How it started…

Long story short…A life ago I was in hot pursuit of a PhD program in Social Psychology-the study of how society shapes behavior. Being the forward thinker that I am, I started working my dissertation on day 1 of the program. My thinking was-do the research while learning about research, so that when it’s time to do research I’ll already have done the research.

Caution: The ethical thing to do when conducting research is to ask for permission and/or inform the subject. This will also contaminate your study-people switch up when they know they’re being watched.

What research?

Study #1

When I started the program I was working at a behavioral health hospital. While looking for something to fix, it stuck out to me that the same people kept returning for inpatient treatment. Clients would be discharged and report to the ER the same day. My hypothesis-hospitals positively benefit healthcare dependency. Realizing that this institution would block my research, I abandoned the study.

Conclusion: Hospitals can’t stay open if there are no sick people, and recidivism may be the reason the lights stay on. Healthcare systems can reduce inpatient stresses by extending social and medical services to Clients’ homes and communities.

Study #2

I went on to get credentialed as a professional counselor and addictions specialist, and started working as a substance use counselor on a community mental health treatment team. One day while lecturing to a group of drug users, on the short and long term dangers of substance use, a Client raised his hand and asked (suspiciously) “Have you ever used drugs?”. Maybe I made abstinence sound too easy. Maybe I didn’t look the part. They obviously knew that I had no personal experience with drugs. In a future post I’ll tell you what to do when you’re counseling about a thing that you have no experience. Nonetheless, this was the credibility check that I needed. I was smoking marijuana by the weekend (for research purposes). My dissertation focus was on the short and long term affects of marijuana use, as to justify or challenge its Schedule I classification. My hypothesis-marijuana is bad.

I discovered-marijuana ain’t as bad as “they” say. Short term effects/benefits included-hyper-vigilance, acute paranoia, depressing, poverty of speech, allergy maintenance, higher consciousness, the munchies, involuntary dance, activated creativity, sleep aid, euphoric and relaxed moods, pain tolerance, and comedic tendencies. Long term effects/benefits included-lethargy, preoccupation with use, social withdrawal, weight loss, attention deficit, dis-motivation, conscious awareness, metaphysical alignment, and heightened social/self awareness. Social withdrawal is precipitated by preoccupation with drug use. This is not an exhaustive list of the symptoms, just some of the ones I experienced. I had discovered nothing profoundly new about marijuana so I abandoned the study.

Conclusion: Marijuana is unjustly listed as a Schedule I drug, as it has significant health benefits. Turns out cannabis prohibition is more about controlling the supply and demand, and conformance of the people. Marijuana use is not much different than any other habitual activity that brings enjoyment. For users-educate yourself on what you’re ingesting and practice moderation to defend against dependency, stabilize psycho-social functioning, and reduce costs to life domains.

Study #3

After learning about Urie Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems my study morphed into-a qualitative narrative into how social norms impact behavior, as moderated by social power. That is-I investigated people and systems, directly and indirectly, through interviews, through surveys, through observation, through participation, through history, through social media, etc, to determine what pressures influence acting right behavior. Here’s my academic institution’s response to this study-“This study would have great social impact; however, it is not pertinent to our learning community”. As it turns out, the paying community of this learning institution was disproportionately represented by a group that presented with markers significantly associated with LSP (low social power). When this institution denied my study I dis-enrolled and directed my attention to higher learning.

Conclusion: The less social power a person has the more pressure they feel to conform to social standards. People low in self awareness and social awareness and high in apathy, social anxiety/fear, uncertainty, and dependence demonstrate a greater tendency towards “going along”. Nonetheless, there are real costs for divergence. Going along can be a great survival strategy.

Study #4

I had come far enough to know that I had sat through more classes than necessary, and had not learned my money’s worth. My new dissertation topic became-We’re still doing it wrong: A mixed methods justification for education reform. Around this time I was given the opportunity to work at a college; I learned more in those 4 years than I had in the 6 years I was paying for college. Out of pure gratitude for the people of this learning community, I abandoned my study.

Conclusion: There are people doing the work. There’s a community college in Charlotte, NC that’s almost got it figured out. If I were looking for a place to learn or re-learn that’s where I’d go. They get it.

Summary

If you do it right, self-discovery will change you. Post midlife crisis, psychotic break, and awakening, the dissonance experienced resolving one’s past identity with a new conscious Self can be rewarding-akin to a caterpillar’s metamorphosis from lava to butterfly.

The truth is-psychosis is the experience of being trapped in the conscious journey. What separates me/you from them is having the knowledge, the language, the awareness, the skills, and the village to balance the realities discussed here. If you’ve found yourself stuck…confused…angry…dissociated…powerless we are ready to be your guide.

Investigating the dissonance is - TherapeuticLiving.