Life for the Reality Impaired Book Synopsis Introduction. The initial premise: The reality-impaired life is one lived in functional fragmentation (separation, duality) and identification with fragments. It happens because human life is out-sourced, poetically speaking. The lives most people lead are but dreamy approximations or models of truth; they do not live in truth at all. If a person can call something real, it almost certainly is not. Reality as most people "know" it is virtually all perception based on illusion, a sweeping and all-inclusive illusory interpretation of all they survey. It's the perception of appearance as opposed to the knowing of essence, and mistaking the appearance to be truth, rather than knowing the essence as truth. Something can be both "real" not true. The condition of reality impairment is that of mistaking appearance for truth. We establish that we have to use language throughout the book in a primarily poetic way, due to the insufficiency of language - which itself is an artifact of fragmented consciousness - to address truth. Part 1: The Structure of Reality Impaired Life Chapter 1: Characteristics of Reality Impairment. Lists several, with explanation, with the key three being functional fragmentation (separation from wholeness into a fragmented existence, duality); identification (identifying with fragments, the ego); and localization (thinking one's "world" is all there is). Chapter 2: Fragmentation. A comprehensive exploration of the illusion of separation, how it manifests in fragmented consciousness, and the characteristics of fragmented life. Chapter 3: Localization and Identification. How fragmented consciousness requires an identity, and how that identity is attached to locality that it thinks is its "world." Chapter 4: Love and Truth. In fragmented consciousness, these have become functionally split, which induces the astonishing illusion that they are separate. The functional split of love and truth makes love "sticky," wanting to bond with whatever seems promising, and it makes truth concealed. Chapter 5: Life as Allegory. Life lived in fragmented consciousness is experience, which is a constant "interpretation" of existence running in delayed reaction "after" truth. Poetically speaking, because experience is never entirely the same as truth, it is all allegory. This can be useful to know; when one gets the sense of allegorical actions, one can better shake off that experience and sense what underlies it. Chapter 6: The Experience of Make Believe. The energy that drives illusion is very similar to the energy a child uses at play-make believe. If you can recall what it was like to "hear" your stuffed bear "talk" to you as a child, you can see a similar energy at work in all illusion. People in reality impairment talk primarily to an energetic projection (make believe) of others, and they talk from an energetic projection (make believe) of themselves. Becoming aware of this helps release it. Chapter 7: The Dream of Belief. Making believe is based on belief. All beliefs are inherently limited and limiting, and this chapter examines how that is. It also discusses shifts in consciousness, and the recontextualization of accountability beyond the seemingly personal, once one has seemed to "leave" personal accountability. Part 2: Useful Contemplations for Leaving Reality Impairment. Chapter 8: Review and Prelude to Contemplations. The chapter explains why the focus on (and only on) contemplation, and not other spiritual exercises such as meditation or breathing techniques. It also advises the reader that all these contemplations are tools of transition; they aren't intended to be descriptions of non-duality, but rather, hopefully, aids in getting out of illusion. Then there is a brief review of points covered thus far. Chapter 9: Unpacking. Demonstrate by examining a common expression - "Why am I letting this get to me?" - this chapter explores the process of disassembling (unpacking) any statement or belief to ascertain its underlying assumptions, and how they got there. Chapter 10: The Life and Times of "Me." How the ego loves to explore itself, much the way some people love to study, for example, the life of Sherlock Holmes-a fictional character. The person we think we are is likewise only a fictional character. Chapter 11: Welcome Everything. Resignation to events is only backhanded resistance. Welcoming everything removes resistance and develops the attitude of seeing all life as karmic opportunity. Chapter 12: Love Truth. How to learn what truth "tastes" like, and how to cultivate that taste. Once acquired, nothing else will do. Chapter 13: The Love of Truth Leads to the Truth of Love. But what of love, many ask, sometimes feeling that all this emphasis on truth is somehow incomplete. In the end, and poetically speaking, love is the only reason any of us is here. But Jesus did not say, "You will know love, and love will make you free." He said, "You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." Chapter 14: If You Seek Truth… You must want what truth wants, to put it poetically. Truth is absolute; only perception of it is relative. One must be aware in reality impairment of the tendency to presume that perception is "true" for each person. This chapter explores how to release the need to dictate what truth must be, and simply allow the truth to be the truth. If one really wants truth, one must be ready to commit to what truth "wants." Chapter 15: Assent of Consciousness. Learn the efficacy of asking, Where would my consciousness have to be in order for me to "understand" this? When asked regarding a spiritual teaching that seems beyond one's grasp, this question gives assent of one's consciousness to explore the fields from which the teaching arises. When asked in humility and receptivity, it can be highly effective. Chapter 16: Fixed Position and the Floating "I." The self lives in a fixed position, against which it judges the world. As one's consciousness begins to shake off identification with the self, multiple "I"s seem to emerge. One is aware of the personality, and aware that something "else" is aware of it being aware. This "floating" "I" can be mistaken for enlightenment if one tries to shoe-horn it into an insufficient understanding. But it can be helpful to follow the trail of this "I-ness" to the border of linearity and beyond. About the Author. A few facts are given for those who look to credentials as a means of establishing authority to write on a topic.