A feeling cannot be a problem. A thought, however, can be-if the thought is a misbelief about a feeling. I & i: The Book of Binary Psychology by Dr. Brian P. Lahey, M.D. provides an in-depth description of human psychology as never before conceived. Dr. Lahey’s innovative insight into the thinking mind uncovers its base elements-feeling and thought, and in doing so, illuminates the nature of conscious experience. Through the looking glass of the binary model, the code to understanding the human being is revealed. The revolutionary nature of Binary Psychology occurs by way of understanding the binary or two-part consciousness. The pubescent onset of thinking marks the beginning of the internal relationship between one’s feelings (and desires) and one’s thoughts (and beliefs). The interaction between feeling and thought is thus decisive in forming the individual perceptive experience. Life is thus a relational experience, primarily occurring between the two parts which constitute the thinking mind. Binary Psychology provides the framework by which this relationship, and relationships which manifest outwardly throughout one’s life, can be understood. Most importantly, through the binary model, psycho-emotional problems are illuminated as symptoms of consciousness. As a result, in clinical application, Binary Psychology facilitates corrective adjustments through changes of mind.An integral part of the Binary Psychology model is the shift in perceptive consciousness occurring around the time of puberty, framed as the onset of thinking. Therein, Binary Psychology makes sense of the adolescent process of separation and identity formation, and explains the pitfalls in their reflective perception of others. The ability to form independent thought internally creates a self-centered reflection of the world-a reflective bubble-from which every adolescent will struggle to escape. Dr. Lahey emphasizes the importance of becoming independent for the wellness of both the mind and the body, and throughout the book emphasis on the importance of psycho-emotional growth is put forth. Dr. Lahey’s concept of the human mind illustrates the importance of connecting with the present moment. Only within the present moment can someone realistically attach to life outside themselves. For only within a state of connectedness can someone have a true expression of themselves, and where their energy/feeling flows outside of themselves, thereby having a constructive effect within the environment. The more an individual focuses on what has happened or is happening to them, the less they are able to regard themselves happening to their environment. A notable feature of life, Dr. Lahey notes, is the frequency in which a leap of faith is required. Stepping into new experiences is unavoidable because of the indefatigable forward progression of time. New experiences keep the mind having to assimilate new information and thus growing in understanding of oneself and the world. Any fulfillment which is sustainable will be experienced as a blossoming of one’s purpose within the world, a becoming of oneself, and a fully potentiated giving of oneself.The substance of negative feelings (anger, fear, sadness), Dr. Lahey puts forth, is energy potentiated by an individual’s thought intention relative to their present environment or themselves. Each individual intends either to be positive along their efferent (outgoing) nervous system or to not experience negativity from their afferent (incoming) nervous system. According to Dr. Lahey, the will within every individual points one direction or the other-to be or not to be. Tragically, by seeking to not experience negativity, an individual must reject the sensory negativity by attributing the sensory experience to their body or life’s effect on them. By rejecting negativity, an individual puts out negativity-either anxiety, anger, or sadness-which is then how others experience them.
