Posts by Richard Murphy6

Douglas Brown4 said:It's basically the same thing as OPTIMISM.
If you don't expect anything, you won't do anything. We wouldn't have any motivation, and honestly, we wouldn't even have anything to look forward to. We wouldn't really be living.

I think I know what you're actually asking: why do we enter relationships with expectations?
Let's put it this way:

Do you expect your child to be healthy, get good grades, finish school, and be happy in life? Probably. It probably matters to you.
Do you expect to be healthy and happy in your own life? Yes.
Do you expect your partner to love you rather than treat you like a doormat? You do.
Do you expect the sun to rise tomorrow? Definitely.

So, when my wife sends me texts saying how much she cares about me and how many things we have in common... I suppose I expect her to feel a certain way about me. I think that's the point.

People usually listen to that cliché about entering dating without any expectations. Sure. But then everyone just keeps their expectations secret, hiding them from the other person.
I met one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen recently. Exactly my type. She does exactly what I do and loves everything I love.
And she claimed she expected nothing. I warned her that I wasn't Jim Morrison. But once we met, suddenly that wasn't the case, and she'd rather break everything apart than ADAPT to that tiny difference. BECAUSE SHE had expectations. I didn't!

Well then, you’re either Sajeta or some big-shot CEO😁

briskgull27 said:I agree there's a reason for it—in fact, I think I might be one of the people doing it myself.😳

🙂 😬 😁 😎 😲
Well, maybe, maybe not!
Just teasing you just a little bit, haha!
But seriously, hang tight for a second. I really want to sit down and read through everything you've posted. Plus, we still need to untangle all these messy moral dilemmas (and hey, I'm probably just as bad at figuring them out as anyone else, hehe!)
Catch ya later!

Alright! I really need to carve out some actual time to sit down and dive into this entire thread. I'll get to it in the next few days.
There’s actually a method to the madness when it comes to "cementing" an idea in someone's head.

briskgull27 said:Schizoaffective Disorder
What exactly defines Schizoaffective Disorder? Essentially, it involves experiencing both mood symptoms—either depressive or manic—alongside schizophrenic symptoms during the same continuous periods of illness.

When looking at the depressive type of Schizoaffective Disorder, individuals often deal with symptoms like insomnia, a drop in energy, changes in appetite or weight, a loss of interest in daily activities, difficulty concentrating, intense guilt, feelings of hopelessness, or even suicidal ideation. During these same intervals, schizophrenic symptoms emerge, such as feeling like one's thoughts are being broadcasted or interfered with, believing an outside force is controlling them, or suffering from paranoid delusions about being watched or plotted against. It can also involve auditory hallucinations, like hearing voices making disparaging remarks or threatening the person. Generally speaking, the depressive type tends to be a bit less dramatic or alarming than the manic version.

On the other hand, the manic type of Schizoaffective Disorder typically presents as extreme elation, characterized by inflated self-esteem and grandiosity. At times, this might manifest as heightened excitement or irritability, which can lead to aggressive behavior or persecutory thoughts. You might also notice surges in energy, hyperactivity, trouble focusing, and a noticeable lack of social inhibitions. The accompanying schizophrenic symptoms might include delusions of grandeur, being the subject of reference, or persecution, as well as thought broadcasting, thought insertion, the sensation of being controlled by external forces, or hearing voices. Because of its sudden onset and significantly disrupted behavior, the manic type is usually much more intense and visible.

This information was sourced from page 380, Volume 2.

Hold up, hold up—what are we even talking about here?

Wait a second, are you actually claiming you haven't dealt with classic hallucinations? Like, you know, the kind you see in a movie like *The Devil's Advocate*? Is that really where you're at with this?

Taylor Campbell4 said:

We all carry our own personal karma—it’s built into us—but we also share the karma of the groups we belong to. We're influenced by the collective energy of our nation, and on a much larger scale, there's this shared karma of humanity as a whole...
Man isn't the center of the universe.

Personally, I find that incredibly unfair—just as I'm willing to take responsibility for my own "mistakes," I have absolutely no intention of paying for someone else's.

Look, I'll admit I might have oversimplified things when I wrote that, but the core idea isn't unjust. Would you call it unfair if you happened to benefit from positive karma because you're surrounded by good people or part of a thriving society? Well, that's the same thing...

I think we really ought to put in some effort to grasp the nuance here.

Oh, come on, Taylor Campbell4, give me a break! You honestly think she hasn't been busting her tail this whole time?
All you're doing is piling guilt on yourself, just like how those authority figures used to crush me—
everything happens right over our heads without us having a say.
I’ve been struggling for years, and if there had been a decent man in my life, he would’ve lifted this weight off my shoulders in a heartbeat.
Willpower, effort, conscience, responsibility... what a joke! We push and push for "progress"
until we finally just snap.
That breaking point is supposedly the peak of progress, isn't it?
But let me tell you, it’s ugly and it hurts like hell.
Just let it go.
I’ve spent my entire life practicing self-control, right up until the moment I completely fell apart.
For the last six years, I've been living with suicidal thoughts hitting me every single minute.
Could you imagine being in my shoes?

Alright, here’s a little brain teaser for the group.
Is the shell and the egg one single thing, or are they separate?
And if the egg is alive, does that make the shell alive too?
Solve the riddle and you can toss all those cabbage heads out the window!😲 😎

Hey, where did Miller go—the guy with the Starbucks coffee icon?😕 😍 🙄 😛

Jesus is driving me crazy, haha! Go back to school, I already wrote my post😉 👍
I’m gonna go check out what you posted over on the Yin Yang depression thread😳

briskgull27 said:I could take three showers a day if I wanted to, but I manage.

Oh, honey, this is exactly what I've been telling you!
goodnight👍

mistybison said:My take is that such individuals are smart and dangerous. 😁
You aren't wrong, briskgull27, but we can't change how society functions. People struggle with anything outside the norm, and most of us (as I've mentioned before) sacrifice bits of our individuality just to fit in. You simply have to find a way to protect yourself within those existing circumstances. 🙂

Quincy:

Those theories about sheer willpower are usually peddled by people who had it easy.

"Willpower" works for mentally healthy people facing life crises who just need a little self-improvement to bounce back. Mental illness is an entirely different matter.
We have a friend who has struggled with depression since she was a teenager (she actually grew up in the foster care system). She has been in treatment her entire life and is now in her 60s. She has a wonderful husband and children who love her. She is also a brilliant architect—an incredibly intelligent and engaging person. However, she is constantly on medication and has been hospitalized several times. During her low periods, she lacks even the strength to get out of bed to wash her face or brush her hair. To speak of "willpower" to such an intelligent, highly educated woman—someone who relies on medication just to stay alive—is not only ridiculous, it is insulting.

Me? I'm looking at him and seeing nothing but an insecure, weak, aggressive narcissist—someone who uses fast logic to hide how shameless and terrified he actually is.

Look, I know you're a total gentleman, Mad Scientist, but honestly, Out of the Green deserves a serious reprimand too—just so I don't end up stepping in something messy!🙄

Gerald Rivera60 said:What kind of language is that... 🙂
this is supposed to be a serious discussion...

We aren't puritans, but still...
🙂

My bad. That sentence actually hit a bit of a nerve for me. Sorry about that—my apologies to the moderator and briskgull27.

briskgull27 said:My whole point in starting this thread was just to get people reading and to help them realize that even the wild ones are still human beings.
That’s really all there is to it. Am I totally off base here?.....
Hey Taylor Campbell4, can you please change that avatar back? What am I supposed to look at now?.....

driving me crazy

briskgull27 said:Honestly, I know exactly where I'm headed.

Imagine finding a doctor in Kenya and then working as a beach waitress in a bikini on those sunny Kenyan shores. Doesn't that sound like quite the adventure?😁

Look, nobody actually knows for sure, but hey, at least you finally convinced yourself otherwise!😁

briskgull27 said:I haven’t really spoken up about who I am until now.
Back when I was younger, I was thinner, had more energy, more big dreams, and plenty of friends to hang out with. Even then, I had this gut feeling that a major shift would have to happen sooner or later.
I tried to push through and act like everyone else for as long as I could, but how can you compare yourself to others when they haven't faced the kind of tragedies I have?
Most of them still have their mothers around, too.
How am I supposed to hunt for a great career above $1667 when I'm worried about losing my footing
once word gets out that I struggle with schizophrenia?
I don't even have a specialized degree; I just finished high school.

Let's set aside the sheer intelligence of goranboa for a moment.

Do you know what most people immediately think when they hear someone is "crazy"?

They think: stupid.
Or maybe: brilliant but heartless.
Or even that you're "unstable," just like you mentioned hearing from your godmother.

In the end, you're left with one choice: accept it or give up.

And all those theories about "sheer willpower" are usually sold by people whose lives have been smooth sailing the whole way.

Why wouldn't you aim for something decent first? You know, just to get a foot in the door!

briskgull27 said:I don't really feel comfortable when someone tries to be affectionate with me the way you are. I have some fears regarding intimacy😍

Maybe she’s actually just terrified of being alone.🙄

briskgull27 said:You'll find the best breakdown of that in the book by Lois Lane: How to Heal Mind and Body, right at the end🤣 🤣 🤣

That’s a hilarious title for a book: "How to Heal Mind and Body at the End of the Book"... haha! You basically skipped the whole thing... straight into the middle of the action, or just skipping to the finish line, hehe

briskgull27 said:Does it actually impact your social life??
I personally struggle quite a bit with typical social norms.
And does it lead to any psychosomatic issues?
Because I deal with plenty of those myself.🙄 😉

So, how do you define a psychosomatic issue? For me, it's usually these sudden headaches, but sometimes it feels like my boundaries aren't even solid... like, I can actually feel my throat or nose acting up. You know, like getting all stuffed up out of nowhere. And with the headaches, it's all over the place—sometimes it’s just this dull, heavy pressure, other times it's a sharp, stabbing pain, sometimes right at the top of my head and sometimes lower down.🤣

Honestly, I wish I had the answers too! I’m actually diving into a book by Franklin right now, and man, there are definitely some nuggets of truth in there.
I’m not totally sure what the deal is or how much they really know over at the local community college, but I happened to catch a glimpse of their curriculum for the Postgrad Psychotherapy program. It looks like they really know their stuff—if not everything, then pretty close.

Andrew Harris7 said:I was wondering if anyone here has actually tried logotherapy or paradoxical intention? Is that kind of stuff even used much here in the States?

If you’re talking about Franklin’s whole "search for meaning" approach, I’m pretty sure John Doe is his official successor! But honestly, almost every therapist I know studies it during their grad school or advanced training as part of integrating different techniques together. It's everywhere!

OCD is a mental health disorder, plain and simple.
At its core, it’s all about anxiety.
But wait—what even is anxiety, really?
If you're someone who naturally leans toward obsessive thinking, you’ll probably see the fine line between feeling anxious and just being straight-up terrified.
Quick question though...
Is there anyone out there who actually knows?