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Discussion => Off topic => Topic started by: Ballzinator on December 03, 2012, 12:03 am

Title: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: Ballzinator on December 03, 2012, 12:03 am
A few hours ago there was a rather heated discussion on depression and suicide on the IRC server which inspired me to make this thread.

Until about a year ago I was plagued by depression and suicidal feelings. These three videos have pretty much changed my life.
The first one is a very simple guided experiment you can do right in front of your computer. The second one is a personal story of someone who made the realization I referred to in the thread subject. The third one explains the science behind the matter.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ja75T5wF1U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_o80Q4pLvTE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6AkXYl4sKo

Questions, thoughts and constructive criticism expressly desired :)

Edit:
Awesome read posted by user "pattern":
http://deoxy.org/egofalse.htm
Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: boringflooring on December 03, 2012, 01:51 am
i'll take a look at the vids. Everybody gets depressed from time to time, especially during the winter for me.

plus, i rolled the other night and it's starting to catch up to me haha
Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: Ballzinator on December 03, 2012, 02:11 am
i'll take a look at the vids. Everybody gets depressed from time to time, especially during the winter for me.

plus, i rolled the other night and it's starting to catch up to me haha
The videos are primarily made for people who suffer from long-term depression but don't see why they wouldn't work for the occasional winter depression. Please report back :)
Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: shivamoon on December 03, 2012, 09:47 am
A few hours ago there was a rather heated discussion on depression and suicide on the IRC server which inspired me to make this thread.

Until about a year ago I was plagued by depression and suicidal feelings. These three videos have pretty much changed my life.
The first one is a very simple guided experiment you can do right in front of your computer. The second one is a personal story of someone who made the realization I referred to in the thread subject. The third one explains the science behind the matter.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ja75T5wF1U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_o80Q4pLvTE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6AkXYl4sKo

Questions, thoughts and constructive criticism expressly desired :)

I am going to show this to a couple of my friends. I swear it is karma that i came across this right now. This is the concept i have been struggling with some time now, and your video's honestly put in all into much better context. Thanks alot BALLZI!

EDIT: The concept i am referring to here, is that We are not our Ego :)
Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: Ballzinator on December 03, 2012, 11:13 am
A few hours ago there was a rather heated discussion on depression and suicide on the IRC server which inspired me to make this thread.

Until about a year ago I was plagued by depression and suicidal feelings. These three videos have pretty much changed my life.
The first one is a very simple guided experiment you can do right in front of your computer. The second one is a personal story of someone who made the realization I referred to in the thread subject. The third one explains the science behind the matter.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ja75T5wF1U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_o80Q4pLvTE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6AkXYl4sKo

Questions, thoughts and constructive criticism expressly desired :)

I am going to show this to a couple of my friends. I swear it is karma that i came across this right now. This is the concept i have been struggling with some time now, and your video's honestly put in all into much better context. Thanks alot BALLZI!

EDIT: The concept i am referring to here, is that We are not our Ego :)
Glad I could help ;)
Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: Barbijuana on December 03, 2012, 08:43 pm
Something like this only cements my thoughts that there is a collective conscious. Be it just the phenomena of self fulfilling prophecy, that maybe I was seeking answers and so it makes them more apparent or something.. more.. Like we are all just one cell of another organism and he/she/transient being gets a mood swing every once in awhile and we're all affected slightly since we compose of its matter. Who knows.

I've been going thru a fit of depression and that self analysis does nothing to help alleviate the situation. It happens around the holidays for me because of some other things, but that hasn't been the root this go around. What really helped me out was thinking that it is incredibly stupid and egocentric to think about this world as MY LIFE when in reality it IS LIFE and I am just a small part of it. It's OK that I don't make some great impact or surmount to the full potential a man can achieve. That just being able to experience life and share it with people who I am apart of their experience too is good, if not great, enough to be happy about it.



Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: Ballzinator on December 03, 2012, 10:59 pm
Something like this only cements my thoughts that there is a collective conscious. Be it just the phenomena of self fulfilling prophecy, that maybe I was seeking answers and so it makes them more apparent or something.. more.. Like we are all just one cell of another organism and he/she/transient being gets a mood swing every once in awhile and we're all affected slightly since we compose of its matter. Who knows.

I've been going thru a fit of depression and that self analysis does nothing to help alleviate the situation. It happens around the holidays for me because of some other things, but that hasn't been the root this go around. What really helped me out was thinking that it is incredibly stupid and egocentric to think about this world as MY LIFE when in reality it IS LIFE and I am just a small part of it. It's OK that I don't make some great impact or surmount to the full potential a man can achieve. That just being able to experience life and share it with people who I am apart of their experience too is good, if not great, enough to be happy about it.
As a pantheist, I like the way you think :)
Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: mim1247 on December 03, 2012, 11:30 pm
Last night my circumstances changed significantly for the worse, well needless to say i woke up especially depressed today and im glad i happened upon this thread. I only watched the first two vids as the last one is too long to watch right now. But while watching the first video its like a switch just went off in my mind and i feel much better now. Thank you Ballzinator for posting this thread :)

ps i would +1 if i could unfortunately I'm still a newbie :P
Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: Dopamin on December 04, 2012, 12:03 am
Very interesting stuff, I watched the first two vids but don't know what to make from them. Do  you think that Toole is blinking every second on purpose? Could it be some kind of hypnosis-technique he is using on us and we respond subconsciously?

Gonna watch the long vid tomorrow, too tired for that now.
Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: Ballzinator on December 05, 2012, 02:07 am
Last night my circumstances changed significantly for the worse, well needless to say i woke up especially depressed today and im glad i happened upon this thread. I only watched the first two vids as the last one is too long to watch right now. But while watching the first video its like a switch just went off in my mind and i feel much better now. Thank you Ballzinator for posting this thread :)

ps i would +1 if i could unfortunately I'm still a newbie :P
Haha yeah, it does feel like a switch being flipped in your brain :D
Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: Dopamin on December 05, 2012, 04:56 pm
well, I tried to let go today, what happend was I fell 5m off the climbing wall into the safety rope ;)

I consciously realized my ego, or my fear-voice, for the first time today. It is that little sucker that keeps whispering: What if your belayer fucks up? What if the rope fails? What if you want to put the rope into the safety and slip while having 6m of lose rope?

Little asshole :P

I tried to calm me down by breathing deeply and slowly and by embracing the moment. I tried to realize what I was seeing at the moment, eg. the wall, the rope, which colors the holds were etc. That helped a little.
Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: Psychonaughty on December 05, 2012, 08:51 pm
Going to check this out later.

Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: use LSD with caution on December 05, 2012, 10:47 pm
What Tolle is talking about is ego death. For me the involuntary experience of ego death imprinted itself so powerfully upon my memory, that I can now evoke the same state of consciousness by an act of will. I don't need LSD any more. I don't even need to meditate. This, I believe, is the cure for depression, but it can also be dangerous; if you are not suffering from depression, I see no particular reason to desire it. The danger is not physical or necessarily psychological, but existential and spiritual. Ego death deprives you of the illusion of free will. You watch yourself as if you are in autopilot. It's as if you are a puppet whose strings are being pulled by some higher consciousness.
Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: Ballzinator on December 05, 2012, 10:52 pm
What Tolle is talking about is ego death. For me the involuntary experience of ego death imprinted itself so powerfully upon my memory, that I can now evoke the same state of consciousness by an act of will. I don't need LSD any more. I don't even need to meditate. This, I believe, is the cure for depression, but it can also be dangerous; if you are not suffering from depression, I see no particular reason to desire it. The danger is not physical or necessarily psychological, but existential and spiritual. Ego death deprives you of the illusion of free will. You watch yourself as if you are in autopilot. It's as if you are a puppet whose strings are being pulled by some higher consciousness.
Very well said, +1 :)
Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: OysterCult on December 07, 2012, 12:22 am
Anyone else creeped out by the staring in the first video?
Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: Ballzinator on December 07, 2012, 12:27 am
Anyone else creeped out by the staring in the first video?
Nope, had my eyes closed :D
BTW, your username is awesome ;D
Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: Festivalia on December 07, 2012, 01:09 am
 :-X [REDACTED]
Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: Festivalia on December 07, 2012, 01:10 am
 :-X [REDACTED]
Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: neiger108 on December 07, 2012, 03:51 am
I meditate often anyway but definitely wasn't prepared for the sudden relaxation that I felt watching Tolle's video. like it's been said on the first page it was like a switch, instant almost. just what i needed, great video and will be watching the others too, thanks! :)
Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: pattern on December 08, 2012, 11:32 pm
Thanks, appreciate the post.  The following is a link to a short text that I've been returning to every now and then since I started to experience the dark night of the soul.

It's theme is along similar lines to the videos in the OP.  I hope it helps someone also.

www.deoxy.org/egofalse.htm
Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: Ballzinator on December 09, 2012, 12:03 am
Thanks, appreciate the post.  The following is a link to a short text that I've been returning to every now and then since I started to experience the dark night of the soul.

It's theme is along similar lines to the videos in the OP.  I hope it helps someone also.

www.deoxy.org/egofalse.htm
+1, awesome read. I added it to the original post :)
Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: Dopamin on December 25, 2012, 05:15 pm
I practiced letting go for two weeks now, the results are pretty awesome. I can not induce this state of mind on purpose yet, but sometimes, I just am. This is the best way to describe it. I just watch things happen, without judging them, without judging me, without any need to do something. That is pure bliss.
Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: thedopestjunkie on December 25, 2012, 05:48 pm
Thanks Ballzinator Ive been struggling for many many years now hopefully these vids will help!
Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: Ballzinator on December 25, 2012, 10:27 pm
Thanks Ballzinator Ive been struggling for many many years now hopefully these vids will help!
No problem! Let us know if you're successful or not :)
Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: valakki on December 25, 2012, 10:38 pm
im usually very depressed. but sometimes i just go fuck it. and snap out.  its interesting.
Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: weirdal on February 04, 2013, 06:03 pm
Sorry for bumping an old thread.  I can relate to many things in this thread.  If this topic is important to you or you have suffered this I IMPLORE you to read this entire post.

This thread brings both joy and trepidation.  I believe it's very possible for a person to be possessed by a spirit and those that would possess us(rather than minister to us or guide us) don't have our best interest in mind.  I'm nervous when I read people describing 'letting go' and 'just watching things happen'.  After a person 'lets go' you see them post things like
Quote
You watch yourself as if you are in autopilot. It's as if you are a puppet whose strings are being pulled by some higher consciousness.
lead me to believe there may be possession occurring here.   

What makes you believe the consciousness pulling your strings is 'higher'?

I fully believe that this IS spiritual.  Spirituality is such a global concept and has been for millenia.  There is NO way it's just myth or imagined.  As science improves it's disproving myths, but not the bible.

I've never experienced ego death, even on extremely heroic doses of psychedelic cocktails.  I believe this is because there is ego death is the experience of being removed from yourself and the control being taken over by another.. Demonic Possession.  Also, When described, people say you need to 'let go' and 'go along with it' and allow it to run it's course' or 'take you were it wants to go'.  These are all statements that are similar to things the bible warns about.  I'm of the opinion that ego death is actually demonic possession and that I can't experience that as I have a higher power living inside of me(invited in)

You'll notice how people say they didn't ask for the experience of ego death.  For instance,
What Tolle is talking about is ego death. For me the involuntary experience of ego death imprinted itself so powerfully upon my memory, that I can now evoke the same state of consciousness by an act of will. I don't need LSD any more. I don't even need to meditate. This, I believe, is the cure for depression, but it can also be dangerous; if you are not suffering from depression, I see no particular reason to desire it. The danger is not physical or necessarily psychological, but existential and spiritual. Ego death deprives you of the illusion of free will. You watch yourself as if you are in autopilot. It's as if you are a puppet whose strings are being pulled by some higher consciousness.

Notice the 'INVOLUNTARILY experience of ego death'?  This is because demonic possession isn't USUALLY something people ask for or invite(knowingly).

You need to keep a tight rein on yourself and be in control.  Would you willingly let something else CONTROL your life? That's the beautiful thing about the Bible, it shows us how despite the trouble it causes, God sees it as important for us to have personal choice because He wants a relationship with us, not a bunch of robots.  He's willing to provide guidance but specifically warns to be in control of yourself mentally and physically.

I'm nervous that these videos may be setting the stage/prepping you subconsciously to 'let go' and open yourself to outside influences. There is talk of hypnosis as well as other things on this page.  I think there's something to be said for mind over matter but honestly we were made with the ability to experience these emotions(if we evolved surely we'd have done away with these 'weaknesses' generations ago).  Why do you think these emotions are unhealthy.  Maybe there's a good reason you feel this way.  Maybe the depression is the effect, not the cause.

Try some vitamin D and some christian counseling at your local Christian church.  I'd recommend a 4 square denomination or calvary chapel.  God Bless you all!
Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: raynardine on February 04, 2013, 08:13 pm
You need to keep a tight rein on yourself and be in control.  Would you willingly let something else CONTROL your life? That's the beautiful thing about the Bible, it shows us how despite the trouble it causes, God sees it as important for us to have personal choice because He wants a relationship with us, not a bunch of robots.  He's willing to provide guidance but specifically warns to be in control of yourself mentally and physically.

I apologize in advance for having WAY too much fun with this, but I just thought I'd mention that some of us like demonic possession, and that it's invited, not forced upon us.

The ancient definition of "daemon" is "Spiritual teacher." The modern form of this concept is a "personal tutelary spirit/deity" and the psychology field might term it "Personified superego" but it's roughly the same. For those who must hide among Christians, the concept is referred to as a "Guardian angel" in cases where the guardian angel intervenes and speaks to you.

I've been studying the ancient teachings referring to daemons (spiritual teachers) for a very long time, and although I do not conform to the rules and guidelines of LeVayan Satanism, I have read a lot about it, and have studied it to some extent.

For those of you who do not know what LeVayan Satanism is, it's basically extreme fierce individualism taking to its logical conclusion.

According to LeVay, you are an individual, and rather than worshiping an external god, you worship yourself, only. LeVay teaches us that we should constantly strive to improve ourselves, define and refine ourselves, and become the gods we wish we were.

I have also studied Chaos Magic and Discordianism.

Chaos Magic is more of a meta-spiritualism than any particular denomination of paganism. Chaos Magic holds that belief systems are a tool, and teaches us how to use these tools more effectively. Chaos Magic teaches us that you can always change who you are, change your beliefs, and change the world around you by doing so.

Discordianism teaches us that you should never take anything too seriously, and resembles Absurdist Zen in that only when confronted with the absurd can we achieve enlightenment. Discordianism teaches that you cannot study wisdom from any book or guru, and you cannot communicate it to others secondhand; it must be observed directly, and presenting yourself with the absurd can help you observe reality for what it is.

I hope that helps.
Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: raynardine on February 04, 2013, 08:25 pm
Like we are all just one cell of another organism and he/she/transient being gets a mood swing every once in awhile and we're all affected slightly since we compose of its matter.

I've noticed that bipolar people tend to synchronize mood swings after awhile, while in contact with each other.

The Internet interconnects people, and the vast majority of my friends post statuses about being on top of the world, and being suicidal approximately at the same time.
Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: Ballzinator on February 04, 2013, 09:14 pm
Thanks for reviving this thread :)
I find the ego and super-ego very interesting topics.
Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: DiamondSky on February 04, 2013, 09:41 pm
It's an interesting topic. I think I am a bit odd in that I sort of realize the world through whatever context I choose to while other people seem to react to the world through whatever context they have been trained to. I was once, long ago, in a position where I was fairly confident that I was going to end up in prison for some legal issues I ran into. I spent about a day reacting to the whole deal before I took a sip of coffee and came to the conclusion that whatever was going to happen would happen and a good deal of that was out of my control leaving me with a profound understanding that what was in my control was how I was going to receive those new circumstances.

I decided that since I love new adventures and stories, prison would actually be an interesting fork in the road for me. I accepted the fact that if it happened there was no reason to go around being miserable about it and instead I could look forward to telling stories about doing time and the lessons I would learn from it.

I'm pretty sure that was the turning point for me in my life. I came to terms with the fact that there are some things I can control and I do my best to move those things in favor of a life I want and there are other things that are outside of my control and it's up to me if I choose to experience those things as good or bad. Sometimes I find I like being miserable, it adds character and makes being happy all the more fun, but I never surrender to my emotions since they are nothing more than a decision we all get to make if only we appreciate that the one thing in life we can control is how we look at the world.
Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: raynardine on February 04, 2013, 10:08 pm
I came to terms with the fact that there are some things I can control and I do my best to move those things in favor of a life I want and there are other things that are outside of my control and it's up to me if I choose to experience those things as good or bad.

In the 60s Psychologist Julian Rotter developed a theory called Locus of Control of Reinforcement. His theory centered around whether someone thinks their life is more influenced by external factors like fate, genetics, luck, environment (external locus of control) OR by internal factors like effort, tenacity, and free will (internal locus of control).

You seem to have an external locus of control.

One day, I was in school. A therapist visited the class, and administered a "locus of control quiz."

Guess who got the highest score for internal locus of control? The teacher! I was second only to the teacher.

All of the other students had external loci of control, the teacher and I were on the other side of the scale by far.

There was a huge gulf between the teacher and I and the one who was third in line.

This idea that believing that you cannot control your own fate is not unique. In fact, it is extremely common.

ALL of the other students in that class believed they did not control their own fate, and that there really wasn't anything they could do about it.
Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: DiamondSky on February 04, 2013, 11:08 pm
Yeah it's always been one of those things that confused me with people. They get trapped in their trained reflexes never stopping to appreciate that they are the ones who get to dictate their reactions to the world rather than the other way around. I normally try to stop myself from commenting on posts about depression because my view on it is so similar to a SNL skit I saw years ago that went something like this:

"Doctor, I get terrified when I go out in public, the world seems to close in on me, my heart starts racing and I begin to panic."

The doctor looks intently at the patient, takes his one dollar fee and then says:

"Stop doing that."

For me, and I imagine some folks out there, it really is that easy. If I don't want to be depressed I stop focusing on the depressing thoughts. If I want to loose weight I stop eating like shit and get off my ass. If I want a beautiful girlfriend I start talking to beautiful girls. I think ultimately it just comes down to confidence (or more likely arrogance), in that I firmly believe that I am the master of my mind. The world is a show that will play on with or without me but my realization, interpretation and reaction to that show is entirely up to me.
Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: raynardine on February 04, 2013, 11:23 pm
If I want a beautiful girlfriend I start talking to beautiful girls. I think ultimately it just comes down to confidence (or more likely arrogance), in that I firmly believe that I am the master of my mind.

Straight girls love arrogant handsome men, especially if that arrogant handsome man has a fat bank account.

The engagement ring must have a huge fucking rock on it, and there must be at least 9000 dead African children's blood involved in the manufacture of that stone.

You must have a huge house, at least one showy sportscar, and you need to know how to be both romantic and aggressive.

Thankfully, I am gay, so I can safely say, "Fuck that shit," but if you're a straight male, this is reality.
Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: DiamondSky on February 04, 2013, 11:44 pm
Yeah, I've been progressively dropping superficiality from my life over the last decade or two. I came the conclusion that the only thing that a man who has everything is left to want is nothing. I literally gave away a 6500 sqf house, my cars and motorcycles, quit a high six figure job, packed a few important belongings up in the back of my SUV and became a travailing vagabond some 12 years ago. I stopped trying to be the guy that every girl wanted and instead started approaching relationships with the following disclaimer:

"I'm not a boyfriend or a husband, I have no desire to do anything anyone else thinks I should, I tend to fall in love completely but enjoy it so much I rarely limit myself to one person, I look at the world through a child's perspective and have no intention of growing up or becoming more mature, my only redeeming quality is that I can do anything I want and right now I want to be with you."

Since adopting the above creed I've met the love of my life and have never felt richer or more satisfied. I think my self induced suffering was brought about less by failing at life and more so by succeeding at trying to live someone else's dreams.

Happy that being gay helps you avoid some of the drama on this side of the fence but I'm sure there is plenty of crazy stuff to deal with on your side too. Honestly I think I'm somewhere in the middle myself. My girl is about as butch as they come but we manage to compliment each other perfectly. I realized a while back that if she was a guy I would still be totally in love with that person, which I think is the way it's supposed to be. Sex, at least for me, is not so much about the stuff we hide in our pants as much as it is the connection we share with the person we are having it with.
Title: Re: The cure to depression is a simple realization.
Post by: Slicksuit on February 05, 2013, 12:43 am
This is kinda' how I beat anxiety/panic disorders.

I always began to panic if simple things happened like my heart race increased, or if I started getting warm or the likes - and then one day I just said to myself:

"If I die - then I die, there is nothing I can do about that"

And slowly, the panic and anxiety disappeared. It was amazing.