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Nor will anything be gained by a patent and speedy program that is not solidly based on understanding, both understanding of the self in particular, and what you may call the mechanics involved in the creation of the illness itself, and in an understanding of those elements which caused the personality to develop the illness.

Nor do we want to rid him of one illness so quickly that he still feels a need for it, for in such a case he would indeed very promptly develop another. So, though he would wish that we go quickly, we shall go slowly, for the nature of his own reactions causes in some degree the necessity for the illness.

We have in the past discussed in full the manner in which physical matter is formed. We have also discussed the ego, and our friend would do well to read the sessions dealing with the ego, and the ego’s relationship to action. For one of the basic reasons for the difficulty lies in the fact that the ego of the present personality does strongly attempt to stand apart from action. It attempts to force action, and to fight action which it does not initiate.

Here we have a blockage. The personality, the present ego, will not acquiesce to action, will not go along with it as part of it, but attempts to force it along its own directions. This will become clearer when passages concerning action and the ego are read.

There is an involvement that would seem, would seem, intense. The ego appears to be extremely intense, but to a large degree this is a deception, for the intenseness is caused by the attempt of the ego not to become involved with action, unless the ego can dominate action. There is no basic trust of the inner self. The personality does not basically recognize or trust the ability of the inner self, and this results in an intense inhibited fear.

The ego of the personality does not trust its own inner organisms. It must attempt to stand apart from them, and keep an eye on them. The ego does not believe that they are treating it right. The ego is therefore in its present circumstances because it fears itself so solitary, since it has to a large degree cut itself off from its inner self; yet not entirely, for the intuitive still speaks.

It has not been drowned completely by any means. Attempting to cut itself off, however, from the wholeness of the whole personality, the ego must strain for its reserves of energy; for in a large measure, it refuses to accept the energy of the whole personality that is available to it.

It will be our concern here, therefore, to aid the personality to discover and use these resources. I will have more to say concerning the manner in which the organic illness has been accepted by the ego, as a part of the ego’s self-image. This acceptance does indeed take place in that area of the personal subconscious that is closely allied to the ego.

But this illness is not so accepted by the whole self, or by the deeper layers of the personality, although certain general tendencies from past lives have aided the personality to strike out physically against his own organism in such a manner.

This is why there appears to be two such diverse tendencies that show themselves. The personality is indeed divided. The ego fights the inner self, which means of course that the self fights against itself.

What the personality must be led to see is that any real permanence would indeed be the death of the ego and the personality. For as we know, the ego is not the same today, in your terms, as it was yesterday, nor yet as it will be tomorrow. That “I” continually changes.

The ego is indeed but one part of the self that speaks for the other portions of the self, but when it tries to speak for itself only, then indeed its words become meaningless, and the words become threats to the rest of the self. The discipline required in following our program as it develops, that discipline will itself represent the first steps to recovery.

The passages will become clear as the personality becomes better acquainted with other portions of our sessions. There are here indeed other psychological and surface reasons for the illness, and also deeper reasons for the tendency toward this particular type of illness.

I now suggest your break, and I do myself indeed enjoy your pleasant summer evening. I would like to make it plain here, however, that on a surface psychological level, the personality plunges into activity, and it is for the present this portion of the personality with whom we must deal. Nevertheless, beneath there is a denial of involvement, and a strong desire for permanency, both of which are repressed, and the stronger the efforts put forth by the ego to repress these tendencies, then these tendencies will explode with inadequate stimuli. There will be an overaction on the part of the ego to compensate for the refusal to accept involvement on deeper levels.

The very journey involved in self-discovery, the very self-questioning involved, is indeed part of the process of recovery. The energy being used in the maintenance of the ulcer will already begin to take new channels. The thoughts and anticipations of the personality have already begun to stray from the all-important ulcer to the causes behind it, for in this case, as in many others, we find a strange phenomenon.

It is you, not I, who have been speaking of secondary personalities, and I will not here waste your time and mine in a discussion of why I am not one.

However, we have among us this evening indeed a secondary personality, a strong and savage one. We have here this evening a secondary personality that attempts to rule the complete life of the personality of whom we have been speaking, and its name is ulcer. For where lies the difference? The personality literally lives its life about the existence of the ulcer. It is hardly worth it, for the personality must be led to see that it itself has created the ulcer, both psychologically and physically, in most actual terms, and that it itself can indeed cast it out.

The personality can survive well without the ulcer. If this sounds like a foolish statement it is not, for in many such cases the ulcer is so concentrated upon, and so much energy is used in its maintenance, and it is used as such a scapegoat, that the personality is loath to be rid of it.

It begins to travel down safe paths, and out of fear it continually enlarges the scope of limitations. In the particular personality’s case, perception becomes also limited, and rejections occur. In this as in many such cases foods are rejected. In many such cases the ego itself chooses to perceive only within those areas where it feels safe, and it rejects more and more any involvement that it can avoid. And now the ego has the self-created ulcer to blame, and it rejects many foods, for foods are symbolistic of involvement.

But in its overzealous behavior we find that it is instead threatening the self. Secondary personalities are caused by repressed emotions on a psychological basis that attempts to maintain an ascendancy. Your ulcer is indeed the same sort of growth, but on a physical and not on a psychological level.

You still would have done the curing. But while the need is there something else would develop, and so we will show you the way out of the need. For the need is a sham.

For in the very quiet and discipline required to follow the problem, those reactions on the part of the personality will set up actions which will of themselves solve the problem; and we will find that also there will be suggestions given, and very important suggestions, whereby a systematic effort will be made on the part of the personality to enlarge the scope of his action, in spite of the ego’s anxiety to limit them, and this itself will seem to work a miracle.

I will here close what can be an extremely productive session. Whether or not it is an extremely productive session will be determined by the personality involved.

(As far back as the 63rd session, Seth had remarked upon the fact that Peg Gallagher would make an excellent witness, since she had well-developed subconscious abilities. See Volume 2.

For with such witnesses we can indeed do very well. I remember most regretfully your worries the other evening, and I will therefore endeavor (louder) not to give any demonstrations that may be embarrassing to you personally, or indeed that will cause you any uneasiness.

I do however find myself hampered at times, and it is for this reason that I have made my suggestion. I will indeed now close with my heartiest best wishes to you all, and indeed I will endeavor to lower my voice, so that it cannot be said that we are not decorous. But we have been so serious of late, we have dealt with such serious and weighty matters, that I have not had time to make my personality known, or to speak with you as I would wish.

However, I know too well this serious, and may I say mature, nature of your personality, though it was not so in Denmark. So I will, with my best respects, and with some regrets, close our session.