I like it that the problem of evil is resurfacing (again) - now that we've had enough of the positive stuff... The swing of the pendulum... as always.

I believe in evil, because I live in a world of duality. Evil is part of the story here. The story wouldn't work without it.

And although all of this can be seen as a story - when seen from the director's eye -, it can also be very real. And when it gets real - when the object becomes a subject -, it can be scary as hell.

When that happens, there is an option to go with it and find out what the story is, our own personal story, in which these particular events find their meaning. By building (uncovering?) the story, we can put these events into context and thereby get a grip on them, a chance to deal with them in a meaningful way. If we explore the story within this context, we may find its inner logic and also the storylines that can lead to its resolution. (That's how I'm living my entire life btw.)

Going to a shaman, using crystals and all of this stuff may be seen as superstition from the perspective of someone who has a wholly different story. But these things are definitely not superstition for someone who finds him or herself in the depths of that which we call the spiritual realm, where all of this becomes - sometimes painfully - real.

A lot of times on this forum it has been said that we are not entitled to give medical advice to anyone because we are not professionals. I can see the validity of this statement, provided that those to whom we send these people are true professionals, who can really see the problem in its entire, unreduced complexity and handle it in a holistic way. In other words, they can provide the patient with a story which brings a resolution to his/her problem. But can they do that?

In a sense, the story they usually give - "take this medication and it will make you better" - can be seen as a story, albeit a bit dull. And in most cases, it works. Medication taken, symptoms gone. But:

I don't doubt that there are cases where (currently) medication is the only way. I don't doubt the existence of organic psychoses, physical debilitations, autism, etc. Even in those cases, I don't exclude the possibility of some magical healing, but I clearly see we are not in the position to do such healing on a global scale yet. If we have to choose what is better for such a patient: being in constant terror because of the frightening invasions of the "spirit world" or being separated from these attacks by sedation, I think it is a compassionate thing to go the second route (albeit my heart breaks that we have to do this, that we don't have the tools to give holistic help in such cases).

But I think there are also a lot of cases where the reason for the symptoms is entirely psychological in nature. To give medication in these cases is also understandable - my wife is a psychiatrist and they were told by the directors of the hospital to spend 20 minutes on each patient, otherwise financial targets cannot be met -, but I find this is not a real remedy, only a cover-up of the symptoms with a seemingly comfortable solution.