Free will, brainwashing…

This couple got 17 children in 21 years. From 1884 to 1905. They were both born 1856, so they were 28 when they got their first child and 49 when they got their last. One child died at birth the others lived to adult age, and the average age of those children is over 83 years I think. Did they get their children of free will? Was it God's gift they got so many children? Was it of love of children they got so many children? Or how come they got so many? Not their own free will getting so many? They were Leastadians... And lived near the Arctic Circle in Sweden, in a fairly tough climate thus... How did they manage this? And how did all these children survive? They lived i a small village with only two families. The other family had as many children, but those children died of tuberculosis. None in the family of the couple above got that disease. How come?

I heard a review on TV some days ago with an author of a new book with the title “Our will isn’t as free as we think – when you do as I want.” "Your will sits in the tree-tops." as we say here.

Found information about the book and there you could read something in the style that: Who owns your thoughts? From you open your eyes till you go asleep in the evening you are exposed to an endless stream of trials to persuasions and influences. Each time you turn the radio on, open a book or walk into a shop someone tries to make ideas grow in your head.

An author here in Sweden has written a book about how you become influenced and complaisant whether it’s about personal, political or commercial circumstances. Knowledge about those things gives you tools you can use if you for instance want get a political idea through, start yoga for the personnel on work time or start a sect with some friends.

But this book also opens your eyes for how the war about your brain is carried out. The difference between selling toothpaste and a politician is maybe smaller than you think.

But I think it’s more to say about this…

A person less exposed to child abuse as a child is less prone to becoming influenced by brainwashing. But the problem is that so many have been exposed to child abuse of some kind or another. If not physical or sexual, so emotional; by being laughed at, belittled, minimized, surrounded by a wall of silence to make one compliant and “kind” and so on. But sexual and physical abuse is more common than we believe.

Some more loud thinking: Struck me this morning about therapists talking about a client’s needs for control… At the same time experts talk about the importance of having a feeling that you have things under control, for instance to avoid exhaustion or burnout. You shall but shall not. In one circumstance you shall let control go and in another control is important. Confusing!? And does this promote integration, healing or recovery actually? Why do therapists use this/these method(s)? Is it because they can’t deal with what’s at the bottom of this problem really, or too many times hardly at all: The child once with no control, who had find itself in situations and circumstances help and powerlessly?

And if the latter adult doesn’t get help processing this she/he will continue to have problems with these things, bigger or smaller, depending on early experiences!? More or less visible? Because a clever client can manage to hide further and continued problems both to her/his therapist and her/himself??? But sooner or less the problems will show up again in some form.

Something Alice Miller actually has written about, when she has written about therapies. For instance in her last books “The Truth Will Set You Free” and “The Body Never Lies.” About therapies covering the problems and giving temporary relief, and in some occasions more long term.

The so called helpers run the power’s errands (går maktens ärenden) in fact! Even the factual power today, meaning the power in society too.

And for instance the Norwegian physician Anna Luise Kirkengen talks about revictimization, which means people becoming abused again in health care and other so called help situations. Something that can occur and has occurred in forums concerning our childhoods!!?? So it actually exists an expression for this!!!