RE: Brexit as suicide: The psychology of self-harm
The relationship between psychological/emotional pain and the act of self-harming is an interesting one. Self-inflicted physical pain, like scratching/cutting one's arms (and all the way up to suicide) seems to be an act of distracting from the 'greater' pain inside one's head/being. Thus the physical pain caused by self-injury is experienced as a 'lesser' order of pain than (a distraction from) the psychological/emotional pain....it may even be experienced as (relatively) 'pleasurable' for the relief it brings.
It is fascinating to apply this notion of suicide or self-harm to a nation, and I totally see it - collectively, individually, ancestrally there is a great deal of brutality, guilt and alienation in the UK experience. Personified, the UK does indeed appear to be going through a deep psychosis with no supportive TLC, nor guidance, nor the tackling of anything but symptoms and knee-jerk reactions........
A breakdown therefore seems to be well underway - Brexit is largely 'unplanned' as you say, therefore 'action' is bound to be emotionally driven (like the vote to leave :). This could end up in further self-harm and/or suicide.
But 'breakdown' can also lead to 'breakthrough'. 'Suicide' in this sense, could be the 'death of the ego'.
I hold an open future of possibilities, this is what we all seem to be striving for, wishing for. I believe that both will likely happen - breakdown, followed by breakthrough.
Very true and a wonderful perspective for all of us. Thank you, @barge, for once again expressing a positive message from your hearts in a way for our stupid minds to understand what should be felt anyways …
Thank you for a beautifully insightful perspective, @barge.
Also: R.D.Laing has always been one of my favourite psychologists.
I am on-board with your perspective that the UK may be, collectively, in in the throes of an ego-death. The question, as always with such transformations is: To what extent will the patient (the UK) scream, bluster, and grab destructively at objects in his immediate environment, before concluding that the only sensible way through this transition is to sit and breathe quietly, surrendering to the panic of extinction, yet confident in the knowledge that metamorphosis — a necessary rebirth — is imminent.
The UK strikes me as a 'patient' who will likely throw many more chairs through the windows of the ward before this transformation is done.
Utterly delighted to hear that @matrjoschka! "The Politics of Experience" helped me tremendously towards the end of a month-long psychosis (self diagnosed :) - effectively guided me out, in a way. That was the third time I read it, and it was also my third major psychosis (as I can gather from a retrospective look at my life)!
As for this psychotic 'patient', it does seem as if 'rock-bottom' has not yet been reached and there will certainly be more drama and suffering to come before he rejects the toxins he is being fed as 'medicine', regurgitates the poison, grieves his losses and begins to believe that 'alternative' methods and modes of healing are available and possible......and that he can forgive and be forgiven (possibly the toughest of all?)!
I can't resist copying the final page of R.D.Laing's 'The Bird Of Paradise' (from this post):
To listen to the audio version of this article click on the play image.
Brought to you by @tts. If you find it useful please consider upvoting this reply.