The Value of Suffering

Years of my life have been dedicated to learning how to work with added challenges that I face—as are related to my schizophrenia diagnosis.  Every now and then, no matter how hard I work to remain in a quiet head space, I withdraw from the outside world.  My seclusion, often, only lasts for twenty minutes, but sometimes as much as an hour or two.  Stepping back, away from the world, I give my internal world some attention.  I did, however, at one time, fall into a state of psychosis, where I could not see that this internal world was aberrant.

People, who I have talked to, have likened my description of psychosis to channeling.  And in my research to understand what channeling is, I have uncovered consistencies.  One way in which people channel is to use symbolism to cultivate self-knowledge as a means to heal from psychological trauma. 

Seth Farber, who is a doctor in psychology, and the author of The Spiritual Gift of Madness, wrote that he recommended to a schizophrenic patient that they look into channeling.  In his book, he writes, that he told this patient that “channels make good money.”  Now, I do use symbolism to better pursue self-knowledge; I don’t consider myself a channel; but I have for years looked to the king snake as a symbol of higher wisdom.  And I use the king snake as my spirit animal for my code of ethics which is a philosophy for life-long learning.

Aberrant realities can, if they are given due attention, open windows to our soul’s expression of who we are.  I have learned so much of myself from learning to flourish—despite having a schizophrenic mind.  I say despite my schizophrenic mind, but I would also like to add that because it has led me through despair—I’ve awakened to a brilliantly better self than I was before my psychosis. 

Freedom from oppressive mind-states opens the soul to much of the beauty within us that, otherwise, could go unnoticed.  Much of the work we need to do, in order to see this beauty, is to stop believing that our consciousness is limited to one reality. 

Psychosis is an art that expresses itself in the subterranean layers of the ego.  People suffer so that their psychosis can endure; as much, great artists suffer so they may dedicate their time to creative pursuits.  What we need, as a society, is to allow for alternative ways to explore the subconscious to ebb and flow naturally—without further trauma.  As long as we are afraid of the outcomes tied into extreme states, the people facing these states will attempt to suppress their natural tendency to resolve them.   

Where suffering is valued there is no unconquerable oppression.