There are no words that I know that do the job and call attention better to what we do in places like this than "hysteria." In the mythopoetic view, hysteria underlies mythopoesis, the process of creating stories and realities and assessing them for communicating and living. Hysteria can simply be defined as a satisified desire creating and seeking unsatisfied desire; fulfilled desire creating and seeking unfulfilled desire; a constant undoing of satisfaction, creating another unsatisfaction and then trying to satisfy the created unsatisfaction in an endless round. Desire is an emotion/feeling of unsatisfaction, an inclination to reach satisfaction. Satisfaction is an emotion/feeling present when desire is fullfilled.

The source of this is two: the inability to see/be the "hole," the "gap," which is "unrecognized hysteria" and clearly seeing and realizing the gap, the hole, (recognized hysteria). In unrecognized hysteria, there is the unwitting landing on "tensional poles or extremes" and holding or fixating on one and fighting off tensional pull of the others by say "defending the grip," the feel, the sense of it, the comfort and security of it. These "grippings" on the extreme poles creates stress, tension, suffering, conflict.... Letting go of one pole is usually replaced by holding on to another pole and then again another pole. This can go on for decades until all poles have been experienced or not. In doing that, it is possible to see the hole, the gap and to be free of the gripping of the extreme tensional poles. The hole, the gap can be seen earlier if there is "openness" to see. 

In recognized hysteria, all the poles are clearly seen, unhidden, realized and are used as means to create stories that are useful for living. No extreme is held or fixated upon as it becomes an inability. 

In unrecognized hysteria, satisfied desire seeks and creates unsatisfied desire without knowing, unawares, and not knowing how it is occuring, that is the hypothesis (unsatisfied desire) and hypothesis making is not known or seen. So endless seeking and searching and finding without knowing how or why, blindly without complete satisfaction because the hypothesis is always changing unawares and stress abounds when tension pulls away from the pole gripped. Avoidance of tension becomes paramount and this is tension creating. 

In recognized hysteria, desire is satisfied and laetitia is with or without doing. To enjoy differently, an unsatisfied desire is consciously created and then sought to complete satisfaction. Then another is made. Science is to some degree is such a conscious endeavor, where a hypothesis (unsatisfied desire) is established and then sought to completion (experimentation, data analysis, conclusion). Continuation is a matter of preference. 

Extremes and the Gap in a circle without insides and outsides.

gap |nothingness |becoming |thingness |nonthingness |gap
hole |nonexistence|un-becoming|existence |ineffableness|hole
|non-being |becoming |being |mystery | 

So the main possibilities appear based on the pole held:

I do not exist! I am meaningless! I create meaning from nothing!

I am becoming and un-becoming! I become relatively meaningful and impermanent! I arise and disappear!

I am complex, a complex synthesis, a whole (nothingness and thingness)

I exist! I am meaningful! I am absolute! 

I am mystery! I am beyond expression, meaning! I am unknowable!

It does not exist! It is meaningless! Meaning is created from nothing!

It becomes and un-becomes! It is all relative, impermanent! It arises and disappears!

It exists! It is meaningful! It is absolute! It is. 

It is mysterious! It is beyond expression meaning! It passes all
understanding! 

I create me and my realities with language, symbols and imagination to support landing on and gripping these poles become satisfied in them. But being extreme and partial, tension is created by the pull of the other extremes (in unawareness or awareness) creating unfulfilled desire for some "thing" else. And so what about this? But what about this? And this? Could it be this or perhaps this? Let me see, let me comment, Let me check.......The questioning arises as to how to satisfy the hypothesis, the unsatisfied desire created nonconsciously or consciously, implicitly, explicitly, both or neither.

If the hole is seen clearly and accepted all extremes are seen and laetitia arises. Unrecognized hysteria is then clearly recognized. Hysteria can now be used (or not) in the lucid and transformative arts in living.

The end of "tensional living" that is gripping extreme poles, is feared and is anxiety provoking, even devasting to the tightly gripped, as such living is similar to a deep addiction and the withdrawal symptoms can be profound. On this account the hole is usually not seen clearly or if seen, not accepted or rejected - and unrecognized hysteria ensues. 

Hidden and unfaced or realized and faced corollaries unavoidbly form when one of the extreme poles are landed on and held. For example, as applied to knowledge, knowing and understanding there are, hidden or known, or partially so, the "refuges" of extreme positions. When speaking from them there is a fundamental assumptio(s) that is rarely exposed and freely asserted usually only in the case of believers, who need no verification outside of their belief. For the others, these positions usually remain hidden so as not to reveal the "extremity gripped" and thus subject to the "prying of fingers to loosen" and assaults of all kinds... and thus is rarely exposed in communication. The "refuges" are covered in words, reason, logic, humor, sarcasm, cynicism, compassion, love, confusion etc. all hiding the extreme view held whether hidden or realized or partially so. For example we have the corresponding "refuges" that match the holding on to extreme poles of either nothingness, becoming, thingness, nothingness and thingness, nonthingness

"No one is right, every one is wrong." We are making it up as we go along. Fools! make your own reality. Ignore others! Do your thing!" (i.e. nihilism, anarchy)

"Every one is right in a way, every is one is wrong in a way. We have to see and accept all differences, views, all sides, all have value. Every one entitled to their view. Why insist on one view over others. Be open!" (i.e. relativism) 

"I am right, everyone else is wrong. The truth is, reality is, they just can't see it or accept. They are blind and ignorant for it is right in front of their noses and the way to see it is clear if they just take to the path that leads to it" (monisms, absolutisms, scientisms).

"We have to see and learn from all sides to see what is real. One view does not contain the whole. It is just not this way or that, it is not black and white, it is not relative. We can see the whole by examining all of the parts. Every one is so imbalanced! They need to be more aware and accepting to see the whole picture!" (i.e. synthesis and syncretism)

"No one can know anything, it is not possible to know anything, all shots in the dark, best guesses and approximations. They try and try and just do not realize it cannot be done. They simply do not face their reality"(i.e. skepticism).

"It is all an absolute mystery. How can anyone know it in words or concepts? It is beyond knowing, awareness, it passes all understanding, nothing ever happened All we need to do is accept and enter the mystery in surrender and all becomes clear, all becomes one"(faith, mysticism)."

There are those, of course, who are aware enough of the poles to become "switchers" or more commonly known as "bullshitters" who move among the poles changing positions as necessary to remain absolute, uncatchable without revealing concern for any pole while they are holding one very tightly. These pole grippers denounce all others except those similar to themselves. Similarly, there are also reasoners who hold onto to one unspoken extreme or two in combination and then study all poles, so as to be able to defy all others pole positions by knowing their stories better than the grippers of those poles. In in doing so, reasoners appear as knowing better, cutting others apart, while achieving a superior position in dialogue by hiding effectively hiding their pole position, by knowing the weaknessness of the stories of others, and by avoiding any direct discussion of their polar assumptions that must be held in order to communicate. And so on. 

The hysterical refuge taken here is on the existence pole and in taking the following created unsatisfied desire or hypothesis: If this presentation of hysteria and mythopoetics is read and considered, then it will be dealt with in a hysterical manner in one of the the two ways mentioned, singularly or in of combination of poles as there are no other alternatives possible and if not it will either be unraveled, and revealed to be some thing else or it will not. The null hypothesis is that it will make no difference at all. 

----------

Gene Poole answers, with further clarifications from Lewis interpolated:

Thank you Lewis, that is a delightful
exposition!

The song 'Pinball Wizard' comes to mind;
speaking of bouncing from pole to pole,
and saying; "I meant to do that!"

'Hysteria' is 'the' reaction typically had
when a person faces or glimpses the unknown.

Alcoholic 'confabulation' is an easy-to-see
version of the 'normal' state you describe;
the 'gaps' are simply filled in with 
bits that seem to 'fit'; thus there is no
challenge to 'normality'. I think that is
called 'Korsakoff's psychosis', but it seems
to be simply a more radical version of the
'awareness' of the 'encultured' person.

Lewis: Quick repair work on an exposed
working hypotheses, with "forgetting
in the moment and recent past" of all
permutations showing it to be only that
so as to maintain ontological security.
"My [conceptual] world is really this way
and so you see look at this, I have to and
so...It goes like this...."

'Male Hysteria' has been identified recently;
female hysteria being the well-known 'outburst
of emotion', the male version being an
'outburst of rationality'. Trouble is, the
'rationality' of male hysteria is emanated
as a 'patch' for a 'belief system' that 
is threatening to disintegrate; and such
patches may be 'emanated' in such volume,
and AT such (verbal) volume, that the patches
become a worse 'problem' than the fragile
'reality' being patched.

Lewis: That is when hysteria, as everyday work necessary
to get along (we use hypotheses to go on), becomes
a symptom of nonadaptibility and the problems of living
that ensue for both females and males when the 
patches get in the way of going on.

----------------

And Onniko asks after the original post:

 *_* Wow that was long.
 Did you write that?
 Did you think that up
 in your head, haha?


Lewis: Thank you for noticing the length. What is below is shorter so if you utter just Oh! that will do. :-)

Yes, I typed it out and not actually thinking it up as it is more in way of constituting a summary story made from the all the writings here and on other lists to which I subscribe; all of the types of responses found, the assertions, denials, syntheses, doubts, dismissals, conflicts, arguments, experiences, mine included.... and the general categories that emerged. So it is a sort of summary story of what was and is observed and experienced.

Nonduality, enlightenment, self realization, related states and experiences and so on at the moment have not been lucidly presented, definable, or demonstrable beyond metaphors, assertions, beliefs and lived experiences that are never given in any "concrete" form. Concrete form such as I am enlightened and this is how it is for me to drive a car, or to watch a movie, to eat an apple, to see a forest and other stuff we do. This is not done by any one as far as I can determine. No feelings, emotions mentioned etc either. In place of the that are the same words, concepts, metaphors, analogies found in available text, teachings on it. There are a few exceptions here who do not employ or repeat the normative social discourse of nonduality and do not point in the same way or point to the same stuff or who do not point at all since it seems there is a view or experience with them that the moon pointed to and the finger pointing are the same thing.

It has been curious why all of this is being done day after day, month after month (my extent) and I suppose year after year. I do the same in my way about the things that I have an abiding interest in. I make stories and use them to go on in all sorts of ways at home, work, social venues, here, exercise, rest, hobbies and so on. It seems that there is nothing more than that going on here. But there is talk as if there is more and so I have been looking into it and seeing if there is any correlation with my experiences. Whatever is going on with others in their life, it is not presented here in any crisp arresting detail and so there are piles of word and images and concepts to pile through and that which is above is what I came up with those aforementioned subjects.

The observations of the pole gripping became apparent in the observed writings, questions and challenges made to others views and experiences by me and others. Poles were gripped and never let go. I understand this from my own experiences of attachment. But what was perplexing was that this continued on and on without any visible alteration in the way of expression for most. That is how the "hypothesis" that is not known but created and sought after idea came up. An imaginative conceit is made unawares or partially so and then is sought after. And since a conceit cannot be had, the hypothesis, the conceit sought, is altered again and again as it is exposed to influences of others and altered but never given up. So, there is a refinement in the fiction, the hypothesis sought, and and a change in how it is dealt with but it is never loosed. This would be my definition of hysteria that is not bad or good just what we do to get along aware of it or not that we do it. 

Hysteria is a catchy term, has a bit of the uncontrollable in it, the emotional and the odd. It seems if we are simply alive and well in body we are satisfied and content. But some really do not like that state of simple contentment for some reason or feeling and so constantly make hypotheses unawares to keep the engine of action and feeling going on to other things and then fixated in some things, and never satisfied in it, it cannot be put away, there is no orgasm just eternal foreplay. It seems that it can be done being aware rather than not so and that is what all of human creation seems to be about. Science is nothing but hysteria as it is a well organized hysterical enterprise, always making hypotheses and chasing after them and so it is constantly making stories to go on in the world and they overtake all other kinds of knowledge making in the process. Being aware and making unsatisfied desire is less addictive, fixating, stressing then being addicted to and compulsive about always maintaining unsatisfied desire, desire never satisfied. A hungry ghost sort of thing. Hungry, eats and never satisfied.

The "hole" or "gap" is left and there is nothing to say.