"the ego stands for reason and good sense while the id stands for untamed passions."
page 59 "The Divided Mind" by John Sarno. MD

I've had the flu for the last coupe of days. In an excellent attempt to achieve escapism, I watch the Twilight Saga several times and took breaks reading a new book on psychosomatic disorders called "The Divided Mind" by John Sarno. MD. It turned out to be a pretty interesting pairing.

Dr Sarno is talking about how the mind can produce real physical changes as an attempt to protect us from unconscious conflicts. The idea is that the physical issues will keep us so focused on dealing with them that we become distracted from the real underlying emotional conflicts. We need to be distracted in order to avoid being overcome with those difficult repressed emotions. The key unconscious conflict is between the id, and the ego/superego. He empathizes that this conflict is universal. It's just a more unresolved conflict in some than in others.

Note, psychosomatic symptoms are real illnesses that can be measured in a laboratory setting, they are only caused by the mind. It's totally different than hypochondriac symptoms that are not real. Psycho-soma is real both in the mind and in the body.

Technically speaking, apparently the mind can create a mild oxygen depravation wherever it likes to in the body, this oxygen depravation in turn can create various diseases and real symptoms that get our attention. I find this particularly interesting as a Buteyko devotee. Hyperventilation for example is so closely linked to stress and emotions, it's an excellent tool for the mind to use to create symptoms that keep us busy and focused on them and not the unresolved unconscious conflicts.

The Twilight story represents a near perfect saga of this universal conflict between the human id and her ego and superego. The id has been described as the "dark, chaotic, illogical, irrational, narcissistic, dependent, childish, primitive" parts of mankind, so perfectly represented by Edward Cullan and the dark twilight world he belongs in.

Furthermore, the immortality of the vampires also mirrors the functions of the id "There is nothing in the id that corresponds to the idea of time" page 59 "The Divided Mind" by John Sarno. MD

The ego and superego on the other hand is equally beautifully embodied in Jakob. He is the Native American boy who represents not only the warm nature of us living humans, despite being a werewolf, but more importantly perhaps, he is fighting for, and trying to protect Bellas life. As she is drawn deeper into her id, she is more and more determined to end her life and become a living dead vampire. Interestingly, it is believed that the ego was developed to protect the self and increase our chances of survival. What better way to represent this side than via the powerful werewolf Jakob who also holds Bellas heart.

In the end of the last movie, Bella exclaims to Edward that it was never a choice between him and Jakob, but a choice between what she "should be" and what she "is", and that seems to be exactly true. The id is the untamed inner core of us all that simply is, the ego helps us survive, and function in a society. For her to survive she has to choose Jakob, but it seems certain that Bella will choose to follow her id -Edward- straight into the clutches of death. At the same time, when she is totally cut off from her id she looses her sanity and her will to live.

It's romantic enough and we all love to watch it, but it's also an opportunity to investigate that impossible age old conflict and try to figure out a way to resolve it. I'm not yet sure what the resolution to this problem may be for us all nor for Bella.

Of course it's not only animalistic passionate lust that offers a problem in the unconscious, another key area of conflict is the need to succeed in life and how the id protests having to follow the strict rules and regulations that the superego imposes on it in order to improve our survival by pushing us to societal success, (for the good of both the group and the individual). There are also issues of rage, inferiority complexes and I'm sure many other things I'll read more about today.

I wonder though, why do some of us solve all these conflicts with ease while others need to develop psychosomatic symptoms to cover the unresolved repressed emotions? All I can say is that we know these are universal inner processes of the conscious vs the unconscious mind, and judging from the success of the Twilight trilogy, and the obsessive nature of the fan base this seems to validate the theory.

The Twilight movies offer no solution to the conflict however, it just lures us into the depth of our subconscious and very passionate id. It is very easily entertaining and instantly escapist. However, I'll keep on reading that book to see what solutions may be offered and I'll keep you all posted. Until the, I'll also watch the Twilight saga as many times as I can squeeze in.