25th
Cherilyn Parsons, in a Special to the San Francisco Chronicle wrote
“As I write those words, I can hear the scoffing. Pathetic! Escapist! Are you addicted to computer games? Do you have no friends? Second Life? That place is just about weird sex fantasies!
“By June 2008, more than 14 million people had joined (second life) . . more people went “in-world,” or participated in, Second Life in the 30 days of June than live in all of San Francisco, which is the home of Linden Lab, the creator of Second Life. …No wonder analysts at Gartner, a leading technology research company, predict that three years from now 8 in 10 Internet users will work or play in virtual spaces.
“It has, in short, all the trauma and pain of real life, and some cautions are in order when it comes to seeking psychological support.
“But maybe because it’s a dream realm, hopefulness abounds. Nowhere is that truer than in Second Life’s support groups, which help people cope with everything from cancer, depression, bipolar disorder and autism, to caretaker stress. There are more than 70 such groups, according to Second Life’s Health Support Coalition. Most are secular. While a few groups are facilitated by associations such as the American Cancer Society, peers run most.
“As expressed on the Web site, www.supportforhealing.com, associated with Second Life’s Support for Healing Island, “we are NOT and never will replace the help of professionals … but purely hold a safe place for people to come when they need a shoulder.”
“A year ago, before I had explored Second Life, I would have laughed at the idea of virtual shoulders. How can a person possibly be “real” via an avatar anyway - much less have a meaningful conversation with a puppy dog, barmaid, elf, or wilder avatar appearance such as a blob or a tree? It’s hard enough to trust someone in real life, much less “second life.”
Then again, what better place to connect our yearning selves with other yearning selves than in a space of mutual creation - a place where those very selves can be one’s unconscious made manifest? Indeed, avatar, in its original Sanskrit, refers to the descent of the soul in human form.
“Click, clack: When I rose from my hourlong anxiety group meeting, I felt seen and heard in the deepest part of me - more so, in fact, than in some “real life” interactions, where we often put up fronts.
“You’re not alone, the group told me.
“Nor are you.”


