Illness

Seth Early Sessions, Vol 7, Session 295

Illness

(Reference is made to: “Pills to Help Us Remember”, by Isaac Asimov, The New York Times Magazine, October 9, 1966)

Illness in many ways is a learned response, and it follows patterns set up in the system having to do with memory banks, though we shall find a better word here.

Habitual illness will follow the lines of learned response and memory.  Definite molecular substructures are formed biologically in response to inner electrical charges.  The inner electrical charges are not a part of the physical system as such, you see.  But they act within the physical structure, forming then definite changes in the RNA patterns.

There was some question in the article about long-term and short-term memory.  Now basically the original intensity of the charge determines its duration in your time structure.  The intensity of particular charges can completely reorganize the personality structure through changes in the RNA formations.  Previous life memories, existing electronically and magnetically, may carry such intense charge that they superimpose themselves in the present physical structure, and form memory patterns quite alien to those of the present ego personality.

We will have much to say along these lines, and a discussion of illness and memory will be shortly given.

Once physical symptoms actually appear within this system however, they are to some extent accepted as any other established pattern, at least by a portion of the personality.  In some cases physical symptoms can actually make up a somewhat independent supersonality structure.  This is the case with many chronically-ill individuals.  The destructive tendencies are collected about a particularly emotionally-charged group of reactions, and cut off from the dominant personality.

These portions operate almost like a secondary personality, sometimes in actual conflict with the dominant one.  Finally, you see, cases develop where the dominant personality is not in control of the physical image at all.  Certain classic cases of hysteria can show this in a limited but dramatic fashion.

I am not denying at all that physical changes do occur, for this is all the more the pity.  But the basic causes must be uncovered, and in some such cases, in many in fact, these causes lie to a large degree in faulty or inadequate memory functions.  I am simply using Ruburt’s minor symptoms as a springboard here.  They are now being erased, the latest ones the first to go.

This would imply short-term memory you see, but this is not the case, for it is intensity and not duration that makes the difference.  Once the symptoms become physical however, then they follow physical patterns, and it takes the physical system some time to heal usually.  In terms of intensity alone, both the foot and the hip symptoms were highly charged, representing of course degrees of immobility and withdrawal – learned, you see, from the mother: a memory reaction adopted without conscious thoughts.

The recommendations automatically set up readjustments, and, you will note, almost instantly.  In the case of the foot the muscles have been misused and will take a while to completely repair themselves.  Suggestion however will speed the process.  An instant cure is possible, but he is not at that point.

At the very latest however, with these recommendations faithfully followed, all symptoms should leave the foot at the end of a two-week period, completely.  The hip symptom is gone for good, if the recommendations are followed.  The less annoying arm difficulties are a result of the muscular tension caused by the foot difficulty, but these should disappear completely now within two or three days.

Now each personality has set up conditions for itself, under which it can operate at its best.  When these are upset various difficulties show themselves, until the conditions are met again, or until a new system of adequate conditions are settled upon.  In Ruburt’s case the conditions mentioned earlier, in our last sessions, operate to his best advantage.  Every effort should be made to maintain them, for they will bring about the highest conditions of maturity possible for his personality structure.

Once symptoms are accepted they can return, for the memory pattern is never completely erased, but only bypassed.  For various reasons having to do with past-life experiences (for Ruburt), writing has become a structure within which his personality best operates.  Psychic development has been welded onto this.  As long as he faithfully and consistently follows these lines he will operate at maximum levels.  When he falters he lets himself in for difficulties.

Every personality operates in this manner.  These are simply his peculiar psychological necessities.  This obviously does not mean he need never take time out.  It does mean that his overall identity will not stand for a protracted period when concentration is not primarily focused within this work framework.

For Ruburt’s benefit, there is indeed no danger of immobility as in his mother’s case.

His personality structure is different, and he has other qualities to counteract against the obsessive tendencies inherited from his mother.  The turning point has been reached and passed however in this last episode.  He learned from it, and what he has learned will stand him in good stead.  Because of the lesson his peaks of achievement will be higher, and his overall physical condition instantly will show improvement.

I will say only that he did have a dream experience of deep therapeutic nature.