Schizophrenia: A Matter of Perception?
The brain fills the pieces of information transmitted from the sensory environment that are not there or missing. For example, the blind spot in our eyes have no sensory light receptors, hence images focused on that spot are not transmitted to the brain. In fact, a hole should exist in our visual perception from the images projected onto our blind spot. This does not happen as our brain fills in the spaces with ongoing patterns that fit the image of our vision. Also, what we see and what is interpreted from what is seen spreads across a broad spectra from one individual to another. This indicates that there is no real format by which to generalize different individual's perceptions. Every input from the sensory environment is formatted and placed into context by our brain. Our brain organizes each situation into a format that makes sense to our schemata. So what happens when one's train of thought is fragmented and one's brain is unable to organize these fragments into a comprehensible pattern? Imagine if at times, your experiences become a slide show, fragments of experiences that do not come together. This is, in fact, how many people suffering from schizophrenia describe their experiences (1). Have you ever had an experience or a vision that just does not make sense? Maybe you might not understand the cause and the outcome of a certain experience or situation, but every memory is placed into context. Our brain makes sure of this. So, when seemingly unrelated fragments of information are sent to the brain, it attempts to combine these fragments together into a most logical manner. Is it possible that the reason that schizophrenics have an impaired sense of reality is because their brains logic is askew?
Schizophrenia is one of the most severe psychopathologies present today. Its causes are still vague, and the symptoms vary across a large spectrum. However, two generalized grouped of symptoms have been identified for schizophrenics: positive symptoms, and negative symptoms. Negative symptoms include lack of activity, anhedonia, and loss of interest. Positive symptoms include disorganized speech, hallucinations, and delusions experiences (1).
Individuals with schizophrenia commonly experience a disorder in their perception. Their surroundings are unreal and their external sensory environment seems different from what they previously knew. In fact, their perceptions become derailed; misinterpreting situations and the chronology of events. They are unable to distinguish between reality and imaginary.
Makela, Pia. "Views into studies of differences in drinking habits and alcohol problems between sociodemographic groups." Contemporary Drug Problems, Winter 1999 v26 i4 p633.
At the age of nineteen years old Presley began his music performing at the “Hillbilly Cat.” After being discovered Presley signed with Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee in 1954. Then his contract was sold in 1955 to RCA Victor. His musical influences were a mix of multiple genres. He was influenced by gospel threw church; black R&B threw Beale Street in Memphis. He combined all the genres to create the early rock n roll that would arouse many people around the world.
Elvis grew up into a common laid back family. Elvis Aron Presley was born on January 8th 1935. He later changed his middle name to Aaron the more common way to spell that name. His parents were Vernon and Gladys Presley. He was born into a two-room house in Tupelo Mississippi. He also had a stillborn brother named Jessie Garon. Jessie would have been the identical twin brother of Elvis. This left Elvis to be the only child for Vernon and Gladys Presley.
Elvis was born in 1935 in Mississippi, he was supposed to be a twin but his brother was stillborn. He grew up an only child. In 1948 the Presleys moved to Memphis, where in his high school days would hang around Beale Street where B.B. King was known to perform at, drawn into the music style of the blues. After graduating in 1953, he planned out his normal life of becoming a truck driver, and in his spare time recorded a couple songs at a recording service Sam Phillips started up that anyone could record a song for four dollars. Upon going back to the studio he met Sam Phillips who
Elvis Presley is also known as the “King of Rock and Roll” is the most influential Rock and Roll artist of all time. “Elvis Presley life story began when Elvis Aaron Presley was born to Vernon and Gladys Presley in a two-room house in Tupelo, Mississippi, on January 8, 1935. His twin brother, Jessie Garon, was stillborn, leaving Elvis to grow up as an only child. He and his parents moved to Memphis, Tennessee, in 1948, and Elvis graduated from Humes High School there in 1953.” (Elvis Presley Biography)
Elvis on the other hand was born into a poor family. His father was a tobacco picker, who was once imprisoned for cashing a fake check. His mother made sure that he was well exposed to gospel music and religion. He performed the ballad “Old Shep” in which he won the singing contest when he was only 10 years old, and on his 11th birthday, they bought him a guitar as his present. With the guitar, he was able to play two songs as a gift to his mother. With his hard work, he was able to come up with “Love Me Tender”, which was his first movie and from there, his fame begun (Clayton 23). Elvis rose from nothing, from a poor family to being a successful star and the king of rock and roll, which lead to his downfall.
...e notion of interbeing provides a full picture of understanding connecting different Buddhist ideas such as emptiness, no-self and impermanence together using just one simple word. As Mahayana Buddhism emphasizes the role of Buddhism as a liberating vehicle for the mass of its practitioners, the “heart” of the understanding of the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra is emancipation from fear. Through the eyes of interbeing and skillful practice of penetration can one attain the “heart of the understanding.”
On January 8th, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi, the “King of Rock and Roll” was born. His name was Elvis Presley. He was the son of Vernon Presley who was a truck driver, and his mother was Gladys, a sewing machine operator. He had a twin brother named Jesse, but he was still born, leaving Elvis to grow up as an only child. His father was hardly around, and he was imprisoned for three years for forgery. Surrounding him as a child though, was the gospel music of the Pentecost church, where his love for music first took roots in his heart. In the fifth grade his teacher Oletta Grimes asked Elvis to participate in the talent contest on Children’s Day at the Mississippi – Alabama Fair and Dairy Show. At age ten, he donned his cowboy hat and slipped into a cowboy suit to sing in the talent show, but he was in need of a chair in order to reach the microphone. He sang his personal rendition of Red Foley’s “Old Shep”; it won him a second prize and a free ticket for all the numerous rides in the park. His following Birthday, he received his first guitar from the Tupelo Hardware Store and took lessons from his dad’s brother. In 1948 his family picked up their life and moved to Memphis, Tennessee. It was there that he was exposed to the rhythmic sound of the blues, as well as Jazz on Beale Street, where he grew up...
Buddhist scholarship involves commentary on the sutras. In Tibetan Buddhism, there is a practice of acknowledging one’s teacher and monastic lineage so as to provide legitimacy and authenticity to the teachings. In what follows, I shall give my own commentary of the Heart Sutra, and thus I shall acknowledge the lineage through which this information passed down to me. My knowledge of the Heart Sutra comes from the commentary of the Dali Lama (3-52, 63-147) and the rest comes from commentary from Jamyang Gawai Lodro (151-164). Both of these commentaries are in a volume entitled Essence of the Heart Sutra translated by Geshe Thuptn Jipa. This is also where I read the words of the Sutra itself (59-61).
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder in which brain functioning is disrupted. People suffering from Schizophrenia are often unable to decipher what they are experiencing from reality. Although the person suffering from this particular illness could be highly educated and well spoken, their symptoms can make it near impossible to understand what is happening in the world around them. Some people suffer from intense audio and visual hallucinations, while others may experience slight delusions and are able to recognize the onset. Signs that usually indicate the onset of schizophrenia are not only audio and visual hallucinations, but also include delusions, thought disorder, and an inability to convey ideas and thoughts clearly to family and friends (Spearing, Melissa). The following is a look into the mindset and delusions of Susan K. Weiner, a woman who has suffered the affects of schizophrenia.
Hanson, Richard R. "Optimizing Marital Success: The Conscious Couple Uniting Process." Humboldt Journal of Social Relations 32.1, TRANSLATIONAL APPLIED SOCIOLOGY (2009): 158-83. JSTOR.Web. 11 May 2014.
Western medicine has recently discovered the powerful affects of meditation, by allowing doctors to treat the body and the mind. In reality, the mind is a very misunderstood and unexplored region of the human existence. Modern science knows more about the composition of the earth than it does about the mechanics of the human brain. Yet, meditation thwarts all notions of modern medicine with its shocking ability to to take obscure visualizations and create physical responses in the body. Mahayana Buddhism, found mainly in the autonomous region of Tibet, has become the main reference and standard for meditation practices in the west. Tibetans have used meditation for centuries as treatment for illness, and now, modern medicine of the western world is just beginning to reap the benefits of this unique and unconventional treatment for a variety of physical and mental ailments. Once a practice reserved strictly for Buddhist monks, meditation has become a worldwide phenomenon. Simply enter “Buddhist meditation” into the any Inter...
Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, disabling, brain disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels and acts. Someone with schizophrenia may have difficulties distinguishing between what is real and what is imaginary, be unresponsive or withdrawn, and may have difficulty expressing normal emotions in social situations.
Story, Francis. "Buddhist Meditation." Access to Insight: Readings in Theravada Buddhism. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
History proves that as Buddhism spread throughout the Asian world in the early 1st century, it was occasionally altered to fit the specific needs and beliefs of people it touched. Mahayana Buddhism is one such example of this gradual evolution. It was primarily a movement started and kept alive by monks that slowly gained popularity amongst lay people but was in no way a unified movement. Mahayana Buddhism still adheres to the basic fundamental beliefs presented in the Pali Canons, however, it Sutras often expand upon these basic ideas and traditions in order to answer the questions of a later generation. After closer study of the Mahayana texts the “A Sutra for Long Life” and “The World Universe as a Sutra”, it seems evident that, although Mahayana Buddhism is based on the teachings of the traditional Pali Canon, it places a larger emphasis on philosophical inquires; and ultimately creates a more accessible version of enlightenment, and the Buddhist faith in general, for all.