The corruption of reality - by John F. Schumaker

[Torstone]

Just finished reading “The corruption of reality” by John F. Schumaker.


I found that this book did not have its own thread so I thought ill make little introduction to it.

This book uses the theory of dissociation and suggestion to explain how we tend to turn towards altering our reality so that we may “function” in normal life. He goes in to great detail on arguing that the acception of religion, hypnosis and psychopathologies such as obsessive compulsive disorder, anorexia, bulimia originates from the same processes, namely the process of dissociation and suggestion.

Schumaker, John F. 1995. “The Corruption of reality: A unified theory of religion, Hypnosis and psychopathology” Prometheus Books.

“In general, the error pervading the human mind in the form of illusion and artificial order is not the result of passive ignorance. On the contrary it is a complex mental operation that has two essential components. The first of these deals with the means by which the brain can disengage itself in such a way that information will be processed in contraversion of its own capacity for accurate higher order information processing. In course of this, the person essentially prevents or blocks a conclusion that would otherwise present itself in light of available information.

The second step in the operation concerns the manner in which the person is delivered false alternatives that serve as functional surrogates to the rejected portions of reality. This process will be considered in the next section, when we discuss internal and external suggestions in relation to the mechanism of dissociation. Here let us introduce the concept of dissociation by asking how it is that we highly intelligent creatures are able to entertain error that should not exist given our sophisticated brains. A more succinct form of the question would be this: “How do we manage to accept, and act in accordance with, error that we know to be error?” Such a question seems to imply the brain is multidimensional. "

It goes to show that order is the primary goal of human mental activity, and that this can result in a narrowing and specialization of mental activity and interests, where one only focuses on small bits of reality to create order. Examples of this given in the book I found already well explained on the forum, so I will quote what I found Windmill Knight had written on this in the thread The Myth of Sanity" by Martha Stout

In the Thought Loops thread I tried to explain a little what Schumaker says about mental illness as dissociation:

I recently read [The Corruption of Reality] and it explains that what the human mind seeks the most is order. One way to achieve a sense of order out of a chaotic and frightening world is to dissociate, which can happen in many ways, some pretty obvious (like tv or music) and others not so obvious. The book argues that many forms of mental illness - if not all - are extreme forms of dissociation. For example, obsessive compulsive disorder, in which the mind dissociates from reality by occupying itself with obsessive order and tidiness.

Or paranoia, in which the mind, rather than facing the vast unknowns and dangers of reality, prefers to create, or focus and exaggerate a single manageable threat, even if it suffers while dissociating into this delusion.

Or bulimia and anorexia. The obsession of eating disorders is an attempt of the mind to have something to control as a way to dissociate from life. Some mental illnesses are specific to certain cultures because they relate to cultural taboos and fears, like bulimia. Another example: some Native Americans suffer from 'windigo', which is a form of mad cannibalism, because the cultural taboo against eating human flesh is very strong. So, paradoxically, the unconscious mind, rather than live under the constant pressure and fear of life, obsesses with a very strong taboo, until it decides to flee further into dissociation by becoming that which it fears the most. The mind would rather live in the 'controlled' (from an unconscious level) and predictable misery of such a delusion than face reality! The content of the delusion is actually secondary in importance for the unconscious mind; what it achieves in terms of dissociation is what fuels it.

It was the second time I read it and it has helped me on the way to understand the mechanism underlying my own and others misinterpretations of reality and how easily I turn towards an altered perception of my surroundings and myself when I meet the slightest bit of obstacles in everyday life.

Definitively a book worthy of reading :)


Edit=Quote

 

[Laura]

I agree. A very important book even if Schumaker comes to the wrong conclusion.

 

[Torstone]

Edit note: I have included in the last quote my own writing. So the two last lines was mistakenly included in the quote.

I agree. A very important book even if Schumaker comes to the wrong conclusion.

I remember when I read it the first time, I was in awe of how he really sat aside from what he was writing and really explaining in detail how we easily distort things if we get the chance.
That is why when I read some parts of his conclusion I ended up wondering why he would reinstate another lie with a “better” one. But I see now that he wants an illusion that is more convenient or nicer to humanity than the last ones.

Here is an excerpt of what he has to say on overpopulation on earth:

“If religion can succeed in indoctrinating people in such a way that they are compelled to have children, it should also be capable of inducing people not to have children. Doing without children could easily be molded into a religious virtue. Ritualistic ceremonies revolving around the celebration of God`s will in the form of population control could make abundant use of well-planned religious dissociation and suggestion techniques, including repetitive arrhythmic drumming, absorption, eye tracking, dance, and other monotony-inducing devices. If that sounds insane, let us remind us ourselves that religious insanity is the history hallmark of our species. Moreover, these beliefs and any related rituals would cease to be bizarre once they became codified as religion”.

Further, he has some points that shows he is not just willing to exchange lie with a lie in his conclusion:

“It might seem like science fiction to speak of the creation of a new religion to rescue us from ourselves. Yet I can imagine a need at one point to do just that. This would be for survival purposes, and not simply fanciful utopian folly. Religion is by far the best way to motivate the masses with a deeper sense of conviction, far better than can be done appealing to their rational sensibilities. Therefore, the question would become one of coming up with a reality embracing-religion that simultaneously provided people with effective escape from that same reality. In a sense, we could be searching for a religion both true and deliberately false, but false in harmless or even beneficial ways”

The question in my mind is: what illusions are in the end harmless or even beneficial? Those that help you by getting through daily life?

He continues by offering a solution on how this may be achieved:

“A possible solution to this puzzle might be found in the form of Paul Kurtz`s challenging system of belief known as eupraxophy(from two Greek words meaning “good practice”). Kurtz uses this term “to designate nonreligious belief systems that presents a naturalistic cosmic outlook and a humanistic life stance”. More specifically this would be a system of beliefs born of critical awareness, reflective judgment, and skeptical inquiry. In turn, these beliefs would empower people to gain reliable knowledge and wisdom that could guide our earthly actions in self-serving and life-serving directions.
….Kurtz shows his sensitivity toward people`s natural quest for transcendence in arguing that a new system of beliefs must have more than a cognitive appeal. It must also be able to arouse emotions in an intense and profound manner, while permitting some contest between accurate belief and “deceptive passions”. Consistent with his overall thesis, Kurtz maintains that reliable knowledge should be the desired goal of such a body of beliefs.”

He then comments on the difficulty of achieving this:

“For all its merits, an alternative belief system such as eupraxophy lacks much of what people crave in terms of understandings that defy reality. I fear that it is only a small minority who could experience spiritual piety within a set of largely rational beliefs”

As far as my knowledge goes I think he has some really good intentions but doesn’t see man as able to transcend any further than what beneficial lies you have been taught to keep you together, so to speak. He argues that “the actual content of both religion and psychopathology is not of primary importance. What does matter is that people have some alternative to strictly this-world constructions of reality”Schumaker (1995).


Anyway, a very good book introducing dissociation and suggestion with a cultural, psychopathological and religious framework :)

 

[Laura]

It never occurs to Schumaker that human beings have this ability to dissociate because it is a faculty that enables them to access other realities that are REAL. It never occurs to him that TRUTH could be accessed and/or given to them while in those states. Indeed, it was shocking to me when he wrote that bit: “the actual content of both religion and psychopathology is not of primary importance. What does matter is that people have some alternative to strictly this-world constructions of reality”

Hell yes, it matters!!!

 

[Chu]

It never occurs to Schumaker that human beings have this ability to dissociate because it is a faculty that enables them to access other realities that are REAL. It never occurs to him that TRUTH could be accessed and/or given to them while in those states. Indeed, it was shocking to me when he wrote that bit: “the actual content of both religion and psychopathology is not of primary importance. What does matter is that people have some alternative to strictly this-world constructions of reality”

Hell yes, it matters!!!

Yeah, this sums it up, I think. He made such a good analysis of the need for human beings to dissociate, and how, yet he missed the point about how it can be used for the benefit of people, and Truth. Why add more lies -no matter how well intentioned those lies are- when, with human's innate capacity for dissociation, you could actually help people grow and be happier, and more conscious?

Further, he has some points that shows he is not just willing to exchange lie with a lie in his conclusion:

“It might seem like science fiction to speak of the creation of a new religion to rescue us from ourselves. Yet I can imagine a need at one point to do just that. This would be for survival purposes, and not simply fanciful utopian folly. Religion is by far the best way to motivate the masses with a deeper sense of conviction, far better than can be done appealing to their rational sensibilities. Therefore, the question would become one of coming up with a reality embracing-religion that simultaneously provided people with effective escape from that same reality. In a sense, we could be searching for a religion both true and deliberately false, but false in harmless or even beneficial ways.”

The question in my mind is: what illusions are in the end harmless or even beneficial? Those that help you by getting through daily life?

Well, I think the problem is that he is missing the point a bit here. The goal of that reality-embracing religion should NOT be to provide people with effective escape from that same reality. It should rather be to allow them, through positive dissociation when needed, to Live the religion (re-ligare), find like-minded people who share the goal of actually living better in THIS reality, through the action of learning and getting closer to the truth. That is, learning to see the world as it is. Nobody can escape what he/she is not Seeing. It is also seeing the unseen. So, if you see it that way (replace lies with truth, not lies with new lies), then there are a lot of activities (NOT "illusions") which in the end can be harmless and beneficial.

Take EE, for example: During the practice, you dissociate, but this allows you to deal with trauma that has been blocking your life for years, plus, the POTS gets you to want to see the world as it is, not just want you want to see. And to access places which your conscious mind doesn't have access to most often. It removes the fear of seeing everything, both the dark and the light, and helps you make more sense of it, therefore being able to really make more conscious choices. OSIT.