Letters on Penelope Andrade's Bleep Comments Barry Heermann I am writing to Penelope Andrade's re-flections on the “What the Bleep,” movie. Bottom line: I loved the movie, AND reading Penelope's assessment of how emotional factors didn't get adequately addressed provided an additional, more comprehensive understanding of being more fully “human” beings. BRAVO. — Barry Heerman

Nancy Stern
Great article! I saw the movie once and walked away wondering what all the buzz was about. Penelope has d one an excellent job sorting it out. (I just wish she would have said a few more introductory words about what Candace Pert is best known for—so people who don't know the name would have a reference point.) Thanks for the education.

—Nancy Stern

Jane Cohen
I feel in alignment with much of Penelope Young Andrade's entertaining and intelligent article, “What's Up with What the Bleep?” last month. However, as a colleague with a different approach to change and transformation, I disagree with some of her points, particularly that the movie was encouraging us to control our emotions.

Although Dr. Dispenza's remark, “If you can't control your emotional state, you must be addicted to it,” as Penelope pointed out, is easily misinterpreted, I do think he makes an important point. I think he's referring to people unconsciously producing the same negative emotions over and over again. Managing (a better choice than “controlling”) emotional states, is a different concept than controlling our emotions. The issue here is changing what we are doing with our minds that is eliciting the emotions.

A new client of mine wanted help in changing the dysfunctional patterns of thinking that were frequently producing angry responses in her, often toward her husband. Because of the movie, she could see how much harm acting this pattern out was causing her.

What seems to be at issue is what the relative roles thoughts and emotions have on our experience. In other words, which leads —thoughts or emotions? The particular emotions that are elicited, and whether our emotional experience is to our benefit or not, has a lot to do with where we direct our mind, and how we interpret our experience.

I agree with Penelope that repressing our emotions is harmful to our whole being, and can block consciousness. And I also agree that there is immense and generally untapped wisdom that can only be accessed through connecting with and understanding our emotions. Where I disagree with her is what leads. When she described the “nice young man” having feelings of fear and desire in the presence of a pretty woman, she said the problem was not the fear he felt, but the story he had attached to having the fear. While I agree that people's dysfunctional patterns are often compounded by negative interpretations about having particular emotions, most negative emotions are not the result of present-moment experience. They most often result from unhealed patterns of thought, and block present-moment experience. I would describe the young man as having dysfunctional thought patterns that are triggered when he is feeling desire toward a pretty woman. It's the dysfunctional interpretation (elicited by the dysfunctional pattern) that brings up the fear. The fear then causes behavior that reinforces the pattern.

Our emotional state is the indicator of what we are doing with our mind. Our emotions let us know the experience of reality we are creating. Whether emotional expression is helpful or not, depends very much on whether it's a flowing out of emotional energy, or it's an expression of dysfunctional thought patterns, perpetuating a story. In addition, there's also the direction in which the mind is turned, whether it's in a positive, resourceful direction, or whether it's in a negative, disempowering, self-defeating direction. The direction we focus in, positive or negative, produces emotions that support that direction, with its particular paradigm of reality. The movie demonstrates the dysfunctional use of thought and emotion, and its profound effect on us.

--Jane Ilene Cohen

Theo Cade Ph.d.

I loved Penelope Andrade's article on “What The Bleep.” It reminds me of a recent interview I heard on NPR with the person who was the prime mover behind the film. I don't recall his name. He said that the fe edback they are receiving is widely varied, which was exactly their goal, to invite diverse contemplation and opinions through considered dialogue rather than to push for any single perspective.

I felt Penelope's authentic response did precisely that. She presented what she liked about the movie and what she found could be evolved further according to her personal experiences as one who has spent years freeing people from the oppressiveness of closed thinking. As a trained therapist myself, I find Penelope's comments reflected both the evolutionary contribution the film is making to the public at large and some important implications that could get people and culture stuck that are not so obvious because of its evolved content beyond the ordinary fare. I imagine it may be difficult to see and express things that don't immediately seem evident to others, as Penelope did. As I see it, it takes courage and willingness to express oneself so in spite of possible contrary reactions. For example, she courageously walks her talk in expressing sex positive comments. As a reader, it inspired me to want to see the film again, contemplate it, and come to my own conclusions, as was the stated goal of the creators.

To me, this kind of powerful writing is rare in consciousness-raising writing and contributes to it by inspiring open thinking and contemplation of truths beyond what is immediately apparent. The interest level it offers is above the ordinary and should inspire a larger readership. As a result of its refreshing candor, I certainly will read your magazine more often.

—Theo Cade Ph.D.

 

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