VIRAL FEAR AND THE AMERICAN VIRAL FEAR AND THE AMERICAN TRANCETRANCE

MODERN LIFE AS PATHOLOGYMODERN LIFE AS PATHOLOGY

What accounts for cultural pathology?

What does it do to us?

I have worked with private patients for 25 years and often find that

unless they develop an awareness of the effects of the culture they

live in—and the mental, emotional, and spiritual means to combat

those effects—they may wind up fighting an uphill battle.

How do we deal with this?

We can do as Garrison Keillor suggests:

“I believe in looking reality straight in the eye and denying it.”

It certainly helps the people who are

selling us things we don’t need or

ideas that are harmful.

Or

We can practice awareness

and wisdom,

which as one sage said,

“is a firm grasp of the obvious.”

HOW DOES CULTURAL PATHOLOGY HOW DOES CULTURAL PATHOLOGY

FACILITATE FACILITATE

INDIVIDUAL PATHOLOGY?INDIVIDUAL PATHOLOGY?

THE PRINCIPLES THE PRINCIPLES OF CULTURAL TRANCE.OF CULTURAL TRANCE.

We are always in and out of trance. We are always in and out of trance. This is a normal part of human experience.This is a normal part of human experience.

We are therefore often susceptible to suggestion.We are therefore often susceptible to suggestion.

We are surrounded by media, which are filled with We are surrounded by media, which are filled with suggestions grounded in fear, gluttony, entitlement, and suggestions grounded in fear, gluttony, entitlement, and

envy.envy.

We receive and embed these suggestions unconsciously We receive and embed these suggestions unconsciously unless we develop the awareness to combat them.unless we develop the awareness to combat them.

American Cultural PathologyAmerican Cultural Pathology

People both affect and are People both affect and are at the effectat the effect of their surrounding of their surrounding cultures.cultures.

What are some of the effects of contemporary American What are some of the effects of contemporary American culture?culture?

1. Viral Fear1. Viral Fear© or The Next Osama Syndrome© or The Next Osama Syndrome2. The Need For MORE or Gluttony2. The Need For MORE or Gluttony

3. Self-Loathing3. Self-Loathing4. Self-Inflation and Entitlement4. Self-Inflation and Entitlement

VIRAL FEARVIRAL FEAR©©

Viral fear is the continual Viral fear is the continual bombardment of consciousness bombardment of consciousness

with messages of fear.with messages of fear.We also call this the “Next Osama” We also call this the “Next Osama”

syndrome.syndrome. They can seem benign or even They can seem benign or even

reasonable,reasonable,

like the fear of germs…like the fear of germs…

Or they can be Or they can be

dramatic, frightful, dramatic, frightful,

and life-altering…and life-altering…

yet still seem yet still seem

reasonable, if only at reasonable, if only at

the moment.the moment.

The Need for

MORE:

We are sold

a bill of

goods we

don’t need

and in our

right minds

don’t want.

We are

asked to

believe

nonsense

and we do.

Our image of ourselves is distorted by the media mirrors:

We are told we are

never good enough,

pretty enough, sexy enough,

high enough, mighty enough,

thin enough, smart enough,

tight enough, rich enough,

happy enough, or

spiritual enough…unless of

course we have THEIR

products.

And we believe it.

WHAT DOES THAT DO TO US?

It creates pathology.It creates pathology.

•DestructionDestruction

•EntropyEntropy

•EmptinessEmptiness

•IsolationIsolation

The pathology includes:The pathology includes:

Fear (of everything)Fear (of everything)

Self-Loathing Self-Loathing

Unreasonable Entitlement Unreasonable Entitlement

Gluttony and Greed Gluttony and Greed

(or the constant need for more)(or the constant need for more)

For more information on Viral Fear or The

Next Osama Syndrome and the

ways to antidote it, please go to:

www.wordsaremedicine.com

www.thenextosama.com

Judith Acosta, LISW,

Keynote Speaker on Verbal First Aid, Trauma and Viral Fear.