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With his thyroid hormone out of balance, he soon developed panic aacks, exacerbated because he sensed the danger of relinquishing reliance on his conscience. A few days of anti-anxiety medication, thyroid hormone, and spiritual discussion about the need to rely on conscience and dharma brought him back to a balanced state.
Another form of projection takes place when we aribute weaknesses and conflicts to others that actually reside in ourselves. It is easier to blame others rather than face up to our own problems. By not taking responsibility for ourselves and blaming others, we can feel self-righteous. Deluding ourselves in this way interferes with the journey toward becoming open and loving.
Psychiatrists frequently see their patients projecting unconscious feelings onto others. Patients quickly react as if the therapist is mother, father, sister, brother, or any other significant person from the past. As the therapy deepens, the patient’s early unconscious troubled feelings are projected outward. Feelings related to abuse or abandonment are oen aributed to the therapist.
The therapist becomes aware of this transfer when he realizes that the patient is reacting to him in an unusual, unexpected way. The therapist can then help the patient understand that these feelings come from the patient’s past. This awareness is the first step in overcoming unresolved pain.
When this transference happens in a marriage and conflict from a troubled past is projected onto the mate, the relationship can be stressed and frequently broken. This dynamic is one of the reasons that many marriages fail (about sixty percent in the USA).
Sai Baba brings deepening insight to the subject of projection. He tells us that everything is God and anything else we see is only our mental imperfection projected onto the screen of God. He likens it to the nighime dream when we
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