Ask Dr. Ding

It seems a pity that psychology has destroyed all our knowledge of human nature. ~G.K. Chesterton, London Observer, 9 December 1934

Depressed? Of course we’re all depressed. We’ve been so quickly, violently, and irreconcilably plucked from nature, from physical labor, from kinship and village mentality, from every natural and primordial anti-depressant. The further society “progresses,” the grander the scale of imbalance. Just as fluoride is put in water to prevent dental caries, we’ll soon find government mandating Prozac in our water to prevent mental caries. ~M. Robin D’Antan

Why do we pay for psychotherapy when massages cost half as much? ~Jason Love

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Dr. Ding suggests you ponder the following questions in relation to the aforementioned quotes:

Have you noticed that when you follow your heart or gut that this usually turns out to have been the correct decision? And that when you ignore information coming from these vital organs of information that you usually regret it?

Have you noticed that most of tthis blog’s posts involve human relationships? Most people who have trouble with relationships, be they professional, romantic, familial or social, tend to have problems, period. We are inherently social beings, and we are floating in the same unsteady bark on the waters of life. Failing to recognize our connectedness and interdependence results in a lifetime of pain, suffering, and needless bullshittery.

There is a school of thought in psychology which posits that the body and the unconscious mind are essentially one and the same. Ergo, any physical illness will have a psychological correlate. This is part of why a good massage will have a salutary effect on mood, cognition, and overall psychological well-being. Do you truly live inside your body and respect its communications?