I barely have knowledge I copy some shit from wikipedia and add my superficial opinion.
I find the German wikipedia article better. I will translate it with google translator.
"The term soul has multiple meanings depending on the different mythical, religious, philosophical or psychological traditions and teachings in which it occurs. In today's language, this often means the entirety of all emotions and mental processes in humans. In this sense, "soul" is largely synonymous with "psyche," the Greek word for soul. However, "soul" can also designate a principle that is assumed to be the basis of these impulses and processes, order them and also bring about or influence physical processes.
In addition, there are religious and philosophical concepts in which 'soul' refers to an immaterial principle conceived as the vehicle of an individual's life and identity sustained through time. This is often associated with the assumption that the soul is independent of the body and thus also of physical death with regard to its existence and is therefore immortal. Death is then interpreted as the process of separating soul and body. Some traditions teach that the soul exists before conception, that it only temporarily inhabits and directs the body, using it as a tool or imprisoned in it as in a prison. In many such teachings the immortal soul alone constitutes the person; the ephemeral body is considered irrelevant or a burden and hindrance to the soul. Numerous myths and religious dogmas make statements about the fate that awaits the soul after the death of the body. In a large number of teachings it is assumed that a transmigration of souls (reincarnation) takes place, which means that the soul has a home in different bodies one after the other."
In my country mental illness is sometimes called an illness of the soul. (Seelenkrankheit) I think I don't have enough knowledge to make substantial statements.
I am clearly a layman in this instance. Though I have serious mental illness and experienced psychosis. In a seminar in front of psychology students the highest doctor of the clinic praised me for giving such interesting insights. Though I am a fraud and could not answer his deeply philosophical question he wanted an answer to.
I am not sure whether I think I have a soul. I think I would agree with the following definiton from above. "In today's language, this often means the entirety of all emotions and mental processes in humans. In this sense, "soul" is largely synonymous with "psyche"".
I think the most intensive experience with my soul were my psychoses. When the first episode happened I was not educated enough to make a judgment. Though when the second epsiode happened it felt like my soul was puking/throwing up. Especially when I continued studying which was completely diametrical to my emotional and psychological needs. In some way this compulsory studying was similar to my extreme psychosomatic pain. It is very nuanced and I am not completely sure if there is a conncetion. But when I studied so extremely hard I suppressed my basic needs a lot. I was so disciplined I continued studying during psychosis which many professionals called insane but some also expressed respect for being so disciplined. Lol. I overburdened my vulnerable soul and later it needed time to heal. Sadly this healing was extremely painful due to the fact it was accompanied by extreme psychosomatic pain that lasted a very long time.
I can remember it during the second episode. It felt like eating way too much but on an existential level. So much that you feel extremely ill but you still have to continue. In German there is a good word but I cannot use it here it is too complicated to explain it. But this feeling of being overfed interfuses your whole body and mind. In general I have to say during psychosis my most primitive instincs gained control over me. Which feels horrible for a control freak like me.
There was one time in my life I once heard a voice in my head for 1-2 seconds. It was during my first psychosis. I acted embarrassing in front of other people and was hypersexual. Someone confronted me. Called me something like a pervert. And this is something I am extremely anxious to be perceived as. When I think about it I still feel very bad about it. My paranoia climbed to insanity when he said that. I felt extremely sick. There is the good term "hochschaukeln" in German for it. The interdependent variables the outer and inner causes for paranoia increased each other. Then the only time I ever heard voices I heard a vulgar term related to sexuality. A not very compassionate did not act well when I opened up about it. She wanted to know the term but she was extremely incompetent and not empathetic at all.
There is the interesting debate whether humans are more than their brains. I also don't have expertise on that. But I think the currenty common position is humans are equivalent to their brain. It is interesting many schizophrenic people think the voices they heard were God. Or people who do experimental drugs say they experienced something which was higher than themselves. For me I have to say I doubt that humans are more than their brain when we talk about consciousness. I never had the thought there was something higher that communicated with me when I heard that voice. I rather had the feeling it was the result of sleep deprivation and mania. For me there was no supernatural thing that I experienced. For me it rather defense mechanism which was learned by my mind due to child abuse.
My personal conclusion is the human consciousness is caused by the brain. There is no soul which lives forever or could be seperated. Maybe other people with severe mental illness can share their experiences.
What do you think?
I find the German wikipedia article better. I will translate it with google translator.
"The term soul has multiple meanings depending on the different mythical, religious, philosophical or psychological traditions and teachings in which it occurs. In today's language, this often means the entirety of all emotions and mental processes in humans. In this sense, "soul" is largely synonymous with "psyche," the Greek word for soul. However, "soul" can also designate a principle that is assumed to be the basis of these impulses and processes, order them and also bring about or influence physical processes.
In addition, there are religious and philosophical concepts in which 'soul' refers to an immaterial principle conceived as the vehicle of an individual's life and identity sustained through time. This is often associated with the assumption that the soul is independent of the body and thus also of physical death with regard to its existence and is therefore immortal. Death is then interpreted as the process of separating soul and body. Some traditions teach that the soul exists before conception, that it only temporarily inhabits and directs the body, using it as a tool or imprisoned in it as in a prison. In many such teachings the immortal soul alone constitutes the person; the ephemeral body is considered irrelevant or a burden and hindrance to the soul. Numerous myths and religious dogmas make statements about the fate that awaits the soul after the death of the body. In a large number of teachings it is assumed that a transmigration of souls (reincarnation) takes place, which means that the soul has a home in different bodies one after the other."
In my country mental illness is sometimes called an illness of the soul. (Seelenkrankheit) I think I don't have enough knowledge to make substantial statements.
I am clearly a layman in this instance. Though I have serious mental illness and experienced psychosis. In a seminar in front of psychology students the highest doctor of the clinic praised me for giving such interesting insights. Though I am a fraud and could not answer his deeply philosophical question he wanted an answer to.
I am not sure whether I think I have a soul. I think I would agree with the following definiton from above. "In today's language, this often means the entirety of all emotions and mental processes in humans. In this sense, "soul" is largely synonymous with "psyche"".
I think the most intensive experience with my soul were my psychoses. When the first episode happened I was not educated enough to make a judgment. Though when the second epsiode happened it felt like my soul was puking/throwing up. Especially when I continued studying which was completely diametrical to my emotional and psychological needs. In some way this compulsory studying was similar to my extreme psychosomatic pain. It is very nuanced and I am not completely sure if there is a conncetion. But when I studied so extremely hard I suppressed my basic needs a lot. I was so disciplined I continued studying during psychosis which many professionals called insane but some also expressed respect for being so disciplined. Lol. I overburdened my vulnerable soul and later it needed time to heal. Sadly this healing was extremely painful due to the fact it was accompanied by extreme psychosomatic pain that lasted a very long time.
I can remember it during the second episode. It felt like eating way too much but on an existential level. So much that you feel extremely ill but you still have to continue. In German there is a good word but I cannot use it here it is too complicated to explain it. But this feeling of being overfed interfuses your whole body and mind. In general I have to say during psychosis my most primitive instincs gained control over me. Which feels horrible for a control freak like me.
There was one time in my life I once heard a voice in my head for 1-2 seconds. It was during my first psychosis. I acted embarrassing in front of other people and was hypersexual. Someone confronted me. Called me something like a pervert. And this is something I am extremely anxious to be perceived as. When I think about it I still feel very bad about it. My paranoia climbed to insanity when he said that. I felt extremely sick. There is the good term "hochschaukeln" in German for it. The interdependent variables the outer and inner causes for paranoia increased each other. Then the only time I ever heard voices I heard a vulgar term related to sexuality. A not very compassionate did not act well when I opened up about it. She wanted to know the term but she was extremely incompetent and not empathetic at all.
There is the interesting debate whether humans are more than their brains. I also don't have expertise on that. But I think the currenty common position is humans are equivalent to their brain. It is interesting many schizophrenic people think the voices they heard were God. Or people who do experimental drugs say they experienced something which was higher than themselves. For me I have to say I doubt that humans are more than their brain when we talk about consciousness. I never had the thought there was something higher that communicated with me when I heard that voice. I rather had the feeling it was the result of sleep deprivation and mania. For me there was no supernatural thing that I experienced. For me it rather defense mechanism which was learned by my mind due to child abuse.
My personal conclusion is the human consciousness is caused by the brain. There is no soul which lives forever or could be seperated. Maybe other people with severe mental illness can share their experiences.
What do you think?
