I wanted to bring this subject back up as it was the original subject that brought me to this site.
It seems reasonable to believe that through our millions of years of evolution, other "things" have evolved with us. I am of the opinion that things such as night terrors ( waking up in a panic, with your heart racing) might also be the result of a similar parasitic infestation. I imagine that our distant evolutional ancestors developed a symbiosis with organisms that may also use, say adrenaline, as a source of food. This would be beneficial to both, as the host could use the adrenaline to escape from predators, and the organism could use it up and help the host get rid of it when it was no longer needed, ( too much adrenaline , or for too long , might kill the host).
However, millions of years later, the only way these organisms can get "fed" is to excite the areas of the hosts brain that would elicit the desired response. Of course other survival stradegies could have also developed (the propensity to engage in dangerous activities, etc) and the extent to what kind of form they could take is an interesting question.
For example; if anger and narrow-mindedness are personal qualities which might lead one to actions that elevate a persons adrenaline level, then is the "cure" for that conflict, dialog and discussion, or is it an "antibiotic" for the infestation.
To put it another way; sometimes I wonder if the solution to something like the Middle East might be the the study and innoculation against such organisms that might be able to cloud a rational minds thinking, for it's own purposes.
