Motivations are energies that animate the psyche, which animates the bio, the body. Psyche motivations also animate the society at large, the socio being  made up of individual persons, each of whom is both bio and psyche.  And, the collection of “companions” that make up a society(or neighborhood),  the group, the mob…..has a mind of its own.

Fundamental motivations are word labeled “pleasure” … and “pain” and “reward” / “punishment.” But, what those words mean are not absolute fixed realities. As paradosical as it may sound, one person’s pain may be another’s pleasure, while for some punishment is a reward. The psyche logic can be quite silly at times.

Higher motivations have to do with Outcomes. End results. The path to an end result may indeed contain pain the pleasure being willingly delayed.

Developmental outcomes are the results of need satisfaction at any given stage. To the degree we have met our needs, we are healthy, well balanced, feel good….relatively happy, much of the time. The malaise millions feel, even if periodically, can be related to the lack of need satisfaction.  Developmental needs, and the outcomes from their satisfaction, or obstruction,  can be categorized into generally positive and negative. The end result of our developmental tasks can be broadly stroked with single word labels.

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You’d think the word psychedelic was entirely modern; but,  “delic” comes from Greek (delein) and means “to make manifest.” So, psychedelic is about making the psyche manifest…well, at least aspects of Psyche which had hitherto been unmanifest. Psychedelic experience is referred to as mind altering.

Mind altering substances are part of just about every culture going way way back in time. The body, the “bio” as an organic chemical factory, produces substances which alter the mind naturally. And, of course,  some plants naturally produce mind altering chemicals.  The mere act of sensing the world is mind altering; eating food is mind altering, sports is mind altering, sex is mind altering, education is mind altering…..It is as if mind altering activities are necessary…..

Where would we be if our minds had not been altered? Where will we be if we don’t alter our minds?

“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”

- Albert Einstein

There is thought behind Bio, Geo, Neuro…and the many prefixes to a word that ends in “logy.” Let’s take a look at “socio-logy.”

Socio originates from the Latin (socius) and translates into Modern English as “companion.”  There is a complex relationship between Psyche, ie., soul or mind, and Scoio, the companion, or companions. The complexities of our world, and our personal life, is due in large part to the interaction of Psyche and Socio, the mind and companions, the individual, and the collective.  But, let’s not forget Bio, as in our body….

Bio is a Greek word. It means “life.” It is the animating intelligent energy which underlies our physical form and functions…It is more than our body; it is the physicality of all animate forms, both gross and subtle, from the obvious to the molecular. Our human body, both as a person and a species,  is but one manifestation of Bio.

So, we have Bio, Psyche and Socio…Life, Mind and Companions. A threesome.  A trinity. A triangle. A gang of three……And they sometimes do beat up on each other.

Psyche Logos is often caught in the middle,  conflicted between the basic, instinctual  animalistic life drives of Bio Logos and the collective cultural conditionings of the company that makes up  Socio Logos. That’s were Therapeutae can be helpful to Psyche Logos which is so often confused about “me” and “we”

Psychelogos Therapeutae, the use of words and language to bring about healing and curing…..

Hetero is a word of Greek origin meaning “other” or “different.” So, heterosexuality is really sexual activity with that which is other or different. It’s easy to see how we come to perceive men and women as different and ascribe the term heterosexual to that difference. But, men and women are also of the same species…men and women are both homo, i.e., homo sapiens, and in that regard are, homo-sexual, because homo sapiens are sexual.

In the broadest terms, heterosexuality is sex outside of homo sapiens – sex with another or different species. Whereas, homesexuality, is sex amongst the same species.

Perhaps we would all be better off if we just threw out the old words “homo” and “hetero” and simply referred to our species as humankind and our sexual activity, regardless of gender orientation, as humansexual. If we want to ascribe same sex encounters, or relationships, perhaps some new word or phrase would be helpful- and fun. Making up words, and ascribing meaning to those words, is something Mind does very well. So,  something simple like “hehesex or “sheshesex” instead of “gay” or “lesbian.” Traditional “heterosex” could be “heshesex”, or, if you prefer, “shehesex.” Or, how about a same gender relationship is Ho-man Relationship and opposite gender relationship is Oh-man Relationship.  After all, it is our language; we can, and do, make up words, and ascribe meaning to them.

“Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. ”

Although there is a tendency to point fingers at others as the culprits, it’s wise to remember the passage popularized by Walt Kelly:

“We have met the enemy, and he is us.”

And if we are reminded of the new testament passage to love our enemies, which is ourselves, and the wise advice from Sun-Tzu in The Art of War to keep our friends close, and our enemies closer…

What would happen if we can came to see a part of ourselves as enemy-like, and yet love that part, keeping it close?

Photography is all about light. Photo, as a word, is Greek in origin and translates to “light.” The graphing of light, however, is incomplete without shadows. Shadows give distinction and character, dimension and shape. Without shadows, a photograph wouldn’t be much to look at.

Psychologically speaking, the same is true about the mind, or the psyche. The shadow part of our personality, the “dark” side, has its place and a fair amount of therapy is geared towards looking at, accepting, and working with this shadow.

The shadow is considered an “archetype.” Archetypes are like blueprints.  Archetypes tend to come in pairs. There is the “good” and the “bad.” The good “hero” is typically considered the antithesis of the bad “villian.” The hero is light, the villian is shadow. The hero, is honest, the shadow is deceitful. The hero is……and the shadow is………so many “positive” and “negative” qualities to list. There are other blueprint types found in psyche: the jester/joker, the magician, the elder, the child, the rebel, the servant, the teacher, the student, the man, the woman……Psyche can be well populated….YOUR psyche, IS well populated……

“The mind is its own place and, in itself, can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.”

The mind uses language, words, internal dialogue and mental pictures to form its “reality.” Psychotherapy, especially talk therapy,  relies very heavily on language and words. But, general communication and relationship does as well.

Words are not the only medium of communication. What is typically referred to as non-verbal communication is actually visual communication and a great deal of the messages we send, and receive, are visual, not verbal. Visual communication is quite potent. A bold gesture with one finger can cause a person to become infuriated. A shy smile can make a person happy. A single  image is worth a thousand verbalizations….

Words, as symbols, both visual and auditorial (i.e., the written word and the spoken word),  and purely visual images, such as a photograph, a painting, or even one’s own imagination, have noticeable influence  on  thoughts, moods, feelings and behaviors. But, more interesting is how psyche, how the mind, translates  images and words into meanings . For it is that process by which psyche  becomes the captain of her own domain and can choose to view a glass as half empty, or half full……