The Anti-DSM-IV.. I think this goes here..

[acd]

So, someone I knew from awhile back found and introduced me to this book called Pronoia Is The Antidote For Paranoia , and I've just recently really been reading it. It's pretty trippy and there's lots of imaginative creative writing exercises in there.. I liked this one a lot so far, so I'm posting it. If anyone can think of any other 'anti-disorders' that would be awesome if you'd post them, or if you read any of these and think they apply to you, say so and why!!



Psychiatry and psychotherapy obsess on what's wrong with people and
give short shrift to what's right. The manual of these professions is a
943-page textbook called the DSM-IV. It identifies scores of pathological
states but no healthy ones.
---exerpt from Pronoia by Rob Brezsny

The Anti-DSM-IV or The Outlaw Catalog of Cagey Optimism

* ACUTE FLUENCY. Happily immersed in artistic creation or scientific
exploration; lost in a trance-like state of inventiveness that's both blissful
and taxing; surrendered to a state of grace in which you're fully engaged
in a productive, compelling, and delightful activity. The joy of this
demanding, rewarding state is intensified by a sense that time has been
suspended, and is rounder and deeper than usual. (Suggested by H. H.
Holiday, who reports that extensive studies in this state have been done
by Mihaly Cziscenmihaliy in his book, *Flow: The Psychology of Optimal
Experience.*)​

* AESTHETIC BLISS. Vividly experiencing the colors, textures, tones,
scents, and rhythms of the world around you, creating a symbiotic
intimacy that dissolves the psychological barriers between you and what
you observe. (Suggested by Jeanne Grossetti.)​

* AGGRESSIVE SENSITIVITY. Animated by a strong determination to be
receptive and empathetic.​

* ALIGNMENT WITH THE INFINITY OF THE MOMENT. Reveling in the
liberating realization that we are all exactly where we need to be at all
times, even if some of us are temporarily in the midst of trial or
tribulation, and that human evolution is proceeding exactly as it should,
even if we can't see the big picture of the puzzle that would clarify how
all the pieces fit together perfectly. (Suggested by Meredith Jones.)​

* AUTONOMOUS NURTURING. Not waiting for someone to give you what
you can give yourself. (Suggested by Shannen Davis.)​

* BASKING IN ELDER WISDOM. A state of expansive ripeness achieved
through listening to the stories of elders. (Suggested by Annabelle
Aavard.)​

* BIBLIOBLISS. Transported into states of transcendent pleasure while
immersed in reading a favorite book. (Suggested by Catherine Kaikowska.)​

* BLASPHEMOUS REVERENCE. Acting on the knowledge that the most
efficacious form of devotion to the Divine Wow is tinctured with playful or
mischievous behavior that prevents the buildup of fanaticism.​

* BOO-DUH NATURE. Dwelling in the blithe understanding of the fact that
worry is useless because most of what we worry about never happens.
(Suggested by Timothy S. Wallace.)​

* COMIC INTROSPECTION. Being fully aware of your own foibles while still
loving yourself tenderly and maintaining confidence in your ability to give
your specific genius to the world. To paraphrase Alan Jones, Dean of
Grace Cathedral: following the Byzantine ploys of your ego with
compassion and humor as it tries to make itself the center of everything,
even of its own suffering and struggle.​

* COMPASSIONATE DISCRIMINATION. Having astute judgment without
being scornfully judgmental; seeing difficult truths about a situation or
person without closing your heart or feeling superior. In the words of Alan
Jones: having the ability "to smell a rat without allowing your ability to
discern deception sour your vision of the glory and joy that is everyone's
birthright."​

* CRAZED KINDNESS. Having frequent, overpowering urges to bestow
gifts, disseminate inspiration, and perpetrate random acts of benevolence.​

* ECSTATIC GRATITUDE. Feeling genuine thankfulness with such
resplendent intensity that you generate a surge of endorphins in your
body and slip into a full-scale outbreak of euphoria.​

* EMANCIPATED SURRENDER. Letting go of an attachment without
harboring resentment toward the stimuli that led to the necessity of
letting go. (Suggested by Timothy S. Wallace.)​

* FRIENDLY SHOCK. Welcoming a surprise that will ultimately have
benevolent effects.​

* HIGHWAY EQUANIMITY. Feeling serene, polite, and benevolent while
driving in heavy traffic. (Suggested by Shannen Davis.)​

* HOLY LISTENING. Hearing the words of another human being as if they
were a direct communication from the Divine Wow to you.​

* IMAGINATIVE TRUTH-TELLING. Conveying the truth of any specific
situation from multiple angles, thereby mitigating the distortions that
result from assuming the truth can be told from a single viewpoint.​

* IMPULSIVE LOVE SPREADING. Characterized by a fierce determination to
never withhold well-deserved praise, inspirational encouragement, positive
feedback, or loving thoughts; often includes a tendency to write love
letters on the spur of the moment and on any medium, including napkins,
grocery bags, and skin. (Suggested by Laurie Burton.)​

* INADVERTENT NATURE WORSHIP. Experiencing the rapture that comes
from being outside for extended periods of time. (Suggested by Sue Carol
Robinson.)​

* INGENIOUS INTIMACY. Having an ability to consistently create deep
connections with other human beings, and to use the lush, reverential
excitement stimulated by such exchanges to further deepen the
connections. A well-crafted talent for dissolving your sense of
separateness and enjoying the innocent exultation that erupts in the wake
of the dissolution. (Suggested by Sue Carol Robinson.)​

* JOYFUL POIGNANCE. Feeling buoyantly joyful about the beauty and
mystery of life while remaining aware of the sadness, injustices, wounds,
and future fears that form the challenges in an examined life. (Suggested
by Alka Bhargava.)​

* LATE LATE-BLOOMING. Having a capacity for growth spurts well into old
age, long past the time that conventional wisdom says they're possible.​

* LEARNING DELIGHT. Experiencing the brain-reeling pleasure that comes
from learning something new. (Suggested by Sue Carol Robinson.)​

* LUCID DREAM PATRIOTISM. A love of country rooted in the fact that it
provides the ideal conditions for learning lucid dreaming. (Suggested by
Kenneth Kelzer, aithor of *The Sun and the Shadow: My Experiment With
Lucid Dreaming.*)​

* LYRICAL CONSONANCE. Experiencing the visceral yet also cerebral
excitement that comes from listening to live music played impeccably by
skilled musicians. (Suggested by Susan E. Nace.​

 

[alcyone]

I think I am afflicted with most of these disorders. Do you recommend I seek treatment?

 

[Pristinegirl]

Same goes for me I could probably be diagnosed with most personality dissorders and perhaps even schizophrenia and phobias .. let's not even go there. xD
I fully agree with you though, I'd love to be diagnosed as MBTI's type instead. Because it says so much about you and general complex of problems you have.

 

[nozflubber]

As someone gonig into psych/neuro, I have many criticisms against modern disorders. First I think the term "disorder" is an unspoken appeal to Aristotle's notion of "proper forms" but in reverse, thus conotates the wrong meaning. Condition/syndrome is a superior term. Secondly, some of the personanlity disorders do seem anti-introvert, anti-women, et cetera. I also think it's wrong to play metaphysical tyrant and tell the schizphrenic there are no voices, there are no others in the room, etc. How the hell do you know? !? Clinical psychology should not be used as a saramsai sword against the paranormal/scientific/philosophical unknowns of our world and our perceptions.

However, you should understand how the DSM is used. It's application is for those who want to change, or are in serious danger of hurting themsevles and others.

The DSM-IV is not a witchhunter's manual; it's a practitioner's guideline book. There's a big difference.

 

[Zanshin]

The DSM-IV is not a witchhunter's manual; it's a practitioner's guideline book. There's a big difference.

I agree. It's there to help practitioners diagnose in the tricky field of human psychology. There is very specific criteria needed to be diagnosed and you usually need the majority of them. It's really just a way to organize mental illness into categories in order to proceed with the proper treatment. It's not a bad thing; it's just like the mental version of a medical book, but not quite as precise and not necessarily 100% accurate. Sure there's a stigma to being diagnosed with something, but that's something that can be avoided by only telling trusted supporters, and being positive in general. And that's really another discussion in itself. Yes, this manual is depressing to read because it radiates negativity, but it really is necessary in order to help people with mental illness efficiently. If you want to read about a more positive side of psychology read stuff about the humanistic/existential perspective. In my opinion it is important to be positive when dealing with mental illness, but also aware of the abnormal processes going on.

 

[acd]

You're seriously offended? Your sensibilities are that delicate? Haha, no offense but maybe get a grip! It was a joke from a book I read... whoahh.

 

[Zanshin]

Didnt mean to come across as being offended cause I'm not. Just thought it was a more serious topic. My bad lol.

 

[Pristinegirl]

The DSM-IV is not a witchhunter's manual, actually it can be in the cases of psychiatric extensive care, when you don't have a choice. Although you are correct, in most cases it is used for people who intend to get better and have problems in some area..

However this is also a weakness because people cannot be categorized within a mental disorder incorporating 1,2,3,4 or more symptoms ... We are so much more than just that and furthermore: individuals!

=)

 

[mayflow]

We are so much more than just that and furthermore: individuals!

=)

Yay, I so much agree. haha, Pristinegirl, you are so Pristine.

 

[Pristinegirl]

Yay, I so much agree. haha, Pristinegirl, you are so Pristine.

Hahah you think so, aaaw I'm so flattered *blush blush and ear to ear smile haha* =)

YOU noticed it, by a couple of paragraphs why I consider myself pristine haha whereas people I have gone to school with for 4 years soon don't understand why xD (a handful of ISTPs)

 

[acd]

Didnt mean to come across as being offended cause I'm not. Just thought it was a more serious topic. My bad lol.

Meh, ok. I just tend to not take things so seriously all of the time so perhaps I wasn't being respectful posting it, though I didn't mean to be disrespectful.

I'm not making light of disorders...My god, that wasn't the point, and I am sure the guy who wrote the book it's from wasn't making fun of mental disorders or people with them, either.

I think maybe the reason why Breszny put it in his book was to sayyyyy that people are individuals who have positive and negative characteristics and instead of looking for what is wrong with everyone, we should look at what is right as well instead of judging them by the status-quo..

Obviously the dsm-iv is used to diagnose conditions so that psychiatrists etc. can help a patient recover, so it's not a bad thing... As far as using it to "witchhunt," I doubt that goes on very much. And If you think it's any worse than categorizing people strictly by mbti types and saying things such as they misunderstand you/or you don't see eye-to-eye or get along because they are this certain type, is not much better.