I've been curious about...
The machinations of my own mind/psyche/nervous system. For various reasons, I have had to get increasingly curious and stay that way over a years-long haul. This includes the usual suspects:
- "Serious Stuff", lets say. Viz. paying attention to and learning about therapeutic introspection, relationship/social dynamics, clinical psychology, meds as they apply to me.
- BUT also can include "fun stuff"! For example: seeking out and befriending like-oriented kindred spirits (it feels great to be seen / heard by peers), and developing a persistent interest in biology (which I hated in school), and even signing up for research studies! I got accepted into a Phd memory study and it was great to be back on a university campus, a couple of decades since graduating.
Current opinion: I think all mental health work leans N(1).
The art of it appears to be remaining curious and seeking self-understanding without lapsing into tiktok pop-psych, nor a false sense of studied erudition (No; one will almost certainly not become a clinician).
The greater the complexity/depth/intensity of one's condition, the more it calls for subtle, bespoke work. Progress from outside-self intervention has an upper limit (e.g. "taking the prescribed meds"). Active, self-directed self-work (in concert with one's support system, of course), brutal as it, must be done... somehow.
To others in a similar state space; may The Force be with you. Following one's curiosity, even now, will probably not result in the curious cat's fate. Worth the extra (omg so much extra) trouble, IMHO.
_|/
P.S. Anyone wishing to discuss more, feel free to email me (see bio). Please refer to this exact comment.
I've deliberately not shared specifics, including self-educational resources, because this stuff is slow, plodding, deliberate N(1) work, and I've personally found it counterproductive to read/consume the vast majority of N(1) experiences I've found.
(edit: fix typos, reformat for clarity)