Study of psychology

[Conceptually-made]

Hey guys. I am currently studying economics but I don’t find it as a right fit for me so i am thinking about going to study psychology as i have been interested in psychological and philosophical matters quite a bit which is pretty obvious since i am here haha. 
 

Anyways the thing that worries me with psychology is that enlightenment and nondual experiences are usually labeled as signs of psychosis or some sort of disorder. And I am just wondering how open minded are the academics in psychology really. Like this college is really expensive and i really don’t want to make the wrong choice as it will not only cost me a lot of money but also a lot of time.  What i want to know basically is whether anyone has any experience with this and could help me with it. 

[Seraphim]

Yes the education may not give you everything you need to help your patients well. However, if you are passionate about psychology you can always learn more on your own, the education will help you get a job so it's still worth a lot.

[commie]

16 minutes ago, Conceptually-made said:

And I am just wondering how open minded are the academics in psychology really.

Some of the ones I've met were so open-minded their brains leaked out. Old money and other underachievers aplenty. But let's not generalize of course... different times and places, blah blah.

I expect you're not considering paying real money out of curiosity so... you may have better opportunities in psych research with a medical background (or possibly another background potentially relevant to the study of the nervous system).

Disclaimer: not a psychologist (obviously)

[Moksha]

What draws you to psychology, and what do you want to do with it?

I studied psychology because I found the subject fascinating. It is a nice way to learn about how the human mind works. It also provides a solid grounding in the scientific method. If that is your motivation, go for it.

Just realize that a bachelor's degree in psychology has little practical utility. You will probably need to get a post-graduate education if you plan to make a career out of it.

If your aspiration is to be a clinical psychologist, an advanced degree is important. If your aspiration is to heal, you don't need to go the psychology route. You can still be an effective therapist without pursuing psychology, although the background helps. You just won't be able to call yourself a psychologist (which is not necessarily a bad thing).

I appreciate my education. But honestly, if I could do it again, I would go into philosophy rather than psychology. And if I could redo that, I would probably go into spirituality rather than philosophy.

Edited October 26, 2020 by Moksha

[tsuki]

2 hours ago, Conceptually-made said:

Anyways the thing that worries me with psychology is that enlightenment and nondual experiences are usually labeled as signs of psychosis or some sort of disorder. And I am just wondering how open minded are the academics in psychology really.

I'd expect academics to be close-minded in these matters, but studying late Jung may be of help.
When it comes to regular psychotherapy, I'm perfectly capable of talking about my awakenings with my therapist and she is able to recognize that changes are positive.

[Conceptually-made]

@Moksha

Well the thing that draws me to psychology is simply the human mind. Its so complex and so interesting when you can see the dynamics you learn in a textbook play out in real time. Also i have had a fair share of difficult moments regarding my mental health and i feel really compassionate to the people and bad about the fact that such a small percentage is even capable of receiving help. 

i could see myself being a therapist but what i actually see myself doing is helping people on a larger scale. Because no amount of therapists could treat the entire world. 

[Jacobsrw]

On 26/10/2020 at 9:00 PM, Conceptually-made said:

Hey guys. I am currently studying economics but I don’t find it as a right fit for me so i am thinking about going to study psychology as i have been interested in psychological and philosophical matters quite a bit which is pretty obvious since i am here haha. 
 

Anyways the thing that worries me with psychology is that enlightenment and nondual experiences are usually labeled as signs of psychosis or some sort of disorder. And I am just wondering how open minded are the academics in psychology really. Like this college is really expensive and i really don’t want to make the wrong choice as it will not only cost me a lot of money but also a lot of time.  What i want to know basically is whether anyone has any experience with this and could help me with it. 

Hey there,

Great to hear your interest in the field of social sciences. I would like to to lend you some insight from my own experience. As I am just about to complete my degree in psychology and must say it’s definitely an interesting field of study, however, very little of it occupies interest around deep existential matters. A large portion of psychology is devoted toward scientific inquires which are concerned with large scale testing, categorisations and measurement. There are sub fields that that explore more detailed factors beyond this, but they usually require further education. The most fundamental topics such as metaphysics, epistemology and phenomenology are either glossed over or quite harshly denounced unfortunately. Spirituality is often ignorantly misrepresented or undermined from my experience. 

Many benefits lie within uni, much of which are unspoken, such: improved literacy skills, presentability, communication, teamwork, and research. However, to get really profound benefits in the field you require doing your own explorations into deeper dimensions of the topics.

Personally, I have gained a lot from the study in its breadth but lacked much in its depth. That is why much of my interest lies far beyond the parameters of what a University provides. 

Have you considered diplomas or any preliminary education that could give you give you a prior introduction to the field?

 

Edited October 27, 2020 by Jacobsrw

[Leo Gura]

On 10/26/2020 at 4:00 AM, Conceptually-made said:

And I am just wondering how open minded are the academics in psychology really.

Haha!

They will certainly not be openminded to nonduality or mysticism or the things I teach.

You have been spoiled rotten here. University will feel like prison compared to Actualized.org

With that said, if you must go to university, you'll certainly be happier studying psychology and philosophy vs economics. And a psychology degree can be useful if you want to be a therapist or something like that in the future. You can learn valuable things within academic psychology. But your mind will not be jailbroken there, nor will you find the Truth there.

[Guest SirVladimir]

@Conceptually-made Helping & healing people is a great intention. Good for ya. Just something to ponder on: Have you had any nondual/mystical experiences yet? This could be a game changer for you. I believed I was interested in philosophy and psychology until I had my first real-time awakenings. Then I realized those academic fields were merely wagons carrying me to what I love & that I don't really give a damn about conceptual theorizing and studying endless closed-minded attitudes. Instead, I found bliss in exploring consciousness 'out (t)here'. Consider it. 

[Conceptually-made]

@Jacobsrw  Thanks for your explanation really gave me a better perspective  

i admit i imagined psychology to be more more introspective but yeah i see what you are saying. It is a very statistical and scientific approach and it isn’t necessarily as fun as I imagined it to be. But still the thing that keeps me interested is simply the value of psychology and basically the purpose of its work. 
i guess I won’t find the perfect college but so far psychology seems like most full filling for me. 

[Moksha]

@Conceptually-made It's not uncommon for therapists to choose the mental health profession out of empathy born from their own challenges. The same is probably true for many spiritual teachers. As the saying goes, "Physician, heal thyself." If you have experienced healing, you are in a better position to help others.

What kind of healing do you want to facilitate?. Are you more interested in psychological illnesses like schizophrenia that would require specific training in psychology/psychiatry, or are you interested in more general disorders like anxiety/depression that might be amenable to a holistic approach?

Just realize that if you take the psychology/psychiatry route, you will need a master's degree at minimum for psychology, and a M.D. for psychiatry. That is a massive commitment. My degree is actually in industrial/organizational psychology. Like you, I was fascinated by the human mind. I don’t regret what I learned, but starting over I would choose another field.

Edited October 27, 2020 by Moksha

[Conceptually-made]

@Leo Gura  Yeah i see what you are saying i will need to get used to actuality of life haha.

The biggest problem i am facing is basically not being supported by my parents. Like i wanted to go to psychology from the beginning but they convinced me that economics is like a safer option and i can do psychology after that. And i found this to be a good reason. But now i am seeing how difficult it is to study something that does not interest me. 

It sucks not being supported by my parents. It makes me even more scared of failure. 

[Conceptually-made]

@Moksha 
I am more interested in the general stuff. And what interests me the most are basically traumas and how they cause all sorts of disorders. 

[Conceptually-made]

@SirVladimir Yeah i had one experience where i became conscious of the groundless nature of reality,infinity and a slight touch of inifinite love.

Yeah i see what you are saying but the thing is that most people will never reach those states and there is another way to help them.

[Guest SirVladimir]

4 minutes ago, Conceptually-made said:

@SirVladimir Yeah i had one experience where i became conscious of the groundless nature of reality,infinity and a slight touch of inifinite love.

Yeah i see what you are saying but the thing is that most people will never reach those states and there is another way to help them.

Certainly. My point was that you could potentially lose interest in psychology altogether after an awakening. But it seems you have a good grasp of your purpose. Follow your bliss, or you'll regret it 70 years from now. Godspeed!

[Jennjenn]

@Conceptually-made have you thought about studying social work? You can be a therapist with a social work degree and in my experience a much better one. With a social work degree you get some classes in psychology but most classes are on philosophy and sociology. This is great for a therapist and fixes a problem that I see psychologist have which is that they see people in a vacuum. It’s a “blame the individual” science. Social work on the other hand sees all the paradigms, expectations and social constructs that make most of us go “crazy”. It’s also more compassionate, and more “in tune” with our current times. If you like philosophy you are going to have an awesome time studying sociology and social work. 
In regards to your parents, you gotta do what’s best for you. University is soooo freaking long that you HAVE TO study something that you actually enjoy! 

[Moksha]

@Conceptually-made Lol, to this day my mom still tells me I shouldn't have gone into psychology. Maybe mom really does know best. Then again, she wanted me to go into the physical sciences, and I wouldn't have been happy there either.

Regardless of which path you take, you are best served by your own awakening. The healer doesn't actually heal; he just provides the space until the person is able to heal themselves. And he is best empowered to provide that space when he has healed himself.

[Conceptually-made]

@Jennjenn Ok thats interesting. 
 When you say they see people in a vacum. Does that mean that psychologists are too scientific about it. Like dealing just with the symptoms instead of the root cause. 

Like if that is the case you are right about social work. 
 

@Moksha  As you have studied psychology do you agree with what @Jennjenn said

[Leo Gura]

47 minutes ago, Conceptually-made said:

It sucks not being supported by my parents. It makes me even more scared of failure. 

Nobody is gonna support you in building a self-actualized life. Nobody. Not only will they not support you, they will drag you down. That's why you must take charge and lead yourself.

Humans are a flock of sheep headed off a cliff, and they insist on your company.

[Conceptually-made]

@Leo Gura Thanks man