One ^Simple Idea

My promise: that from a remarkably ~simple~ idea about ~how~ our minds ~work~ and our ~commitment~ to ~try~ we can ~work~ our ~way~ to a ~mind~ that is ~more~ ~happy~ and ~more~ ~healthy~.  However, the trouble we face about healing our ~own~ ~mind~ is that we do not ~always~ ~know~ ~how~ ~healthy~ or ~SICK~ our ~mind~ is.  And we may ~never~ ~know~ ~how~ ~SICK~ or ~healthy~ our ~mind~ was until we have ~found~ significant healing.  The trouble with helping others to ~heal~ their ~mind~ is that healing ultimately must ~come~ from within. 

Those are the ~dual~ obstacles: to ~heal~ our ~own~ ~mind~ and to ~help~ others.  We cannot even ~see~ the inner struggle of others and at ~BEST~ we can only ~see~ a distorted ~view~ of our ~own~ struggle; for that is ~how~ the ~mind~ ~works~. 

If anything, that is ~why~ mental ~health~ is a hard ~problem~.  To the extent we can ~overcome~ that, we can ~manage~ our ~own~ struggle ~better~ and even be healed.  To the extent we do not, we may ~never~ reach ~sufficient~ ~awareness~ to ^Know the extent of the problems that ~make~ us hostage to ~needless~ suffering. 

When we ~persist~ in our ~lack~ of ~awareness~ about our ~own~ mental health, it is called anosognosia.  For ~example~, we ~list~ this ~lack~ in ~connection~ with schizophrenia, bipolar, post-traumatic stress, stroke or traumatic brain injury. 

Besides anosognosia, some of us have been ~hurt~, have had to ~endure~ trauma or, have had a lapse or flood of ~memories~.  We may have suffered from a ~lack~ or ~loss~ of ~community~ or ~family~ support.  We may have ~become~ ~avoidant~ in ~regard~ to ~life~ in some ~respect~ or in general. 

For some of this ~needless~ suffering, we may ~receive~ a diagnosis.  However, none of us ~need~ a diagnosis to have distorted thoughts, feelings and actions.  These distortions are inevitable and a major theme of The Book of ^MESH is that distortions are not intrinsically bad either!  However, the ~needless~ suffering from these distortions is bad.  I claim that anosognosia and lesser distortions are a feature of our ~mind~ and not an intrinsic issue.  The issue is only that we suffer needlessly and ~cause~ others around us to suffer needlessly. 

Any suffering, ~irrespective~ of the size of the distortions in our ~mind~, does not mean we deserved it yet it does mean we ~need~ to ~heal~ to ~discern~ it.  For that healing I have coined the acronym MESH which stands for Mental-Emotional-Self Healing or Mental-Emotional-Self ^Help. 

Many distortions obscure the bulk of themselves from ~view~ like an iceberg, and so we may ~find~ they have unexpected power to ~stay~.  As such they may arbitrarily threaten or ~help~ us on our journey.  A few of them are even ~more~ hidden or dangerous.  Like a ship that travels unknowingly through shallow ~water~.  Though we rarely ~take~ ~direct~ ~notice~ of a distortion in ourselves as such, we may experience them as we struggle against ourselves, others and our world. 

We can ~still~ have ~hope~ when we have the crush of looming suffering in mental illnesses (diagnosed, undiagnosed or misdiagnosed) or ~when~ we ~feel~ in ~endurance~ of other pain and suffering.  We can ~still~ have ~hope~ ~irrespective~ of our ~need~ to ^See or ^Hide from our distortions which our ~mind~ may do with or without the ~help~ of others.  We may ^Always ^Find ^Hope. 

So, it is my firm ~hope~ that we may all ~find~ healing and a degree of inoculation against the unnecessary struggles.  I ^Hope ~together~ we can ~reduce~ ~needless~ suffering.  And I ^Hope we may ~gain~ a ~better~ appreciation of ~how~ much we all suffer from and maximize our suffering in ~respect~ to our distortions and that of ~one-another~ needlessly.  For that is a ~point~ I ~gain~ over and over in my journey to ~write~ The Book of ^MESH. 

With that ~purpose~ in ~mind~, here is what I will do for us.  I ~share~ and ~establish~ a ~model~ of our ~mind~ as that of a few basic building blocks.  I ~give~ or reference some handy tools to ~use~ some of which I have used to ~develop~ this very book.  I ~show~ some concepts that are descriptions of common distortions, some concepts that ~work~ to ~adjust~ our ~own~ distortions, some concepts that are evidence of healing and even some concepts that may ^Help others or our ~relation~ with them. 

A little about the style of The Book of ^MESH.  In ~truth~ it is my ~intent~ that I do not ~offer~ ~proof~ of the ~model~ I ~give~ except to ~show~ its possibilities.  I ~avoid~ any ~aim~ to ^Prove these models and concepts on paper here.  We can easily ~recognize~ that models and concepts are ~always~ at least partially wrong because they are not the real thing and sometimes like distortions (and this book) the ways in which they are wrong (in the literal ~sense~) may ~serve~ a ~good~ ~purpose~ (in that its ~metaphor~ may ^Hold power to ^Inspire).  I ~find~ that ~what~ may ~matter~ ~more~ is whether they can ~provide~ ~insight~ into a monolithic or ~complex~ struggle and that is for each of us to ~decide~ ~individually~.  ^Proof of these ideas is a discussion for another ~kind~ of book entirely.  The ~model~ and its concepts ^Magnify ~how~ a ~mind~ may ~appear~ from within itself without getting ~lost~ in the ~complexity~ and large ~variety~ that we may ~find~ or ~judge~ to ~be~ ~healthy~ or ^SICK. 

Although it could be argued that in some ~respect~ The Book of ^MESH promotes a certain ~kind~ of ~mind~, I ~believe~ the principles here are fair ~enough~ to ~accept~ any ~variety~ of ~mind~ with all its boldly exquisite ~talent~ or its delicate ~beauty~.  If I have done my job ~well~ to ~write~ The Book of ^MESH in ~accord~ to its ~purpose~ then those ~who~ ~study~ it will realize that our ~own~ ~mind~ and that of others ~works~ or is ~perfect~ yet we have ample room to ^Improve too.  That untapped potential will ~persist~ in us: to ^Heal ourselves, to ^Help others and to ^Heal our world in the most remarkable ~way~. 

Now it is your ~turn~.  Shall we begin?