and/or unwelcomed thoughts or memories – be it expected or unexpected. The person must have also been having nightmares and vivid flashbacks about the traumatic incident that had happened. The person might also experience physical responsiveness to traumatic reminders.

Criterion C. A person struggling with PTSD might also avoid trauma-related stimuli. They would avoid thoughts or feelings that are connected to the traumatic event that they witnessed or experienced. They tend to abstain from people or situations that are related to the cause of their trauma as well.

Criterion D. The mood, as well as the how adults and children who are older than 6 years who suffered from traumatic incident think also changes. Their mood and thoughts could negatively be affected. They would have difficulty remembering key features of the traumatic event, they would have negative beliefs or thoughts about themselves,      other people, or even the whole world. They will feel like they are unwanted and would blame themselves for what had happened too. People who struggle with PTSD will lose interest in the activities that they used to like before the traumatic event as well and they would not be able to feel positive emotions.

Criterion E. In this criterion to diagnose a person with PTSD, he or she may experience difficulty in concentrating, he or she may be easily irritated, falling or staying asleep will be hard for him or her,  he or she may experience hypervigilance or would be easily startled.

Criterion F, G, and H. These criteria describe how severe the symptoms are. Basically, the symptoms above should have lasted for at least a month, have seriously affected the person’s capability to function and the symptoms should not be caused by the use of any substance, medical illness, or whatnot except the traumatic event itself to be diagnosed with PTSD. Note that these are all for adults, adolescents, and children who are over six years old.

How PTSD in Children is Diagnosed

 Children who are under 6 years old have more abstract intellectual and verbal abilities in expressing themselves. The criteria for their PTSD diagnosis are somewhat different than the adults and children who are older than 6 years. Their criteria are more tied up to their development and behavior. For very young children, their symptoms may include the following:

 Fear of being detached from their parents

Children (younger than 6 years) would also become more irritable and aggressive

Like the adults, teens, and kids older than 6 years, they too would experience nightmares and sleeping problems

They are likely to lose their previously acquired skills as well such as potty training

Children under 6 years old might also probably develop anxieties and new fears

They would become more hyperactive

And unlike adults and teens, they are likely to act out the traumatic incident through stories, play, or even drawings

Diagnosing PTSD in Children

 The treatment process itself is arduous and there are various ways for a patient and his doctors to tackle it. First and foremost, the patients are thought ways and methods to help them cope with PTSD on their own. For self-help methods, patients are taught skills to combat symptoms and they are taught to see themselves on a better light. Most importantly, the patients are taught to rid themselves of problems brought about by PTSD like depression, and substance abuse.

Treatment of PTSD

 Treating PTSD is mostly tackled through various psychotherapeutic techniques.

Prolonged Exposure

 One method the top treatment centers like those in California and North County use is Prolonged Exposure (PE). In this treatment, patients are helped fight PTSD by helping them understand how to face their negative feelings head-on. Basically, it is the process wherein individuals are taught to live their lives normally.

Cognitive Processing Therapy

 Another psychotherapeutic technique used in fighting PTSD is Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT). In this processes, patients are taught to express the negative thoughts that come to them in relation to their trauma. It helps patients cope with the fact that they are indeed having troubles with moving on from an event and that they can face it head-on.

Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

 Next is the Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) technique. This is a crucial therapeutic technique as it helps a patient process the traumatic event to sort of desensitize it. The process involves recalling the traumatic experience while looking at an object that is moving back-and-forth.

Medications for Treating PTSD

 Of course, part of the treatment process also involves the use of various medications which have been proven to be helpful in treating and weakening the symptoms that come bundled with PTSD. Most of the medications come in the form of medicine that helps control depression and anxiety.

 These medications commonly called as SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) and SNRIs (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors). To be precise, these medications help promote the level of the naturally occurring chemicals in the brain like serotonin and norepinephrine that play a part in affecting how a person feels.

 Some of the recommended medication for PTSD include; Sertraline (Zoloft), Paroxetine (Paxil), Fluoxetine (Prozac), Nefazodone (Serzone), Imipramine (Tofranil), Phenelzine (Nardil) and Venlafaxine (Effexor). Doctors aren’t going to be too trigger happy in handing out prescriptions for these drugs though as patients and those near them will have to monitor the intake of the medications to avoid any abuse or overdose.

 These medications help a great deal for individuals who are going through the symptoms and effects of PTSD and these are the best supplements to the psychotherapeutic programs as the patient and the doctors will be able to tackle the problem from multiple sides.

Relapse and Recovery

 Curing PTSD is not a one-step or one visit process. In fact, patients might even go through the treatment plan for months and even years to completely help themselves recover from the traumatic event or events that they have experienced. Since this is a memory that is implanted in a person’s mind, ridding them of it is no easy task and it requires patience from both the doctor at hand and to the patient himself.

 In some cases, people who underwent the treatment process get a relapse of PTSD. In cases like these, it is important for the patient to go back to the treatment process again before it gets any worse. Relapsing for patients is completely normal but it is something that doctors and treatment facilities are always looking to avoid.

Treatment Facilities in California

 In California, there are various treatment facilities and counseling centers that are focused on helping out individuals who are suffering from PTSD. These facilities and centers offer a lot of ways to treat PTSD and they do so using a top-notch facility and highly trained professionals.

 Inpatient and outpatient programs are available as well. Outpatient programs are usually conducted on those who show mild symptoms of PTSD while the inpatient programs are reserved for those with severe cases. Though both in and out-patient programs have excellent success rates, patients with severe cases are best left under the care of the treatment facilities through in-patient programs.

 There are various treatments that individuals can avail to rid themselves of PTSD but it will be up to the professionals to know which of these is perfect for the case of an individual. There’s a suited method for each of those suffering through PTSD and as such, acquiring the help of treatment facilities, doctors, and more, is more than important to fight the disorder.

Moving Forward

 It’s hard to really fathom the hardships that those who suffer PTSD go through. While we can never fully understand the trouble and pain that those affected by the disorder go through, we can at least get an insight on how we could help them out through the use of modern-day psychological and medicinal techniques that help individuals cope with PTSD.

 Since the disorder chooses no age or gender, nearly everyone can be a victim of it. It’s best to help out our loved ones or those close to us, come to terms with PTSD as it could greatly affect their lives for a really long time. With a knowledge of the symptoms of PTSD, we should make ourselves responsible by pointing out loved ones in the right direction. As always, the way to curing PTSD is by first facing it head on and accepting that it exists within an individual.

 For those who are experiencing the same symptoms on their own, then it would be the best move to seek the help of professionals to avoid making PTSD any worse. It’s important to note that PTSD is not something that people should hide from themselves or from those special to them as it is a condition that does not discriminate. Having PTSD does not make one weak or fragile. It does, however, make them very prone to the adverse effects of the condition.

Comforting the Military Men

 Many states in the United States including California understand that trouble that comes with PTSD. And since the country has a huge military population, they’ve come to terms with the fact that there are many individuals returning from duty with PTSD in tow. As such, states are always looking to help individuals who are suffering from it and these states are also pushing for more advancements in the treatment process to make it easier and more effective. To locate a California treatment center that specializes in PTSD therapy in San Diego please contact the helpline and speak with an adviser.

 In a world as volatile as this, people going through traumatic experiences are no longer rare. There are countless individuals who are going through harsh experiences and they keep it to themselves in hopes of recovering from it. PTSD is a horrible condition and as such, we should all do our part to help those with PTSD and someday, there might come a time when people will no longer have to experience these horrible experiences but that is a future that is still very far off.

 Of course, as people who are close to those suffering from PTSD, it is important that we give them all the support and love they deserve before, during, and after the treatment process.

 If you or someone you know is looking for a San Diego PTSD treatment center that can discuss options that are available, please contact the number listed below. Helping Disorders main goal is to provide treatment options for people searching for help, thank you for taking the time to review, we hope this article had the information you where seeking.

  source https://helpingdisorders.com/ptsd-treatment-centers-san-diego/ source https://helpingdisorders.blogspot.com/2018/03/ptsd-treatment-centers-san-diego.html

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PTSD Treatment Centers San Diego

San Diego PTSD Treatment Centers

Women, Children, Veterans and Military Personnel in the Time of War and Conflict

In this day and age, conflict and war is no longer a rare occurrence that people get pulled into. Political conflicts, religious disagreements, and hate, in particular, are the causes of the various firefights and senseless killings around the world. While there are many governing bodies and institutions that are looking to help resolve the violent conflicts to achieve a global state of peace, the sad fact remains that cases like these cannot be avoided as long as all sides are willing to cooperate. If you or someone you love is struggling and would like to speak with someone about help from a PTSD treatment center in San Diego California please contact us now by clicking on the contact tab.

Currently, there are countless firefights occurring back and forth in many areas in the world; most particularly in Middle Eastern countries. The fights have brought nothing but pain and losses to those who are stuck at the center of it. Clashing ideologies and radical beliefs are also at the center of these conflicts which many are dying from.

Countless lives are affected by war and at the forefront of these unwanted occurrences are soldiers who are fighting for the protection and well being of others. These soldiers have undergone rigorous training before being destined to war-torn countries such as Syria and Iraq. The training they receive is designed to push a human body to its limits so that it can overcome any situation.

The Soldiers’ Sacrifice

Other than expanding their physical capabilities, soldiers are also trained to become mentally and psychologically tough. In doing so, they are able to surpass any adversity through determination and a savvy on ranged and melee combat. Despite the rigorous training, some soldiers are still prone both physical and mental anguish. Regardless of how high we look at these soldiers, we must never forget that they are only human and being in the line of fire is no walk in the part.

We’ve all heard stories about the Vietnam and World Wars and how the survivors from them have to live through a case known as post-traumatic stress disorder. It may sound like a light condition for some but in actuality, PTSD has drastic effects on a human mind and those who never get the chance to seek help are bound to suffer day in and day out.

70% of adults in the United States have been on the receiving end of a traumatic state at least once during their lifetime. From a grander perspective, that 70 percent is equal to a staggering 223.4 million people. This basically means that there are countless individuals who could be suffering from PTSD, which is something that we should not take lightly.

PTSD – the Unfortunate Upshot of Wars to Soldiers

  This state is for the population of the United States in general and it does not refer only to the military population. Studies have revealed that 1 in 5 soldiers return from war-torn areas like Iraq and Afghanistan return home with PTSD. Even more harrowing is the fact that the number of diagnosed cases continue to jump up each year. That’s just the undiagnosed cases though as there could be a lot of others who are unwilling to open up. In actuality, a lot of others are affected by the disorder.

Yes, the harsh reality is that PTSD can happen to anyone and it is not just limited to people who are active in military combat or those who have been a part of previous wars. Men, women, children; everyone is prone to this disruptive disorder so long as they’ve been through a harsh struggle in life.

The Golden State’s Few and Proud

  People who enlist in the army or other military groups come from all walks of life. Each state in the United States is home to countless brave men and women who are willing to fight for peace and the lives of others. Some states, however, contribute more to the overall military population than the others.

North County is the second most populous region in California next to San Diego. The area is known for its vibrant night life, extravagant houses, beaches, and more. It is also an area in the United States that carry a vast number of military members and officials.

Military Population in North County

  San Diego’s North County massive military population is due to the fact that the area is where a ton of military bases are situated at. In total, the state of California is home to a whopping 32 military bases situated across the shorelines and across the state. The Golden State has the most military bases out of all the states in America. The Navy and Marine Corps are mostly taking bases in San Diego while the rest of the state houses the United States Army.

This should not be a surprise anymore but California is the state that houses the most military active-duty personnel. As of September 2017, the state of California is the home to a staggering 184,540 military personnel, most of which are active in their line of work. In total, there are 1.3 million active duty military personnel in the United States.

In total, there are 128, 737 active military members in California. 6,567 are from the Army, 44,838 are from the Navy, 55,101 are from the Marine Corps., 17,243 are from the Air Force and 4,624 are from the Coast Guard.

What’s good though is that with all the military bases situated around the Golden State, California remains to be one of the safest areas in the United States. The soldiers in these military bases are more than ready to spring into action whenever they are needed and as such, Californians can rest easy most of the time knowing that they are being safe guarded by highly trained individuals.

The Growing Concern of PTSD in California

  Like most people in this line of work, the military personnel in the state of California are very prone to experiencing traumatic events.  PSTD in the military is rather common. As active personnel, they are tasked with springing into action when necessary and they could face tough adversity along the way.

The Others Who Suffer Through PTSD

  As stated, everyone can be a victim of PTSD so long as they went through a horrible experience. Women, children and especially veterans from previous wars are very prone to it and in fact, they attribute a huge number to the total cases of PTSD cases in the United States. Locating some of the best PTSD support groups San Diego locations can sometimes be difficult.

According to studies, 1 out of every 9 women develops PTSD. That makes them the gender most prone to it, as they are twice as likely as men. PTSD causes in adults vary but for women, the most common cause for them is through sexual harassment encounters and advances. Women are victims of cases like these and as such, their PTSD cases continue to grow.

Although there are men and women who experience sexual assaults, such traumatic incident is most common in women. And among the traumatic events that could happen to a person, sexual assault is known as one of the main causes of PTSD. That being said, apart from war veterans, PTSD is also prevalent in women compared to men.

PTSD in Children and Young Adults

  Of course, the young ones; including children and teens are also victims of PTSD. Since they are at such a young age, traumatic experiences leave a long-lasting imprint on their memories as their minds are yet to fully process a keen understanding of events. The traumatic event could range a lot and it includes bullying in school, molestation, and so many more.

Looking at the PSTD statistics, studies show that girls and boys go through at least one traumatic experience in their lifetime. To be more precise, 15% to 43% of girls, and 14% to 43% experience these traumatic events. Of these causes, 3% to 15% in girls develop PTSD and 1% to 6% in boys develop it.

Children and teens that develop PTSD at such a young age and refuse to get treatment for it tend to suffer from the disorder for a really long time. PTSD symptoms vary from person to person but with kids and teens going through it, a part of their symptoms include the inability to interact with others, anxiety, depression, and in worse cases, they develop suicidal tendencies too.

PTSD in Veterans

  Of course, another group of PTSD victims worth looking into is the veterans. The different World Wars and the Vietnam Wars has produced a ton of PTSD prone veterans. At such an old age, it is saddening to see these veterans suffer through the events of their past and they are greatly affected by it the most.

Suicidal Tendencies and Mental Illnesses in Veterans

  Veterans of modern and previous wars went through a lot and after the war, they would feel like their life has lost its direction. PTSD symptoms in veterans vary from person to person but a common factor among them is that most of them develop suicidal tendencies. If they don’t get help or if their disorders aren’t dealt with immediately, it could eventually lead to them taking their lives and it is something treatment centers are looking to avoid.

War veterans, for example, are one of the people who usually develop such mental illness. No matter how experienced a person is in the war zone, killing someone or almost getting killed could still cause traumas which is the main reason why patients develop PTSD.

There is Hope

  The term PTSD is very broad and vague, under it are various ideas and theories but it all boils down to how traumatic events affect and individual’s life in the long run. Though it is a harrowing condition, PTSD is curable and there are even various establishments that center their functions on ridding veterans and other military personnel of PTSD. Before anything else though, it is important to first get a clear understanding of what PTSD is, what it does to an individual, its symptoms, and how it is acquired.

The Effects of PTSD

  Most people would feel scared, anxious, or sad when they experienced or witnessed something tragic and it is normal as it is the body’s natural reaction when it senses danger. However, if an individual’s negative feelings did not go away even after a few weeks or months, it might cause further problems.

Inability to Perform Properly

  PTSD, as well as other mental health problems, if not treated, can negatively affect an individual’s everyday life and even his or her overall health. Because PTSD includes symptoms that affect a person’s ability to think and focus, he or she would have a hard time performing well at work. PTSD patients also experience changes in their moods thus, it could negatively affect a person’s relationship with others.

PTSD and Depression

  Furthermore, PTSD could result in other mental illnesses. PTSD and depression often accompany each other. In fact, more than 40-50% of diagnosed PTSD patients also experienced depression. And depression is also often linked to other mental health problems. Thus, there is a possibility that a person struggling with PTSD could develop other mental illness if left untreated.

The Link Between PTSD and the Brain

  In addition, persons with untreated PTSD are prone to greater health risks. It is still unknown to experts as to why PTSD patients are more prone to physical health problems. However, it may be because of the changes happening in the brain. Experts think that this activity in the brain could make the body vulnerable to health issues such as hypertension and other cardiovascular disorders as well as abnormalities in the thyroid, etc.

Causes and Development of PTSD

  When a person directly experiences something tragic events like terrible accidents, natural disasters, or war, he or she could develop PTSD. Domestic violence, physical abuse, sexual assaults, or any catastrophic events that are very traumatic for a person could also result in PTSD. However, those who experience life-threatening or depressing tragedies at first hand are not the only ones who are likely to develop such mental illness. Even those who have witnessed such horrendous incidents, as well as those who already had mental problems in the past, are not safe from developing PTSD as well.

In spite of the statistics that prove that PTSD is real and could happen to anyone, not everyone who experienced or witnessed a traumatic incident has a high chance of developing PTSD.

Factors That Cause PTSD

  There are lots of factors that play a part in developing such mental health issue. These are as follows:

Frequency of a tragic event.One of which is the frequency of the incident – is the person physically or sexually assaulted repeatedly? Is the person exposed in a war zone for a longer period of time or whatnot?

The kind of treatment the victim is experiencing in his environment.In addition to that, how an individual is treated by his or her family members or the society after the incident plays a major role. Did he or she receive an ample amount of social support after what had happened? Or was the person criticized for the traumatic incident?

Heredity.The family’s mental health history contributes as well. If there is a history of mental health illness in the family, it is likely that a person who experienced traumas would develop PTSD.

  Diagnosing Treating PTSD

The way to treat PTSD in people varies from people to people and it’s up to the heath expert on what the proper treatment should be for an individual. Most people would tend to ask, “How is PSTD diagnosed?” The treatment all begins with the initial process of physical and psychological evaluation.

Treatment centers for PTSD use an array of techniques and devices to give an individual a thorough diagnosis of his case. Considering how California has more PTSD cases than most states because of its massive military personnel population, the state’s facilities offer top-of-the-line service even at the early stages of treatment.

Examination Process

  During the examination process, the doctors and the professionals at hand are going to use a criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders by the American Psychiatric Association to see whether or not the individual is indeed suffering from PTSD.

Experts specializing in mental health also refer to such prerequisites for adults and children older than six years as “Criteria A – H.” Below are the formal criteria to be diagnosed with PTSD.

Criterion A. The person must have been exposed to a threat or an actual death of another person encountered an incident that led to a serious injury or witnessed or experienced sexual or physical violence as well as emotional abuse.

Criterion B. In this criterion, the possible PTSD patient must have experienced recurring, uncontrollable, and/or unwelcomed thoughts or memories – be it expected or unexpected. The person must have also been having nightmares and vivid flashbacks about the traumatic incident that had happened. The person might also experience physical responsiveness to traumatic reminders.

Criterion C. A person struggling with PTSD might also avoid trauma-related stimuli. They would avoid thoughts or feelings that are connected to the traumatic event that they witnessed or experienced. They tend to abstain from people or situations that are related to the cause of their trauma as well.

Criterion D. The mood, as well as the how adults and children who are older than 6 years who suffered from traumatic incident think also changes. Their mood and thoughts could negatively be affected. They would have difficulty remembering key features of the traumatic event, they would have negative beliefs or thoughts about themselves,      other people, or even the whole world. They will feel like they are unwanted and would blame themselves for what had happened too. People who struggle with PTSD will lose interest in the activities that they used to like before the traumatic event as well and they would not be able to feel positive emotions.

Criterion E. In this criterion to diagnose a person with PTSD, he or she may experience difficulty in concentrating, he or she may be easily irritated, falling or staying asleep will be hard for him or her,  he or she may experience hypervigilance or would be easily startled.

Criterion F, G, and H. These criteria describe how severe the symptoms are. Basically, the symptoms above should have lasted for at least a month, have seriously affected the person’s capability to function and the symptoms should not be caused by the use of any substance, medical illness, or whatnot except the traumatic event itself to be diagnosed with PTSD. Note that these are all for adults, adolescents, and children who are over six years old.

How PTSD in Children is Diagnosed

  Children who are under 6 years old have more abstract intellectual and verbal abilities in expressing themselves. The criteria for their PTSD diagnosis are somewhat different than the adults and children who are older than 6 years. Their criteria are more tied up to their development and behavior. For very young children, their symptoms may include the following:

Fear of being detached from their parents

Children (younger than 6 years) would also become more irritable and aggressive

Like the adults, teens, and kids older than 6 years, they too would experience nightmares and sleeping problems

They are likely to lose their previously acquired skills as well such as potty training

Children under 6 years old might also probably develop anxieties and new fears

They would become more hyperactive

And unlike adults and teens, they are likely to act out the traumatic incident through stories, play, or even drawings

Diagnosing PTSD in Children

  The treatment process itself is arduous and there are various ways for a patient and his doctors to tackle it. First and foremost, the patients are thought ways and methods to help them cope with PTSD on their own. For self-help methods, patients are taught skills to combat symptoms and they are taught to see themselves on a better light. Most importantly, the patients are taught to rid themselves of problems brought about by PTSD like depression, and substance abuse.

Treatment of PTSD

Treating PTSD is mostly tackled through various psychotherapeutic techniques.

Prolonged Exposure

One method the top treatment centers like those in California and North County use is Prolonged Exposure (PE). In this treatment, patients are helped fight PTSD by helping them understand how to face their negative feelings head-on. Basically, it is the process wherein individuals are taught to live their lives normally.

Cognitive Processing Therapy

Another psychotherapeutic technique used in fighting PTSD is Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT). In this processes, patients are taught to express the negative thoughts that come to them in relation to their trauma. It helps patients cope with the fact that they are indeed having troubles with moving on from an event and that they can face it head-on.

Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

Next is the Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) technique. This is a crucial therapeutic technique as it helps a patient process the traumatic event to sort of desensitize it. The process involves recalling the traumatic experience while looking at an object that is moving back-and-forth.

Medications for Treating PTSD

Of course, part of the treatment process also involves the use of various medications which have been proven to be helpful in treating and weakening the symptoms that come bundled with PTSD. Most of the medications come in the form of medicine that helps control depression and anxiety.

These medications commonly called as SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) and SNRIs (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors). To be precise, these medications help promote the level of the naturally occurring chemicals in the brain like serotonin and norepinephrine that play a part in affecting how a person feels.

Some of the recommended medication for PTSD include; Sertraline (Zoloft), Paroxetine (Paxil), Fluoxetine (Prozac), Nefazodone (Serzone), Imipramine (Tofranil), Phenelzine (Nardil) and Venlafaxine (Effexor). Doctors aren’t going to be too trigger happy in handing out prescriptions for these drugs though as patients and those near them will have to monitor the intake of the medications to avoid any abuse or overdose.

These medications help a great deal for individuals who are going through the symptoms and effects of PTSD and these are the best supplements to the psychotherapeutic programs as the patient and the doctors will be able to tackle the problem from multiple sides.

Relapse and Recovery

Curing PTSD is not a one-step or one visit process. In fact, patients might even go through the treatment plan for months and even years to completely help themselves recover from the traumatic event or events that they have experienced. Since this is a memory that is implanted in a person’s mind, ridding them of it is no easy task and it requires patience from both the doctor at hand and to the patient himself.

In some cases, people who underwent the treatment process get a relapse of PTSD. In cases like these, it is important for the patient to go back to the treatment process again before it gets any worse. Relapsing for patients is completely normal but it is something that doctors and treatment facilities are always looking to avoid.

Treatment Facilities in California

In California, there are various treatment facilities and counseling centers that are focused on helping out individuals who are suffering from PTSD. These facilities and centers offer a lot of ways to treat PTSD and they do so using a top-notch facility and highly trained professionals.

Inpatient and outpatient programs are available as well. Outpatient programs are usually conducted on those who show mild symptoms of PTSD while the inpatient programs are reserved for those with severe cases. Though both in and out-patient programs have excellent success rates, patients with severe cases are best left under the care of the treatment facilities through in-patient programs.

There are various treatments that individuals can avail to rid themselves of PTSD but it will be up to the professionals to know which of these is perfect for the case of an individual. There’s a suited method for each of those suffering through PTSD and as such, acquiring the help of treatment facilities, doctors, and more, is more than important to fight the disorder.

Moving Forward

It’s hard to really fathom the hardships that those who suffer PTSD go through. While we can never fully understand the trouble and pain that those affected by the disorder go through, we can at least get an insight on how we could help them out through the use of modern-day psychological and medicinal techniques that help individuals cope with PTSD.

Since the disorder chooses no age or gender, nearly everyone can be a victim of it. It’s best to help out our loved ones or those close to us, come to terms with PTSD as it could greatly affect their lives for a really long time. With a knowledge of the symptoms of PTSD, we should make ourselves responsible by pointing out loved ones in the right direction. As always, the way to curing PTSD is by first facing it head on and accepting that it exists within an individual.

For those who are experiencing the same symptoms on their own, then it would be the best move to seek the help of professionals to avoid making PTSD any worse. It’s important to note that PTSD is not something that people should hide from themselves or from those special to them as it is a condition that does not discriminate. Having PTSD does not make one weak or fragile. It does, however, make them very prone to the adverse effects of the condition.

Comforting the Military Men

Many states in the United States including California understand that trouble that comes with PTSD. And since the country has a huge military population, they’ve come to terms with the fact that there are many individuals returning from duty with PTSD in tow. As such, states are always looking to help individuals who are suffering from it and these states are also pushing for more advancements in the treatment process to make it easier and more effective. To locate a California treatment center that specializes in PTSD therapy in San Diego please contact the helpline and speak with an adviser.

In a world as volatile as this, people going through traumatic experiences are no longer rare. There are countless individuals who are going through harsh experiences and they keep it to themselves in hopes of recovering from it. PTSD is a horrible condition and as such, we should all do our part to help those with PTSD and someday, there might come a time when people will no longer have to experience these horrible experiences but that is a future that is still very far off.

Of course, as people who are close to those suffering from PTSD, it is important that we give them all the support and love they deserve before, during, and after the treatment process.

If you or someone you know is looking for a San Diego PTSD treatment center that can discuss options that are available, please contact the number listed below. Helping Disorders main goal is to provide treatment options for people searching for help, thank you for taking the time to review, we hope this article had the information you where seeking.

source https://helpingdisorders.com/ptsd-treatment-centers-san-diego/ source https://helpingdisorders.tumblr.com/post/172125149901