What is bi-polar?

 

Mood swings from, “I can do anything” to “I can do nothing.”
One obviously feels great, the other terrible.

 

Unfortunately bi-polar is a very serious illness with at least 10% of those who suffer from it taking their lives – a notable case of course was Robin Williams – may his soul rest in peace.

 

Now obviously bi-polar doesn’t cause suicide but it can cause depression – depression is caused as Kabbalah teaches, that the ego gets angered at the body (who we think we are) for not fulfilling its wishes (which in the case of bi-polar, obviously is to be on top, not on the bottom of the world) this internalized hate, causes suicide.

 

I once asked a preeminent psychologist and good friend Yochi Ress as to the chemical causes of bi-polar –now Yochi is a very special psychologist for unlike some who mainly regurgitate the hallucinations of others he actually researches until he concludes – and he said, studies show that the chemical reaction in our bloodstream are not the cause, rather caused-by the emotional / intellectual states – in other words, if I am happy my bloodstream will produce happiness chemicals and vice versa – which is actually quite obvious; though as psychology came from a doctor, instead of seeing it as a mind body state, it has long been seen as body mind state.

 

So basing ourselves on this premise, bi-polar is actually a very simple human stupidity – it is the desire to feel high – the only real difference between the bi-polar and regular person is that the bi-polar person either desires more (possibly consequently) or is simply more deluded that they can be on top of the world.

 

Dr Lazerson writes, how when he was studying psychology for special education, his professor once wrote on the board, F.I.D. frequency, intensity, duration – we all want to be high, but FID is a great description for what is the rollercoaster of the bipolar person.

 

Now for the solution:

 

Kabbalah teaches, a human being mustn’t be sad nor overly happy, for while the former is obviously detrimental, the latter is too.

 

If our goal in life is simple to get high, we actually lack any purpose or meaning.

 

Rather our goal must be to do good, to help one another.

 

As such, feeling on top doesn’t create compassion, rather like drug addicts, removes them from reality – this in fact can come from spiritual nirvana as well.

 

As such the solution is to be somewhat upset – the mind create the emotions – so if you feel you are going too high, remember something upsetting (not anger provoking, but as Jewish mysticism teaches, that when the messiah will come, we will see God, and you cannot see it now – this is innately a desire for a Jew but for someone who may not have this desire, think of something you cannot have.)