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Families and
Mindfulness
Shaun Kerry, M.D.
Diplomate, American Board
of Psychiatry and Neurology
Mindfulness is at
the very
heart of the family.
Much has been written
about
healthy family functioning, but consider
this psychiatric perspective.
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Politicians often speak of 'family values'.
The mind is not an empty vessel into which you
pour information. It is a complex and delicate apparatus and we
must take the time to learn how it works.
In general, men
have the most difficult time adjusting to family life. They have
difficulty with commitment, showing real love, and being good fathers or
husbands. Many years of study have led me to the following medical
explanation of these problems.
Today's schools are
utterly unsuited for most boys.
The experience
constitutes prolonged, sustained, mind control. This
creates bitter feelings in the mind's emotional center, the limbic
system. To ease the pain, the brain gradually severs the neural
connections between the limbic system and the rest of the brain.
We can damage personality with the best of intentions. The
limbic system is responsible for human
bonding, love, empathy, and commitment.
Although a full explanation is far more
complicated than this, most people
are unwilling to read a long and detailed discussion.
If you wish to learn more, please examine the books listed in the
bibliography section.
To many people, this notion will seem very
strange, even inflammatory. After all, most schools
exude the appearance of maturity and stability. But it is our
belief systems that are at fault. |
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We have the power to change some things, but
not others. A psychiatrist has to face this issue just
like everyone else.
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A family with problems is a group of individuals
who lack mindfulness.
- The most productive way to foster
mindfulness in
society is to attack fundamental misconceptions that exist
among our leaders.
- In doing that, we will have the
greatest positive impact upon the family.
It is far easier to prevent a problem, than to
cure
it after it has
started. This is |
particularly true when it comes to
psychological issues.
Many people blame the parents. But the parents were raised in the
same school system. It
is better to attack false ideas and damaging practices; blaming people
solves nothing.
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