tsuki

@Onecirrus Imagine a child playing with legos. The child has no problems (it feels safe), but it still plays a game that poses a challenge (problem). We're not adults because the child is gone and we're not playing anymore. We're adults because the child has learned to be its own parent and plays games that are valuable to others.

@Shakazulu The booklist mentions a book specifically about that. It had a profound impact on my marriage.

@Arcangelo

Were you being targeted by specific individuals, or was it always happening? I don't mean to imply that you deserve it somehow, or that your feelings are false, but maybe you were sensitive your whole life and kids simply took advantage of that? Maybe your problem is not your sensitivity, but having an expectation that you're somehow supposed to be more sociable like "everybody else"?

@kindayellow To accept whatever arises is not a permission to bypass your emotions. Instead of cultivating self-talk, I'd rather suggest pen and paper journaling, or recording notes. This way, you could revisit your ruminations after some psychological distance has been built. The way in which we're treating ourselves internally is shocking and worth paying attention to.

My wife just gave this to me as a birthday present. A DIY dreamcatcher! Actually, it's her 30th birthday but we agreed to celebrate it together.

This is such a goldmine: Affective neuroscience https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affective_neuroscience#Main_structures_of_the_limbic_system

From what I was able to gather, it is believed that LSD works similarly to serotonin. I have never stumbled across any scientific study on LSD (but then again I wasn't looking for it). The very few trips that I had were some of the most profound events in my life.

@Rebecca Kalamata I know that writing style. I'm glad to see you back. Thank you for your message. Now that the guilt is out of the way, what am I going to do with the rest of my life? Like, live it? Nonono, that's waaaay to scary. I'd have to actually do what I want and that could turn out not the way I wanted... How do you people get this wonderful kind of energy?

@Preety_India I just read through your thread and I have zero advice for you. I admire your strength and wish you a hasty recovery.

Hmm... I just realized that I have this belief that in order to feel vulnerable, I need to rip my heart open by feeling devalued. Like, by reading a bunch of stuff about narcissism and understanding how it fits my behavior. That makes me feel the way I like. It makes me think that I'm truthful to myself, that I'm doing the work. That I understand my weaknesses and I will be "better". I also have this belief that truth about myself necessarily hurts, that it feels like a slap to the face. Hmmm... Makes me think about this question ?

Have you ever tripped on LSD?

ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING. Parts of the brain that deal with disgust to physical phenomena (like rotten food) activate in response to abstract ideas such as incest, cannibalism, etc. Moral reasoning is oftentimes occurs only afterwards as a rationalization. (4:32) - on serotonin. It seems like dopamine in the PFC stimulates it to do more emotional regulation. Who would have thought. I wonder how heroin screws that up. In animals, lower levels of serotonin are linked to aggression and antisocial behavior. In humans, administering serotonin-like substances increases PFC metabolism, except for individuals with history of antisocial violence. I wonder how LSD would work on sociopaths.

Now that's interesting. "Repressive personalities" and elevated metabolism in prefrontal cortex (57:18). Super interesting: inverse correlation between metabolism in amygdala and prefrontal cortex. People with damage to PFC cannot learn to disassociate from fear, even through repeated experience. There are cases when PFC stimulates amygdala (when culturally expected behavior is difficult, like sacrificing your life for your country, etc).

Thank you for your encouragement. It means a lot to me. I'm sorry to hear that. Lots of questions are going through my mind right now. ______________ A picture that I found on PTSD Canada facebook group that I found reassuring: ______________________________________- The part about aggression starts at 52:14

My god, this is so insanely interesting. @Preety_India Thank you for sharing this. May I ask how long did the relationship last?

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/modern-minds/201710/8-great-books-the-evolved-psychology-sex-and-passion Interesting fact: the amygdala is responsible for anxiety, fear and agression, but in males it is also responsible for sexual arousal. http://www.ejhs.org/volume16/Amygdala.html Hormones related to pair bonding that are released during sexual intercourse (around 1 hr mark in the video): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasopressin (males) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxytocin (females)

Interesting book: Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain

@Aeris Can you post the link? This is the only thing I was able to find: