* i It K "" I HE5>: 1 i ^ ♦***M* y *y^^'i^tC>XX»MMCC^tC < ^*^ 1 n ^ ~* *• IlissHSSS^ cccc*****-^ •** /mwrt^*ww.;"■:. »'W. THE GIST OF IT U THE GIST OF IT for HEALING, HEALTH AND HAPPINESS y HAYDON ROCHESTER, M. D. "AND WITH THY GETTING, GET UNDERSTANDING." FOR "YOU DO NOT HAVE TO FIGHT, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO STRUGGLE, YOU ONLY HAVE TO KNOW." PUBLISHED BY H. S. CROCKER COMPANY SAN FRANCISCO /Mr Copyright, 1919 by Haydon Rochester M. D. THE GIST OF IT you can be well No disease is a thing in itself, but is either a reaction or a compromise. Acute disease is nature's reaction to contami- nation and signifies vitality. Prompt recovery is the rule. Chronic disease is a needless compromise of feelings, tension, morbid suggestion, ignorance, fear and neglect. It is therefore but an artificial thing and you can break it. The law of healing is the perfect law, silent but eternally operative. — you can be happy Unhappiness is merely maladjustment, or the final effect of faulty adaptations. Readjustment is always feasible, with restora- tion to capabilities otherwise undreamed. — you can prosper It is the God-wished birthright of every living creature that he be well, happy and prosperous in terms of his own unfolding personality. You are an aspiring human soul. Receive and demonstrate now. [in] CONTENTS PAGE The Gist of It . . m Introduction ix PAET I. PSYCHOLOGY Elementary Principles 3 Energy, Mind and Body. Psychological Mechanisms 7 Suggestion, Distraction, Defense, Eepression, The Complex, Conversion, Summary. The Subconscious 15 Dissociation. Motives 19 Self-Preservation, Self -Projection, Self-Eespect, Conflict. Pathology 23 Physical, Nervous, Perverse, Mental, Origin, Commentary. The Psychology of Sex 31 Definition, Dangers, Evolution, Normality, Bisexuality, Psychopathology, Sublimation, Summary. The Psychology op the Sexes .43 Children. The Personality 45 Triunity, Disproportion, Distress, The Soul, Spirit. PAET II. GOOD HEALTH AND HEALING Considerations Physical 53 Air, Water, Eest, Food, Exercise, Sunshine, Shelter, Clothing. [V] Contents PAGE Superstitions 59 Heredity, Prenatalism, Disease, Wearing Out, Dura- tion, Change of Life, Sex Incidents, Nervous. 14 Recommendations 63 Healing Methods 67 Surgery, Medicine, Manipulation, Suggestion, Metaphysics. Healing 71 Self-Help, Assistance, Eequirements, Obstacles, Facilities, The Gist of It, Information, Technique, Promise. Diagram 81 PAET III. THE ATTAINMENT Subjectivity 87 The Subconscious, Substance, Libido, God, What and Where, Extra-Conscious Mind, Realization, Signs, Metaphysics, Application, Formula, Advice. Life Plan 101 Enrichment 107 Light 115 Faith, The Bible, The Ten Commandments Today, Prayer, Reading, Miracles, Other Sources, The Truth. [VI] INTRODUCTION THE writer of this book was born and bred to be a physician, being the fourth of his name in his own family, and having been afforded the utmost advantage in training, both in this country and Europe, may be presumed to be qualified to take an intelligent and experienced view of the subjects herein considered. Succeeding some years of general medical and surgical practice, the special field of ner- vous and mental disorder was cultivated, and this revealed the importance of a comprehen- sive knowledge of psychology, which shows, by penetrating to first causes in the problem of human disability, that about four-fifths of all ailment consists essentially of mental or emotional tension, reacting upon the mind or the body to produce the symptoms manifested. In other words, most abnormalities are in fact nothing more than the outward evidence of an unresolved straining compromise among motives in conflict, or the material resultants of contending, internal, and strictly psycho- logical forces, frequently unconscious or subconscious, and therefore requiring this objective exposition to the end that they may be dissipated. [IX] Introduction Part I of this volume presents the psychol- ogy involved, part II sets forth the basic prin- ciples of good health and healing, and part HI presumes to rationalize a still higher realiza- tion without which no soul is sound. The book should be read more than once, in order to derive its full message, which is purposely compressed for transmission; and occasion is here taken to make grateful ac- knowledgment to the psychoanalysts for an essential element in the writer's professional equipment; to Mrs. Harriet L. McCollum, psychological lecturer supreme, for her prac- tical awakening to the resources of the sub- conscious; for the gracious inspirations em- bodied in Part HI; and to all others who both knowingly and unknowingly have contributed to the author's enlightenment and unfoldment. M PART I PSYCHOLOGY ELEMENTARY PRINCIPLES In opening a subject, it is good to present immediately the gist of one's argument, and to set forth clearly its basic prin- ciples. That the mind rules the body, and that much sickness is really mental, is occasionally recognized, but exactly how and why this is has never been fully explained. We here propose to show that mental and emotional tension, being pre-eminently dynamic, is correspondingly responsible for all manifestation and the modifications ob- served. In other words, thoughts and feel- ings are the unceasing forces which move and fashion our otherwise inert bodies and are even responsible for their creation. Energy Our first realization should be that of the universal basis of all manifest existence in energy, that living, indestructible yet con- vertible urging vibration, which is constantly accumulating within us, to be from time to time discharged in physical, mental or emo- tional activity. We here give the full com- prehensive meaning to the word energy, [3] The Gist of It whose electronic condensations compose the atoms of physical matter, and which mani- fests otherwise in the well-known forms of light, heat, electricity, motion, growth, etc., then mind, and supremely as spirit. As living beings we are constantly assimi- lating and generating energy, out of its sources about us and within ourselves, where it accumulates. As human beings we express this energy in physical and mental action, or function. Hence, rather than mere bodies, we are in reality active, sentient organizations of energy, for whom normality requires a sound, well-nourished physical structure, in progres- sing phases of adequate coherent function, varied by rest and recreation, and actuated by innate motives in harmonious adjustment. In other words, a state of appropriate healthy balance between accumulation and disposition of energy is essential to well-being. Mind and Body Psychology signifies the manner in which energy operates mentally, and to successfully cope with disease and disorder, we must be- come acquainted with certain psychological mechanisms, such as suggestion, distraction, repression and the like, and realize the abso- lute unity of the organism as a whole. The mind and the body are not separate things, [4] Foe Healing, Health and Happiness but are merely differing aspects of the one unified self, changes in one of whose aspects are reflected in all the others. For example, the emotions of fear and anxiety paralyze and contract the mind. This condition is then conducted to all parts of the body, and con- traction becomes the order in every cell and structure. Because of differing personal sus- ceptibility this contraction when persistent may clutch the bronchial tubes as asthma, the muscles of the back with spinal pain or bony displacement, the walls of the stomach, caus- ing dyspepsia, the tissues of the kidney, pro- ducing Bright 's disease, or it may warp the general state of being with some nervous affection, or even mental derangement. On the other hand, real disorder in a bodily part sends its distress to the mind, whose conse- quent strain of suffering and fear can keep returning to the part, even when it might recover, and form a vicious circle of chronic disability which persists indefinitely until the mental strain is removed. This intimate association between mind and body is well attested by such obvious illustra- tions as the reddening of the face in shame or embarrassment, disturbance of heart action by fear, nausea produced by a repulsive thought, obstructed liver and constipation from anxious constraint, excessive kidney [5] The Gist of It action from feverish excitement, and numer- ous others, to say nothing of the correspond- ing recovery when the distressing emotion fades. Such purely psychological elements as emotions, then, by their definite influence on the responsive tissues, are seen to determine physical conditions, but to fully explain their responsibility for continuous disease and dis- order, additional factors must be considered. [6] PSYCHOLOGICAL MECHANISMS All that we know or react to comes to us in the form of impression or sensation, hence this is the first phase of any experience. Detection or recognition follows next, accom- panied by association to previous experiences, and this is called perception. At the same time there begins reaction, with little or much emotion, according to the intensity of the ex- perience, and the coming into an adjustment or attitude. From this point any further progress, or the direction of it, is purely a matter of choice. We do something about the experience or not, according to our motives and impulses. These are the simple elements, but there are also more intricate mechanisms. Suggestion The first of these is suggestion, or that process by which an idea is implanted with sufficient power to insure response. Sug- gestion may be intensified by repetition, and by reinforcement from previous associations or other sources of similar suggestion. It is a law to which all are amenable, and is most [7] The Gist of It effective when arising from or attended by physical sensation, which means that when we feel pain we are caused to believe some- thing wrong, which is true, but suggestion may tend to exaggerate the sensation and give it undue significance. Indigestion, for example, causes excess of gas in the stomach, which by pressure on the heart can disturb its action and give some of the sensations and thereby the suggestion of heart disease. Treatment directed to the heart would then but reinforce this suggestion, as would also the repetition of the fancied heart symptoms which are resulting solely from the neglected stomach. Distraction Suggestion is further favored by distrac- tion, which may exist as a disturbed, preoc- cupied or resistless mental state, induced by some undercurrent of feeling, an injury, a shock, or perhaps by deliberate mental fix- ation, which narrows or absorbs the power to reason clearly, and permits the adverse sug- gestions to take deeper root. If the subject having indigestion, for instance, were under great nervous strain from worry, his mind so distracted would not be free to discount the sensations of heart disturbance as merely gas in the stomach, and the more adverse [8] Foe Healing, Health and Happiness suggestion of heart disease would then be absorbed and manifested. Defense Moreover, a mechanism of defense may come in play, leading one, when hard pressed, to accept a suggestion just as it comes, as a way of escape from some obligation or pre- dicament, and perhaps unconsciously, but when these mechanisms operate, the resulting disorder is liable to settle down into the inertia of habit, for with a line of lessened resistance established, the original sensations will doubtless recur, and continue to hammer their ominous suggestions into both mind and body, which in the manner shown may take them up and express them, spurious though they are. It might even be inferred that the indigestion which arose in the first place was merely due to worry, was perhaps aggravated by some dietary indiscretion, and would have been quite transitory except for the other fac- tors. A sufferer from heart disease is thereby released from much, and we can all remember feeling sick to stay home from school. So countless other examples affecting any com- bination of organs, and with varying under- currents of mixed motives, will readily suggest themselves. [9] The Gist of It Eepkession" A further determining mechanism is that of repression, which again brings out the impor- tance of knowing these things in terms of energy. And since additional factors are also involved, we can get a better grasp of these problems by studying a psychological unit, for instance a single experience, such as a simple contact, like that of the palm of my hand touching the top of my desk. This experience consists of the motion of the hand descending in the air and then stopped by the desk, with the thus deflected energy transmitted to my tissues and thence to my consciousness as an impulse or sensation. Should this contact be made with violence or a slam, I would receive a surcharge of energy or feeling, and be thrown out of equilibrium into a state of tension, attended by tingling nerves and gen- eral strain, which would last some time unless I went through reactions to discharge this surcharge, such as rubbing my hand or utter- ing some expletive with feeling, when the ten- sion would relax and relief at once be felt. But for some motive I might choose to repress all reaction and maintain perfect composure, when, if there were many repetitions, a limit to undisturbed endurance would be reached, and the strain would be reflected in my gen- [10] For Healing, Health and Happiness oral condition. In other words, the energy of the blow is received by my organism as an impact or charge which accumulates on repe- tition, and if I refuse to discharge the tension by reacting, puts me to great pains and eventually manifest effort to contain it. The Complex Every experience means the delivery into one of a definite volume of energy, and the same law holds in our more complex and highly organized experiences. The shock of a true bereavement, for instance, lays upon us a weight of crushing force, which holds and wears us down, and distorts our normal state of being, just so long as we retain it by re- pressing all emotion, and begins to lighten and release us in proportion as we vent our feelings, and permit the reactions which restore equilibrium. Such a volume of re- pressed, held-in feeling constitutes a complex, or mental sore, whose feeling tone, undis- charged and racking the system, makes for distraction and exposes us to a train of path- ological events similar to the one outlined, whereas reacting appropriately, in response to the urgent pressure, we retain no vulner- able spot, but return to normal balance, and even acquire increased endurance for succeed- ing stresses which are bound to come. Fur- [11] The Gist op It thermore, this same principle obtains in the case of agreeable emotions, for mirth de- mands its outlet in laughing just as much as sorrow in weeping. Conveksion It might be objected here that it is not well to keep dwelling upon one's troubles, which of course is true, for it merely aggravates them, and leads to the disintegrating habit of self-pity. Though if a particular train of lament or complaint is being carried beyond due limits, it is because it is used as a partial or substitute vent for deeper trouble that is covered over, and therefore all the more in need of discovering and discharging. For the feeling that is fermenting in these submerged mental complexes reacts on the bodily tissues and undergoes conversion into physical symp- toms, so that obstinate physical nausea, for instance, can be due entirely to a suppressed mental repugnance, and will disappear com- pletely upon discharge of its underlying complex. Hence conversion is another impor- tant psychopathological mechanism and sug- gestive of the requirements for correction. Summaby But before passing on we should recapit- ulate, beginning with constant, inexorable [12] For Healing, Health and Happiness energy, indestructible and self-perpetuating but capable of infinite transmutation. Our first awareness of it is as sensation, then per- ception, then reactive emotion and discharge, with return to equilibrium ; or repressive ten- sion and conversion into symptoms, which may be intensified and prolonged by sugges- tion, favored by distraction and defense, and then merge into the inertia of habit. Four- fifths of all human disability, that is to say, all nervous, mental, functional and unduly chronic disorders, as well as many continuous organic diseases, are constructed out of just these mechanisms, and nothing else. But since they ordinarily develop unconsciously, or subconsciously, out of reach of effective adjustment by their victims, we should now consider the subconscious. In fact, were these processes not subconscious, in the narrow sense, there could be no conversion into symp- toms, for consciousness provides a vent, by means of analysis and adjustment, which the individual subconscious does not, and there- fore the symptoms appear automatically, be- cause their component energies remain undis- charged and undisposed. [13] THE SUBCONSCIOUS The subconscious is not another mysterious or separate mind, but is rather that major portion of the entire self which at a given moment is out of the immediate focus of con- scious attention, but which normally is explor- able by it, and wherein are enacted all those usually unnoted, automatic or reflex activities, such as breathing, heart-beat, habitual move- ments, etc., our more delicate reactions to situations and people, the reception of those subtle impressions which make up the phe- nomena of telepathy, premonition and the like, and the insidious suggestions of disease, in fact all the processes of being except those with which one happens to be consciously con- cerned at the time. These subconscious ac- tivities which comprehend all the forces of the individual, and are made up of the entire mass of impressions and reactions undergone by the organism as a whole, are therefore infi- nitely more powerful than those actuated by mere reason, which can only use what may be put into articulate formula. It can also be inferred what power of resistance is here possessed, as well as tenacity, which accounts [15] The Gist of It for the stubborn character of disorders having their basis in this field. Dissociation The ability to direct attention is largely under control of the will, and a normal indi- vidual is able to focus his consciousness on any portion of himself or his environment, and to know it as it actually is. One may also, if so disposed, withdraw consciousness from a given area, and ignore the reactions taking place in it, when they will nevertheless take place subconsciously. But since the entire self is in relation with itself, and with the whole environment, and interreactions con- tinually occur, this partial oblivion can only be achieved by forcibly narrowing the range of consciousness so as to exclude the repug- nant portion, which then becomes as though divided off, at the expense of the whole, for the reception and carrying on of the repudi- ated impressions and reactions. If these im- pressions and suppressed reactions persist, more and more of the self will be appropriated for their requirements, until this split-off por- tion becomes strong enough to pursue an almost independent existence, with division of the self in a manner which manifests as dual or dissociated personality. Persons so affected hear voices when none speak, some [16] Foe Healing, Health and Happiness reaction in the secondary self making itself mentally audible as a message or command from without, and inducing various conflicts, with aberration of conduct, or literal unbal- ancing of mind. A grievous disillusionment, for instance, might be resisted and rejected with such depth of protest as to result in such dissocia- tion, for assuming that the grounds for it are genuine, they will affect the subject accord- ingly, even if only subconsciously, eventually divide the self as shown above, and if per- sistent induce some outcry, in the form of visions, warnings or commands, which result in acts that seem preposterous or insane. It becomes quite obvious how readily a mind at such disadvantage would drift along help- lessly under the influence of the mechanisms already traced and of others still more intri- cate, conjuring up delusions, illusions and hal- lucinations, whirled along by obsessions and victimized by fears. But all such states are unsubstantial, inher- ently artificial, without endurance of their own, and would tend to fade and clear up if it were not that they are being renewed from a still deeper and more enduring source. What then keeps them going? The answer is dynamic personal motive, instinct, or desire, pluralized into numerous motives, which are [17] The Gist of It the real, inexhaustible springs of our actions, though often disguised and not always in harmony. [18] MOTIVES The abnormalities under consideration, as previously stated, constitute nothing more than a straining compromise of conflicting personal considerations or motives. Or stated more technically, they are but the out- ward resultants of contending, interior and strictly psychological forces operating in terms of the mechanisms described. We give to these forces the name of motives, although in the absolute they are resolved into a single ongoing one, the urge of being, which, how- ever, manifests and best lends itself to analysis as a trinity, comprising the basic motives, instincts or urges, of self-preserva- tion, self -projection, and self-respect. These three compelling motives, with their ex- tended corollaries, determine all that we do and are on earth, sick or well, so it will be profitable now to consider them. Self-Pbeseevation The first includes not only the instinct of self-preservation or desire for existence, but the wish to live well, in the best possible cir- cumstances, and to secure some of the good things of life. [19] The Gist of It Self-Pbojection The second, self -projection, embraces the love motive, sex urge, and social instinct, whereby we mate, expand our feelings, and seek to enjoy and engage with our fellow- beings. This also includes the love of liberty, and the urge toward self-expression in all desired forms. Self-Eespect The third motive, that of self-respect, com- prehends honor, decency, virtue, loyalty, pride, striving for an ideal, living up to one's principles, and desiring to stand well. Conflict A grand galaxy, we may well feel, but how they can contend with one another. The pos- sibilities of discord in one lacking wisdom are obvious. Passion periodically besieges virtue, and honor has always to fight greed of gain, though the conflicts at fault are usually far more subtle, and with the opposing pull or push of each element manifest only in the twist of disorder. There are also inhibiting or constraining factors, what might be called negative motives which act as brakes upon our positive impulses, namely, considerations of prudence, shame or fear, though ultimate [20] For Healing, Health and Happiness analysis could easily identify these with the preceding, together with opposing desire or not to do, not to be, not to have what is. Out of these constant, often conflicting, or thwarted motives, and the contrary emotions they then engender, surges the energy which maintains the morbid mechanisms and per- petuates disorder, that is, until the motives are harmonized, or intelligently directed, when order, well-being and progress super- vene. One marrying merely for advantage subserves but a single instinct, that of acqui- sition or pride. The others atrophy, ferment or putrefy, with results to correspond, unless the art of wholesome transmutation is ac- quired, and toward which the ways of attain- ment will be manifest as we proceed. Motives get their cast in the evolutional period of childhood, when impressions are made and reactions take place in virgin soil, and the primitive impulses, and stresses of restraint, reacting upon the particular tem- perament, determine the manner of adjust- ment to all that is to follow. At this time predilections are acquired and standards absorbed which unconsciously, and later for- gotten, color and condition our actions and reactions all through life. And since life itself is so complex, and loaded with rigorous buffets, it is little wonder that some of us [21] The Gist of It follow the line of least resistance and com- promise on disease. But it is not scientific to generalize, for every case is distinctly individual and the problem is different for each one, although the abnormal conditions resulting usually fall into one of the three main groups of physical, nervous or mental disorder and perhaps should now be catalogued in that way. [22] PATHOLOGY In the physical category, upon the basis outlined, we may have affections of any organ or part whatsoever, mental and emotional tension, perhaps unrealized, fastening upon some otherwise transitory ailment, and with the automatic response of the tissues involved, built up unconsciously into any form of dis- ordered function, even to the point of actual lesion or disease. Physical By way of making a list, we could mention various forms of headache and neuralgia, eyestrain, catarrhal conditions, affections of the nose, ears and throat, bronchial and pul- monary complaints, heart and circulatory dis- turbances, stomach and digestive difficulties, liver obstinacies, intestinal disorders, both active and passive, affections of the genito- urinary system, many paralytic and spas- modic difficulties, including disturbances of gait, of muscular control and of the joints, as well as disorders of sensation and skin affections, to say nothing of those vague, un- usual, unclassified ailments of which there seems to be only one of its kind. Diabetes is [23] The Gist of It often established upon such a combination of psychological mechanisms, as well as many forms of rheumatism. The cases also of cancer and tumor have such a foundation, built up from some chance blow or injury, and tuberculosis is now known to be a psy- chological disease. Nekvous In the category of nervous disorders we place those ailments in which, although there is no structural change in any bodily part, there yet exists most trying disability. A list would include neurasthenia or nerve weak- ness, though the nerves themselves are not affected, nervous depression and nervous irritability, anxiety, phobias or fears, extreme sensitiveness, painful self-consciousness, ina- bility to make decisions, diminished will-power or power of concentration, defective memory, insomnia, somnambulism, persistent bad dreams, emotional instability, hysteria, stam- mering, obsession or being impelled to some irrational action, kleptomania for example, and other peculiar tendencies, curious habits, dissociation of personality with its especial phenomena of lapse or loss of the self, as well as many unique indescribable states attended by sensations of pressing, bursting, burning, tingling, dizziness, chilliness or tremor. [24] For Healing, Health and Happiness Perverse There is also another group of derange- ments which fall short of absolute mental aberration, and wherein the subject seems otherwise quite normal, yet is none the less dominated by extremely cunning, cruel or criminal tendency, alcoholic or drug addiction, or perversion of the sex instinct. Such condi- tions exist invariably because of the stresses indicated, except when they are the result of definite deficiency. Mental Under the grouping of true mental aberra- tion, commonly called insanity, or technically psychosis, we place here only the psycholog- ical forms, and omit those due to congenital defect or actual damage to the brain. Those considered will then constitute the purely functional or psychopathological varieties, occurring in persons physically normal yet mentally deranged in their adjustment to life, and often requiring temporary or permanent sequestration. A significant way in which to classify the four salient types of mental devi- ation would be in accordance with the follow- ing extremes: those in which the mind runs too fast and feverishly, those in which it is [25] The Gist of It chilled and slow, those in which its radius is too small or circumscribed, and those in which it is too expanded or inflated. Psychiatry likewise denominates four main varieties — mania or excessive mental excitation, often showing outbursts of violence ; melancholia or extreme mental depression, sometimes at- tended by self-destroying or mutilating ten- dencies; and dementia or marked reduction in mental responsiveness. Of these the first two are prone to alternate in the same indi- vidual, and all are usually attended by delu- sions, illusions and hallucinations. There is also the large paranoid group, characterized by special delusions of self-aggrandizement and persecution, in connection with which there is much suspicion and vindictiveness. It should also be remarked that these states do not always exist in distinct and separate type, but more often as mixtures or blends, shading into one another. In fact, this exterior differentiation is merely the result of pre- vious efforts to classify and if possible assign a physical cause to each one, whereas more recent comprehension of the conflicts among motives, emotions and other psychic mechan- isms makes their nature more truly under- standable. [26] For Healing, Health and Happiness Origin In order to account for them fully, how- ever, we must revert back even as far as infancy. The baby is a complete egotist, moved for the first months of his life only by impulses connected with his own objective needs and pleasure, which for the first year is as it should be, when there should begin to be inculcated reasonable discipline and regard for other considerations. But he may have too indulgent proprietors, or seem so self- willed that one hesitates to cross him, when his ego will flourish unduly and fill his entire horizon. Instead of expanding nobly and beautifully, his nature will then grow inward, preventing appreciation of his universe, and causing him to hold himself excessively supe- rior, with his conceptions the only realities. When this is carried to irrational extremes, with attempt to live it literally, we have to call it insanity and put him away to save him from himself. These aberrations may also be induced in an opposite manner, by excessive bullying, suppression or neglect, which like- wise cause the nature to strike in, engendering feelings of self-pity and self-love, which also exaggerate the objective ego, and invite a similar train of results. [27] The Gist of It commentaey It is evident how readily minds so handi- capped would come under the influence of the mechanisms traced, and of others more intri- cate which give the derangement its partic- ular character. But again we must say that even these conditions are merely artificial, without endurance of their own, and with the urging, discordant motives harmonized or composed could fade and clear up, which they frequently do. Eecovery often takes place, both spontaneously and by treatment, and a great many more could be either saved or restored if these things were more widely understood. Just why one person manifests physical, another nervous, or another mental disorder, is a matter of individual circum- stances and temperament, but motives and mechanisms constitute the fabric, with acci- dent or destiny presenting the peg to hang it on, until a finer, truer comprehension comes to dissipate it. Failing which the thing be- comes a habit, a working compromise, for one at bay among contending motives. It becomes an outlet for other feelings kept under pres- sure, justifies complaint and evasion, and warrants sympathy, which we all have a weak- ness for, and may even give purpose to other- wise pureposeless lives. In fact, the ailment [28] For Healing, Health and Happiness may become a pet and be cherished, coddled or reveled in accordingly, with corresponding reluctance to relinquish it and get well. Para- dox perhaps, yet none the less true, for the fact remains one can get well just as soon as the desire to is single and unmixed. [29] THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SEX Before proceeding further, however, it will be expedient at this point to introduce some paragraphs on sex, a subject encumbered with much misinformation and morbid feeling, and therefore pertinent here. Sex, or rather sexuality, is a salient element in the instinct of self-projection, already considered, is a form of energy convertible into other mani- festations, normal or abnormal, and is now known to be a frequent factor in the problem we have in hand. Definition Beginning with an attempt at definition, this manifestation could be designated as an impulse, an instinct, a function, an urge, a ferment, an energy, a strength, a weakness, a motive, a blessing or a curse, but however denounced, the fact remains that sex is, and though we cannot precisely define it, any more than we can any other elementary force, a study of its manifestations will accrue to our greater efficiency in advancing human welfare. Also it is exclusively neither a sin nor a sac- [31] The Gist of It rament, though often held as both in the same mould of mind. In the first place it is a faculty of all life, and is incorporated in all lively things as one of the channels through which energy is to find expression, but like all other functions it has to go through its process of evolution before arriving at maturity. It is the last of the elementary functions to mature, is the most protracted in its development, is the one most ignored, can make the most trouble, and for this and other reasons is naturally hedged in by the greatest amount of inhibition and restraint. Dangers For this last there are extremely good and sufficient reasons. Sexual indiscretion may blast the ultimate victim with illegitimacy, or worse, the immediate victim with disease or disgrace, or both, and the subject likewise, to- gether with the risk of demoralization or degeneracy. So for these most cogent reasons the instinctive attitude of people in general is properly prudent, conservative, and even apprehensive, and is thus communicated, even without words, to growing children. There are also other grounds for instinctive aver- sion in the fact that the expression of sex is in parts of the body inherently offensive and [32] Fob Healing, Health and Happiness giving most shame, and that in this field we are the most vulnerable to ridicule and re- proach. No one is at ease when thus indicted, nor invulnerable to such a blow, nor is anyone truly entitled to use such a weapon. But, as previously stated, the question of sex is a factor in our problem, so let us not be squeam- ish here, for whether suppressed or not, the instinct or urge is omnipresent, and grows and develops in accordance with the vitality of the individual, and sometimes out of pro- portion to it. Also, although individuals vary, there is no inherent difference between the sexes in this matter. Evolution Since the function is not matured until the age of twelve or fifteen, it must necessarily pass through stages of development before this. Hence it is seen to manifest imperfectly at earlier periods, awkwardly and incoher- ently, like any other undeveloped function. In the preadolescent child its expression may be negative or quite indiscriminate, both as re- gards self and others, groping and blundering like the first experiments in locomotion, and in reason no more reprehensible. Sex-con- sciousness and sex-curiosity, though perhaps not identified as such, may even appear at the unbelievable age of eighteen months. There [33] The Gist of It then follow innocent or shamefaced attempts to gratify the curiosity, with experiments of various indiscriminate kinds, all of which can take place quite spontaneously, for the instinct is auto-genetic, grows of itself, and seduction is not essential. These experiments and in- vestigations may be personal, with others, either sex, old or young, or even with other creatures, for sex is universal and may make any appeal, especially at this period of great susceptibility and imperfect restraint. Yet, speaking without prejudice, such spon- taneous manifestations are not necessarily reprehensible, in their occasional occurrence entirely harmless, and on no account to be dealt with by drastic intimidation or shaming, which may have an opposite effect from the one intended. Masturbation, for instance, although of course not to be encouraged, is practically universal at some period of life, and if seriously detrimental nobody would be sane or sound. We place the emphasis in this way because of widespread morbid miscon- ceptions on the subject, and of course do not here refer to out-and-out incorrigibles. All rightly constituted children have sufficient self-respect of their own to restrain them, without officious assistance, and besides, the process is by nature self-limited, and not in the class of drug habits and others where some [34] Foe Healing, Health and Happiness alien intoxicant is taken into the system there to produce its own unnatural and consuming appetite. Normality The normal child growing right along, men- tally, morally and physically, passes through these evolutionary stages, pausing periodic- ally as in all growth, but with the instinct steadily focalizing, and when adolescence be- comes maturity presumably focused, and pro- jected exclusively and with proper restraint toward the complementary sex. This would be the normal and desirable, which, if it does not supervene, has been deflected or exaggerated into some other manifestation. Also it must be borne in mind that growth itself is a proc- ess of condensation of absorbed energies, and that when the unit's limit in bulk is reached, or when one gets one's growth, the energies which continue to be absorbed, perhaps in even greater volume, must be afforded other channels of expression, one of which is in fact the reproductive function, the faculty of dis- continuous growth or the launching of other units. Nor, even in nature, is the ardent blos- soming arbitrarily limited to the quantity of fruit which shall be gathered. [35] The Gist of It Bisexuality In actual nature there is no such thing as pure distinct type of anything, and this applies also to sex. In early gestation the embryo is indeterminate, with structures ap- pearing which may develop into either sex- apparatus, or both. After a few weeks, how- ever, one progresses while the other falls back, so that the child is finally born male or female, but nevertheless retains in its body, all through life, vestiges of organs which, if de- veloped, would constitute those of the oppo- site sex. The male breast is an obvious example, of which there is a complete set of others, with analogs in the female. The sec- ondary sex features are still better known, such as high voice, wide hips or rounded body in some men, and big bones or angular form in some women. Hence anatomically we are a blend, potentially either, with some even manifesting both characteristics. Temperamentally the shading is also ob- served — vigorous, aggressive women, and tender, gentle men, to say nothing of mannish women and effeminate men, with constitution and tendencies to correspond. Some men even manifest a menstrual period, with or without sanguineous effusion from some membrane, as well as change of life. But these traits do [36] Fob Healing, Health and Happiness riot necessarily match each other, for many lovely women are found in unlovely bodies, while a splendid masculine body does not always imply a manly man. PSYCHOPATHOLOGY And now we can conceive of deviations in the sphere of the sex instinct itself. Many are more or less naturally inverted, or mod- ified in this respect, with genuinely homo- sexual or perverted proclivities, and many may easily be influenced that way, in the del- icate, unformed period of childhood, which brings us down to the second factor in this problem, namely the psychology of sex, with- in and without. The function is very, very far from being a mere physical or so-called animal one, for it is most intimately perme- ated, and influenced by ideas, and by the psychological elements we have previously discussed, such as suggestion, association, dissociation and others. The child does not grow up in solitude and separate, but is hemmed in and environed, physically, mentally and spiritually, by fam- ily, associates and strangers, all imbued with varying attitudes in this matter, which they may be only too ready to impart to him. Hence his own development is modified or distorted by this outside psychology, as well [37] The Gist of It as by that originating within him. Shame, fear or abuse may cause certain propensities to strike in and take deep subconscious root, which if unmolested would have dwindled and disappeared; or adventitiously suggested charm may cause pernicious practices to flour- ish, which otherwise would never have mani- fested. That forbidden fruit seems most desir- able is always true, and since in this sphere we are more sensitive than in any, too much ofliciousness may over-emphasize some phase, and give it too much interest with results to be regretted. Some sexual manifestations are instinctively regarded as beyond the limit, namely those that are incestuous, homosexual, with animals, or otherwise grossly perverted, and these if persistent place the subject at serious disadvantage with society, or if arti- ficially repressed make for intolerable distrac- tion, which exposes the victim to the various pathological mechanisms detailed. BaTION ALIZ ATIO ST The problem is always peculiarly individual, calls for the utmost discretion and tact, if not hands off, while mere morbid dread is never in order. Eespectful confidence, with enlight- enment where needed, is the best generaliza- tion on the management of children. We have here to deal with an energy, generically named [38] For Healing, Health and Happiness libido, which if arbitrarily throttled at one point is liable to find exit at another less desirable, so that the proper course is to in- spire transformation into other activities of true worth and genuine personal appeal. This process, known as transmutation, or sublima- tion, is quite possible, for in it the purely sexual functions become dormant or latent, just as the woman's breast is dormant when not engaged in lactation. To be truly success- ful, however, there must be a genuine inspira- tion or motive which literally displaces all else and prompts to some definitely cherished activity which gives full and satisfying expres- sion to the dynamic libido involved, for sex experience in reality is intended and desirable, for the further development of the individual and the service of the race, so that the reasons for sublimation, if it is to be successful, must be innate and vital. Mere arbitrary repres- sion results in blighting and degeneracy, though many choose this negative course, rather than incur the unwelcome risks and responsibilities of actual function. It should also be understood that sexual indulgences of whatever kind are not in themselves a cause of insanity or any other form of disorder, though inordinate self-reproach for them may induce distraction like any other complex, with symptoms in consequence, not, be it re- [39] The Gist of It membered, from the specific physical acts, as is commonly supposed, but through distorted, stressful or painful feelings concerning them. The gross sexuality, for example, which at- tends some forms of mental defect is an accompanying result but not necessarily a cause of this condition. Summary Summing it all up, this is a delicate, sen- sitive, active living field, of intensest potency, vet hedged about with all sorts of dangers and morbid ideas which can complicate life for anyone. It has already been indicated that sexually we are more susceptible, vul- nerable and intense than in any other way, so it is easy to see how suggestion, distraction, repression and dissociation could subcon- sciously operate here and constitute this the source whence disorder is perpetuated, es- pecially if the earliest manifestations came to be considered particularly abnormal or hei- nous, or perhaps persistent, and to call for repudiation so extreme as to amount to self- immolation. The wisest procedure would be rational disposition of the unwelcome impulse, which in so many cases is possible, for these repressed, perverted impulses, when not dis- posed of, are frequently responsible for many abnormal states and much erratic conduct, [40] Foe Healing, Health and Happiness not, be it repeated, on account of any direct effect from the physical acts, but by reason of the morbid attitude concerning them. Nor does everything continue always serene, even under presumably ideal conditions, for there are various fluctuations, conflicts and distrac- tions which are bound to intrude, however one is situated, so doubtless it will be enlightening at this point to insert some remarks on the psychology of the sexes. [41] THE PSYCHOLOGY OF THE SEXES Truly and tersely stated, the psychology of the sexes is instantly revealed by contempla- tion of their respective prototypes, the egg and the sperm. Considering the egg, which is supremely female, we find it essentially single, static, nutrient, fecund, contoured, enclosing, vegetative, recurrent, subjective, sufficient. On the other hand, the sperm or male element is multiple, motile, galvanic, linear, lancinate, delving, cleaving, perforating, animal, exigent, objective, spent. In a word femaleness is yo(l)ked, while maleness is disseminated. And here we see that nothing in the universe is fortuitous, not even names or words. In the interrelationships between the two we find that there are both reciprocating needs and reciprocal detriments. The sperm needs the egg to renew its existence, the egg needs the sperm to live. Yet the single sperm is lost when encompassed by the egg and the egg begins to disrupt when impregnated. Hence the yearning and the spurning in the more evolved forms, man and woman. But salva- tion and immortality are achieved in the product of the union, which partakes of both. [43] The Gist op It Childken Taking into account the observations pre- viously made on bisexuality, and realizing the disproportional combination of each of these elements in any individual, we can see that mere marrying is very, very far from being a conclusively permanent solution. The stresses of sentiment which are apt to supervene may find outlet as previously indicated, and some- times are visited upon the fruits of the union, both ways. By this we mean that an inordinate though subconscious attachment or antipathy may sometimes develop between parent and child with pernicious effect upon the psychology of the latter. Children should be weaned, progressively but lovingly, to a larger and larger life, not stultified by con- stricting ties. For the stresses and cleavages prevailing in this most vital relationship, that of a created thing with its matrix, are respon- sible intrinsically for much of the life that follows, be it the pursuit of a profession, the choice of a life partner, the form of religion, or even the kind of government one is content to live under. "We here speak objectively as before, so should now begin to prepare the way for a different and finer comprehension. [44] THE PERSONALITY But before proceeding to the exposition of good health and healing which now succeeds, let us revert for a moment to our presentation of basic human motives as outlined on pre- vious pages, and here discuss the graphic representation of them which follows, ventur- ing thereby to submit what presumes to be a complete analytical diagram of human per- sonality, in terms of its actuating principles, trends and fruits, and amplified to show its unnecessary distortions. Teiunity Up out of the eternal triune urge, to be, to do and to know, come matter, energy and con- sciousness, organized individually into body, function and mind, for a life that is then predestined by its three basic instincts which conserve existence, insure activity and sustain confidence, to traverse its span toward growth. Disproportion But here, objectively, there may be dispro- portion and distress. The instinct of self- preservation may dwindle into self-neglect, [45] The Gist of It the prompting to self -projection degenerate into self-indulgence, and the consideration of self-respect disintegrate into self-pity. On the other hand, too, the first can harden into selfishness, the second be inflamed to mere self-aggrandizement, and the third become swollen into self-conceit. Distress And finally three forms of anguish super- vene when the welfare of any of our triplicity is in jeopardy. Self-preservation quakes when dropped into a pocket of fear, self- projection may agonize in a baffled conflict of suspense, while self-respect will stifle if sunk in an abysm of shame. These three, shame, fear and suspense are the cardinal human tor- ments and the last is the most unendurable. Correspondingly, in terms of our previous psychology, there may be some complex to confess, conflict to resolve, or confusion to calm, in order to restore integrity. The Soul But has the page only one side? Let us turn it over and see. Supplementing and transcending urge, we find that there is Aspi- ration, consecrating self-preservation is Self- Sacrifice, balancing self-projection there is Self-Control, ennobling self-respect is Self- [46] ■? G R O W T H 8 & Confidence -i^ 1 a SELF-RESPECT $? Mind Consciousness (Shame) vtf^ Function u& Energy * e (Suspense) 1 ^ 6$? &