I'm back to the never-ending coincidences that have finally begged my attention. It seems I must at least accept a metaphorical storm of synchronicity. Or must I?Jungian synchronicity implies something that somehow remains obscure: Something or someone synchronizes our coincidences, not us. Thus, Watson, you missed the vital clue and we may dismiss your ridiculous speculations. Who or what synchronized these coincidences? Your own mind, bloody idiot. Patternicity, not synchronicity, explains your muddled thinking and your alcoholic hallucinations, my good friend. Now, may I proceed with my patternicity without your "suggested solutions" interrupting me or shall I sod it?



The Adventure of the Spy I Never Knew





Arpad J. Gergely

First, you'll note in Tradecraft image that I've decided to share the highlights of my reading. Second, keep in mind I'm 95 or so percent Hungarian and I once all but carried the Communist card until I realized ideology's a canard. And that I've long had an attraction to espionage and particularly spies who get themselves ensnared in their self-written fates. As well, I've recently shifted one angle of my reading towards espionage novels. And The Falcon and The Snowman is one of favorite films (and books) and one I've repeatedly watched. Add to that the three books I've read and two films I've watched regarding the human blank Robert Hanssen. Add to this, my skeptic's nightmare, the fact that I needed to re-link the very reading highlights I mentioned while winding up for this piece.



In doing so, I decided to check whether any of the anthologies featuring my short fiction remain were still available. Obviously, I searched for my name and discovered the following secondary plot in This Face Behind I Hide by Arpad J. Gergely, a fellow Hungarian and novelist; I hope the following except sells a few copies of my compatriot's novel. Oh, yes: In case you're six years old, spoiler alert!







As you see, one must merely follow the links, and so...





It's only Pareidolia.

Pareidolia, Please



To recover from benzodiapines prescribed and otherwise, I now take Wellbutrin, which, most of you know, is a dopamine agonist. I'm still experimenting, trying to find the best dosage. When taking the maximum dose, I've noticed it's easy to detect the degree, if any, to which behaviors, emotions and thought processes affect dopamine; the surge is palpable. And while not the post powerful pseudo-agonist, pareidolia -- or patternicity -- provides a drug-like kick that will save my life and possibly yours.





How so? Simple. As I cope with post-acute withdrawal, I must engage in some pursuit or I'll go mad by Monday. To escape that state, and the monotony that contributed to my caused anxiety attacks while I was still taking "tranquilizers," I instead take parediolia and plenty of it.




Hypothesis


LSD acts as a dopamine agonist, thereby generating extended and pronounced episodes of paredoila, suggesting that dopamine produces paredoila and, hopefully, "intentional paredoila" promises a therapeutic effect for various anxiety disorders.




Definitions


Paredoiloa: The imagined perception of a pattern or meaning where it does not actually exist, as in considering the moon to have human features.



Apophenia: The spontaneous perception of connections and meaningfulness of unrelated phenomena.



Both terms are mentioned below; I consider them complimentary.




Research Questions  

Does dopamine increase the brain's preexisting tendency towards paredoiloa?
Are the prolonged and intense episodes of paredoiloa common to LSD use explained by  LSD being a dopamine agonist?
What, if any, therapeutic value does paredoiloa possess?


Findings

LSD as an Agonist Of Dopamine Receptors in the Striatum . Abstract. [Excerpt]. "Using a modification of the rotational model proposed by Ungerstedt we found that LSD acted as a potent agonist at dopamine receptors in the striatum." 
"The right frontal lobe seems to contribute to the generation of dynamic images evoked by ambiguous visual input (Minor et al. [1989]; Gill - O’Boyle [2003]), and if we intertwine the two observations we can hypothesize that magical thought on the one hand and apophenia on the other participate in the general cognitive module of “belief” described by Wolpert [2006]. Moreover, it appears that the neurotransmitter dopamine is directly involved in the process, if it is true that one increment of it provokes a decline in the condition of a schizophrenic patient, while in healthy subjects it produces an increase in curiosity and meaning-making, at times linked to rapturous, numinous states and frequent apohenic experiences (Mohr et al. [2004]; Petchkovsky [2008])." The Roots of the Savage Mind. Apophenia and Imagination as Cognitive Process. Matteo Meschiari (University of Palermo, Italy).
Obviously, dopamine benefits some portion of those experiencing various emotional disorders. More clear is a direct relationship between "apophenia" [for my purposes, read apophenia/paredoiloa] creativity in the general and narrow sense, as well as varying degrees of function ranging from schizophrenia
to "creative genius," and "intentional apophenia/paredoiloa]" would benefit certain populations but have a significant negative effect upon certain other populations: "Dopamine's effect on the prefrontal cortex exhibits a U-shaped function: too much dopamine, or too little dopamine, and cognition is impaired. There also appears to be some degree of antagonism
between dopamine levels in the prefrontal cortex (which are associated
with working memory) and dopamine levels in the striatum (which are
associated with implicit learning and schizophrenia), with elevated
levels of striatal dopamine often associated with reduced dopamine in
the prefrontal cortex. DeYoung and his colleagues speculate that
dopamine may increase apophenia at sufficiently high levels while at the
same time disrupting cognitive functions such as working memory that
are associated with intelligence. [... ] Openness is positively correlated with Intellect, but the correlation is far from perfect. Those who are extremely high in both Openness and Intellect form a small subset of the total population, but they may be the ones who are most likely to leave their stamp on posterity." Must One Risk Madness to Achieve Genius? Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D.


 Conclusions



Patternicity, Survival and Happiness




All this patternicity led me straight to my point, which was made before me here:

For cynegetic man nature is a language. I do not mean only that he is a skillful reader of animal behavior or meteorological events but that nature functions as a syntax. Travel across the terrain, the internal anatomy and relationship of animal parts, the taxonomy and classification of plants and animals with its concept of species, the objet trouvé – all are steps in the normal maturing of consciousness and mentality. Shepard, P. The Tender Carnivore and the Sacred Game, Athens-London, The University of Georgia Press. 1973.

That's to say we must hunt down our meanings. That doubles my warning: Don't go waiting for synchronicity. Make it. Our happiness and mental health rely upon enough -- but not too much -- patternicity. Repeat: We must hunt to stay alive.



I'm not claiming my research proves my hypothesis correct, except that I guessed LSD's role as a dopamine agonist.  I also found preexisting evidence proving the connections between dopamine, patternicity, creativity, and, yes, madness. The hard evidence is fascinating and the soft evidence provocative, to say the least.



I'll illustrate how and why I took the time (all day) to write this piece and why I'm happy I did so.




Map of Patternicity


Point A: Last night, I happened to read a blurb for the documentary Happy: "'Are you happy?' This simple query, asked of hundreds of passers-by in NYC, led to a series of ruminations about the passage of time and the nature of contentment.'"



Point B:  I thought to myself, "I don't think there's ever been a time I would not have answered that question no or at best with a hedged yes."



Intersection: This morning, having forgotten all about Happy since I chose not to watch it, I began reading A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine. And what did I read but this: "Seneca's essay 'On the Happy Life' was written for his elder brother Gallio [and explains that] if he wishes to practice Stoicism, [the elder] will have to make it his business to 'learn how to feel joy.'"




Sing along:

None of this involves magic or an unknown force

that synchronizes our coincidences.



Create your own coinkidinks.

  

Errata




I should note that the ability to increase dopamine levels by one means or another necessitates regulating those levels. Otherwise, an overdose of exuberance may occur, as it did when I nearly posted the absurd new subheading of "Preliminary Conclusions," always preceded by "Dead Births."

Visit Toth Link Portal for links to all of Paul A. Toth's work.