Cultural Perspectives

Psyche, beloved of Eros, was an archetypal female of the Greek Hero tradition. She is of the same order as Herakles, a mortal who rose to the rank of Olympian for overcoming the many trials and tribulations directed by the envious Aphrodite.

Famed for her extraordinary beauty, Psyche is associated with the Soul in Greek mythology and lends her name to the contemporary study of the ‘Seen and Unseen’ processes of the Mind, Psychology.
In contemporary healing circles, Psyche refers to Heart (Feeling) + Mind (Thinking) experiences which connect us to each other, and to our societal – environmental matrix.

Industrial societies, with their rapid pace of societal evolution, are challenged to overcome the persistent adverse health consequences of ~30-40% of their population suffering from unresolved Mood Disorders (MDs). Conditions linked to disturbances of our psyche – Anxiety (Panic), Depression (MDD) and broad range of stress related outcomes, including dissociative identity patterns.

Current research, from the field of psychoneuroimmunology, suggests that constant mental stress, e.g., Chronic Social Restraint Stress, will result in increased inflammation at the organism/system level, seen as increased numbers of bone marrow derived white blood cells (i.e., leucocytes). These system level inflammation patterns can destroy the integrity of tissues and organs, leading to more rapid aging.

Reducing the cognitive level symptoms with drugs doesn’t clear the underlying inflammatory patterns. Unless one also uses anti-inflammatory drugs like prednisone, with their own set of adverse effects, including immune system suppression, i.e., increased susceptibility to infections.

Chronic mental distress and unresolved anhedonia are troubling states of Mind that can lead to disturbances in physiological (YIN organs) control patterns and may become a cause for sudden acts of inexplicable violence.