US Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales went berserk on March 11, 2012 and in the dark of night slaughtered 17 civilian Afghani men, women and children asleep in their villages. Asked how he could do such a terrible thing, Bales replied, “I’ve asked that question a million times, and there is not a good reason in the world for the horrible things I did.”
Bales’ lead defense attorney, John Henry Browne, reportedly confirmed that Sgt. Bales was given the anti-malarial drug mefloquine on an earlier deployment to Iraq; but Brown had no such evidence concerning the deadly 2012 deployment to Afghanistan.
What about the effect of Bales’ earlier exposure to mefloquine?
In December 2016, a lengthy case study of a former soldier treated for four months with mefloquine was published in Drug Safety—Case Reports. The case illustrated that mefloquine can cause persisting brain injury with unrelenting, permanent emotional and cognitive problems. As my fellow psychiatrists commonly do, they diagnosed the former soldier with psychiatric disorders, including PTSD, and they treated him with multiple psychiatric drugs, worsening his brain injury and overall mental and emotional condition.
According to the December report, “The patient and his wife noted increased emotional lability, typically manifesting as anger and irritability. He also endorsed difficulty concentrating, a decreased interest in most activities, persistent short-term memory problems and word-finding difficulties.” Long-term, he has needed help with anger management.
The soldier’s emotional distress—increased emotional lability, typically manifesting as anger and irritability; difficulty concentrating; a decreased interest in most activities; and persistent short-term memory problems and word-finding difficulties—can be caused by almost any psychiatric drug as an acute or long-lasting effect. Seeing the harm caused by mefloquine and other non-psychiatric drugs can help people to understand that it is the drugs, and not the individual’s so-called mental illness, that frequently ruins lives and causes harmful behaviors.
The specific drug-induced symptom of “decreased interest” is the effect that most commonly leads patients and those around them to think they are improved. People given psychiatric drugs, as I have shown in Medication Madness and other books and articles, frequently lose their concern for themselves and others, and for life in general. Many patients, families, therapists and prescribers mistake this disengagement for improvement; but it reflects a toxic injury to the brain resulting in the loss of higher, critical human functions related to motivation and love. Whether inflicted by lobotomy and electroshock or by endless numbers of psychiatric drugs, loss of interest or engagement is a common result of any widespread injury to the brain. Drug companies and psychiatrists view these injuries to the highest centers of the person’s brain as an “improvement.”
The indifference and apathy caused by injury to the brain from psychiatric interventions is a double-edged sword. Usually the reduction in caring and empathy makes people less engaged and more withdrawn, and seemingly less disturbed or disturbing. Yet empathy helps us recognize the suffering we inflict on others through impulsive actions and thereby helps to restrain us. Reducing empathy is one way that psychiatric drugs can lead to suicide and violence.
I recently published a book chapter for lawyers working with combat veterans in which I compare the impact of PTSD, traumatic brain injury from combat, and psychiatric drugs. All these traumas can produce loss of interest, as well as the broad range of symptoms that afflicted the soldier who took mefloquine. Mounting evidence that non-psychiatric drugs like mefloquine can cause severe psychiatric disorders, suicide and violence has a compelling aspect to it. That psychoactive drugs cause long-term brain changes that disrupt mental and emotional function should be no surprise. Antipsychotic drugs, stimulants, antidepressants, mood stabilizers, benzodiazepines and other sedatives and sleeping pills—there is strong evidence from brain scans, neuropsychological testing, and clinical evaluations that every class of psychiatric drug causes irreversible damage to the brain, especially with exposures lasting months and years.
From PTSD to psychiatric drugs, a shared effect of all forms of psychological and physical trauma is to cause disinterest and disengagement. This key observation helps to explain why psychiatry throughout its history has resorted to all forms of trauma in the name of treatment. It is time to face the truth that psychiatric treatments work by damaging our brains sufficiently to take the edge off our humanity—by making us less caring and engaged with our lives.
Thank You, Dr Breggin.
DR SHIPMAN TYPE BEHAVIOUR FROM UNIVERSITY RESEARCH HOSPITALS:-
My last hospitalization was in Ireland in April of 1984:- I had been injected with a first time injection of Depixol at twice the introductory dose and released into the community. I was okay for some time, and then I started to go absolutely mad. I tried to get readmitted but the ‘Unit’ blocked my entry.
I did eventually get readmitted and my notes reflect my stated “total lack of control” (but with reasonable coherence). I left hospital less than 2 days later (stopped strong drugs) and went on to make full Recovery.
When I came to the UK in 1986, I contacted doctors in “Ireland” and explained my injection reactions as the “worst experience of my life” and asked them to send ADR warning over to the UK. They told me to write them an ADR Warning Request Letter and that they would definitely send over Adverse Drug Reaction Warning. So I sent over a handwritten Warning Request Letter dated November 8 1986.*
In 2012 I discovered that “Ireland” had sent over an Account of me (dated November 24 1986) in the “Negative”, deliberately Ommitting the Requested Adverse Drug Reaction Warning.
*My 1986 Handwritten Request Letter was obscured in the very back of my (FOI requested) Irish notes.
The April 1984 Hospitalization Discharge Summary had described me as having the two most Severe Mental Health Diagnoses posssible (with a hopeless Prognosis).
There was no clear lead up or explanation (in my Irish notes) for the 1984 Depixol injection – This was Missing.
Report comment
DR SHIPMAN was a Modern British Doctor who murdered hundreds of vulnerable people, mostly elderly women – For Financial Gain.
When I stopped the strong drugs I suffered with terrible longterm anxiety but I survived this, and went on to find ways to deal with it.
But in April of 1984 when I broke into the “Psychiatric Unit” in ‘Ireland’ I would have been suffering from something similar to this lady ..
http://m.independent.ie/irish-news/psychiatrist-to-be-investigated-over-womans-death-26217421.html
…..Or something similar to US Staff Sergeant Robert Bales when he ‘exploded’ – and THIS is exactly how the more Junior Staff at the Unit recorded my situation, in the notes.
….. But the April 1984 Discharge Summary (with the Consultant Psychiatrist in the background) recorded my situation as a “Pre Psychotic Episode” – even though I had previously attempted Suicide twice in the same condition.
Report comment
“there is strong evidence from brain scans, neuropsychological testing, and clinical evaluations that every class of psychiatric drug causes irreversible damage to the brain, especially with exposures lasting months and years.”
This is not across the boards. I was on many of these psych drugs for almost 20 years–tons of them toward the end of that time frame–and while at first I did have brain injury, it eventually healed with a lot of hard work, and by addressing the injury from a variety of perspectives. My mind is clearer than ever and my brain functions just fine–in fact, better than before I started taking these neurotoxins, because the process of healing is powerful in its ability to increase our clarity and resilience, while offering new perspectives by which to experience life. For me, coming off these drugs meant a whole new life and reality, way more expansive, grounded, and creative than ever before.
Saying it is “irreversible” only spells doom for a lot of people, and I know with certainty that it is a false claim, from my own experience.
Report comment
I would like to agree with you Alex, but I’d also like to point out that the negative outcomes so prevalent in psychiatry point to the conclusion that something awful is happening here. The premise of Anatomy of an Epidemic is that conventional mental health treatment, drugs, are disabling people more than any disease if, in fact, disease could be proven to be behind so-called mental heath conditions.
I wasn’t on psych-drugs over the course of multiple years. I made a vow never to take them of my own volition, and I’ve stayed as true to that vow as I was able. I was on them sporadically as I’d been hospitalized/imprisoned on a few occasions during my life. I don’t know that there is any way to determine what sort of structural change these chemicals might have made to my brain. I don’t want to know about those changes anyway, and I would figure neither would you.
I would say, given those pervasive negative outcomes, there is definitely a need for a paradigm change when it comes to treatment modalities. The treatment, after all, shouldn’t be worse than the “disease”, and in the case of “mental health issues”, according to outcome assessments, it is all too often more devastating than it is encouraging. An expanding population of “sick” people with deteriorating outcomes, I don’t think as a goal that makes any sense, although it does make, as far as the “health care” business goes, for plenty of job security.
Report comment
“I would say, given those pervasive negative outcomes, there is definitely a need for a paradigm change when it comes to treatment modalities.”
No question about it. The drugs interfere with our natural process of growth and evolution, at best, and kill us at worst. Most often they compromise one’s well-being and overall quality of life, and they are so often used as ways to control behavior, so that one “fits into the norm,” which I think is an abomination on many levels.
It took me years to wake up to the damage they were doing to me. I discovered that on my own, from the increasing pain and lack of functionality I began to experience after a while. All psych drugs related, without a doubt. That was an extremely costly experiment for me.
There are many established better ways of healing and navigating our personal growth, which work to support our nature rather than to dangerously suppress it, as these psych drugs do.
Report comment
What’s interesting is that while I was on the drugs, toward the end there, I did have a brain scan, as per a psychiatrist. I was having all sorts of weird symptoms that no one could put into any sort of context. I was suffering from them, and they were bizarre and painful, kept taking me to ER. Last thing he’d think was that it was because of the drugs, he was looking for something else to be wrong with me, on top of what had already been established as being “wrong” with me.
This was the start of the psychiatric calamity for me. The scan found nothing unusual, but on my last trip to the ER, the attending physician said, “You have got to get off of all this medication!” That’s what did it, and I sought the path off the drugs, which turned out to be an easy recipe, but hard to put it all into practice right away because of the loss of functioning I was experiencing, as well as the organ damage that had been done.
But I persevered, followed the instructions I got from the healers I began to work with–in that new paradigm–and succeeded in the end. Took a few years and tons of faith and trust. There were times I didn’t think I’d make it to the end of all that, but I did, most thankfully. The experience changed me, grew me, and gave me clarity about my life path and purpose.
And of course, all of those disabling, disorienting, and extremely painful and bizarre symptoms completely disappeared, been gone for over 14 years now. I’m in perfect health, and with no complaints about anything at this time, other than what is going on in the world around me. That is most troubling.
My measure of health and well-being would not come from a brain scan to prove anything, but more so from how I feel in my body and how I feel about the way my life is unfolding. I’m happy and settled with it all, and I live a good life, feeling fulfilled in it, plenty of fun and joy in living now, and I’m helping others in a variety of ways whenever I can, including people I don’t know, through my YouTube vids. Sums it up for me.
Report comment
Hi Alex,
It’s a pity there aren’t more decent doctors around the place.
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-38576368
The UK Health System is in Crisis right now with Psychiatric Drug trauma (and expense) even though they don’t know it.
Report comment
Thanks for the link, Fiachra.
“…improvements must be made in mental health care both within and outside of the NHS, to make sure people get the support they need before they reach crisis point.”
I agree of course that so much neglect and misguidance happens along the way, that it is easy to reach a crisis, which points to everyone along the way who was not paying attention–system, family, self, et al. Neglect is a huge factor in all of this, I think, as is being guided down the wrong path. Seems to have happened a great deal, from all that I’ve read on here over the years. That was my experience, as well, and I had to take back control of my own life. It was my fault I gave it away in the first place. I thought I was helping myself and doing the right thing, but in the end, this was not the case. Lesson learned!
But I don’t exactly agree with this–
“She [spokeswoman for the prime minister] said extra money being invested in the NHS this Parliament would help ensure improvements take place.”
While funding always helps, a true paradigm shift would come from perspective and attitudes changes. I think where true change will occur is when awareness is expanded around what it means to be a human being.
Report comment
Alex,
You’ve got it in one. There’s a tendency to follow what’s around us as the right message – but it’s usually a kind of socially created message.
NICE* in the UK advise aiming for the lowest dose possible of a psychotropic – if this advice is followed then the dose could eventually become nothing.
I stopped taking psychotropics when my heart rythm became disrupted, but by that time the dose had become totally non thereuptic.
*National Institute for Clinical Excellance
Report comment
“There’s a tendency to follow what’s around us as the right message – but it’s usually a kind of socially created message.”
I think that’s a bulls-eye, Fiachra. What I learned that helped me the most to heal–by far!–and what I help others to do in my practice, is to get our own information. I can sometimes bounce something off of others to get another perspective, and I listen to what others say, as teachers, to consider new things to see if I can apply them with relevance.
But in the end, it is my own personal perspective and viewpoint in the moment that is going to influence me the most, regarding my own personal growth, healing, and evolution.
As you know from practicing meditation and mindfulness, when we practice these, we reduce the noise around us in order to hear our own inner voice, what some call our inner guidance or “spiritual voice.” THAT is our true guide and healer–our higher selves. That’s all we can really trust, because you’re right, messages from the outside are socially created, which can be for all sorts of cynical purposes and which also can be just terribly misguided for us. These can be mindless rules and guidelines, which serve those dishing it out, but not others. They can be touted as “truth,” when in fact, it is merely personally subjective, illusory, and even double-binding oppressive.
In addition, these can be outdated, passed down generationally–because “that is how things have always been done.” But times change, along with society, and these messages can lose their relevance, and still be practiced, if we act simply like sheeple. Waking up means realizing that it is time to update our information.
With the world in such chaos, I would say that anything that’s being done simply because that is the way it has been for a long time, should be considered archaic at this point. This is the time for groundbreakers and pioneers. Nothing will look as it does now, when it is being done for the good of all, because right now, that is not happening! Our world leaders are in disarray, hording resources, and lying. So curious what a world led with integrity would look like. Have we EVER had that?
We, ourselves, know ourselves the best. We’re allowed to make up our own rules for living, because we have free will. If the choices involve harming others, then I believe those doing harm will pay for that in the end, one way or another.
Relying on others for information without getting our own not only creates chronic dependence, it results in giving away our power. That will never work when it comes to healing anything.
Now, that is *my* truth, I think it stands to reason. It may, however, not apply to others. That is not for me to say, but for others to decide for themselves.
Report comment
Hi Alex,
Once the “noise” is out of the way then everything is Fine.
Report comment
Alex, I think both Dr. Breggin and you are right. For some, there is irreversible brain damage of varying degrees from what I can tell from anecdotal evidence on the “internet” and other places. But, like you, Alex, I seem mostly alright, although I was on those horrible, toxic drugs for about twenty years or more. I believe that if I had not got off the drugs, I might have experience serious brain damage. When I was on the drugs, I lost much to most of what my considered my “gifts” and those “gifts” that remained were not as well-developed as they could be. Also, I was not trusted by my family to be considered “next of kin” or in charge of anyone’s affairs due to sickness or death. Since, I stopped the drugs, even my mother admits my mental reactions and such are more clear, trustworthy, and more like old times. She still doesn’t understand me and I, guess, I will never completely understand her. Sounds pretty “normal” to me; HUH?
Report comment
I feel extremely fortunate to have found the right healing path for myself, and gifted healers along the way. Referred by a friend, I went to see a medical intuit who reads energy, to see if she could give me guidance about how to get off all of these drugs. I had a 15 minute reading with her for $45, and she was able to tell me the root cause, how to heal it, and how to get off the drugs and back to my center. Over the course of a few years, I implemented what she had suggested, and it worked.
It was rough, because I was on my own, and didn’t know anyone at all who had done this, nor had I read about anyone doing this. I was going totally by my personal experience, and the desire to alleviate all of this chronic pain and suffering I was experiencing, and get back to my life, once and for all! Total blind leap of faith, for reasons of survival. But I persevered and was systematic about it, and I won out.
As I healed along this path, I trained in what I was learning, and I’ve had a practice for a while, and have recently established a healing community with a group of healers, teachers, and artists with whom I work, so I’m paying forward what I learned and it’s helping others now, both in and out of the “mental health” community.
I found it to be a fascinating process, and it did lead to my connecting with my gifts in a profound way, as all that dense energy cleared away as per my healing, allowing me to find my center and grounding once again, leading to an entirely new sense of self. That’s how I ended up on stage, singing and acting, and now music director and piano accompanist for a local band. I seriously had no idea I could do any of this, and during the course of my healing and getting back into the community, it all clicked. It was a bit startling, but really, manna from heaven, just what I needed. It’s been an amazing journey so far, extremely creative in nature.
That’s really great you were able to get off the drugs, rebel. My mother doesn’t really understand me, either, although I think I understand her pretty well. We’re able to have a good relationship now, as I have with my siblings as well. We did a lot of family healing, that was a huge part of this. I had to speak my truth to them about the family dynamics, and the role it played in my issues. That was an interesting time, and well worth the effort, very clarifying for us all.
We’re all good now, for which I’m also very grateful. Not sure that would happen, but it did! I figure if I can heal myself, then extend this to my family and community, then who knows how far that will continue to ripple outward? I keep the faith…
Report comment
Hi,
It might be both – that the effects are genuinely irreversible but that it’s possible to adapt to such an extent that functioning can be better than before. Most people though end up permanently ruined.
I think the reason for this is that they don’t have the necessary information on the drugs, and that there other ways of doing things. If they had information they could gradually reduce consumption, and develop “stress control” tolerance.
It’s not just laypeople that get trapped in Psychiatry. Doctors themselves can get trapped.
Report comment
it could be that some people recover from psyche drugs and some don’t.
People who have had strokes sometimes totally recover. Some get some functioning back and some very little.
There probably needs to be more research on this to find out how often people recover.
Report comment
We are trying to make sense of what Sgt. Bales did, in a logical, rational sense. But, a homicidal killing spree, even in a war zone, is an inherently illogical and irrational act. I don’t think that it CAN be fully understood in a logical, rational manner. It can only be understood in an illogical, and irrational manner. And, Sgt. Bales also was given several other “psych drugs”, all of which can result in homicidal, or suicidal behaviors.
Reading about Sgt. Bales case strikes me as very similar to my own experience, years ago, when I was on psych drugs, and shortly after getting off them. Our “symptoms” are almost exactly the same. It needs to be stressed, that so-called “PTSD” is NOT a “mental illness”. How can it possibly be a “mental illness”, if the only way to get it, is to PHYSICALLY undergo a PHYSICALLY life threatening experience? (Yes, the life-threatening experience could be only *perceived* as such, but that’s essentially the same thing, and differs only in semantics.)
Fortunately the Military is rushing headlong into Yoga, breathing exercises, mindfulness training, and a host of other, better ways to attain and maintain health, besides TOXIC DRUGS.
Report comment
Dr. B., I absolutely agree with the basic thrust of your article. I also agree with Alex that with a lot of hard work one can recover, though it would be far better not to be subjected to neurotoxins in the first place.
Report comment
If we survive independently then we must be well.
Report comment
The Wounded Platoon shows how soldiers are exposed to psychiatric drugs in already dangerous warzone conditions, but fails to investigate the connection in much detail when it comes to soldier’s behavior and the drugs. Perhaps showing culpability to psychiatric drugs is not one of the main concerns of this Frontline documentary, but it does show revealing footage and testimony. To use Dr Breggin’s word, they clearly exhibit profound “disengagement,” but it doesn’t look like improvement. I find it shocking that soldiers have taken the fall and continue to take the blame while military officials fail to put a stop to prescribing psychotropic drugs (it’s as if each generation it’s a new line of drugs!) not to mention take accountability for the lives ruined by the drugs and lives lost to the drugs. The parts of the documentary that review some of this psychiatric drug and losing control connection are in these segments: 40-48m and 59m-1h18.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/woundedplatoon
Report comment
Of course the details are different, but Alex, above, tells MY story, too! I was put on far too many “psychiatric drugs” far too early, with too little support or oversight. Like Alex, it took a LOT of hard work on my part, and getting completely away from the pseudoscience drug racket of psychiatry, before I could truly “recover”.
And THANK-YOU, Fiachra, for the link to the BBC video. What the Brits, (and us Yankees! 😉 ), just do not get, is that psychiatry exists to sell drugs for the drug companies. So-called “mental health” can only occur in a physically healthy person. And, in EVERY person “diagnoses” as having “mental illness”, there’s a much stronger PHYSICAL aspect to that supposed “mental illness”.
Until and unless the pseudoscience of psychiatry joins its’ equally bogus brother “Phrenology” on the scrap heap of history, it will continue to do far more harm than good…..
I’m sure my savior and mentor Dr. Peter Breggin will understand what I’m saying here, and not take personal offense! Peter, I’d say that you’re the “exception which proves the rule”!….
And as for the BBC video Fiachra so kindly provided a link to, for us, the guy who claimed his (supposed) “voices” were telling him to do whatever, – well, he just needed a friend to sit and talk, or go for a walk, maybe take a little “chill pill”, or have a beer, or whatever, hang out & watch some TV, or do some Yoga, or fix a bite to eat, or, or, or, or………..
So-called “mental illnesses” are imaginary “diseases”, which were INVENTED as excuses to $ELL DRUG$….
(Sadly, given the damage done, society probably DOES need to spend more money, fixing what PhRMA and the GREED of Wall St., and the ignorance and arrogance of psychiatry *BROKE*…..
Report comment
Hi Bradford, that’s probably all he needed to do, to talk to someone non judgemental.
Report comment
This is obviously a fallacy, and thus I think you should be a bit more humble and not speak as if you are sure that drug damage is “irreversible.” Enough psychiatrists are already trying to play god without you joining them.
So now you, Matt, are lecturing Peter Breggin about being “humble.” Just like you lecture people about their manners during “discussions” with ECT-pushers.
For the record, Dr. Breggin made no definitive statements, simply stated that there was “strong evidence” of this, which there is. That doesn’t mean people can’t overcome or adapt to this, or develop new neural connections.
Report comment
Where is this strong evidence, oldhead? Perhaps you can tell us where the strong evidence that these changes are irreversible is, in the paper… http://breggin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Breggin2011_ChronicBrainImpairment.pdf
The only supposedly irreversible syndrome I’m aware of is tardive dyskinesia, and this syndrome only occurs in a small minority of all people that take antipsychotics for some time.
Report comment
I hear Peter Breggin speak frequently on the late-night national radio talk show “Coast to Coast,” which is where I first heard him use the term “neurotoxins,” which I think we should use as our term of choice when discussing these agents of chemical warfare. “Psychiatric neurotoxins” is a term we should start using as casually and routinely as others do when they talk about “psychiatric medications.”
Report comment
“the very idea of “reversing” a brain state from a present condition to an earlier one doesn’t make a good deal of logical sense. Our brain chemistry in the future will never match exactly what it was in the past. There is no reversion, but rather progression and constant change.”
While I agree with this in terms of how we grow naturally, and our minds and bodies change as we go forward, as that is the nature of things, and of course, there is no going back to what had been, in this regard, what I’m talking about by “reversing damage” means that during the time of my withdrawal, the brain damage had gotten so bad that I was not able to add 2 + 2, suddenly (and I’d been a bookkeeper, payroll administrator, retail manager, as well as an advanced math student during my school years), nor could I find the language I needed to communicate, and my reading comprehension went by the wayside, among other basic brain functions which had become impaired.
I’d just finished graduate school when all of this started, and by this point, I was extremely nervous (putting it mildly) that these were permanent impairments, that I had suffered permanent severe brain damage from the neurotoxins. Scariest time of my life, thanks to this crap. I thought I was cooked.
All that hard work I had done in my life, for nothing, I was thinking and feeling at the time, because the drugs seemed to have ruined my life. Sure did ruin a few years of it, but I’ve tried to make up for that, and to give those horrible years meaning. I did learn a lot that I otherwise wouldn’t have, that’s for sure. And in the end, it led me right to my true path, so ultimately, I could accept it all. Still, it all stank to high heaven because this was so obviously medically induced hardship on my entire quality of life, when I was trying to get help, and NO ONE WOULD ADMIT IT!
Still makes me mad to think about it, though, because it seems as though nothing has changed! I deserve an apology and compensation, as do sooo many others. Like that’ll ever happen. Ah, the hell with it…
Turned out that it was only temporary, thank GOD! I’m back to being able to do math like before, my language skills are fine again, and eventually, I could once again do all the basic things I could do before, and then resume with my natural evolution, unencumbered by interfering psych drugs, back to my natural way of being, evolving naturally. (Can’t emphasize enough the word “naturally”).
Thank goodness I found remedies for this, but it was far away from the mental health world. The more I tried to get help and answers there, the worse things got, like salt on the wound, insult to injury, pick your metaphor.
I focused really hard on fixing all of this, as at this point, my brain was, indeed, broken. The psych drugs had broken my brain.
Fortunately, I was well guided to where I could fix it, so that I could once again do the 3 R’s. I started with children’s books and worked my way up. Felt like I was coming out of a coma and had to learn to walk and talk again.
That’s what I mean by “reversing the damage.”
Report comment
This has triggered a lot of thoughts for me, there is so much to say about being on and coming off of these toxic drugs, and how all of this so intensely impacts one’s life, and often in the most devastatingly catastrophic ways. I consider myself extremely lucky and grateful to have made it through it as I have, but on the whole it is such a disaster, hard to say enough about it.
So I will just add this right now because it is on my mind and relevant, and hopefully be done with it at this point. The issue of psych drugs is near and dear to me, I’m sure it’s one of the things ruining people, families, communities, and society in general.
That’s fine for the folks that feel it helps them, that is not my place to question. But I do know that these are still utilized as tools for controlling and disabling people to keep the cash flow going–and a lot out of ignorance, too, and following “the norm.” I think it’s dastardly in all ways, and making a total mess for humanity in the most blatant AND insidious ways.
While we’re talking about “reversing damage,” I’m also talking about other vital organs, aside from the brain. For 20 years, I lived with slightly elevated blood pressure, compromised liver, kidneys, and pancreas, according to levels taken at my routine Dr. visits (also a thing of the past, I will not see an M.D. any longer), and at one time there was talk of “pre-diabetes.” Of course I had my bi-yearly kidney checks, and watched those numbers shift over the years, along with lipids and sugars, up and down, often cautionary, giving me a bit of chronic stress I had learned to live with, and definitely affecting how I lived my life.
From ages 21 to mid-40s, I felt like a borderline “sickly” person, always having to watch it, e.r. visits here and there, that would turn out to be panic attacks, which also began after I started taking psych drugs, I’d never experienced this before. So that got “medicated,” too, and let’s add “dual diagnoses” to the mix now. That was the start of my journey on benzos, on top of others.
Eventually the ER visits were not panic attacks, but other crazy and extremely painful neurotoxin-induced symptoms.
Since coming off of these, now at age almost 56, all of this has completely stabilized. I’m healthier than ever, active, present, focused, creating, working, living and loving, no medication or health issues of any kind, other than minor rashes now and then from allergies. That’s it. I can also stand on a bridge, look down, and then dance on the bridge, feeling great and alive, no panic, sweats, vertigo, nothing.
Off the drugs, with subsequent herbal regeneration of organs and nervous system, along with other kinds of very interesting healing and learning, absolutely no panic attacks now. My nervous system doesn’t even register this any longer, “perceived dangers.”
I began to perform onstage professionally, which was unexpected and new to me. Did that for years, as I detoxed and regenerated. It all started with a singing and preforming class I took, thought it would be a fun way to heal, if not a bit intimidating. I’d never done anything like that before, but the opportunity came to me.
It became part of getting my nervous system stronger and more resilient. I had to take giant leaps of faith and trust this process. That was a mixed bag, kind of a wild ride. I was self-conscious, but I got away with it and it did the trick, got me a lot stronger and confident again, as was my intention.
I still perform as community service. I get normal nervous, no panic attacks. No way in hell I could have done this on the drugs, I’d have had panic attacks, would have been paralyzed with fear. I worked during those years, but without an audience. I was able to handle any pa’s discreetly. It did not stop me from working or from going back to college. I sweated it out, but it was exhausting.
I maintain naturally now, and no need for Drs. At my age, that’s a blessing and humbling. I can only feel grateful for this, after what I’ve been through medically. For me, it’s been a bit mystical, definitely miraculous.
It’s weird, wouldn’t have thought it, but somehow, the process of flooding my system with these drugs over the years, in order to continue living a “normal mainstream life” (at the time, my goal, just to be on track like those around me), and then withdrawing completely and going through this exhaustive healing process seems to have impacted my auto-immune, self-healing, and overall resilience in a really powerful way. I’m a bit stunned by it, but certainly I’m physical evidence of bouncing back from the worst of it, after having ingested these for 20 years, compliantly. I just followed Dr’s orders, until it almost killed me.
I don’t know what else to say about this that a lot of people don’t know already. It’s just such a sham and scam and I could rant forever about it, or at least until this is all brought to light, in a very public kind of way. If anything sickens me these days, it is merely the thought of taking these drugs.
Report comment
Hi Alex,
My visits to Casualty were definitely drug related and I knew it even if the doctors didnt. The visits stopped when the strong drugs stopped.
Report comment
Dr Breggin,
You have written an interesting article; however, I feel something might have been left out. The words, “irreversible brain damage” is contentious for many. If you see my earlier post, you will note that upon stopping the toxic drugs, I began to feel my brain returned to “normal” which would be considered “MY NORMAL” not exactly anyone else’s. I am really not sure if that can truly be measured. Quality of life is really immeasurable.
However, I do have a question that boggles my mind. How truly related “chemically” are these various drugs? “Anti-psychotic” drugs seemed to also be known as “major tranquilizers.” I, myself, am highly allergic to “alcohol” and to “coffee.” However, I have no trouble with the caffeine in tea or cola drinks. I am also very sensitive to stimulants. Is there any relationship or is Big Pharma hiding something? Now after about twenty years on the toxic psych drugs, I can take no ingestible drugs. Even rubbing something in my mouth on a toothache can make me sick. Even Tylenol makes me sick. However, I would be interested to know if there is any chemical relationship between these drugs and alcohol and coffee. Thank you very much.
Report comment
Thanks, >rebelrebel<! ~B./
Report comment
I too find this repeated talk about permanent brain injury to be extremely unfortunate as well as irresponsible. It’s clear to me that many of us not only heal but transform into something healthier and more whole than we ever were before psych drugs. Forget recovery…there can be much more, much better than whatever we were before psychiatry. Please stop stripping people from having hope…you are listened to and people trust what you say. This is a destructive narrative you’re putting out there. Things are plenty bad without adding that as icing on the cake from hell. When you say people cannot get well it’s yet another injurious story…like we when we were told we had to be on drugs for the rest of our lives. That, too, was a lie.
Report comment
This definitely is a valid observation. Maybe it would have been better to say they can cause permanent damage. But he did qualify his statement somewhat by referring to long term use. (Also if you’re talking about something like TD I believe it is permanent.) But even if there is clear damage according to brain scans, etc. there is a subjective factor, and, again, people can often make new neural connections, and regain their quality of life. I’ve heard Dr. Breggin speak, and he doesn’t seem like the kind of guy to knowingly encourage hopelessness.
Report comment
oldhead, As far as what you say that TD is permanent. Could it be possible that it may not be? I say this, because, when I was taking the “drugs” they also diagnosed me with TD. Now, that I am off the “drugs” it is GONE! Could it be that it is possible that just getting off the “drugs” reverses the damage of TD, at least for some? I would hesitate to suggest a “study” as there is much too much likelihood of abuse and falsehoods on many levels.
Monica; I subscribe to your “blog” and find your story very enlightening and helpful; although at times I may chosen a different path than you; but it is so very important that we find something that works! Like other words, emanating from this article, “recovery” is actually a very contentious word. First, like other “word” and “label” thrown against us it can and is being abused. Second, I question, what are we recovering from; we were never sick in the first place. I think of it this way we have “damaged”; but, we are not “damaged goods.” We have been “victimized” but we are not “victims.” In a way, we are like a beautiful piece of clothing or a beautiful quilt; torn somewhat, maybe a little stained; but each one of us must find our way to sew ourselves back into one piece or get that stain out. None of this is impossible. I think of a prayer from the Navaho Nation about “walking in beauty.” I do not know it perfectly, so, I shall not quote it. But, it reminds me that we were beautiful before this; although we had forgotten it and now as the “drugs” leave our body and mind; we are re-reminded to “walk in beauty” This is NOT recovery; this is the life we deserve to live just because we live!
Report comment
oldhead, As far as what you say that TD is permanent. Could it be possible that it may not be? I say this, because, when I was taking the “drugs” they also diagnosed me with TD. Now, that I am off the “drugs” it is GONE!
Yay! Anything’s possible, everyone is different. They also could have misdiagnosed pseudo-Parkinsonian symptoms as TD. We all have a little brain damage no doubt just from the wear & tear of living. And, once again, people sometimes develop new neural connections to compensate for organic damage, which doesn’t mean the damage hasn’t occurred, but for practical purposes it’s relatively insignificant.
Report comment
Rebel,
I love how you said we’re like a slightly torn quilt or piece of clothing that seen wear and tear. It is such a beautiful description. I have said before no one can go through what we have gone through and not be changed by it. I’ve told many of my friends I love having clarity of mind which I did not have it all when I was poly drugged.
I had off the charts Akathisia and a few of the TDs but almost every one of them are completely gone now. I had great difficulty reading and it took years before I could read any kind of book. Now I can sit for hours reading. There is so many things I couldn’t do when heavily drugged because I was mumbling, confused, stricken with profound Akathisia, physically ill from the psych drugs and even though I may not be as physically active as I want I’m able to do enough. Most of all I’m thankful that I am psychiatric drug free and I can continue on my journey.
Report comment
Dear Monica,
People can get well after being on these drugs for years, and they can get to a far better standard of wellness and happiness than the average individual, BUT these drugs can also cause permanent physical damage, and this is an established fact.
I have been damaged neurologically and permanently by psychotropic medications.
Report comment
Yes, Fiarcha, yes, there are too many tragic stories of people like you who are damaged permanently in all kinds of ways by these horrific, evil, toxic drugs.
No matter the “outcome” if we were in any “forced” or “coerced” to take these “drugs” and then get involved in the associated “therapy and other stuff” we are damaged irrevocably. That “forcing” comes when you go to the “therapist” to “work out something important to you” and he or she says you need a “med review” or “med evaluation.” At the very least, we feel duped or betrayed or guilty that we did not see the pain that would come. What happened to you is real. What happened to me and other people is real. What most of us are “arguing” against is the added use of further derogatory labeling that sees us as useless, defective human beings who no matter what can never contribute to the good of the world. We may hurt; we may know somethings come harder than should be; we may wish we had a past or maybe we feel blessed we don’t. But, to give us more “labels” to stop us from being who we are; after what we have gone through is wrong. These drugs are evil. The psychiatrists are drug pushers, just as sure as the kid down the street and what’s worse everyone thinks it is okay because he is some sort of respectable doctor. But, after all this horror inflicted on us; we do have every right to live as we choose without someone else telling us the falsehood of who they “think” we are. In the end, to “heal” we must realize we are out own authority on our own selves.
Report comment
Pychiatric drugs are sometimes used as compliance weapons against foster kids and veterans.
A US Health and Human Services task force on access to these drugs yanked their feedback page after I submitted this as feedback:
> Action Opportunity: Ask HHS Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity Task Force To Recognize Misuse of Drugs, Especially Harming Boys in Foster Care and Men Veterans
> https://www.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/4zvvoc/action_opportunity_ask_hhs_mental_health_and/
Their later report contained no references to the problem.
They appear to have expressed no empathy for these victims.
Now that’s ironic.
Report comment
there are many outcomes for everything always…he’s pretty unequivocal about it causing permanent damage most of the time and I can’t imagine anyone hearing that in the throes of the aftermath of a nasty withdrawal believing that it will be completely hopeless and futile to even try to get better…all of us feel that way in any case…to be told that we will be permanently injured in such a state may very well be a death sentence. I am serious about that. It’s a reckless thing to say given it’s simply not true across the board. people need to KNOW they can get better.
I was bedridden and nonverbal and had over 50 symptoms EACH OF WHICH would have been disabling all on it’s own for a couple of years. I was homebound for about 5…I’m not some ridiculous pollyanna….i have lived through years of one of the worst tortuous hells a human being can live through. I’ve helped 1000s of people get better in the time I’ve been doing this work and healing myself. I didn’t do that by telling people they would have permanent brain damage.
I speak explicitly about it being a brain injury but I have come to witness neuroplasticity in action far too many times…with multiple miraculous healings (my own included) to think that generalizing about permanent damage is anything other than reckless and frankly, ignorant. Though if you tell people in your care that they won’t get better I bet you’re not going to see much improvement among the people you’re supposedly trying to help.
I also have never claimed to have a crystal ball and shit happens…people die coming off these neurotoxic poisons…I do not sugar coat anything and yet, I know and have seen many transformative healings…holding many possible outcomes and thus the present experience of the people we are serving is very important. People come through this and get healthy. That I know. It helps if we believe we can do it. It actually may be necessary to believe we can do it. That doesn’t also mean that some people may not…it’s simply not a reasonable generalization to talk about permanent damage being the norm.
Oh…and I was on the drugs for 25 years…a monstrous cocktail of ALL the classes of psych drugs at higher than what is considered maximum therapeutic doses. So yeah…I’m your worst case scenario…in the above article…and yeah, my outcome was also pretty worst case scenario for some time…and I’ve found healing that blows my mind daily… everyday, my mind is blown away by what amazing healing machines we are. Amazing creatures of nature…part and parcel of all that is around us.
And Rebel, PTSD, from forced treatment is also part of my history…that can also be transformed…it’s not an easy thing to do and I’m sorry that you too have been subject to such violence. PTSD from being heinously sick continues to be slowly transformed for me as well…once the trajectory is obvious there is some joy in the process even while some issues remain. Post Traumatic Growth really does happen…it’s really possible. I’m sorry so many people don’t have circumstances that seem to allow for such things to happen and that is why I continue this work that more people might have the resources and environments required to get healthy. Resources include everything internal within us as well as external … we need profound supports and that is largely what is lacking.
and YES we are the only authorities on us! and that part is clearly something that is part of your process…so I say, you’re doing it right…we do, certainly, all have our own paths. And so your experience is absolutely just as valid as mine and everyone else’s going through life…
Report comment
It’s a reckless thing to say given it’s simply not true across the board. people need to KNOW they can get better.
Yes, many people have greater stamina than others and I’m not advocating hopelessness by any means. Your own story is quite inspiring and I would cite it to those who are dealing with the repercussions of drugging. But I think this needs to be balanced by a clear warning to those who have not yet started taking them that such damage is a possibility, and that, permanent or not, this can ruin large portions of someone’s life. (Not that I need to point that out to you, obviously.)
Report comment
oldhead you are absolutely right that we need to warn about the repercussions of this drugging; just, like we are constantly warned about the repercussions of “illegal drugging.” Our “success stories” are important, in that, we can give others who are suffering; hope; and that there is really “light at the end of the tunnel” so to speak.
We need to tell our stories both of the horrible and the evil inflicted on us and on how we might have found our way to “healing, health” or whatever. In a way, both parts of the story are important. The part of the horror of the “drugs” warns others to stay away; like don’t go on that mountain full of rattlesnakes. The other side of the story tells how we have basically learned how to take care of ourselves, how to stay away from drugs, and self-healing and how we learned to reclaim our lives and true selves. The other part of the story is how we learned somehow to come down off the mountain of rattlesnakes. However, like all good things it starts with prevention. Please work to prevent those you love to stay away from the psychiatrists and their little friends and like Nancy Reagan; just say no to drugs; but it must be say no to psychiatric drugs. These drugs are really just the “illegal” drugs in disguise; the disguise that it is alright, even beneficial to take these drugs. When need to reinforce the idea that it is not okay to harm yourself in any way, including these drugs, psychiatrists, their ilk, and their little “toys.”
Report comment
All valid thoughts.
I don’t want this to be construed as an argument with Monica. I think we all agree here about the most important things regarding psych drugs, we’re just going back & forth on the finer points. Both “sides” are right, I think different people put more emphasis on different aspects according to their personal experiences and priorities. It’s all good. 🙂 (I never say that btw.)
Report comment
he’s pretty unequivocal about it causing permanent damage most of the time
Where did he say this? (Serious question; I could have missed something.) I guess you refer to this statement: “every class of psychiatric drug causes irreversible damage to the brain, especially with exposures lasting months and years.” I guess that could be construed in different ways, but to me the word “especially” qualifies the statement as pertaining sometimes but not others, as opposed to “always.” But the point about choosing one’s words carefully is certainly important.
Report comment
Fiachra,
I hope you find ways to heal even with whatever it is that still plagues you…healing is not always about everything working as it once did. That is also true. My best to you that you find ways to ease the suffering you still face daily. I too have many issues I am still learning to work with and further transform…
I also have capacities I never had before…that I am grateful for…of course it’s come at a great cost and it’s devastating to me daily to feel into the destruction that is happening everyday among us.
I wish I knew how to help everyone. None of us know how to do that…
Report comment
Neuroplasticity: enormous implications for anyone who has been labeled with a psychiatric illness and for those with psychiatric drug withdrawal syndrome https://beyondmeds.com/2015/02/11/brains-healing-neuroplasticity/
that’s an article and a collection of links on more info for anyone who would like to consider what transformative healing might look like.
Report comment
Monica, thanks for being so direct and unambiguous. I agree with absolutely everything you say here, and my experience speaks to this as well. Neuroplasticity is vital in this healing, and that is a limitless process, a game-changer. There is no predicting the future, but we can influence our own in the best way by staying open to all possibilities.
Like so many of us, I was told a lot things during my withdrawal that turned out to not only be completely false, but which at one devastating time in my life, led me to believe I had no hope of ever being functional again, so I tried to take my own life, thinking that must be true, because life had become hell, and I was asked to accept this. I guess because none of the many and varied clinicians around me had a clue how to help me, so to them, that meant that there simply was no help for me. If they couldn’t do it, no one could.
After recovering from this profoundly dark period of my life, I was eventually inspired to learn all I could about self-healing, because what I was offered by the “mental health” field was just not good enough for me. In fact, I discovered ultimately that it was undermining and destructive to my well being–both, the drugs and the “therapy.” All of this was driving me crazy, in every sense of the word, and I had to heal from what I’m now calling “post-mental-health-system-traumatic-stress” (PMHSTS). That takes clever and creative healing. It’s new ground, with extremely rich and fertile soil.
Since then, 14 years ago, I’ve had a fruitful practice which has helped many people heal and grow and make their dreams happen, I’ve made two well-regarded public service films about healing through truth-speaking and music, I have a band which performs as community service, and my partner and entire family have done remarkable healing and growth, spurred on by mine. I have two business partners for my Healing Academy for the Performing Arts, which is now growing, both of whom learned about new paradigm healing from me, and have applied it to themselves and their families, with tremendous benefit.
Had I believed this bullshit about permanent damage, it wouldn’t have been just about me. There are many of us who would have been affectedly adversely by this pessimistic version of reality.
We have a choice–keep hope alive, or kill it. It not only affects the person in question, but absolutely everyone around them, and their extensions, filtering in the community, then society, then the world. Think about how this ripples…
Report comment
I have very mixed emotions about this thread. I don’t want to say I have permanent damage but am still struggling with some issues nearly 7 years after taking my last pill. And just like several people struggling with damage have worked very hard to try to overcome their issues, so have I.
So when I hear the message that everyone can recover from years of psych meds, there is a part of me that goes, “yeah but”. On the other hand, Breggin’s message sounds very hopeless and doesn’t seem like the solution either.
Maybe if we had reputable medical providers to go to who could diagnose our issues and give us support with holistic measures to get ourselves in the best shape possible whatever that turned out to be. Unfortunately, many alternative folks are rip off artists also which I know will not be a popular statement on this board but to quote Alex, that is my truth.
Meanwhile, we struggle on our own and do the best we can.
Report comment
That’s why I stress self-healing. That was the most important thing I learned in all of this, that we are our own healers. Starts with self-compassion and heart-healing. There are tons of YouTube vids from different perspectives by folks from all walks of life, on how to develop this awareness. Just search “self-healing” and pages and pages of vids pop up from which to pick and choose.
Report comment
But to be fair, I believe you have also contended elsewhere that people have the capacity to regenerate lost limbs, or something like that. Which I’m not dismissing either in terms of human potential in a future, more evolved age, but right now it’s still good to be extremely careful around chain saws.
PS I do avoid MDs like the plague.
Report comment
That would be another topic of conversation. For now, I’m sticking to talking about healing brain injuries, to stay on topic with this blog. Main point here is discerning what gives hope vs. what communicates hopelessness, and the importance of that distinction when it comes to human potential.
If we distinguish “good” clinicians from “harmful” clinicians, this would be a good way to assess that. Do we feel encouraged and inspired by the feedback we get? Or do we feel doomed and forever compromised? I don’t think there is any in-between with this, that I can think of right now, it’s either one or the other.
I’d say the same for my friends and personal relationships, too. Mutual encouragement and support is an important quality for a relationship to have, I believe. Otherwise, I don’t much see the point in the relationship. It would be self-destructive, I think, in the end. Taking away hope is neither supportive nor encouraging, and can be devastating to people.
In the power differential of therapist to client, messages of permanent damage will do the client in, without a doubt.
Report comment
If we distinguish “good” clinicians from “harmful” clinicians, this would be a good way to assess that.
Depending on how one defines “clinician” — whether you’re talking about psychiatrists or so-called “psychotherapists.” My position is that regardless of the individual, psychiatry by definition considers itself to be treating diseases, which is inherently harmful regardless of whatever else is going on.
Report comment
“Depending on how one defines “clinician” — whether you’re talking about psychiatrists or so-called ‘psychotherapists.'”
Referring to both.
“My position is that regardless of the individual, psychiatry by definition considers itself to be treating diseases, which is inherently harmful regardless of whatever else is going on.”
I agree!
Report comment
Alex,
I appreciate your response but unfortunately, as I have learned with my mysterious narcoleptic/circadian rhythm like sleep disorders, not everything is resolved with self-healing attempts. Believe me, I have tried many things.
Unfortunately, I have to wait to see a doctor in the US who has been highly recommended as someone who can help with my issues. Hopefully, it will be worth it.
I just think we have to be careful about assuming that if we were able to heal with self-help methods, that everyone should be able to. And if they don’t, it is because their attitude is poor. I am not saying you are doing this Alex but it is a vibe I am kind of picking up on when similar type issues are discussed.
Report comment
aa I appreciate and respect your comments. Like most of us you, too, have had unnecessary struggle and suffering. I think, in a way, Alex, Monica, and I speak so highly of “self-healing” is that in a way all healing is self-healing. Alex and Monica have written how they have sought various outside sources to help them in their healing journey. They also said they are still on their journey. I might be the only one to seemingly rely almost totally on myself. But, I do consult various books, the internet and other sources. I admit to relying on my intuition, prayer and meditation to guide in my healing journey. Like Alex, and Monica, I am “still not there, yet.” I have certain personal goals that I am trying to accomplish. Some days, the greatest goal I have accomplished to wake up and be glad I live and can take a breath; because I know as long as I can take a breath, I still have better than a fighting chance for success. When I say almost all healing is self-healing, it is because the good and ethical doctors realize that in the end their drugs, treatments, etc. can only do so much. I do not mean to be blunt; but, I don’t how many times my father would tell me when I even had so much as a cold, “Dear, you have got to want to get better.” Not one of us is trying to denigrate or deny another person’s healing journey. Each one of us does what we need to do to get better and each one of us has our good days and bad days along this journey. We are all still human beings. Yet, in my opinion, to “heal” you have to want it, you have to dig deep within you and say to yourself, “I want to live! I refuse to die!.” No matter who or who you do not consult for help, if you do not tell yourself something like this you might not heal as you would like. As Monica, we are not trying to “sugarcoat” here. This is reality; as real as it will ever get. I do wish you well on your journey and I wish you well in all the decisions you make in your healing journey. Only you know what is best for you. It is the same for each one of us. It is good when we remember and respect this.
Report comment
no one relies totally on themselves…we read and get data somehow…our bodies interact with our environment and gets information etc…if it be only the food we put in our bodies (food carries consciousness, too)…we are intimately connected to all things and nothing can be done in a vacuum.
that said, I no longer seek professionals at all…of any stripe…I do stay open to whatever arises, always, however…for that is how life-force speaks to us…through all things in every moment.
Report comment
I would also go as far as to say I gave up my *self* in order to heal…surrendering is a total thing…and that is, in the end, a process too…and like you said above…everyone gets there in their own way…
there is no right or wrong…truly…we do as we do…we watch and learn…that’s the best any of us can do.
love to everyone here…thank you so much for this conversation.
Report comment
I’m done with mental health anything, rebel. That stuff doesn’t exist any longer for me. My entire perspective of reality and sense of self has shifted, and there may be more of that to come because life is fluid and ever-changing. I’m living, learning, creating, and contributing to my community by way of opportunities that arise. I enjoy life a great deal now, have for a while. I’m part of a community of working healers, teachers and artists–these are my friends, partners, and those with whom I create. That’s it, and life goes on.
Report comment
Noted, AA, thanks for the feedback. My only desire is to offer hope for people, by telling my own story of success in healing from something which I was told would never heal, that there is no healing from what ailed me. Fortunately, my story and films have done just that, so I know that some people value my perspective and benefit from it, but of course this would not be universal, I wouldn’t expect that to be the case. I cannot presume what is possible or not possible for everyone, that is beyond my scope.
Although when a client comes to work with me, it is because they know I believe anything can heal, and they want to know how that works and apply it, to take that particular journey. If someone has an issue with this perspective, we would more than likely hit an impasse sooner or later, which is fine, not everyone is a match when it comes to healing support. I see what we believe as a matter of personal choice.
Report comment
So Alex, what your professional qualifications regarding sleep disorders? Do you have experience working with people with these issues and if so, what did you do to get them to heal? Not just talking about garden variety insomnia.
Serious questions since you claim anyone can heal.
Report comment
with the kind of healing we’re talking about presenting symptoms aren’t really the issue…so part of this is also making a leap…probably a leap of faith when it doesn’t make any sense…
also, everyone’s trip is truly different…I have all sorts of “symptoms” … I don’t think in those terms anymore, however…so it’s not something I explicitly talk about all that much anymore…
I still can’t make long term plans or commitments (even into next week, or quite often tomorrow)…why? because my body demands I do stuff to continue healing…the “symptoms” are all healing movements…it doesn’t make sense to concentrate on them beyond in the immediate moment because often the body is telling me what is next on the healing agenda…
Report comment
Just came upon this quote…this is what self-healing is about…it’s truly outside everything we’ve learned within this “cultural operating system.”
from Terrence McKenna,
“You are not naked when you take off your clothes. You still wear your religious assumptions, your prejudices, your fears, your illusions, your delusions.
When you shed the cultural operating system, then, essentially you stand naked before the inspection of your own psyche…
and it’s from that position, a position outside the cultural operating system, that we can begin to ask real questions about what does it mean to be human, what kind of circumstance are we caught in, and what kind of structures, if any, can we put in place to assuage the plan and accentuate the glory and the wonder that lurks, waiting for us, in this very narrow slice of time between the birth canal and the yawning grave.”
-Terence McKenna
yes, from that place too we can ask, “what do I need to do to heal?”
so, yeah…it’s also a conundrum as to how people get there…good “healers” are folks who help you find that place…that’s why the presenting symptoms aren’t necessarily (though they might sometimes be) significant.
also…no one with psych drug damage doesn’t have severe issues with sleeping…I don’t sleep like a “normal” person anymore…that’s for sure…but I go with what my body is doing and that’s okay. It’s truly a shift in perspective and paradigm.
Report comment
and once again…because everyone’s path is different…their process may be radically different too…it’s truly okay if this doesn’t make any sense…perhaps you’ve simply not found your tribe…(or the right doctor because it’s legitimate that some people’s paths utilize MDs as well) really…accepting ourselves as we are is really the baseline.
Report comment
AA, in order to pursue this, I’d need to ask you a few questions to give me a picture of what you’re dealing with. I wouldn’t do this on here, that would not be appropriate. Plus, I’d only be willing to work with you if you identified yourself.
As far as my professional qualifications go, I am trained and certified as an energy healer, spiritual counselor, and integral health practitioner. These are all based on subtle energies which are part of our life force. What I learned was how to identify, work with, and direct this natural healing energy to where we need it. That is a multi-dimensional process which involves emotions, beliefs, and our innate creative process. As we heal, we manifest a different experience of life because energy is shifting everywhere.
I think I’m more of a teacher, because in reality, I don’t heal others, I don’t think that’s how it works. Instead, I help people to discover what tools and perspective would work to their best benefit, based on their own process, and then I help them apply these and witness the changes.
I’ve never worked with anyone with “sleep disorder,” but I have helped people to heal very quickly from what they were calling “chronic fatigue syndrome” and “mononucleosis,” and I’ve helped people who used to call themselves “mentally ill” be at peace with themselves and go on to create their dreams.
These are terms brought to me, I rephrase them to reflect energy. The first two labels connote energy depletion, so I start there, asking “what is depleting your energy?” and “How would be best to rebuild it.” Then we discuss possible root causes, and then move on to solutions.
For the folks who call themselves “mentally ill,” it’s been about feeling very depressed, anxious, and chronically worried, and general internal chaos and lack of ability to focus, which, of course, merits various explorations in order to get to the core of what is going on, and then deciding what changes to make in order to feel grounded and in synch with one’s self, to find inner peace and clarity.
For me, it’s never an illness, but always a matter of energy and how it is flowing. We easily develop blocks in our energy, and that can be due to chronic negative thinking, that’s energy 101, and it stands to reason. I know you may not like hearing this, but I am by no means the only one that believes this, it is rather common thought that we get in our own way with chronic negative thinking.
Once those blocks dissipate, which occurs when we expand our self-awareness and relax our heart, then our energy flows naturally and smoothly, and that’s when we are on our way to healing, simply from growing and evolving, allowing things to change. Nothing is forever, in terms of the physical. We are in a constant process of change and growth.
Thanks to neuroplasticity and practicing new ways of thinking, our neurons shift as we practice this with intention, diligence, and focus, and eventually, it becomes second nature and we self-heal as we go. Our bodies have innate wisdom, but it is up to us whether we trust it or not. It is an evolutionary process, never-ending. I believe there are always new things to learn in life, each and every day, and you never know when it will be exactly what you need.
Report comment
I think maybe a major issue here is that now we are being told due to the “toxic drugs” we took, we now have “permanent” physical damage; including brain damage. This could be for some; it should not be totally ruled out. Yet, being told that we now have permanent physical damage is akin to our being told we had some terrible “mental illness” that is permanent and life-long and can only be maintained by taking these “toxic drugs” everyday, participating in therapy, et. al. and basically turning our lives over to other people because they are the authorities and we are defective and damaged goods! As one can well see, from these posts, this is a terribly incorrect and false assumption that has hurt many lives in so many ways. It is not that we do not sustain some effects from taking these drugs. As for me, I can no longer take any drugs; so I do worry if I “come down” with an illness that needs an anti-biotic or anti-viral drug or if something is causing me very sever pain and I need some kind of “pain-killer”. Although, even before this, I would reject the “opioid-based painkillers.” Of course, this could change over time. Despite everything our bodies and brains are malleable. Look, we were convinced we were sick and needed drugs when we just being human beings. But, I am like Alex and Monica in that I truly believe in the power of “self-healing.” I also believe in the “power of intuition.” If you listen to yourself, your mind and body will guide you to what you need to be healed and also if some weird symptom arises, your intuition will gently remind you. “it’s just the withdrawal and de-tox and it will soon go away.” Shakespeare was right when he said, “to thine own self be true.” That is the key to all healing. You need to relearn who you really and truly are and this will guide you to total healing of mind, body, spirit, and soul. And, as far as “healing” goes, only you can define that for yourself; no one else can,
Report comment
hear hear to intuition!! it’s amazing what the body knows when we listen…this is the source of all the mind-blowing stuff I’ve learned (and yeah, Rebel, you’re right about something you brought up earlier…this is our inheritance…it’s what we’re SUPPOSED to be…if we hadn’t had our core-selves conditioned out of us from the moment we’re born…and in this way we come out ahead of pretty much everyone in society…”normal” is a highly conditioned and unconscious state of being!)
Report comment
People should realized by now,that human hormones are reason for PTSD and not stress or trauma.
And same is with any so called Mental Illness or Disorders.Sadly most of people on MIA blogs hate
biology and evolution.
Report comment
it’s the whole shebang Borut, it’s the whole shebang…trauma, biology, evolution, hormones, and then some…everyone wants to pick out their favorite variable…you can’t do that…it all works together!!
Report comment
I agree, these cannot be separated. It depends on our unique nature and process, and where we are most inclined to focus. For some, the focus begins with something physical, because that can seem easiest to perceive for some, when it is affecting our bodies, and it seems concrete. If holistic healing is being applied, then from there, that will inevitably lead to emotional and spiritual issues–that is, pertaining to our spiritual inclination. Sometimes, scary and traumatic situations propel us to seek greater understanding of things, to expand our perspective. That often brings us relief because it opens the door to new potential solutions.
For others, chronic discomfort is best identified as emotional, first, that is what they are most perceiving, so you’d begin there. Our emotions do affect our physiology, so eventually that would lead to explore physical issues as the result of chronic stress.
And finally, some would begin with a spiritual perspective and perhaps their anxiety and depression, for them, begins with feeling disconnected from all that is, believing in nothing and feeling despondent over the meaninglessness of life, especially if one has been plagued by trauma and can’t seem to get out of that cycle. That would eventually lead to exploring deeply one’s emotional landscape and emotional responses to life–on what beliefs are they based? Needless to say, this would more than likely adversely affect our physical health.
So like Monica, I believe mind/body/spirit is connected in everything, and the gestalt of our life experience is what we consider when healing, not just one aspect of it. That would not amount to core healing because it is inherently limited in perspective.
How we perceive this and how we take our journeys of healing and personal evolution is going to entirely depend on where each of us, individually, is inclined most naturally to focus, I think that translates into ease. In the end, we are all looking for relief and a sense of peace about life (at least that’s always my intention with myself and others), so however we get there is up for grabs, to be discovered for each of us.
Personally, I always start with energy, the spiritual nature of an experience or feeling. That info comes to me very naturally, I have a knack for it, so it the first thing I will notice, without any effort. That takes me to my emotions, to see what shifting I might be able to do here to meet my objective in the moment, and from that, I have found that things take care of themselves on a physical level, if I stay grounded, nourished, and always know my center. But that’s just my inclination, because it is ease and clarity for me, and my process of healing anything unfolds quite naturally and accessibly.
My belief is that our spirits guide and heal us, so I make sure to stay clear on my spiritual beliefs, and live by them. That’s how I keep the best and clearest flow of energy, and am free to live my life as I wish, with intention and integrity. Keeps me healthy, relaxed, creative, and optimistic.
Report comment
Alex
There is nothing above our mind,which is based on our biological brains.Above all,you don’t harm
anyone,but yourself with such missbeliefs,about religion and spirituality.
Monica
Separation is biological and evolutionary birthright.Defending it,is a problem for most people in this
world!
Report comment
I said nothing about religion. Having a spiritual perspective is not the same as being “religious.” I do not belong to or identify with any organized religion, but I do have my beliefs about energy and our spiritual nature. I don’t see how it is harming me, quite the opposite. Walking my talk and living consistently with my belief system is only healing and clarifying for me, allows me to create fruitfully. I have clarity about my life, process, and purpose.
And we’re in complete disagreement when you say nothing is “above the mind.” To me, that is very limiting in perspective. There are many schools of thought about this from which to choose, based on what feels right to each of us, and that will always be diverse, as is our nature. These are personal choices we all make–or not, and that is a personal choice, too.
Report comment
Alex
I am not on MIA website to convince anyone,that human hormones are main reasons for
our problems.What I wrote,are basic laws of biology and biochemistry.Certainly,very few here
will agree with me.You may not harm yourself with your beliefs,but denial of biology is all what
Mental Health System needs.
Report comment
I believe we have potentially more control over our biology than we currently realize. Google “12-strand DNA.” There are new things to explore and discover here.
Report comment
Alex, I just now *DID* “google 12-stranded dna…” Yes, I got a little excited thinking about “12-stranded dna” for a few minutes. *BUT*, Alex, c’mon! It’s PSEUDOSCIENCE!
quora.com has 3 answers to a Q? about this, and that pretty much debunks it.
*BUT*, *BUT*, I will partially agree with you. We DO have far more control over our thoughts and feelings than psychiatry will ever admit! The psychs want us to remain ignorant, and dependent on THIER drugs, and THEIR brand of social control…. But, until & unless this “12-strand” nonsense is shown to be anything other than a pseudoscientific delusion….well, what EVIDENCE do YOU have….????….
(If I show you all the so-called “mental illnesses” in the DSM, does that make them real?/….?
Report comment
Alex,
Serious question.
If someone is drunk, should they be driving based on your theory that the mind has control over the body?
Report comment
If a person is drunk, then they have altered their naturally functioning mind and have also relinquished control, relying on others around them to accommodate him/her, which, in essence, is rendering one’s self powerless and burdening others unfairly. So of course they shouldn’t drive, their mind is not in control, the alcohol is. If their mind were functioning normally, none of this would be an issue.
And if they are drunk and don’t see that driving is dangerous, then my attention would go to their spirit, and by that, I mean their heart and “emotional intelligence.” Imo, something would be amiss, here, like a disconnect, which makes life dangerous for them and others. Of course, that’s my personal interpretation of wanting to drive while drunk, others may have a different one.
I can only hope I answered your question satisfactorily, AA. I did take it seriously, and this is to the best of my ability. I’m learning as I go, like anyone else.
And btw, these aren’t my “claims” and “theories.” This is a school of thought, I am by no means alone in it, and in fact, more people are catching on to this and benefitting from it a great deal.
I just happen to subscribe to it, because it gave me clarity whereas before I did not have it. This is what was on the other side of the dark night healing journey. It’s called LIGHT.
Google this stuff, YouTube it, this is an option for people to get past the glass ceilings. These are not my original thoughts, I studied, learned, and applied them. It’s a choice. I just happened to make this one. I don’t want to burden others, just share the options.
Report comment
Thanks Alex, you did and I greatly appreciate that.
Report comment
Why academics denie hormones and their super-power over anyone mind?
If this isn’t the case for protection of…wrote who I mean.
Report comment
Not sure if you’re referring to me in this generalization, but if you are, I can assure you that I’m not an academic. That’s an ivory tower perspective and rarely, if ever, applies to the true nature of humanity. Academia is where “cognitive dissonance” is born–the mind outside the body. That will never work, because that separation is purely illusory and leads to all sorts of misconceptions, projections, and delusions. It also leads to control, gaslighting, and marginalization.
Where you and I seem to be in disagreement, Borut, is that you seem to feel that the body has power over the mind, and I’m saying the opposite–that the mind (and the inherent spiritual nature of it) actually has control over the body. The difference between your perspective and mine is a big gap, I think. This is a radical shift in perspective and paradigm–not just of healing, but of living.
Report comment
changebtn.wordpress.com/2017/01/06/drugs-or-not-drugs/
Extremely interesting article written by a dear and fellow CPS neutralizing the drug topic.
Report comment
Alex
Except fact,that in our biological reality,human hormones are reasons for our problems.It won’t harm
you spiritual beliefs,but it will put in serious danger many jobs inside Mental Health System!Certainly
this is what we all want here,isn’t?!Total demolition of their cursed System!I mean only community
here on MIA will be happy with their *demolition*.With Psychology heavily infected staff and writters
on MIA website,sadly defending of biology and evolution,fall on me.Until brain cyst won’t shut down
my biological mind.
Report comment
Borut, I won’t argue at all with you that hormones play a critical role in all of this that is probably overlooked. I’m sure you know more about this than I do, and I would take you at your word, it certainly rings true to me, just intuitively.
Re the mh system, I think there is a lot of information that would cramp their style, that they’d prefer to not consider, and simply invalidate off-the-cuff, and often with judgment based on ignorance (not having all the information). I actually talked about alternative perspectives and modalities to a group of public mh system clinicians and social service staff when I gave a little presentation a few years ago, and the response from them, as a collective, was, “the government doesn’t fund it.” So that’s what determines “healing” in the mh system, and even framework and perspective–what the government will fund. Hmmm…
I don’t think everyone on here wants to see the mh system demolished, but I do. And when I say “demolished,” I do mean that I would like for it to go away, however best that could happen, and I’m not into violence or destroying anything. And some people do rely on the system at this point, for better or worse, so there are considerations here about transition and change happening to the point of paradigm shift, that’s not so easy.
But admittedly, the system makes me angry enough to use your term, because, well, because it is what it is, and I think it’s a big mess and on top of that makes a big mess for its clients continuously. This is what it is sending out into the collective, aggressively, defensively, and insistently.
I am being very frank and honest when I say I think it’s a menace to society at this point, and doing so much harm, it just can’t help it. There is no clarity or even desire for clarity to be found in the mh system, just ongoing power struggles, arguing, and severely polarizing and marginalizing systemic dynamics. That’s what keeps the system in business.
I just have nothing nice to say about it at this point. I believe it is beyond redemption. That’s my personal conclusion, at the end of it all, after 21 years involved in all of this, starting with graduate school, and all through the layers and tangents.
And that’s very unusual for me. I try to see something positive in everything, even if it is a life lesson through adversity. But as far seeing anything at all even remotely resembling positivity, light, or integrity in the MH system, I am truly stumped to come up with one single item.
Report comment