Is it Safe to Have Therapy, Baby?

Yep. Therapy, Baby.

Ahh...See. YOU were suckered.

*I* never read the OP.

I guess i will now though...

Jig. This is the kind of question that reveals that no matter how much experience you post about having, one thing you fail to understand some of the most simplistic things about humans - for everything that exists there is a person that is attracted to it in some way - and more than probably a large group of them if they got together.

Of course pretending to be a child is of use to an adult. It allows them to release the tethers of their normal persona and adopt a child personality and way of reacting to their environment. I am sure that many child av's feel relaxed in SL and drama free since they don't have to deal with things the same way you or i would - they simply role play and have fun and don't worry about adult things, subjects and affairs.

Why do guys feel relaxed playing women in SL?

Why do women feel relaxed playing men in SL?

How can loving and marrying a person on death row or in jail for life be of any use to a non incarcerated adult?

How can you ask such a question when there are people in the wold that:

- Eat other people
- Like poop on their face
- Eat puke
- Love to be made to bleed
- Love to be choked to near unconsciousness during sex
- The list goes on...

This is one of those topics where the answer to the question posed in the OP is as obvious as the night is dark.

The things that attract people - and not just sexually - but mentally/psychologically are vast and ever changing and one persons plate of poop is another persons delightful easel full of finger painting fun.

Thanks for making me LOL

Forgive delay in responding - been RL-ing! - but this post seems to have hit the nail right on the head for me; what we perceive in SL and how we process it by our brains is based on what our RL brains have been conditioned to believe is right, wrong, normal, etc.

Because I was sure I was entering an adult virtual world, it took me a while to get used to the sight of child avatars. Strangely, the first one that spoke to me asked me "Are you going to whip me?", because I had teleported in from a club, still in dance animation and wearing dance ribbons! I immediately found myself talking to this person in a soothing tone, as if to a child, explaining that no, these were in fact dance ribbons!

Another time, I teleported to my home land to find a little girl relaxing on my cat sofa. She looked so happy and contented there that I found myself shushing gently in real life as I walked my avatar out of range, so as not to startle her!

I don't really go along with the point of SL being therapy, and I don't personally see how acting out being a kid is a "cathartic experience", but I do know that I can pretty much act like a kid at times, doing pretty juvenile things with my SL partner, just for the sheer fun of it. Its just I don't really need to be dressed as a child avatar to do it.

I also believe that SL can be very disturbing to already mentally disturbed people, only serving to exacerbate any mental issues they might already have. I would not think it would be a good place to go just for therapy - and since when have Linden Labs had a sign on the Home Page saying "Dr Linden, Psychotherapist, come in and lie down on the couch"?? (We in the UK also think that Lindens would face a lawsuit if they did advertise as somewhere to roleplay for reasons of therapy, even it there is a Dr Linden somewhere in the house.)

But this is only my belief/opinion, for what that is worth.

You forgot to mention diap...... I'm going straight to hell, ain't I? =^-^=

IMMY! Please stop! Urgggh. *crawls away weakly*

I think you will make some zigs and zags on the way there.

Unless you put on the diaper of the damned.

Then it will be a straight shot.

Lol!

You are correct, I did use that word, and didn't re-read my *own* post closely enough. For this carelessness on my part, I absolutely apologize, and will go back and edit my post to so indicate.

As for the rest, at this point I don't wish to debate any further, as I'm feeling much too thin-skinned to do so. Am heartily regretting stepping into this thread.

Forget it. I know I've gotten up on my hind legs on certain occasions, and then later found out my assumptions/perceptions had been mistaken, and my indignation had been out of place.

We all do it.

These are good points (and indeed I think you're right that LL wouldn't make the mistake of advertising SL as a venue for therapy).

One would think that any sort of immersive environment could be fraught with dangers for fragile persons who aren't being closely supervised by a trained therapist.

Funny thing... I think someone gave me one of those frigg'n diapers once... I ain't even rezzed it to see if it's even real. All I knew so far was that it was no-mod and transferable. (=_=)

Hardly. I ask a question and people get into it. YOU dont have to involve yourself in it. Anyway, I think people enjoy a debate.

Sure there is a group for everything but that doesnt mean to say we need to approve it or that it is healthy. What is wrong with saying something is unhealthy or unprincipled or sordid or ...?
It takes all sorts, I know. But some of what it takes is not so much a liberal viewpoint of world but more of a perverse nature. Maybe I am too young to understand this. Maybe teen years and childhood doesnt beckon to me in the same way it does to everyone else. I prefer being over 18. I dont want to be "seen" as 6 or 7. My real friends would think I was crazy if I did that. It's just ... well, you know.
I know the child avi "lobby" is a powerful one in forums and many "play" at responding to them like we think they really are 6 or 7 years old but we know they aren't. I only ever address them as adults. Someone I know wanted to "adopt" one and she turned out to be 45. A REAL 24 year old roleplaying with a "child" of 45! Suggesting it ISN'T a healthy way to inhabit sl is not failing to understand something, its saying that for most part, people don't think acting out as a 6 year old is a cool thing to do.
Or am I in a minority here?

Oh Pons I wasnt attacking. I was making that kinda remark in a goofy voice. You are really sweet. Its a trouble with text I guess. Sorry.
See, I have ha to explain myself in 3 small answers here and above. Apologs again.

I am enjoying this thread but not for any of the reasons you all would understand.

Pep (It's wonderful to see people living up to my expectations. )

PS Or should that be 'down' not 'up'?

That is too cryptic.

Not as easy as you claimed, to pretend to be intelligent if you are stupid, eh?

Pep (Lots seem to wish to try here though.)

I never really claim intelligence. Really I can bring it out in other people, but with you its a dead loss.

There's nothing wrong in saying it but there is something wrong in actually believing it. Simply because you don't know. Nobody knows. Everyone assumes. (^_^)Yes. That's you. But you are not everyone. While you're saying "I don't want to be young anymore." Others are saying "I refuse to grow up." Assuming there's something wrong with someone who'd prefer to be 4 feet tall and chasing pixel kickballs you'd have to understand that there's someone out there that things there's something wrong with preferring to be 8' tall and chasing pixel boobs and dongs. (^_^)Determining, on your own, that anything is healthy or unhealthy is... well... unhealthy to say the least. Your life experience doesn't match that of a kid avatar's. Or a truck driver from Kansas, for that matter. But, you could argue that it's unhealthy that he sits in a vinyl truck seat all day and risks blood clots in his feet for far too little pay. (^_^)

I admit, I have diverged from the kid community quite a while ago. Why? Because I wanted to. That's all. No deep thought into it. Little Immy still exists and I still get involved in kid and kid run events. Often, I fall back to Little Immy just to let loose and really take on the brat characterization I need once in a while. I embrace my inner brat. And, because of that, I'm able to blow off some mental steam that just might help me make it through the day when many other things just seem wrong. (^_^)

There are some people who could not give a rodent's patootie if something is "cool" or not. They don't care about "cool" and they don't care about you. They're fulfilling their own desires in a virtual environment and the only thing unhealthy about it is the person on the sidelines pointing and saying "that's bad!" (^_^)y

To an extent I agree - actually, I didnt know you were once a child avi. I think being a brat is hard to act really. I accept I am so opinionated and pushy anyway I am brat enough at my biological age. Reviving a "Child Jig" would be akin to Frankenstein's Creature.

Let's summarise:

Jig: "I think you're sick."
Immy: "I think you're sick."
Pep: "I think both of you are sick."

Pep (You're wrong Immy; anyone can think what they like; they can also believe it and say it; it's only if they do something about it that their opinion matters.)

Aha. That's reasonable. I guess, in a way, people are allowed to be delusional until they pull a knife on someone... Or a sharpened spoon... Now, what did I do with that fork? (O.o)

(^_^)y

Oh i see, you were passing judgment on the child av thing in general.

Well, i do not 'get it', but i know that other people do, so *shrug*.

And i do not engage in their child-role play.