Mental Space: That which makes us Self Conscious Humans
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Please Watch the Introductory Julian Jaynes videos here, to get the most out of this Meetup: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqpF1l8gdXlHzVrJjI2wDqMiA7qseJNew
Mental Space: An Introspectable Stage for Manipulating Mental Imagery—Jaynesian Therapeutics
Strangely, as of yet, no scientific account explains how we can “see” and even “hear” mental imagery. This makes mental imagery a “hard problem,” rather than an “easy problem” in which certain aspects of psychological processes have been at least partially accounted for. A Jaynesian perspective at least offers us a clue to the nature of mental space and images, which are key features of conscious interiority. Mental imagery can be viewed as the descendant of hallucinations. In other words, hallucinatory visions and voices—that were believed in preconscious societies to be supernatural visitations—are the predecessors to introspectable mental images. Such watered-down “semi-hallucinations” perform an adaptive role in everyday life. Unlike full-blown hallucinations, modern mental imagery is controllable and less vivid.
Common sense tells us that psychological processes transpire “in” our heads; we are convinced of this spatiality because we can experience mental imagery. The images that are mentally evoked need a “place” to be witnessed. The space in which mental imagery transpires affords a simulated stage on which one can formulate goals and rehearse behaviors that require practice or are too risky if carried out in the physical world. And guided imagery is a basic technique utilized by many systems of psychotherapy for anxiety, stress management, pain, relaxation, cognitive restructuring, etc. Imaginal exposure, which allows one to “see” a traumatic event in mental space, allows the psyche to process painful experiences (e.g., for PTSD patients).
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http://princeton.academia.edu/BrianMcVeigh
http://amazon.com/author/brian.j.mcveigh
http://brianjmcveigh.wixsite.com/brianjmcveigh-books
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