The Descriptions and Relation of Anxiety and Depression

In both depression and anxiety, experience becomes excessively (and increasingly) dream-like and unconscious, thereby precluding sleep (and dreaming) for the same reason that dreaming (and sometimes sleep) increases in depression.

The central role of desire in relation to experience requires consideration. Desire consists of both intention and concern. The correctness of this definition is evident (and applicable) in the case of depression. The loss (or reduction) of desire in depression involves a reduction of both intention and concern that is consistent with a significant reduction in (and detachment from) reality/experience in general. Intention and concern not only define (or include) desire, but they include interest as well. Elevated and sustained desire (i.e., both intention and concern) and energy are connected with both courage and genius, and with the advancement of consciousness and life as well. The comprehensiveness and consistency of both our intention and concern are central to our consciousness, life, and growth.

It is because dreams involve a fundamental integration and spreading of being and experience at the mid-range of feeling between thought and sense that fatigue, tiredness, and a lack of energy are absent during dreams. However, when experience becomes excessively (and increasingly) dream-like, unconscious, and inanimate, a contraction and disintegration of being and experience result; and tiredness, loss of energy, depression, fatigue, restlessness, agitation, and anxiety occur.

Depression involves a feeling of heaviness, and this constricted feeling also occurs in anxiety; for depression and anxiety involve extremes of concern. Ideally, concern is balanced and improved in conjunction with an increase in the comprehensiveness and consistency of intentionality in regard to experience in general. In reference to sleep disorders, it is important that dreams involve a fundamental integration and spreading of being and experience at the mid-range of feeling between thought and sense, in conjunction with the natural extensiveness and interactivity of being and experience. The disintegration and contraction (and this includes detachment) of being and experience go hand in hand. In depression and anxiety, being and experience become excessively (and increasingly) dream-like, inanimate, and unconscious. (By the way, and importantly, is autism not a disintegration and contraction of being and experience, and of consciousness?)

In both depression and anxiety, the emotional disintegration and contraction of being and experience involves increased feeling at the emotional center of the self. In anxiety, this is consistent with excessive concern, the reduction in the desirability of experience, emotional imbalance (or variability), bodily aches and pains (i.e., emotional disintegration), the mind “going blank”, panic attacks (involving a sort of generalized paralysis and loss of experience), etc. Comparatively (and similarly), in depression, there is a contraction, detachment, disintegration, and loss of being and experience that also involves a loss of emotion. The desirability and extensiveness of experience (including memory) in both depression and anxiety is reduced; as there occurs a significant loss involving the comprehensiveness and consistency of both concern and intention. The loss of desire in both depression and anxiety involves a significant reduction in the comprehensiveness and consistency of both intention and concern as they relate to experience in general; and this has the dream-like effect of reducing thought, emotion, and memory, including the desirability and totality of experience as well. Depression is known to involve apathy and a loss of concern. However, the narrowing (or excessive concentration) of concern in anxiety also constitutes an effective, actual, and overall loss of concern (in relation to experience in general). Concern is excessively concentrated and disintegrated in both depression and anxiety. With anxiety, however, concern may be concentrated (or compressed) at an even higher level of feeling, thereby resulting in the feeling of excessive concern, panic, the mind “going blank”, etc. Ideally, concern is balanced and improved in conjunction with an increase in the comprehensiveness and consistency of intentionality in regard to experience.

In considering the excessively dream-like (and unconscious) nature of depression and anxiety, consideration should also be given to the fact that the emotional experience of the dream even includes the experience of touch. Emotion is differentiated (and manifest) as sensory experience and feeling. Emotional disintegration may include emotional pain. Thoughts and emotions are differentiated feelings; and consciousness is advanced in conjunction with emotion that is comprehensive and balanced.

~ by humanbeingbook on August 14, 2008.