Sunday, January 07, 2007

In Your Own Time

Linda Starlson, aged 32, developed feelings of tension and anxiety related to pains in the right side of her head. (Subsequently diagnosed with (SDW): Depersonalization with pervasive anxiety). It was probably significant that her father, to whom she had been very much attached, had died a few months before having had such head symptoms before his stroke. The patient's symptoms generalized, however, so that at the hospital ward she presented a four-month history of shakiness, loss of concentration, feelings of nausea in the morning and a feeling of fear gripping her stomach. Under these circumstances, she could only use her pencil and drawing paper to literally sketch over three hundred and fifty self-portraits a day. She had difficulty in getting off to sleep and was irritable and constantly keyed up. In this case treatment using hypnotherapy combined with a period on tranquillizers allowed Linda's symptoms to clear.

Photo of Linda Starlson (right), and her self-portrait (above left) #47, 12/03/06. Linda is currently receiving out-patient care at the hospital, and she can be reached at her email at: lindastarlson@yahoo.com


__________________________________________

[NEW: Also take a look at her work with the picture book project.]

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

three
hundred
and fifty
self-portraits a day


amazing!

& obviously a talented artist, too

/t.

Jesse said...

How about a narcissistic sadist?

flic said...

/t.- And it's fascinating and intriguing that she won't draw (or paint, or sculpt) anything else but self-portraits.

jesse- Now that would be good! I'll see what I could do.

Anonymous said...

her hand must get very tired.

Hey flic - thanks for the personality blurb. question for you -- is that solely through word analysis, or is there some spiritual component that you use?

bloggin the Question said...

I often get those symtoms in thwe morning, today is an instance. I always put it down to hang over although I am often hung over without and often feel shakey nauseas and depersonalised without being hungover. I am distrustful of psychioatric diagnosese on philosophical grounds. How dare anyone call bi polar disorder or schitzophrenia a disease? I think it is on the other end of the spectrum from dullness and stupidity.

flic said...

good for me- Her hand does get tired, and she frequently uses both hands in order to continue.

And you're very welcome for the personality blurb. There is indeed a spiritual component that I do reach, and use, by way of the words (analysis).

Jesse said...

Yea, enough beautiful people, already.

flic said...

helga von porno- I appreciate your sentiment. As a matter of fact, I subscribe to it. We don't call bipolar disorders or schizophrenia diseases here.

I'll reprint two separate comments I've made in the past replying to concerns over the semantics of jargon in connection with real life:

I said...

1. "You better brace yourself, because schizophrenia is an unwitting way of life for a large portion of the population in the world. (And I'm talking about the regular 'normal' people that you pass in the street and see on TV.)

There are mild forms of schizophrenia (non-diagnosed) to the more severe forms.

But don't be frightened. You'll have to get used to them. You may even be walking amongst some of them in the corridors at your workplace.
"

and...

2. "And don't forget: in the world of linguistics (and our world is a world of linguistics!) there is a 'them and us' or 'me and you' situation in absolutely every form of communication.

In fact, some people would even say that even if you were talking to yourself, you'd essentailly be contructing an ego/alter-ego, or conscious/sub-conscious, situation.

Now, if the Description Series was instead a series of descriptions by prominent scientists, would you 'not like' the idea of 'perpetuating a 'them and us' situation'?

If they are scientists and we are not, why would you want to escape that reality? To make the scientists feel better? To make yourself feel better? Would you really want all of us in the world to pretend that we were all scientists, or not scientists, or whatever?

But realistically speaking, there is no need to patronize schizophrenics. There is actually a silent movement these days of schizophrenics and patients suffering a myriad of other mental illnesses who are proud of their mental state and are not afraid of the old-fashioned stereotypes that others might attribute to them.

These 'mental misfits' don't even try to hide their illness, they in fact actively and openly wear it on their sleeve.
"

And I might add that we're talking about people who for-real cannot function in the real world (either permanently or temporarily), that's why they need the hospital. The next time you're feeling "symptoms" and have a "hangover" try to imagine that you cannot come out of the "stupor" at all. And try to imagine that along with being in that state, that you are lost in it and cannot even actually imagine what is "regular" or "philosophically sound".

Little Lamb said...

I do talk to myself and answer myself. What does that mean?

Anonymous said...

hi - i'm just getting back to this after the holiday rush. i read your comment under In Your Own Time in response to my "spiritual" question. I have mixed emotions about your use of the spiritual as part of the means to a personality analysis you said to be of one's written or spoken words. I'm also curious about your definition of Mythophobia. When I looked it up, it states that it's the fear of myths or stories or false statements. Can you help me understand how that equates to your ability to read a person from their words? In my opinion, which may not be the opinion of the masses, if you're using spiritual methods of analysis, it might be important to make that known. All this being said, everything you said about me was spot on. Except for the sexual energy thing -- i don't know that i am capable of concluding myself what i exude to others. Thanks flic! Hope you have a great week!

flic said...

little lamb- It probably means you're thinking out loud, or even using yourself as a surrogate (friend) person who could answer your questions. If you're aware of doing it, talking and even answering yourself is just something you do.

flic said...

good for me- I guess I should ask you what your definition of "spiritual" is, because I took it to mean, or I used it as meaning, something other than strict formula for making an analysis. An artist for example doesn't paint by numbers, there has to be a connection or a contact with what he is painting, or rather with the painting itself.

[BTW: I would also consider the concept of "first impressions" and "intuition", and "just a hunch" as acts of "spiritualism" as well.]

So yes, it is spiritual in the sense that I must make a "connection", a contact, with the words that I read. In that post, I mention about deciphering a personality based on words. So words are the basis of what I'm using.

Words are the footprints and fingerprints of a person (words are really vibrations eminating from that person). Some people are able to accurately track and know footprints and fingerprints, and some are not able. Now mythophobia is just what you say it is. If one has a "fear" of those things, one [thinks one] knows when those things are present. Let's just say that there is a true story behind every story. I hope you might see the possible connection between mythophobia and word analysis.

I suppose really this would be another book, answering your questions here. I want to thank you for that, GFM.

Anyway, if a baseball player wears his lucky socks during a game, is he obligated to mention the socks every time he hits a home run? Is it the socks, or is it him hitting the home run?

And I'll stick with the sexual energy thing. Remember, I put that word in parenthesis. Meaning it's not as prominent or in the forefront in relation to just "energy". But it's there.

I hope I have answered your questions here. If you'd like me to answer more fully, please feel free to ask me more questions to get more of an answer. That would be helpful to me, too.

Little Lamb said...

I am thinking outloud. I guess that may mean I'm friends with myself. That can't be bad.

flic said...

little lamb- That's right. It's not bad.

Canopenner said...

Boy, I wish I did something productive when I was having problems.

All I do is kick things.

carrie said...

i love this blog because it is very interesting to talk about this stuff and stuff.

i feel like you can see right through people. can you look through me?

scary. it's like psychiatrists are fortune-tellers.

Infinitesimal said...

i think all art is a form of self portrait.

i get these terrible migraines and am investigating the possibility of them being associated with PTSD and anxiety

but I just keep on going, and graduated from college regardless.

this is an interesting post.

I am in grad school now.

flic said...

canopenner- Now that might improve your soccer game. Or you might want to take up karate, and get some fun out of kicking things. Or maybe it's already fun! :)

carrie- I can look right through you... and I see a lot of positive things.

flic said...

infinitesimal- I think you've made a good observation about art. It's interesting because Linda is always so literal in her self-portraits. Her face is literally "drawn" on every artwork -- eyes, nose, mouth, etc.

Do you suppose the PTSD is from some specific event, or something overall?

And to "just keep on going" is a winning attitude!

Congrats on grad school!!

Infinitesimal said...

TAG!

Infinitesimal said...

I am just trying to figure out the PTSD thing
when learning the "symptoms"
I was hearing my own self in them.

I was sad.

so i sought professional opinion, who confirmed.

as to why... well, maybe i will keep writing the story of why on my blog.

but you, sir, have been tagged!

flic said...

I will do it.

Anonymous said...

hi whats up

flic said...

Anonym- Hello, how are you?

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