The FIML approach to human psychology considers humans as existential networks of signals, some internal and some external.
A core concept in FIML is that cognition relies on semiotic networks. Semiotics are meaningful or communicable signals.
The purpose of FIML practice is the optimization of interpersonal communication. An important part of this process involves removing what we usually call “misinterpretations.” Some synonyms, depending on context, for misinterpretation are neurosis, emotional suffering, emotional confusion, disordered thinking, wrong views, and so on. The main point is that the sufferer of a misinterpretation is making some sort of mistake in how they perceive, cognize, or react to the world around them.
Misinterpretations are fundamentally rooted in meaning. A misinterpretation is not fundamentally emotional, but meaningful. From the mistaken meaning flows emotions, perceptions, reactions, psychological confusion.
A friend sent me a fascinating Wikipedia entry on ideasthesia:
Ideasthesia (alternative spelling ideaesthesia) is a neuropsychological phenomenon in which activations of concepts (inducers) evoke perception-like sensory experiences (concurrents). The name comes from the Ancient Greek ἰδέα (idéa) and αἴσθησις (aísthēsis), meaning ‘sensing concepts’ or ‘sensing ideas’. The notion was introduced by neuroscientist Danko Nikolić, but can be seen in examples in the Ethics of Spinoza (especially in the third part of the Ethics[1]), as an alternative explanation for a set of phenomena traditionally covered by synesthesia.[2]
While synesthesia meaning ‘union of senses’ implies the association of two sensory elements with little connection to the cognitive level, empirical evidence indicated that most phenomena linked to synesthesia are in fact induced by semantic representations. That is, the linguistic meaning of the stimulus is what is important rather than its sensory properties. In other words, while synesthesia presumes that both the trigger (inducer) and the resulting experience (concurrent) are of sensory nature, ideasthesia presumes that only the resulting experience is of sensory nature while the trigger is semantic.[3][4][5][6][7][8]
Note this from the section above—‘the linguistic meaning of the stimulus is what is important rather than its sensory properties… ideasthesia presumes that only the resulting experience is of sensory nature while the trigger is semantic.
“However, most phenomena that have inadvertently been linked to synesthesia, in fact are induced by the semantic representations i.e., the meaning, of the stimulus rather than by its sensory properties, as would be implied by the term synesthesia.”
If ideasthesia happens with simple perceptions, imagine how often it happens in our existential networks of cognition, semiotic perception, semiotic response and interpretation.
By correcting the core meanings of core misinterpretations, FIML practice corrects maladapted existential networks, thus relieving suffering while optimizing communication.
This response is inevitable. The sooner it happens full-bore, the better. The longer you wait the more violent it will be. These are not far-rightists. They are normal human beings sensing their annihilation and reacting. ABN
A 30-year study in Denmark tracked 321 Muslim Palestinian “asylum seekers” found: 63% were convicted of crimes (another 15% are still in the courts) and over half never worked a day in their lives and ended up on welfare. (lazy criminals)
Their 399 children follow suit—34% had criminal convictions, 37% relied on welfare, and 132 were jailed.
Denmark’s own Justice Minister finally admitted: “These asylum seekers should never have been let in.”
Absence of consciousness can occur due to a concussion, anesthetization, intoxication, epileptic seizure, or other fainting/syncope episode caused by lack of blood flow to the brain. However, some meditation practitioners also report that it is possible to undergo a total absence of consciousness during meditation, lasting up to 7 days, and that these “cessations” can be consistently induced. One form of extended cessation (i.e., nirodha samāpatti) is thought to be different from sleep because practitioners are said to be completely impervious to external stimulation. That is, they cannot be ‘woken up’ from the cessation state as one might be from a dream. Cessations are also associated with the absence of any time experience or tiredness, and are said to involve a stiff rather than a relaxed body. Emergence from meditation-induced cessations is said to have profound effects on subsequent cognition and experience (e.g., resulting in a sudden sense of clarity, openness, and possibly insights). In this paper, we briefly outline the historical context for cessation events, present preliminary data from two labs, set a research agenda for their study, and provide an initial framework for understanding what meditation induced cessation may reveal about the mind and brain. We conclude by integrating these so-called nirodha and nirodha samāpatti experiences—as they are known in classical Buddhism—into current cognitive-neurocomputational and active inference frameworks of meditation.
Introduction Many unique states of mind have been described by meditators and contemplatives. These can range from ecstatic and mystical absorptions to out-of-body experiences, and even states of so-called pure consciousness (Metzinger, 2020). However, as yet, no scientific papers that we are aware of have explored a meditation-induced event known in Pāli (the liturgical language of Theravada Buddhism) as nirodha samāpatti (NS), which literally means “cessation attainment,” but often is rendered as “cessation of feeling and perception” (Nanamoli and Bodhi, 1995). Compared to other non-ordinary experiences that scientists might be tempted to dismiss due to their inherently subjective and variable nature, the NS experience is concrete: an internally induced absence of consciousness. The event is outwardly comparable to general anesthesia and differentiated from deep sleep in that after a NS event there is no sensation of time having passed, there are no dreams, and one cannot be ‘woken up’ by physical stimulation or pain (Nanamoli and Bodhi, 1995).a Clearly, in terms of understanding the mind and brain, the capacity to voluntarily turn off consciousness, analogously to general anesthesia, is immensely interesting, also given how rare the capacity is and its implications for our understanding of top-down processing in the brain.b There are also notable after-effects of NS (and other cessation) experiences involving a profound sense of clarity, which some meditators describe as a kind of inner “reset,” which further differentiates this experience from (coming out of) sleep or general anesthesia.
I am not well-versed in nirodha samāpatti, but I do believe that Buddhist practice at its best involves some form of serious, consistent meditation practice. ABN
Polish President Karol Nawrocki has told the European Commission that Poland will reject any EU plan to relocate irregular migrants, insisting the country already carries the burden of defending the bloc’s eastern border while also hosting about a million war refugees from Ukraine.
He insisted that “the safety of European citizens must come first” and vowed that Poland “will not agree to any actions by European institutions that would aim to settle illegal migrants in Poland.”
In a letter to von der Leyen, the Polish president said his country would “not agree to any actions by European institutions that would aim to settle illegal migrants in Poland.”
Being able to do FIML means that you have developed a skill or trait that did not exist in you before. The ability to do FIML is a functional “state of mind” that emerges from other states of mind–from consciousness, awareness, self-reflection, self-criticism, communication, language use, emotion, etc.
Doing FIML will change the way you communicate, especially with your FIML partner. It will change the way you view language and its uses.
Since FIML depends on real data agreed upon by both partners and since FIML can convincingly change how we perceive ourselves and our partners, it can give us new perspectives on psychology and/or any activity that depends on language/communication.
The use of a linguistic/semiotic vocabulary in FIML allows us to classify a great deal of human cognition, psychology, and behavior as lying on a spectrum of public—private semiotics.
This perspective allows us to broadly define many human behaviors, thoughts, and feelings as mistakes. For example, a private semiotic may be a “neurosis” and can be defined simply as a “mistaken interpretation” or an “ongoing mistaken interpretation.” Similarly, any public semiotic that can be shown to be wrong can be clearly identified as a mistake or an “ongoing public neurosis.”
What is “normal” in FIML is, thus, that which is not mistaken. Partners have great leeway to decide much of this for themselves.
Very often, the least mistaken view is one of doubt or traditional skepticism, the view that we may not be able to be certain about whatever is in question.
FIML practice accepts the basic scientific view that a scientific theory must be testable or falsifiable, based on experiments that can be repeated, based on verifiable evidence, internally consistent, consistent with what is external to itself, useful or practical, open to change, and parsimonious in its explanations.
New scientific theories should also say something new and interesting, something that explains data in a new way or that provides a new way of understanding old data.
FIML differs from a good deal of science in that it relies heavily on the experiences of two (or more) partners. FIML is a kind of subjective science that also relies on the objectivity of a truthful partner.
For the most part, partners alone decide what is true for them, though they cannot honestly do this without reference to other fields of science and thought.
FIML resembles Buddhist practice, art, or the work of early scientists in that the existential/ experiential data acquired by individuals is of great importance to those individuals and is central to what they are doing.
FIML can be scientifically falsified if many people do it and fail to gain any benefit from it.
Done properly, at a minimum, FIML practice should clear up most communication mistakes/ problems between partners. FIML also provides the means for partners to continue clearing up new mistakes as they appear.
By clearing up mistakes in communication between partners, FIML practice alleviates a great deal of emotional suffering.
By clearing up mistakes in communication between partners, FIML practice will also relieve partners of other mistaken ideas and feelings, thus relieving a good deal of more generalized emotional suffering.
Some of the most common medications taken by tens of millions of Americans leave a lasting impact on the body long after a person stops taking them, according to new research.
Beta-blockers, commonly prescribed for high blood pressure and heart conditions, were linked to changes in gut bacteria that were detectable even when people had stopped taking them several years earlier, according to a new study by Estonian researchers.
The same held true for anti-anxiety medications, part of the benzodiazepine class, including Xanax and Valium. Antidepressants had similar carryover effects, as did proton pump inhibitors, medications millions take for acid reflux and heartburn.
The microbiome is the body’s collection of beneficial bacteria. Its health relies on a diverse population of bacteria to fight disease, absorb nutrients and regulate immune and metabolic systems. It is influenced by everything from diet and lifestyle to the medications a person takes, including common prescription drugs.
The new study confirmed that commonly prescribed medications, ranging from antibiotics to antidepressants, consistently reduce the diversity of gut bacteria, sometimes for years.
A less diverse microbiome is linked to a weaker gut barrier, chronic inflammation and a compromised immune system. This state of imbalance, known as dysbiosis, creates a state of chronic inflammation and weakened immune defense that is a recognized breeding ground for cancer development, specifically, colorectal cancer.
Dysbiosis creates a gut environment dominated by cancer-promoting bacteria, which can trigger tumor growth by stimulating blood vessel formation, uncontrolled cell division and the evasion of cell death.
To investigate the long-term effects of medications on gut bacteria, an Estonian study genetically analyzed stool samples from 2,509 adults.
Colonoscopies also disrupt the gut biome. The linked article has a graph showing the absolute rate of colon cancer in people under fifty is less than six per 100,000. Beware of click-bait stories about the relative ratealmost doubling over the past 20 years. ABN
A split second before the crack of the gunshot, a distinct ball of faint light can be seen darting through the tree in front of the Sorensen Center. If it is indeed the muzzle flash, then that puts the kill shot being fired from the roof of the Sorensen Center. Such a trajectory better matches the analysis of Charlie Kirk’s wound arrived at independently by both @chrismartenson & Baron Coleman (YouTube, H/T: Baron’s eagle eyes).
At the end of the video, I’ve included a rough layout analysis of the locations & trajectories. In the next tweet below, I’ll link the source video.
…lip reader Nicola Hickling told the Daily Mail that the handshake was much more than just a casual greeting between the two leaders.
‘Nice to see you, so you agreed?’ Trump told Macron who soon turned away from the camera and muttered an inaudible response.
‘Are you being genuine?’ Trump asks as Macron quickly replies, ‘Of course.’
The commander-in-chief then tightens his grips around Macron’s palm before shooting back, ‘Okay, so now I want to know why, you hurt me. I already know.’
Trump then squeezes Macron’s hand again as the French president looks down and away from the cameras.
It’s not clear what the pair speaking about; however, it comes weeks after Macron was seen mocking Trump with world leaders.
The two leaders have a colorful history together, often appearing to appear friendly, despite occasionally criticizing each other in public.
Speaking slowly and clearly Trump says, ‘I am making peace.’
Macron then taps Trump’s hand and replies, ‘Ah come on’; while Trump ignores and grasps tighter.
‘I only hurt those who hurt others,’ Trump tells Macron while pointing at the cameras.
‘I see. We will have to see about that,’ Macron says before pausing issuing a stark warning to Trump. ‘You will see what is about to happen.’
Trump concludes, ‘I’d like to see you do it, do it. I’ll see you in a bit.’
American Buddhist Net 