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Articles from John Smethers | Selfgrowth.com
- Quantum Recovery from Addiction - A Phenomenological Allegory - by Submitted on Oct 16, 2008 from John SmethersAccording to Goswami (1995) "whenever we ask if there is some other kind of reality beyond the material reality, we are putting material realism on the spot. Similarly, a genuine discontinuity points to a transcendent order of reality and thus a breakdown of material realism" (p. 138). What ...
Views: 4417 - The Numinosum as it Relates to Addiction - by Submitted on Oct 16, 2008 from John SmethersAfter having attended 12-step meetings for over eleven years, I still didn't understand what they meant when they shared about spiritual experiences. Since then, I did a research study with AA members to find out, and have consequently come to understand that there are many forms of spiritual ...
Views: 4932 - Depth Psychological Perspectives On Addiction And Treatment - by Submitted on Oct 08, 2008 from John SmethersChemical dependency has been beaten like a dead horse. There are causal theories from genetic predisposition to various theories of learning, which has contributed greatly to a social construction of reality--a clearing that needs to be re-visioned. Discussed here will be psychological and depth ...
Views: 7342 - Rights Of Passage Or Permanent Adolescence? - by Submitted on Oct 08, 2008 from John SmethersPuer Aeternus is Latin for eternal boy. Senex is Latin for old man. However, this is just one archetype--a split archetype. Hillman (1970) explains "that the senex is a complicatio of the puer, infolded into puer structure, so that puer events are complicated by a senex background." (p. 146). ...
Views: 5506(1 vote) - Puer And Senex Archetype In Relation To Criminalized Drug Addicts And The Judicial System - by Submitted on Sep 30, 2008 from John SmethersHaving previously written on prison stereotypes and archetypes, I separated them into two groups: the old prison stereotype and the new prison population who personify archetypes. In motion pictures, Humphery Bogart, James Cagney and many others have since portrayed gangsters, sociopaths and ...
Views: 7231 - Recovery From Addiction Through Active Imagination And The Alchemical Process - by Submitted on Sep 30, 2008 from John SmethersApproximately a month before I was released from the netherworld of the prison yard, I weighed more than I ever had in my life. Not knowing anything about fat, carbohydrates, or heart rate and exercise, I started fast-walking around the prison yard per diem, every day. While I managed not to ...
Views: 3470(1 vote) - Prison - A Self-Perpetuating System Of Recidivism - by Submitted on Sep 25, 2008 from John SmethersThe roots of the word prison comes from prisune from before 1112, which means confinement. Prisune was influence by pris, which means taken or seized. From Latin prehenso--to lay hold of, clutch at. Prysner--one kept in prison: probably 1350-75. Is prison a deterrent to crime? Judging by the ...
Views: 6297 - The Underworld Of Gilgamesh - A Parable To The Underworld of Addiction - by Submitted on Sep 25, 2008 from John SmethersTo decide during childhood, whether as an ideal from a dream or fantasy, or from being impressed or influenced by others in the community, to delve into the netherworld of drugs and alcohol--actually choosing to live a life of chaos is one of those mysteries of human behavior. Most addicts do ...
Views: 7119 - Auxiliary Stimuli of Addictive Behavior - by Submitted on Sep 18, 2008 from John SmethersPart I Addictive behavior in parents often begets addictive behavior in their offspring. According to Nakken (1988), if a child grows up in a family in which one parent is an addict, the child is likely to develop an addiction. If both parents are addicts, the child's chances of addiction ...
Views: 3941 - The Prison Stereotype & the Emergence Of The Puer Aeternus - by Submitted on Sep 18, 2008 from John SmethersThe roots of the word prison comes from prisune from before 1112, which means confinement. Prisune was influence by pris, which means taken. As a result of a growing and changing prison population in this country, I will reiterate statistics of the presence of an archetype. Personal observation ...
Views: 7911 - The Influence Of William James On Archetypal Psychology - by Submitted on Sep 10, 2008 from John SmethersWe rise upon the earth as wavelets rise upon the ocean. We grow out of her soil as leaves grow from a tree. The wavelets catch the sunbeams separately, the leaves stir when the branches do not move. They realize their own events apart, just as in our own consciousness, when anything becomes ...
Views: 4868 - The Unconscious World Of The Dream - by Submitted on Sep 10, 2008 from John SmethersI do not believe that I am now dreaming, but I cannot prove that I am Not." Philosopher Bertrand Russell 1872-1970 Freud: Are dreams relevant? The scientific community does not seem to think so. If it can not be proven by the scientific method, it does not exist. It must not exist then. Freud ...
Views: 6503 - Freud And Religion - by Submitted on Sep 03, 2008 from John SmethersIn The Future of an Illusion, Freud (1961) shares that: "I am reminded of one of my children who was distinguished at an early age by a peculiarly marked matter-of-factness. When the children were being told a fairy story and were listening to it with rapt attention, he would come up and ask: ...
Views: 9176 - Self Help And The 12 Steps Through The Lens Of Transpersonal Psychology - by Submitted on Sep 03, 2008 from John SmethersIn the course of a week approximately 15 million Americans will attend some kind of self-help group. Why is this happening? Because people have discovered that talking and listening to their fellow sufferers has a soothing effect on the psyche, sometimes more so than doing the same thing in the ...
Views: 3285 - An Approach To Recovery Using Alchemy And The Twelve Steps - by Submitted on Aug 25, 2008 from John SmethersWhat is alchemy? Many of us are drawn to the mysteries of the past to enlighten the quality of the present. Mythology, astrology, the tarot, runes, and I-Ching have drawn the interest of many in recent years, and is being enjoyed and utilized in fresh and innovative ways. Ancient wisdom imbued ...
Views: 5345 - Critical Thinking For Recovering Addicts And Alcoholics - by Submitted on Aug 25, 2008 from John SmethersCritical thinking (sometimes referred to as directed thinking) is purposeful, reasoned and goal directed--it is thought and knowledge and the relationship between them. To break it down more: the critical component is the evaluation that is most often agreed upon, and thinking is obtaining the ...
Views: 9761 - Was Freud A Depraved, Drug Addicted Deviate? - by Submitted on Aug 25, 2008 from John SmethersWas Sigmund Freud a twisted, deranged, sexual pervert with no evidence to support his theories? Or was he a competent physician, an effective theorist, and a creative professional exploring and developing new concepts? The answer to these questions is yes. He was a competent physician and ...
Views: 10196 - Psychological Theorists And Their Relation To Addiction And Other Issues - by Submitted on Aug 25, 2008 from John SmethersSigmund Freud When I think of Freud in relation to addictive behavior, the id, ego, and superego come to mind. The id is hedonistic--sleazy, fun-loving and pleasure seeking. The id says, "John, use that money to buy bag of dope and then share it with her. You'll surely get laid for your ...
Views: 9161 - Psychopathy Vs Criminal Activity Due To Chemical Dependency - by Submitted on Aug 25, 2008 from John SmethersThe difference between a psychopath and a sociopath is blurred, at least according to the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The DSM-IV lists both definitions together under the heading of Antisocial Personalities because they share common traits. ...
Views: 6812 - An Approach to Recovery Using Alchemy and the Twelve Steps - by Submitted on Aug 14, 2008 from John SmethersWhat is alchemy? Many of us are drawn to the mysteries of the past to enlighten the quality of the present. Mythology, astrology, the tarot, runes, and I-Ching have drawn the interest of many in recent years, and is being enjoyed and utilized in fresh and innovative ways. Ancient wisdom imbued ...
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