Psychosis

Hi, my name is Doctor_Sola. I'm undiagnosed and I'm pretty sure I have a couple mental disorders or illnesses that really aren't fun, and I don't know what to do about it.

#MightyTogether #ADHD #Schizophrenia #DepersonalizationDisorder #DerealizationDisorder #Psychosis

I was hospitalized in early Sept for psychosis (I have Bipolar 1). I missed the first day of school (I am a special ed teacher), but decided to decline a program after dismissal in order to get back to work as soon as possible. I went to work for the five days of the second week of the school year and it put me into a depression. My husband insisted I stop working and get into a program, but that proved difficult to do. I was depressed throughout Sept and started to become manic in Oct. In mid Nov I became psychotic again and went back to the hospital. This time I had a great doctor who completely changed my medicine for the better. I got into a therapy program and followed my doctor’s instructions to not work for four months. My first day back at work is this Monday April 3. It has been a long time! I am trying my hardest to be hopeful that I can do this without becoming overwhelmed. I really don’t want to depression to return because teaching with depression is SO hard…Does anyone have any words of encouragement for me? Maybe a success story about going back to work or regaining something from your old life after mental illness? Thanks.#BipolarDisorder

#PTSD #Anxiety #Bipolar # Psychosis
So I really want to make friends. My only hobby right now is using my lamp on gloomy days to give me energy and that's not much of a hobby, lol. I read but it is mainly books in the psychology realm. I have a difficult time just reading a book for pleasure so it is difficult for me to find people that read self-help psychology books. I don't leave my apartment a lot. When I have troubles, I usually write about it on the Mighty and get feedback. I guess I think I have to be a fabulously diverse person to attract friends. I'm limited as to what I can do because I don't have a car and I don't have a lot of money. Any suggestions?

here goes, as someone who didn't follow through with education in this realm, I am quite stupid, however, I do think that Jung is saying when society loses touch with its roots and what gives it value, and dumbifies itself and loses its responsibility to the world and its own identity, it becomes a generation of less than desireables or fools, as a romantic fool who can't think straighter than my crooked middle toe, this may be true, but why is the educational system fading when it is run by the older generation, is it X who is to blame, not just Millenials, and sure things like immigration and internet overuse and misuse, are to blame, however education is not segregated, kids are at their own mercy to learn or not learn, attend or in some cases not attend, respect always should be, there is benefit from all cultures until it becomes so tilted one does not know what to do, so what is identity then, what are the choices at school, Classics, English, Sciences, Drama, don't make a fool of me small informed bilingual white female child, and I will try not to make a fool of you, there are what 7 to 17 books on a given course and you read 3 or 4, and the Crucible what, burning witches in where, Salem Masachusettes, not that Neutral place, yeah they held the wisdom like Hypatia in Alexandria and the secret male societies wanted to hold it close and within their power, so thus the subjugation of Christiandom, then again to educate women is just to keep them out of trouble, playthings, both sexes, don't let knowledge die, is enrollment down, everyone can't be a nurse you know, doctor, lawyer, etc. some take Classics and teach which that had been my door, no it was hers

How do you deal with levels of stress without stimulating a chronic pain flair up?

I've had chronic back pain from scoliosis for for 15 years now. I'm off the meds and I'm doing a lot of work on myself with Cognitive Reprocessing Therapy, meditation and mindful movement excercises combined with physiotherapy.

I can't work because I'm unable to cope with the stress of working as an Operating Department Practitioner (ODP). I left my profession because they couldn't make reasonable adjustments for my condition. So I walked away from my career.

For the past 18 months I've been trying to wean off painkillers to figure out what to do about my pain, sometimes it's been so overwhelming that I've had panic attacks that have left me suffering from muscle spasms for months.

I cannot keep going with this idea that I'm the only person going through this, how do we continue to feel our pain in a safe way without overworking the muscles of our backs when we feel our emotions.

After 15 years of chronic pain it's hard to imagine a world where pain doesn't exist. That's not what I'm looking for, I just want to feel my pain sensations without having an immediate reaction of panic, fear and rage.

Which brings me to the flip side of chronic pain, when I stopped taking my meds (co-codamol) I began feeling so much, so much that I didn't know how to feel, my pain become overwhelming but so did my emotions. I felt like a baby learning how to navigate states of newness again through this otherworldly state of being because my emotions were so viceral, so explosive. I didn't know how to behave , how to respond to people through these new sensations, it drove me to states of mind that have been described by the internet at psychosis.

The thing that saved me from my mad mind was the ability to express what I was feeling through art. Painting, poetry, dancing and singing helped me find my way back to myself through my pain. This was about six months ago and at this time I'm trying to bring myself to a place where I can go back to work, safely. There is no room for creative self expression in a hospital...

The level of self management involved in my day to reduce my pain is a heavy burdeon, I don't know how I will be able to cope without these practices...

I can't just take a 30 min break and meditate or go for a walk to calm down my nervous system.

How do people cope with pain and the stress of work when there is no space for us in the system to be able to feel, express and mend ourselves in the moment we need to.....

Chronic pain, a disability?

#ChronicPain #Scoliosis #Disability #worklifebalance #Psychosis #cognitivereprocessingtherapy #Stress #cocodamol

Hi, my name is fruitrollup. I'm looking for coping strategies and information regarding treatment for FND.

#MightyTogether #Anxiety #Depression #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #AutismSpectrumDisorder #ADHD #PTSD #OCD #FunctionalMovementDisorder #Psychosis

Have you ever had an experience where you were not sure you existed or thought you would die and disappear from this life? Unfortunately, I have, and I do not wish this for anyone.

In order to cope with these terrifying moments, I would have to touch things around me to remind myself that I was still on this earth and alive. These experiences were the worst times of life.

I feel compelled to write about these struggles because I believe many people may have had similar experiences and might feel alone. I also know how that loneliness can make you feel crazy because we do not hear many, if any, people talk about these experiences and seem credible by our society’s standards.

My intention in writing a bit about my life as it pertains to these types of struggles is to shed some light on these experiences, which I believe are just human experiences that should not be stigmatized. I hope our society and culture can move more toward being open to sharing these aspects of our lives, those parts we may be afraid to share due to shame, embarrassment, or fear. I do not believe we should have to hide them, at least not from ourselves.

So, here I am, taking a risk, as I face the fear of sharing some parts of me and my story that I believe should be acknowledged more openly.

I began therapy (as they would describe to me later), as a feral cat, and as if I was afraid of my own shadow. We met once a week for some time and eventually ramped it up to three times a week, as, perhaps more formal Jungian analysis is conducted.

I was able to experience or re-experience trauma from my past and feel emotions that I could not feel before. I intuitively knew this therapist had experienced a similarly intense spiritual emergency, so they were able to help contain all that I was bringing, allowing more memories and emotions to rise to the surface. In essence, fragmented parts of my psyche due to trauma that were held by defenses were integrating into my psyche.

The defenses were able to go away and my ego was strengthening in order to navigate and contain the different emotions I might experience moving forward. There was less controlling by my ego, more surrendering to what was, and more complex operations of how to be in touch with my mind, body, and soul.

I was becoming who I was meant to be and continuing down that path in a process-oriented manner of always being and becoming. In accordance with Jungian analysis or analytical psychology, I was forming a healthy relationship with the Self, as my ego was differentiating itself as a separate entity, but also a part of the Self, too. This therapist was literally a life saver, and I now found myself beginning to thrive.

There is still much to learn, but my intention in sharing what I do know so far is to hopefully provide others an example of what it is to be human in “crazy” experiences that we may fear talking about or even acknowledging to ourselves. I hope that the intention I have in writing this will serve that purpose, and that other people can share as they choose or at least acknowledge to themselves that theirs are valid human experiences.

Our mental health system is set up to stratify and organize the human condition based on function and dysfunction from a place of not understanding fully—as I’ve mentioned, my belief is that what you do not know, you fear and judge or label. While labeling has some utility for determining how to help someone, the darker side of its impact could create powerlessness and stigma for those on the receiving end of such diagnoses, especially when not informed or consented to.

I believe the power of knowing and sharing ourselves can transcend the negative impacts of labeling and stigma.

Hello! I'm new here and really glad I found this. I'm really struggling due to constant stress. I can be manic and then an hour later I'm completely down. I don't have much of a support system. It's just my husband and I living in Ohio. I have always been a private, untrusting person so I don't talk or share. But I need to learn to trust and share. My husband gave me an ultimatum in 2016 to go to the Dr or get divorced. I knew something was wrong but I didn't expect bipolar. My husband kept telling me to stop using bipolar as an excuse and refused to learn anything about it. Until 2 months ago when I went into psychosis and he recorded everything. So now every thing is my fault. At least that's how it feels. I won't share the horrible names he calls me on a daily basis. I'm on disability and I feel like I'm stuck in a loveless marriage. I'm sorry for this long post. I just need to let some things out.

Part 1 of 2 Remembering Prayer

– Richelle Simon

Prayer intrigues me and I can remember this going back into childhood. Over Christmas 2021, the first prompt came when I unwrapped a beautiful present from my aunty, “The Woman’s Book Of Prayer” –

365 Blessings, Poems and Meditations. My curiosity beckoned again two months later when my beau found a japa mala bead necklace to gift me on Valentines Day. He was listening when I talked about my ‘loose connection’ to prayer and my desire to explore it’s function in my life.

For some time now I have enjoyed watching TedTalk videos or reading articles that are about well-being, advancements in medicine, the mind or emotions, even neuroscience. I like personal stories of how someone overcame an illness and the latest research. I have been interested in health sciences since my 20s when I completed a diagnostic imaging program at SAIT. Also, I have a diagnosis that is labeled as a serious mental illness.

I took a logic and science based approach first to examine prayer. Are the benefits researched? What is the etymology of the word? When I was learning to meditate I also asked this question. Am I doing this right? Naturally, as I thought about these questions I had even more questions that were now about my own faith. What are my ways of devotion and how have I prayed, or gave thanks? Also to whom do I pray?

There are moments when I am fearful of another episode derailing me.

Those who are familiar with manic psychosis will know that grandiose delusions accompanied with hallucinations can happen during a break and sometimes they are religious or spiritual in nature. An example of this kind of delusion is when a person strongly believes they are the reincarnation of Jesus or Buddha. Also an individual could believe with full confidence they have special healing powers or abilities while delusional. A person hallucinating is hearing sounds nobody else hears, and believing they are whispers from a prophet or an angel for example. Clinically the term for this is hyperreligiosity and is defined as a psychiatric disturbance where an individual experiences intense ongoing spiritual or religious beliefs that interfere with daily functioning.

I was 18 when my first episode came on. It was my turn and I took a few inhales from the joint that was being passed around. This was not like the other times I smoked cannabis. I was quickly and intensely enveloped in pure elation and euphoria; a very different high than my relaxed peers were feeling. The heightened mood persisted for two months and would engulf me, traumatize me, and enlighten me. My close friends all worried and tried to help when I was not myself and blurring the lines of reality. I refused to see a doctor and my parents fell on each side of that decision. My mood eventually would even out. It required unwavering support from best friends, family friends and especially my Mom. I carried on with my plan in life and moved to Alberta for a medical imaging program that I was accepted into.

I was not raised in a religious way and we weren’t an artistic family. These areas in life were not cultivated at home with my parents. Conversations about God and prayer were mainly ignored or dismissed quickly. This is common. I have noticed the reverence, gratitude and wonder I feel in nature has been present for as long as I can remember.

Where did I pick this up?

The ‘elephant in the room’ became so enormous in the years that followed. A combination of stigma, denial, lack of education amongst other things may be why my loved ones and I never mentioned those two months. It hurt that we were all on different wavelengths, suffering and not able to have a serious conversation about mental health. Surely, I was hyper-independent in many ways after this trauma too. There is a medical term for “lack of insight” that I came across recently. Anosognosia affects 40% of people with serious mental illnesses and those who have it lack the capacity to understand their illness. l was living with both spiritual and mental illnesses and couldn’t see it. Between bouts of inactivity, there were times where I was up, more lively, passionate and driven. I met teachers and good people, made lasting friendships. However, strained relationships and friendships became an undesired pattern. I started having panic attacks. It was difficult to communicate how I was feeling. I took a stress leave from my new job, and then another.

The manic psychotic episode that swept me up at 18 was also a spiritual experience for me. The heavy depression, confusion, disorientation and paranoia that fell on me afterwards made it nearly impossible to see it was significant and expansive. It has taken me over