Phenomenology [the study of the psyche from the first-person perspective] and Psychology [the study of the psyche from the observer's perspective] are contrasted. Understanding self-sabotaging traps - including Addictive Disorders and Neurotic Disorders - from both perspectives enhances good outcome

1. In eastern philosophy we are viewed as
trapped in "Maya.” The entrapment results
from the tacit but bogus premise of
perception: I see things as they really are. In
fact, what I perceive is a creative
construction of my nervous system. That this
premise is a destructive lie becomes obvious
when the same events are viewed from a
different perspective – e.g., hindsight.
The lie I tell myself: “I see things as they really are.”

2. The next section presents arguments to two audiences. The goal is to discredit the belief that seeing is
believing. I will make the case at an experiential level by showing you optical illusions for you to experience
directly. Your subjective experience demonstrates that your perception is a creation of your nervous system,
not an accurate and complete depiction of the external world.
But I’ll start with the more conventional case designed for the more conventional audience. The argument is
directed to your rational mind; the kind of argument that may be made in a college psychology course.

3. Our perception is a creation of our nervous system, not a
complete and valid depiction of reality: Evidence from
rational analysis.
The various forms of self-sabotage result from the
presumed, but bogus, premise of perception, namely
that we see the world as it really is. In fact, what we see
is a creation of our nervous system.
To appreciate the source of your knowledge about the
world outside of you, consider the familiar question:

4. When a tree falls in the forest, and no one
is around to hear it, is there a sound?

5. Sound exists only in
the brain of the
beholder
When the tree falls, it produces a series of
pressure waves in the surrounding air. The ear
drum converts these waves into a mechanical
signal which is transmitted by 3 small bones to
the fluid filled cochlea - the spiral bony canal of
the inner ear. Hair cells of the cochlea are the
actual receptors. Each is tuned to a particular
frequency of the fluid waves. Hair cell vibrations
are converted to electrical impulses, and
transmitted along the auditory nerve to the
auditory cortex where intensity and frequency
of the vibrations are mapped. Neither pressure
waves, physical movements of body parts
[bones, hair], nor electrical signals are sound.
Sound is an experience that is created by, and
exists only in, the mind of the perceiver.
So, if there is no one around to hear it, a tree
falling in the forest produces no sound — only
pressure waves in the surrounding air.

6. Explanatory Emergence
Subjec tive experience emergence from biological processes. The principles that govern
experience are new and different from the principles of biology.
To exerecise will, these principles must be appreciatioed at a first-person level. Like martial
arts or any performance, observers knowledge is insufficient for successful performance,
one needs the muschel skills.

7. There are no black dots; there is no movement.
These phenomena were created by your nervous system
You do not see things as they are

8. Aristotle’s exhortation: “Know thyself” makes the
distinction between the knower and what is
known.

9. Optical Illusions
• The organizational mechanisms
of vision are best demonstrated
by illusions. Illusions illustrate
that perception is a creative
construction that the brain
makes in interpreting visual data
....Learning does not prevent us
from being taken in by these
illusions.
— Eric Kandel
Choosing what is figure and what is background
can determine the reality your experience

10. Ocampo
Look closely. The whole
is different than the sum
of its parts

13. This remarkable work contains embedded figures
that emerge as you shift your focus. How many
can you discern?

14. Illusions of Size
The figures are identical How its done

15. Your perception is a creation of your nervous system, not the
valid representation of objective reality that you take it to be.
Evidence from direct experience.
The organizational mechanisms of
vision are best demonstrated by
illusions. Illusions illustrate that
perception is a creative
construction that the brain makes
in interpreting visual data
....Learning does not prevent us
from being taken in by these
illusions.
— Eric Kandel
6 or 7 cubes?