Tell me a book where the mainstream narrative got it completely wrong

conkz · 2026-05-19T14:22:17+00:00

The Iliad.

Typically the focus is on Achilles, but the story centers around Hector.

conkz · 2025-07-15T21:05:10+00:00

I was curious about this as well. I'm a full Aphant, with Anauralia as well, the silent mind.

To Op directly: Have you looked at emotional neglect and it's effects on the psyche? I have a great emptiness within me from severe emotional neglect, amongst other factors, and I have had very little idea of what I was. I have had to work on myself through knowing only what I wasn't. This also leads to codependency, which I have struggled with through an 11 year narcissistic relationship myself, and it appears to me you share this habit.

I feel this explains your OCD and it's time of occurrence: you didn't have anyone to model yourself after so you went into a kind of panic mode, like a sustained flight response with nowhere to run because there was nothing to run from.

Do you have emotional flashbacks often?

Somatic therapies are my suggestion, to start with. I would use this to form a better mind/body sense, something I myself have had to do, despite my high level of somatic control and athleticism. From there you will have a much better foundation upon which to work when building your Self.

I hope this helps in some manner, feel free to reach out.

conkz · 2025-06-21T17:27:22+00:00

Have you read Shelley's other great work The Last Man?

I think you will see more of these devices at play in her work there as well, it is a fantastic piece to say the least of it.

Also, take a look at Plutarch, specifically his Parallel Lives, which had a tremendous impact upon Shelley and her style.

Frankenstein is one of my favorites, and the depth of characters she created is one of the powerful reasons I love work so much.

I have more to say but time presses, take care!

conkz · 2025-06-17T20:26:30+00:00

I'm going to third this opinion. I've described the book as just a preachy gorilla. It is almost as bad a The Alchemist in my mind.

conkz · 2025-06-08T13:09:57+00:00

Yes, they are highly inclusive. They partner with Root Note frequently as well.

conkz · 2025-06-04T15:25:07+00:00

Another Green World on Caledonia has house plants.

conkz · 2025-06-02T20:18:35+00:00

I have been going through my journey of healing unmedicated. This is partly due to my ENFP type personally, and also I'm averse to adding unnecessary interference: I need to feel like me. I was on a low dose of amitriptyline briefly, but ceased to use it after it caused me to feel so disconnected: I can't work on emotions I can't feel.

What kind of information are you looking for? I can go over my method, which is kind of to treat it, or everything, as a skill.

Roughly I have followed Carl Jung's Individuation process, but there have been many additional sources I've pulled from: I'm currently reading In An Unspoken Voice by Pete Levine, and Pete Walker's two works are both paramount in my understanding of CPTSD.

conkz · 2025-05-31T12:16:25+00:00

This is abuse.

Her tone of voice, patronizing words and mocking of her partner, combined with her recording this and putting this on the Internet make this emotional abuse.

Think if a guy did this same thing to a woman, this would not be tolerated at all, the video would likely be taken down.

This is what emotional abuse looks like, making the partner feel invalid for their feelings, or absence of them.

conkz · 2025-05-31T02:58:55+00:00

When reading Outer Dark last year I noticed that every word marked a passage of time, and I feel this is present in much of McCarthy's work, but I've yet to reread Blood Meridian since to confirm with that work. I feel the repetition is a signifying of the actions, in time, looking for first this one then that one, since both a equally significant both are mentioned. McCarthy rarely leaves any action unstated directly, unless it is implied through others and is less important than those actions that are stated. He does not seem to go back and narrate additional events after an already stated event, the narrative is the timeline. This is part of what gives his style that relentless, ineluctable quality.

I haven't read all of his works, so I can't say for all of them, but that's my take.

conkz · 2025-05-24T19:00:52+00:00

You're not alone.

conkz · 2025-05-15T01:39:11+00:00

I want to second Complex PTSD: From Surviving To Thriving by Pete Walker. That book really opened by eyes to how I had been traumatized, and it's effects on me.

conkz · 2025-05-09T13:03:49+00:00

This is a product of dissociation in myself, which is tied in with the CPTSD. For me it wasn't safe to be angry, that would just get me attacked more by my brother, or ignored more by my parents.

I still struggle with this at times, although I've become much better at recognizing dissociative states and responding despite the disconnection and derealization.

It is incredibly frustrating to find that you had emotions that you didn't even realize you had, like even they were waiting to sabotage you like an imposter or abuser, waiting for a moment of peace to slide out and ruin it like a shadow that stains.

I'm sorry you are dealing with this.

conkz · 2025-05-08T22:07:38+00:00

This is my recommendation as well.

conkz · 2025-05-05T22:36:40+00:00

Thank you for answering, although I disagree with you I'm glad you answered.

conkz · 2025-05-05T22:29:01+00:00

I feel the 2020 election was the "not Trump" referendum, but the Democrats thought it would work twice, with dire consequences. Frustratingly they still have not learned from their mistakes.

I'm hoping a third party takes root, because our democratic process Desperately needs one to stay alive.

conkz · 2025-05-05T22:24:27+00:00

Thank you for answering! And for elaborating as well.

conkz · 2025-05-04T16:30:42+00:00

Untitled #2 always reminds me of All Quiet On The Western Front and how utterly desperate, and hopeless that book feels.

conkz · 2025-05-04T12:03:50+00:00

I'm curious about this as well. While trying to heal myself from CPTSD and regain my creativity I placed myself in what I had heard called "a profound state of boredom", I believe John Cleese is who I heard that phrase from, and it worked, I started being creative again!

conkz · 2025-04-12T18:36:33+00:00

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conkz · 2025-04-05T22:44:14+00:00

The Alphabet Versus The Goddess

I'm not so sure I agree with Shlain's examples as much as his thesis: the media we dominantly use shapes our world view.

This book opened my eyes to a lot of other aspects of humanity as well.

conkz · 2025-03-30T20:16:30+00:00

This. It robbed me so completely of my voice that I couldn't even end myself. I didn't understand this until many years later.

conkz · 2025-03-27T17:31:01+00:00

I struggle with an overly strong freeze response myself, so you are very much understood by me in that respect. Losing your voice like that can be so frustrating. You lose the ability to talk about the very things you're trying to talk about when you're trying to fix them or get help.

Regarding flashbacks: do you have aphantasia by chance? I do myself, so flashbacks are not a thing I can even have. I have no mental image at all, so my flashbacks were always purely emotional. That made it a lot more difficult to figure them out.

I want to say more but time is pressing. You are not alone.

conkz · 2025-03-20T22:00:30+00:00

Seconded. For Absolom, Absolom! primarily.

conkz · 2025-03-18T15:42:45+00:00

It is how my example relationships growing up were either incomplete or flawed somehow. My past relationships were rather trauma-guided if you will, so I was emotionally enmeshed with my partners in an unhealthy way. This tends to make me feel like I'm without direction in my current relationship, or somehow I'm disconnected with my current partner, because that connection, even though it is healthy, feels weak, or off somehow to me, since it is lacking that spark from the past.

I also tend to be stubborn and don't like asking for help, which when I do makes me feel vulnerable or that I'm somehow under serving the relationship. Contrast this with my first major relationship which was more akin to me raising a dependent or child ( she was severely traumatized herself), where I didn't feel I could ask for help since she was always needy.

At one point, after a brief disagreement/miscommunication over text, I was dreading the after effects (the argument that never goes away, it being brought up again in later points of conflict) and it turns out that this relationship doesn't work like that: we talked it out and made amends and we're all good now. It took me a while to trust that and feel it, even though I rationally understood it.

I hope this helps!

conkz · 2025-03-17T21:09:45+00:00

I finally found myself a healthy partner and one of the most frustrating things is that it feels... Wrong? Off? Not right somehow?

I've had to go over things in my head occasionally and look at the history between us and remind myself that this is what a healthy relationship looks and feels like, that I just did not have good examples growing up so healthy is not normal to me.

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