#744 Consciousness - Some Finer Points

     "'There is nothing we know more intimately than consciousness, but there is nothing harder to explain.' 

 

     ... cognitive psychologists tend to define consciousness as the awareness of internal and external events (e.g., mental phenomena and stimuli in the environment, respectively).

     ... common to all definitions of consciousness is the implicit distinction between consciousness and the content of consciousness. 

 
     'When people are conscious, they are always conscious of something. Consciousness always has an object.'

     In contrast, a so-called state of consciousness (SoC) tends to be defined as '[the set] of mental episodes of which one can readily become directly aware'. ... (this) definition represents a theoretical confusion of consciousness and its contents by explicitly stating that a SoC is the content (i.e., mental episodes) available to conscious awareness. That is, when the qualifier 'state' is affixed to consciousness, 'it' [consciousness] is held to be content. Consequently, the term states of consciousness rests on a conflation of consciousness and content whereby consciousness is erroneously categorized in terms of content rendered perceptible, presumably, by itself. Again, we refer to this as the consciousness/content fallacy.
     Implicit in the consciousness/content fallacy is the fallacious notion that during a SoC, consciousness may observe its own qualities.

     (But) consciousness cannot directly experience 'itself' as a perceptible object, for then it would cease to be the subject. ... analogous to a sword that cannot cut itself...  

 

     Definitions of altered states of consciousness (ASCs)... postulate that it is the shifts, deviations, or differences in subjective experience, psychological functioning, or mental functioning that constitute an ASC. 

     If one accepts the definition of consciousness as being conscious of something, then it would seem to follow that during an ASC it is the altered phenomenal properties (e.g., visual mental imagery, body image, time sense) that consciousness may be aware of, rather than the state of consciousness. 

     (The) definition of phenomenal field as 'absolutely anything that is in the total momentary experiencing of a person, including the experience of the self' is adopted and applied to 'phenomenal properties.' It is arguable that if one defines phenomenal properties in this way, then an altered pattern of phenomenal properties encapsulates what has been referred to ... as phenomenal and non-phenomenal objects of conscious awareness, that is, the content that a privileged observer may be aware of during what (has been) referred to as an ASC. One may then recommend that the term altered state of consciousness be supplanted by a new term, 'altered pattern of phenomenal properties.' It would seem that by reconceptualizing the notion of an ASC in this manner, the confusion of consciousness with the content of consciousness is avoided. 

      (In conclusion) when the qualifier 'state' is affixed to consciousness, 'it' [consciousness] is held to be content. This is referred to as the consciousness/content fallacy. It is also contended that the consciousness/content fallacy is avoided if one reconceptualizes an ASC as an altered pattern of phenomenal properties."

        Rock AJ, Krippner S. "Does the concept of 'altered states of consciousness' rest on a mistake?" International Journal of Transpersonal Studies 2007; 26(1): 33–40. http://digitalcommons.ciis.edu/ijts-transpersonalstudies/vol26/iss1/5

 

 

Alpujarra by Alice Mason   https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/AliceMasonArtist?ref=l2-shopheader-name

 

#743 Existential Loneliness

     "Loneliness is one of the most common of all human conditions, but it is largely misunderstood by the general population and clinicians alike. In this article, I draw sharp distinctions between 'pathological loneliness' (what people usually mean when they say they are lonely) and 'existential loneliness,' the central focus of this paper. I briefly review the former in order to differentiate it clearly from the latter, arguing that pathological loneliness derives from the unsuccessful resolution of existential loneliness. The two are fundamentally inseparable, constituting different manifestations of the same human condition. 

     Existential loneliness springs from our very nature as human beings. It speaks to the fundamental emptiness & disconnectedness we feel as we grapple with the profoundest questions of the uncertainty of life and death. I argue that we must come to grips with our existential loneliness if we are to fully embrace our humanity and that love is the only healthy response to our dilemma.

     Finally, I discuss our need to resolve our existential situation by adopting an alternative epistemology - unitary consciousness - an epistemology that understands the fundamental oneness of being." 

       Booth R. “Existential Loneliness: The Other Side of the Void.” International Journal of Transpersonal Studies 1997; 16(1): 23-32. 

La Femme en Bleu by Alice Mason   https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/AliceMasonArtist?ref=l2-shopheader-name

 

#742 Health Care Professionals, Compassion Fatigue & MBSR

     "Health care professionals are particularly vulnerable to stress overload and compassion fatigue due to an emotionally exhausting environment. Compassion fatigue among caregivers in turn has been associated with less effective delivery of care. Having compassion for others entails self-compassion. In Kristin Neff’s research, self-compassion includes self-kindness, a sense of common humanity, and mindfulness. Both mindfulness and self-compassion involve promoting an attitude of curiosity and nonjudgment towards one’s experiences. Research suggests that mindfulness interventions, particularly those with an added lovingkindness component, have the potential to increase self-compassion among health care workers. Enhancing focus on developing self-compassion using MBSR and other mindfulness interventions for health care workers holds promise for reducing perceived stress and increasing effectiveness of clinical care."

        Kelley Raab. "Mindfulness, Self-Compassion, and Empathy Among Health Care Professionals: A Review of the Literature." Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy 2014; 20(3): 95–108.