Why settle for not being crazy when you could be going for psychological optimization?
A mental disorder, also called a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a diagnosis of a behavioral or mental pattern that can cause suffering or a poor ability to function in ordinary life.
Why settle for being able to “function in ordinary life” when you could have an extraordinary life?
Why take pills to get by when you could be optimizing your brain?
Humans go for optimization whenever we can. We optimize technology, our diets, our medical treatments, our educations, even our friendships.
Optimization : an act, process, or methodology of making something (as a design, system, or decision) as fully perfect, functional, or effective as possible.
Hell yeah. That’s what you want for your mind, your life. Why settle for less?
OK, that does read like a sales spiel, but I will deliver.
All you have to do is put time and thought into the process of optimizing your psychology. An optimized psychology is an optimized brain and life.
First, you have to learn how to do FIML.
This requires about as much time and effort as learning to play a musical instrument at a beginner’s level. About as much time as it takes to learn to drive a car. Or to learn to play pool well enough to enjoy it.
FIML takes less time to learn than a semester at school, whatever grade. Less time than most job-training courses. Less time than becoming a decent amateur cook. Less time than buying a house or redoing your kitchen.
The hardest part about FIML is learning the technique through reading. Start here: How to do FIML.
The second hardest part is having a friend or mate who is willing and able to do it with you. Sadly, this is a deal-breaker for too many people.
I hate saying this, but it is fairly normal for people world-wide not to have a friend who is close enough to do FIML with. This is the result of so many non-optimized psychologies in this world.
Many people have five or more “good friends” and a loving spouse, but not even one of them willing or able to do FIML.
Their excuses will be they can’t understand it, don’t want to bother, don’t want to be that honest, don’t want that kind of relationship, don’t have the time, etc.
The result is they and you will continue to languish in less than optimal mental states. Moods, alcohol, pills, arguments over nothing, ridiculous misunderstandings, ominous silences, severance of ties, and worse will rule your world(s).
For most, the best relief they will find are self-help books based on generalities, career books about “getting ahead” as defined by more generalities, nonsense about “loving yourself,” low levels of religious belief and practice, exercise programs, etc.
You didn’t learn to drive a car that way. Driving a car requires interaction, observation, the help of another person.
Your psychology needs similar kinds of input.
Once you have learned to do FIML with a trustworthy partner, the practice will tend to self-generate because the insights gained will be real and have real and deeply felt benefits for both partners.
Besides the “how to” and FAQ links at the top of this page, most posts on this site describe some aspect of FIML practice.
For psychologists, I honestly do not see how you can claim to be able to treat other people if you have not done at least a few years of FIML practice or the like. Human interactions without any technique for consistent meta-control and understanding (which FIML provides) are 100% guaranteed to be riddled with misunderstanding and wrong views.
American Buddhist Net 