Chapter 3 — The Psychology of Self-deception …...WORK-IN-PROGRESS (DECEMBER 10, 2017) PARALLEL...

WORK-IN-PROGRESS (DECEMBER 10, 2017) PARALLEL CHART FOR

Chapter 3 — The Psychology of Self-deception

of The Mind at Mischief:Tricks and Deceptions of the Subconscious and How to Cope with Them

(1929)by

William S. Sadler, M.D., F.A.C.S.

© 2013, 2017 Matthew Block

Sources for Chapter 3, in the order in which they first appear

(1) Paul Bousfield, M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., The Omnipotent Self: A Study in Self-Deception andSelf-Cure (London: Kegal Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., Ltd., 1923)

[Note: Sadler probably used the American edition, published by E. P. Dutton &Company, New York, in 1923.]

(2) William S. Sadler, M.D., The Physiology of Faith and Fear: Or, The Mind in Health andDisease (Chicago: A. C. McClurg & Co., 1912)

(3) William S. Sadler, M.D., F.A.C.S., The Truth About Spiritualism (Chicago: A. C.McClurg & Co., 1923)

(4) Wilfred Lay, Ph.D., Man’s Unconscious Spirit: The Psychoanalysis of Spiritism (NewYork: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1921)

(5) Morton Prince, M.D., LL.D., The Unconscious: The Fundamentals of Human PersonalityNormal and Abnormal (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1914 and 1921)

Key

(a) Green indicates where a source author (or an earlier Sadler book) first appears, or wherehe/she reappears.

(b) Yellow highlights most parallelisms.

(c) Tan highlights parallelisms not occurring on the same row, or parallelisms separated byyellowed parallelisms.

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(d) An underlined word or words indicates where the source and Sadler pointedly differ fromeach other.

(e) Pink indicates passages where Sadler specifically shares his own experiences, opinions,advice, etc.

(f) Light blue indicates passages which strongly resemble something in the Urantia Book, orwhich allude to the Urantia phenomenon.

(g) Red indicates either: (1) an obvious error on Sadler’s part, brought about, in most cases,by miscopying or misinterpreting his source, or (2) Sadler’s use of an earlier text of histhat contained time-bound information which he didn’t revise when presenting it in TheMind at Mischief, resulting in a historical impossibility, or (3) Sadler’s use of an earliertext of his which he revised in such a way as to contradict that earlier text.

(h) Gold highlights key words or themes which will be discussed in the analysis of thechapter.

Matthew Block10 December 2017

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SOURCE 3: THE MIND AT MISCHIEF

Work-in-progress Version 12 Nov. 2012© 2012, 2017 Matthew BlockRevised 10 Dec. 2017

I I I — T H EP S Y C H O L O G Y O FSELF-DECEPTION

3:0.1 IT is a fact that good-heartedpeople can honestly deceive themselves.There exists a definite mechanism whichcan be used by one part of our mind (thesubconscious) to deceive and mislead theother half of our intelligence (theconscious mind). Let us now take asquare look at this mechanism which soreadily lends itself to the queer businessof self-deception. In order to make clearthis tendency of the subconscious topractise deception upon its lord andmaster, let us go back to the nursery andlocate some of the early origins ofdishonest thinking and insincere psychicbehavior.

FACTS AND FANTASY

VI: FACT AND PHANTASY (Bousfield64)

3:1.1 Much of the trouble thatneurotics have with themselves, in tryingto face the realities of life, is due to theirhaving carried over into adult experience

[contd] In the last chapter weemphasised the fact that one of the firstproducts of Narcissism was the infantiledifficulty of distinguishing between factand phantasy, of realising the worldoutside oneself (B 64).

the tendencies of childhood to confusefacts and fantasy.

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VII: IDENTIFICATION (Bousfield 74)

We have emphasised the fact that when achild comes into the world, he is tohimself the only real thing; the rest of theworld is merely seen from his phantasticview point, and at this stage he acceptshimself as the one all-powerful centre ofeverything (B 74).

When we are young, our developing egotends to regard itself as the center of theworld.

Our personality during childhood is veryreal, and we come to confuse the outsideworld of reality with the imaginativecreations of our own world of fantasy.

VI: FACT AND PHANTASY (Bousfield64)

Many people have the idea that a childshould be encouraged to use itsimagination;

3:1.2 Parents tell fairy-stories to theirchildren with the idea of developing theimagination.

whereas in fact the child’s imaginationrequires curbing, training, sublimating.

In the case of the average child, however,the imagination does not needdeveloping; it needs to be educated,trained, curbed, and disciplined.

Such people do not realise that the earlylife of a child is lived almost entirely inimagination, that it has no difficultywhatsoever in using its imagination, andthat the real difficulty is in preventing itfrom using too much imagination directedinto false channels and by-paths ofpermanent unreality (B 73).

The child’s early life is largely one offantasy. He lives in the realms of his ownimagination.

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The ordinary fairy-tale should beswept from the nursery; here the childdoes nothing but identify himself with thehero or heroine in the most impossible ofsituations of a purely phantastic type.There is plenty of scope for giving a childan interest in stories from the fairy-landof science, or from the lives of famouspersons in the centuries that have passed;all of which, if properly selected anddressed up, will assist the child’sdirective thought (B 71).

Instead of being told fairy-stories heshould be told about interesting andthought-provoking facts and people.

The method of thought which he shoulddevelop in order thus to fit himself tomeet the world adequately has beenconveniently termed “directive thinking”(B 67).

Early in the nursery days “directivethinking” should be encouraged.

It is the very opposite of phantasythinking, which is generally indefinite,based upon a lack of perspective, andattempts continually to obtain thefulfilment of wishes impossible offulfilment (B 67).

As the child grows up, he cannot attainthe fulfillment of his fairy-taleimaginings;

he is destined to find that life is real, thatthe world is a workshop as well as aplayhouse.

I think the old-fashioned fairy-story ismerely something which parents findeasy and ready-at-hand to tell thechildren.

Moreover, experience has shown that ifdiplomacy be used, the child will be asequally interested in wonderful facts as inwonderful phantasies. The onlydifference is that it is more trouble to theparent or educator to search out and dealwith facts himself (B 72).

It is too much trouble to make the facts ofreal life and the experiences of realpeople sufficiently interesting andattractive to these young minds so largelygiven to fantasy and so completelypreoccupied with imagination.

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3:1.3 Early in life children should betaught to control their thoughts and beinstructed in the technique of mentalconcentration; and it is failure to do thisin the nursery that causes much of ourpsychic trouble. It is the children fromsuch nurseries who, later, when grownup, file in as so many neurotic wrecks toconsult our nerve specialists, to haunt theoffices of other medical practitioners, andto throng our various sanatoriums. Tooearly we are encouraged in the thoughtthat we may possibly dodge the realitiesof life. Too early we indulge the fantasythat we may rub Aladdin’s lamp and havefulfilled our every wish. Altogether toolate do parents seek to turn the minds oftheir children into

Directive thinking is thus obviously,controlled thinking requiring an effort ofattention and concentration as opposed tophantasy thinking which knows but littlecontrol save that of desire, and littleeffort or concentration (B 68).

“directive thinking,” controlled thinking.

A little boy desires to possess a pony;if this be impossible his imagination giveslife to a rocking-horse, and failing that hemay tie a piece of string to a chair,

3:1.4 During nursery days, if onecannot have a real pony he cancompromise on a hobby-horse or getastride a broom-handle

and with great pleasure and muchemotion urge on his fiery untamed steedacross mountain and desert (B 66).

and indulge the imagination while thepony of fantasy prances over the meadowor climbs to mountain tops.

If this child grows up normally, thispossibility of phantastic fulfilment shouldgradually disappear.

But there comes a time when he has tobid farewell to such fantasies.

If, when grown up, he would travel, thisboy must get a real horse, an automobile,or perchance an airplane.

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How many adults, for instance, could takea bath-tub into their dining-room, sit in it,and with the aid of a vivid imaginationthoroughly enjoy a pleasant sail at sea?(B 66)

He can no longer tour the world bysailing his little boats in the bathtub—with the aid of his imagination

and the alluring pictures supplied by thetourist agencies.

It will require real money and a realsteamship.

3:1.5 The mind of the neuroticindividual always tends to look at thingsin a childlike fashion, to cringe beforereality and dodge responsibility as wouldan inexperienced youth. Our nervoussufferers dislike to face the realities ofactual living. Instead of indulging in“directive thought” and intelligentlymeeting the difficulties of each day, theyshrink from the slightest responsibilityand resort for a solution of their troublesto the fantasies and imaginations ofchildhood. Controlled thinking is painfulto these neurotics; it really hurts them toconcentrate. They are filled with dismayand seized with panic when they feel theymust actually confront and settle aproblem. They would like to solve theproblems of adult life and the real worldby the methods of the nursery, by thefairy-story technique; they long for aglorified Aladdin’s lamp or an up-to-dateversion of the magic carpet. Thephysician who deals with these casescomes to see the harm of overdoing thisfairy-story business of the early nurserydays.

Yet remnants of phantasy thinking remainwith everyone, and in a moderate degree,so far as we know, such remnants do butlittle harm if they are present in smallmeasure only, and kept in water-tightcompartments (B 66).

3:1.6 Day-dreams are all right; we arebenefited by indulging in them now andthen;

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[In all the business of everyday life, directivethinking must be employed; whether we are merelyusing our minds to decide the most trivial problem,such as the best way of eradicating weeds from thegarden, or whether we are deciding upon a policyto be pursued in some great commercial or politicalenterprise (B 68-69).]

but when a grown-up man makes abusiness of trying to weed the garden bymeans of fairy assistants, there is troubleahead, and nothing but trouble.

When the neurotic woman tries to solveher problems by merely wishing, she canexpect nothing but sorrow and defeat.

We must now look at the secondimportant element in the child’s earlyeducation, which would follow logicallyupon the first one that it should be madeto face the facts around it;

3:1.7 Nervous children especiallyshould be taught to face facts,

and that is, that in its games andoccupations it should be encouraged, asfar as possible, to take lines of directivethought, and not obtain its pleasuresthrough phantasies only (B 70).

to play the game,

early to learn how to be good losers;

[contd] Thus, it would be much betterto give him bricks to play with, so that hemay use directive thought in designingand building a house, than to give him aready-made toy, such as an enginewherewith he will merely carry out thephantasy of being a driver or a passengerand of travelling wheresoever he wishes.

and to this end, I think it is far better thatchildren should be given useful toys, toysthat would lead to “directive thinking.”

How much more good a nervous boycould get out of

A toy wheel-barrow which he can takeinto the garden and fill with real stonesand earth is far better than a doll which hewill merely imagine to be something to bebrought up like himself, which he willendow with phantastic life and feelingswhich are quite unreal (B 70-71).

a toy wheelbarrow in which he couldwheel stones about the yard and move hissand-pile,

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than out of a toy engine, and merelyimagining that he is riding about as apassenger or driving a locomotive overthe country.

Of course, imagination and phantasy willcome into its games, and are bound to doso, but as much directive thought aspossible should be added (B 71).

I am not advocating, of course, thatchildren should be given no toys thatstimulate the imagination, but rather thatthey also be given toys to stimulatedirective and constructive thinking.

3:1.8 It is in this connection that Iwould call attention to, the folly of toolong prolonging those stories about SantaClaus and the stork. Fables of this sortmay become so entwined in the growingchild’s mind that he will be tremendouslyupset in his mental life when thesesentimental associations are torn asunderby subsequent disillusionment. He oftenfeels that he has been deceived by thosewhom he trusted most, and the result isupsetting to the neurotic temperament.

For though the facts with which thestories [of science and history] may dealare as wonderful as any of Grimm’s fairy-tales,

It is better early to build on fact and learnhow to make the real world moreattractive to the imaginative little folks;

they are facts of which the child willnever have to be undeceived, and he willnever have to have his faith shaken in thestories which he has learnt; thus the childwill learn from the outset to thinkdirectively (B 71-72).

there is plenty that a child will never haveto unlearn, that is both fascinating andsatisfying to the imagination.

3:1.9 The one great delusion of thenervous sufferer is that somehow, insome way, someone is going to solve hisproblems for him. He is disinclined toaccept the fact that he alone can effect thecure. He steadily refuses to face the factthat his problems must be solved by realthinking and real acting, and that theycannot be solved by the fantasy-fairytechnique of merely wishing and hoping.

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F A N T A S Y A N DIMAGINATION

IV: PSYCHOLOGY—HOW WE THINK(The Physiology of Faith and Fear 35)

IMAGINATION AND PHANTASY (The Physiologyof Faith and Fear 42)

The imagination is in reality thecreative power of the mind. It is ever atwork forming new experiences out of ourold ones.

3:2.1 The imagination is, in reality, thecreative power of the mind, and it is everat work forming new experiences out ofour old ones.

The powers of imagination take our ideasand fashion them into our ideals. This isthe higher or creative imagination.

It is the province of imagination to takeour ideas and fashion them into ideals;that is, this is the higher work of thecreative imagination.

Another function of this mental power,reproductive imagination, is very closelyallied to memory, in fact, it is commonlyregarded as a part of memory (PF&F 42).

Still another function of this mentalpower is reproductive imagination, whichis closely allied to memory.

[contd] Closely associated with theimagination but entirely distinct from it, isthe power of phantasy.

3:2.2 Closely allied to imagination, butentirely distinct from it, is the power offantasy.

Phantasy must not be confused with fancy. Fantasy must not be confused with fancy,however, for the two terms are by nomeans interchangeable.

This peculiar power of phantasy representswhat might be called the safety-valve of themind.

Fantasy represents what might be calledthe safety-valve of the mind.

It is closely associated with memory, andmay be regarded as its playhouse.

It is the playhouse of the soul.

Our powers of phantasy find expression indaydreams and day reveries.

Our powers of fantasy ordinarily findexpression in our day-reveries.

Phantasy represents the self adrift. Fantasy represents consciousness adrift.

It is the state of mind one finds himself inwhile resting in a hammock on a beautifulsummer’s afternoon,

It is the state of mind one finds himself inwhile resting in the hammock on abeautiful summer afternoon,

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oblivious of all surroundings, wide awake,and yet letting the thoughts drift down thestream of mind without guidance, help, orinterference (PF&F 42).

oblivious to all surroundings, wideawake, and yet letting the thoughts driftdown the stream of the mind, withoutguidance, help, or hindrance.

V: THE PSYCHIC PHENOMENA OFSPIRITUALISM (The Truth AboutSpiritualism 121)

1. PHANTASY AND IMAGINATION (The TruthAbout Spiritualism 121)

[contd] There can be little doubt butthat certain human beings possess atremendously large “bump” of phantasy.

3:2.3 There can be little doubt thatcertain human beings possess atremendously large “bump” of fantasy.

That is, they have the day-dreaming facultydeveloped to the point where it hasacquired the proportions of a well-nighseparate personality.

That is, they have the day-dreamingfaculty developed to the point where ithas well-nigh acquired the proportions ofa separate personality.

This must be the case with manyclairvoyants, mediums, and other occultpractitioners.

This must be the case with manyneurotics, hysterics, clairvoyants,mediums, and other occult practitioners.

They might be said to possess an automaticpower of phantasy—one that acts quiteindependently of their ordinary mentalprocesses—

They might be said to possess anautomatic power of fantasy—one thatacts quite independently of their ordinarymental processes—

and one which forms its conclusions andformulates its statements quite without theconscious knowledge of the higher powersof such individuals’ minds (TTAS 121-22).

and one which forms its conclusions andformulates its statements quite withoutthe conscious knowledge of the higherpowers of such individuals’ minds.

[contd] As we ascend in the realms ofthought, we reach more and greaterpossibilities of mental confusion and minddeception.

3:2.4 As we ascend higher in therealms of thought, we reach more andgreater possibilities of mental confusionand mind deception.

It is quite impossible for the very youngchild to discrimination betweenimagination, memory, and images.

It is often quite impossible for a child ofthree years to discriminate betweenimagination and memory of reality.

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The child of three years will vividlydescribe his meetings with lions and otherwild beasts in the back yard, and may relatethese things as real experiences which havejust happened.

He will vividly describe his meetingswith lions and other wild beasts in theback yard, and may relate these things asreal experiences which have justhappened.

He is really recalling the pictures of lionsfrom his story books, or reviving thememory images of the beasts observed atthe zoo;

He is really recalling the pictures of lionsfrom his story books, or reviving thememory-images of the beasts observed atthe zoo;

and many of our mediums and clairvoyantsare so constituted of mind that their ownsubconscious plays the same subtle trickupon them.

and many of our mediums andclairvoyants are so constituted of mindthat their own subconscious plays thesame subtle trick upon them.

They see, hear, feel and perceive things thathave not just happened, as facts, and assuch portray them.

They see, hear, feel, perceive, and portrayas facts, the figments of their ownimagination.

These experiences are the phantasms of ashort circuited memory acting under theimpulse and inspiration of a misguidedimagination (TTAS 122).

These experiences are the fantasms of ashort-circuited memory acting under theimpulse and inspiration of a misguidedimagination.

[contd] In the case of these mediums,the mind has grown up in some respects,but in this particular feature they haveremained juvenile,

3:2.5 In the case of certain hystericsand mediums, the mind has grown up insome respects, but in this particularfeature they have remained juvenile,

and we all know that the younger we are,the more active, vivid and uncontrolled isthe imagination and phantasy (TTAS 122-23).

and we all know that the younger we arethe more active, vivid, and uncontrolledis the imagination.

IV: PSYCHOLOGY—HOW WE THINK(The Physiology of Faith and Fear 35)

IMAGINATION AND PHANTASY (The Physiologyof Faith and Fear 42)

But it is doubtful if even years andexperience are able fully to separate thesemental powers; and herein is the fruitfulfield

And herein is a fruitful field, in the caseof nervously unstable individuals,

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for the birth of imaginary diseases, theproduction of unreal troubles, and thecreation of false difficulties—fictitiouslions and bears which await us in thehighway of life, and which become just asreal to the diseased adult mind as are theimaginary concepts and images of thenursery to the childish mind of the infant(PF&F 43).

for the birth of imaginary diseases, thecreation of false difficulties,

and the confounding of the mind by thesophistries of occultism.

DANGERS OF DISEASED IMAGINATION (ThePhysiology of Faith and Fear 43)

[contd] When the imagination becomesdiseased, when the phantasy undulyinfluences and controls the mind,

3:2.6 When the fantasy undulyinfluences the mind,

it is not difficult to conceive of a viciouscombination of mental perversion in whichthe self drifts aimlessly over an imaginaryocean, beset with unreal dangers

it is not difficult to conceive of mentalperversions in which the psychic selfdrifts aimlessly over an imaginary seabeset with unreal dangers,

harassed by fantastic spirits,

and threatened with false reefs; storm-tossed, battered, and beaten by imaginarywinds; living in momentary danger offictitious shipwreck and eternal doom—

threatened with false reefs, storm-tossed,battered and beaten by imaginary winds,living in momentary danger of shipwreckand eternal doom—

all of which is either wholly or in partimaginary (PF&F 43).

all of which is either wholly or in partmere fantasy.

[contd] What is to hinder theimagination from setting in operation falsenotions, resurrecting disagreeableimpressions,

What is to hinder an overdevelopedfantasy from setting in operationfictitious feelings and impressions,

and, by its well-known powers ofreconstruction, creating new feelings andstrange sensations? (PF&F 43)

and, by its well-known powers ofreconstruction, creating

spiritistic forms, unreal apparitions, andthe fantastic concepts of the spirit world?

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The imagination is the creative power,and it is not always exclusively exercised increating labor-saving machinery andimproved conditions of living,

The creative power of human imaginationis not always exercised in developinglabor-saving machinery and improvedconditions of living.

but it is also often engaged in creatingmischief, fictitious difficulties, and evenfalse diseases and unreal disorders of thebody (PF&F 43-44).

It is often engaged in producing mischiefin the realms of psychic deception.

[Note: An earlier version of 3:3.1-3 appeared in Worryand Nervousness (1923 ed.) 542-44.] FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS

I: THE STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS(Lay 13)

§8. Feelings are Sensations (Lay 31)

[contd] What I wish to make as plainas possible is the evident fact that all thefeelings are sensations, and have as muchright to be consulted about certain truthsas do the other sensations. As qualities ofconsciousness, one of them is, to theimpartial observer, as clear and distinct asthe other (L 31).

3:3.1 Feelings and emotions are real—

they are experiences which must berecognized and reckoned with in thestream of consciousness.

On the other hand,

[contd] Actual truth, however, is not amatter of the qualities of the stream ofconsciousness,

demonstrated truths—scientific facts—are not necessarily a part of the stream ofconsciousness.

Feelings and emotions are, rather,

but a matter of laws of relations of thosequalities.

the statement or expression of the laws ofrelationship governing those qualitieswhich exist and function in the stream ofconsciousness.

And here is where our nervous patientsfall down.

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In what follows I shall endeavour to showthat the spiritist accepts as actual truth themisinterpreted succession of the qualitiesof his consciousness

They assume certain qualities ofconsciousness to be facts.

They interpret feelings and emotions,projected from the subconscious mind, asrealities,

and makes on this basis deductions thatare not valid in the sphere of thought inwhich the spiritist states they are valid.

and having thus fallen into grievous errorso early in their process of reasoning,they go on with their successivedeductions in that wild and recklessmanner which can lead only to the sorryplight of the psychoneuroses.

Thus I am willing to accept the statementof any spiritist that he saw (i.e., believeshe saw) a table rise, or that he rememberscertain things happening weeks or monthsago; but I am not willing to accept hisstatement that if I, or some person who iseven less than I under the influence of theunconscious, had been present, we shouldhave seen the same thing.

3:3.2 I recently attended a séancewhere one of the highly suggestiblewomen present said that she saw a tablerise several inches off the floor. I did notsee the table rise. I am not, however,going to accuse this good woman ofdeliberate falsehood. It would be unfairthus to indict her, because, I amconvinced, she had all the emotions andsensations of seeing the table rise. Theevent was in every way real to her; thatis, real to her stream of consciousness.But it was not real to me. I do not believethat the table rose off the floor. Otherspresent agreed with me in this belief. Iam, therefore, willing to say, in thecommon acceptance of the term, that Iknow the table did not rise.

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I know the large majority of spiritists aresincere and free from taint of fraud,which could be practised only by theunbeliever.

Thus I think that while many spiritualists,like our neurotics, are victims of self-deception, they are not consciouslyfraudulent. I really believe that they aremany times sincere in the statements theymake; to them the incident happened, butnot to the rest of the world.

The sufferings of the neurotic, in likemanner, are real—to him.

It will then be clear to the reader thatfeelings and sensations—emotions—arein a sense real, and that we can easilybecome victims of our own feelings.

But I also know that the interpretation ofthe various sense qualities of theindividual who is present at a seance is avery delicate matter, and has not yet beensubjected to adequate scientific tests withinstruments of precision.

By this I mean that the stream ofconsciousness of the ordinary observer ata seance

3:3.3 In the case of an ordinaryneurotic individual, or at a spiritualisticséance, the stream of consciousness

is composed of the two elements ofsubjective and objective sensationmentioned above as mental image andsensation.

consists of two distinct elements—thesubjective and the objective emotions,sensations, messages, etc.

Also, to use an indispensable metaphor,the sensations themselves come into themind both from the body and from theexternal world.

Now, sensations enter the mind throughthe body after having been aroused bysomething in the external world.

Sensations also have an internal orpsychic origin. They may be aroused bymemories, association of ideas, and otherinfluences operating in the mind andnervous system itself.

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Furthermore the sensations coming fromthe body itself include the only criterionpossessed by humans by which to judgeof the objective reality of any of the othersensations.

The only standards we have by which tojudge sensations are those feelings andother conscious experiences which arearoused by external sensations cominginto the mind from outside the body.

So that it comes to be a fact that we tendto judge, recognize, and classify oursensations of internal origin largely bythe reactions we experience to similarsensations which have a genuine externalorigin.

In other words the only criterion used inthe seance is an internal feeling (thereality feeling) which is exactly on a par,as far as objective reality is concerned,with any other internal feeling (B 31-32).

Therefore, we come to build up in ourminds what someone has called the“reality feeling” in connection with someinward image and its associatedemotions,

as that image navigates down the streamof consciousness, in just the same mannerthat we associate such feelings with thereal images and emotions that have hadtheir origin in sensory contact with theactual objects of the material world—with the result that we are led intomonstrous self-deception.

[Note: An earlier version of 3:4.1-3 appeared in Worryand Nervousness (1923 ed.) 544-46.] SELF-DECEPTION

3:4.1 I attended a séance not long ago,in which, I am thoroughly satisfied,

As I see and read about spiritisticphenomena, I observe more and moreclearly that the accounts of them arereally true enough accounts of the statesof mind of the mediums and theobservers. They certainly see what theysee, and hear what they hear, and they tellus carefully what they see and hear.

the medium really saw and heard whatshe claimed to see and hear. I have nodoubt many of the believers in the spiritcircle also saw and heard what theyclaimed to see and hear.

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But I was unable to see or hear what theysaw and heard. Moreover, I saw thingswhich none of them saw: I saw themedium deliberately trick us on threeoccasions. The last time I almost failed tosee it, because she was indulging in sucha flow of words that my attention hadcome very near to being diverted, and Iall but missed catching the technique ofher clever trick. I came very near toseeing what she saw and what herdevotees saw; but by carefully navigatingmy bark of attention down the stream ofconsciousness I avoided the rock, Isteered closer to the center of the stream,and I caught the medium in the act—Idetected the method of her fraud. In themeantime others navigated with her overto one side of the stream of consciousnessand saw exactly what she described tothem—the beautiful things on the farthershore of their suggestive and collectivestreams of consciousness.

But I also see and hear wonderful things.I can see almost anything I wish to, in mymind’s eye (L 32-33).

3:4.2 We can hear and see thingswithout going to a séance.

[contd] I can hear anything I desire inmy mind’s ear,

I am not much of a musician, but I can sitdown and imagine tunes I have one timeheard. I can imagine that I hear bandsplay,

and I am not indulging in any insaneprank; you, reader, can hear the same.

even melodies that have never been heardbefore by me or any one else,

I can even hear melodies in my mind that,as far as conscious memory goes, I havenever heard;

but I dare say they are built up ofmelodies and strains I have heard at sometime in my life.

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I can see visions of landscapes that I havenever seen. If this were not possible, howcould the artist give us new paintings,and how could the musician give us newmelodies?

It will be observed that most spiritmediums are highly sensitive, nervouspersons, who could,

I can in my mind’s tactual consciousnesstouch anything I want to, feel all degreesof temperature, all sensations of motion,all excesses of pleasure and pain, in short,any experience of whatever nature that Ihave had in the past or desire to have inthe future, all by means of the imagerywhich, apparently at will, I can evokewhenever I have the leisure (L 33).

in and of their own imagination, and atwill, lead themselves in fantasy to runalmost the whole gamut of physicalsuffering and pain, of mental pleasureand psychic joy.

3:4.3 If I have the “feeling of reality”which leads me to believe that I haveconversed with a spirit or seenapparitions that are spirit realities; then,reasoning from experience,

That they are absolutely incontrovertiblescientific proofs for my own conscious-ness, no one will, I am sure, attempt todeny (L 33).

I can cite such psychic phenomena aspositive proof to my own consciousnessof the reality of spiritualistic phenomena.

If I can truthfully describe such emotionsand feelings to others, I am offeringscientific evidence of the existence of acreative imagination—of the psychicpower of memory, fantasy, reverie, etc.;

But I have no interest in reporting theseimages as scientific truths valid for anyother consciousness than my own (L 33).

but I cannot offer such an experience toscientists as scientific proof of the realityof disembodied spirits.

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And this is where our friends, thespiritualists, fall down in their logic.They offer us phenomena which furnishabundant proof of the existence of thesespirits in their own consciousness, andthey ask us, as scientists, to accept thisvalid evidence in the realm ofconsciousness, as scientific evidence inthe material world. We cannot do it.Sensations and emotions are real thingsin consciousness; but they do notconstitute material proof of the actualexistence of the spirits which thesepsychic phenomena impersonate.

3:4.4 Just as an honest spirit mediummay so deceive herself as to comeactually to believe in the reality of herpsychic experiences, which are wholly ofsubconscious origin, so may the vastarmy of neurotic sufferers come to thatpoint where they thoroughly believe inthe reality of their miseries, fictitiouspains, and other forms of imaginarydisease. It is just as difficult to talk theseneurotics out of a belief in the reality oftheir complaints as it is to convince thehonest and sincere, but none the less self-deceived, spiritistic medium that thething which she sees and hears is not inreality a spirit apparition, but rather anoutwardly projected creation of her ownfalsifying subconscious.

3:4.5 The technique by which thesubconscious is able so thoroughly todeceive its possessor will be betterunderstood as we go on to examine themany and diverse methods whereby anuncontrolled subconscious may come todominate the consciousness of a neuroticindividual and eventually to enslave hiswhole mind.

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SHIFTING THE GEARS

§15. Feeling of Reality Detachable (Lay 47)

3:5.1 We come, then, to recognize that

[contd] The feeling of reality is afloating feeling,

the “feeling of reality” is a transferable,floating bit of consciousness,

that is, it may become attached to anysensation whatever or failing to beconnected with a sensation, it may attachitself to an image (L 47).

which may be attached now to one groupof sensations and images, now to another.

[But the feeling of reality not only does not coexistwith every visual sensation but also actuallyappears at times when there is no visual impressionbeing made on my retina at all (L 34).]

We learn that the “feeling of reality” maybe attached to an image reflected throughthe retina of the eye from withoutinward—the image of a real, materialthing, which has weight, dimensions, andsubstance; again, that this “feeling ofreality” may be attached to an imageprojected outward, from the archives ofmemory, to a creature created byconsciousness—by the association ofideas.

It would appear that some “psychics” and“sensitives” are able conveniently to shiftthe gears of consciousness as regards the“feeling of reality” and thus cause thisstate of mind to be attached to things bothreal and unreal.

3:5.2 Our more profound types ofchronic neurotics and confirmed hystericsare victims of this “shifting of gears”with reference to the “reality feeling.”They are able to “ring the changes” inalmost endless profusion as concerns anastounding variety of alarming symptomsand elusive ailments.

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It is also a feeling that is backed up by theunconscious wish, which, being thecraving for externality, will seek, inalmost any available substitute,externality or the feeling of reality thatgenerally reports externality.

3:5.3 The consciousness of the“feeling of reality” tends to follow thechannels of our pleasure-longings and ourwish-complexes.

In other words the unconscious wishinevitably tends to attach the feelings ofreality to something.

In other words, the unconscious wishalways tends to attach this feeling ofreality to something of its own choosing.

In a spiritistic seance Now, in the séance room,

be it noted, we have a group of peoplewho intently long—who ardently wish—for communication with the dead. This istrue of both the medium and the believingspectators. Under such extraordinaryconditions it must be evident that

the feeling of reality, being in the mindsof the sitters removed as much as possiblefrom those external impressions of sight,sound and touch, with which it usuallylives,

this “feeling of reality,” as it floats aboutin consciousness,

is in a particularly errant and unsatisfiedstate

is in a highly unstable and unattachedstate,

and flies with avidity to anything thatoccurs with sufficient vividness (L 47-48).

and that it is ready to seize upon the leastbit of evidential phenomena and give itthe sanctity of actual evidence.

3:5.4 The séance favors bringing forthfrom the unconscious those images andcomplexes which are subservient to thewish to prove that beings live after deathand are able to return to this world andmanifest themselves to the living.

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In short the phenomena of the seanceare due to the propensity of theunattached feelings of reality on the partof the sitters to attach themselves to othermental states than objective sensations—from external stimuli, in other words, tothe subjective states of the sitters, that is,to their own mental images

And in this way numerous unattachedfeelings of reality are brought forth andare able quickly to fasten themselvesupon those images and emotions

which, under the conditions of the seance,are much more likely, than in ordinarylife, to come from the unconsciousness,where they are ordinarily kept, and toappear in consciousness (L 49).

which are the offspring of theunconscious mind in the peculiarlyfavorable and suggestive environment ofthe average spiritualistic séance.

Here I am merely stating that theunconscious wish

3:5.5 The unconscious wish, theunsatisfied longing for spirit commun-ication,

forces the attachment of the feeling ofreality to something all the time.

If it cannot be attached to externalstimuli, because of their being as far aspossible eliminated by the conditions ofthe seance,

in the absence of any real externalstimuli,

it will spontaneously attach itself toimages (L 49).

finds itself readily attachable to theinternal images and emotions

aroused by the deep-rooted wish to provelife dominant over death, as well as bythe peculiar psychical atmosphere of theséance itself.

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T A P P I N G T H E S U B -CONSCIOUS

[See 1:6.1.]

3:6.1 It is now an accepted psycho-logical fact that our experiences are allmore or less perfectly preserved asmemories in the subconscious mind,

and there can be no question but thatmany spirit mediums and victims ofhysteria are in possession of routes to thesubconscious not used by normalindividuals.

[My thesis is that the medium is one who becomesconsciously aware, more than does the average manand woman, of what has been previouslyunconsciously perceived by him (L 141).]

In brief, genuine psychic mediums areable, at will, more or less fully to taptheir subconscious reservoirs.

Major hysterics are able to do the samething under certain favorablecircumstances.

II: CONSERVATION OF FORGOTTENEXPERIENCES OF NORMAL,ARTIFICIAL, AND PATHOLOGICALLIFE (Prince 15)

I. Normal Life (Prince 15)

Evidence obtained from dreams. (Prince 43)

[contd] Another not uncommon modein which forgotten experiences arerecovered is through dreams.

3:6.2 Another evidence of the residueof memory-experiences which remains inthe subconscious mind is disclosed byour dreams.

The content of the dream may, as Freudhas shown, be a cryptic and symbolicalexpression or representation of theexperience, or a visualized representationor obvious symbolism, much as a paintedpicture may be a symbolized expressionof an idea, or it may be a realisticreproduction in the sense that the subjectlives over again the actual experience (P43).

Much of the content of our dream-life isonly camouflage, a symbolic parade ofthings suppressed but, nevertheless,literally existing in our subconsciouspsychic reservoir.

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III: CONSERVATION OF FORGOTTENEXPERIENCES OF NORMAL,ARTIFICIAL, AND PATHOLOGICALLIFE (Prince 49)

I. Normal Life (Continued) (Prince 49)

Dreams and somnambulisms. (Prince 59)

[See 21:2.1.] But these dreams are presentingthemselves all through the night,

Many people remember their dreamspoorly or not at all, and, in the latter case,are under the belief that they do notdream.

even in the case of those persons who donot recall them.

But often circumstantial evidence, such astalking in their sleep, shows that they dodream.

This is shown in many ways, such as bywhat is said when one talks in his sleep;

and, working on such a clue of wordsspoken in sleep, it has also beendiscovered that

Now, though ordinarily they cannotremember the dreams, by changing thewaking state to an hypnotic one, orthrough the device of crystal visions orautomatic writing, it is possible in somepeople to reproduce the whole dream (P59).

through crystal vision, automatic writing,and hypnosis, whole dreams can bereproduced in all their original vividness,tho the dreamer could not recall themwhen awake.

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3:6.3 As we progress in our study ofthe psychology of the subconscious, weshall discover that a vast number ofneurotic men and women are more or lesssincere as regards their own innerexperiences. As neurotics, they arewholly honest in their presentation ofcomplaints to the physician. As mediums,they are frauds, it is true, and aredeceiving the public; but they are notconscious frauds. These “psychics” reallyand truly believe in themselves—just ascertainly as the neurotic believes in thereality of his ailments. This class ofmediums is self-deceived; they areignorant of the technique of the workingsof their own peculiar minds, and whilethey do not see spirit forms and do nothear invisible beings of one worlddelivering messages to the sojourners ofanother world, they do, in their ownminds, through the technique of thepsychology I have here explained, seemactually to see the forms and hear thevoices which they describe to theirsuperstitious followers. They are deludedby the tricks of their own minds—deceived by the intricate workings oftheir own intellects.

3:6.4 Neurotic sufferers reallyexperience the sensations and suffer themiseries which they so eloquently andpathetically describe to their doctors.Their imaginations may trick them, butthey are essentially honest—they areunfortunate victims of subconscious self-humbuggery. And so, in dealing withthese slaves of the psychoneuroses, wemust recognize the fact that their ever-present and sorry plight is excruciatinglyreal.

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Chapter 3 — The Psychology of Self-deception …...WORK-IN-PROGRESS (DECEMBER 10, 2017) PARALLEL...

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