A Trained Professional Sees a Pattern Here

I received an email from Dr. Datanah that may help some of you in processing your experience:

I have been reading the stories you are posting on the website, and I know I have already sent you information on both schitzophrenia and the pre/trans fallacy ( where subconscious motivations are confused with integrative and mystical structures....where because mystical states and psychosis can have similar syptoms, many people do not know how to discriminate between whether the state is one of pre-egoic fantasy, pre-conceptual feelings and pre-personal desires, or whether the experience is genuinely one of trans-egoic liberation.)

This study has been part of the focus of my Doctoral studies and as I read more of people's experiences of "Angelo's " story I have become more convinced that we have been dealing not only with his painful childhood, and confused desperate attempt to earn a living but also with pretty severe mental illness.

I sent you the information on schizophrenia a couple of weeks ago after I became concerned by the content of some of the descriptions of his behavior ( paranoia, violence, appalling lack of hygiene, delusions, of grandeur, etc.) in the interviews, and after a conversation I had with Frolic -- during which he told me that Angelo was starting to idealize the experience of the sanyasin, romanticizing the homeless people walking the beaches of Hawaii.

I read people's constant questioning about things that just did not seem rational and consistent to them, and I really think it would be most helpful if people could understand that it is most likely that we were, in fact, dealing with mental illness. I know many people would like to hold on to their hurt and anger, and also to the idea that Angelo was originally truly inspired and did not start out trying to be hurtful, but if they understood that much of his behavior is consistent with pretty severe mental illness, they will not only have a context for their confusion, but also, I hope, allow for some compassion.

I know you mentioned that you would probably post the information on schizophrenia at some point. I personally think that doing it sooner rather than later would be helpful.

Dr Datanah refers to an email she sent me a week or so prior to this email which I am posting here:

I was reading through your site and was struck by the 9-11 piece. It occurred to me that some of Angelo's symptoms are consistent with Paranoid Schizophrenia. Significantly:

Symptoms may include:

Delusions, feelings of persecution; delusions of grandeur, in which a person may believe he or she is a famous or important figure; depression; excessive sleep, insomnia, or both; hyperactivity and/or inactivity; an inability to concentrate or cope; extreme religiousness or an obsession with the occult; unexpected hostility; ; frequent loss of possessions; inability to maintain normal hygiene; rapid weight loss; extreme reactions to criticism; escape attempts manifested in frequent moves or hitchhiking; inability to cry or excessive crying; early signs of migraines; an unusual sensitivity to stimuli; an inability to express joy or inappropriate laughter; bizarre behavior; a refusal to touch people or objects, a decision to shave one's head or body hair; self-mutilation; excessive blinking or staring without blinking; and/or rigid stubbornness; attributing special significance to numbers or letters; Hallucinations and Illusions.

Interesting, and somewhat disturbing, many people with sociopathic tendencies also tend to be highly magnetic personalities.

In my professional opinion, so many of Angelo's symptoms are classically psychotic, that I think that the elevation to an "enlightened state" is an uneducated pre/trans fallacy mistake.

Read here for further information.

For myself, I find this very interesting and insightful. And I hope it is helpful (as intended).

Note: The article linked to is available through a subscription, but you can also Google information about the Pre/Trans fallacy to which Dr. Datanah refers.