The Relationship between Enlightenment and Mental Illness

[baulz owt]

"happiness" is the brain chems functioning properly. We CAN work to achieve this, and it's actually quite easy. Moving, stretching, writing, singing, dancing, playing, eating right,,,,,,,,,,,overthinking and overanalyzing separates the body from the mind

[Trevor Salyzyn]

The point is: I feel like I'm responsible for my life, this mental illness is my fault.

Mental illness is no more your fault than any other form of brain damage. If your corpus collosum is severed, and your lobes lose the ability to communicate with one another, thinking really hard is not going to fix anything. You learn to live with it.

You remind me somewhat of that Calvin & Hobbes quote:
"I hope for the strength to change what I can, the inability to accept what I can't, and the incapacity to tell the difference."

[mystex]

Mental illness is no more your fault than any other form of brain damage.

I wouldn't say so. For instance: a man decides to go mountain biking without a helmet - vs - living as healthily as possible only to be diagnosed with Parkinson's. Do you see the difference? Granted, in some ways they are the same. However, let's be realistic about this.

If your corpus collosum is severed, and your lobes lose the ability to communicate with one another, thinking really hard is not going to fix anything. You learn to live with it.

The brain can be compared with a muscle. Training the muscle is very beneficial. Different forms of training are used for different purposes. Over-training doesn't have a purpose, it's a mistake. It must be corrected or else one will shy away from their goals instead of slowly coming towards such goals.

You remind me somewhat of that Calvin & Hobbes quote:
"I hope for the strength to change what I can, the inability to accept what I can't, and the incapacity to tell the difference."

OK. The point is that you shouldn't think about what you don't know before you know it. The thing is: how do you know that you know before you know it? All we can do is our best, doing any less is a crime!

Trevor, the problem is that you've accepted your mental illness!

[Trevor Salyzyn]

For instance: a man decides to go mountain biking without a helmet - vs - living as healthily as possible only to be diagnosed with Parkinson's. Do you see the difference?

Are you saying that mental illness is less your fault than other forms of brain damage?

Trevor, the problem is that you've accepted your mental illness!

I fail to see how that's a problem. I went through all the various stages of grief, read about it, all that jazz, and finally accepted it and moved on.

[mystex]

Are you saying that mental illness is less your fault than other forms of brain damage?

I'm just saying that some things can be controlled, while others can't. How can you possibly know that you can't control your mental illness, if you haven't exhausted every option... Or have you? (I wouldn't know. All I know is that if I'm depressed, I can either make myself better or worse... Or maybe I don't have it that bad to begin with).

I fail to see how that's a problem. I went through all the various stages of grief, read about it, all that jazz, and finally accepted it and moved on.

I did the opposite: I accepted it, read about it, and... just didn't really get it.

I'd say that it's a much better choice to have control, so if there's nothing else that works as well as meds do, then meds might be the right choice. However, if you ween off meds slowly and try fighting it... Who knows, right? I've heard of many people that have gone off meds and are managing quite well. In my experience, meds had a dulling effect, but that may have been because I only took them for a month at best.

[mystex]

The point is: the experts don't know what mental illness really is! So, who better to know than someone who's going through it? Have you noticed how it seems like the experts are trying to learn from you? Weird, huh? If you never had these problems (if no one did), then there would be no such experts and even less would be know about the brain. Kinda fits, eh? :)

[Trevor Salyzyn]

How can you possibly know that you can't control your mental illness, if you haven't exhausted every option... Or have you?

I have. What you suggest would land me back in a hospital. I know from experience.

However, if you ween off meds slowly and try fighting it... Who knows, right?

I know exactly what happens. Within the next year, I'll have a 3-month long vacation to the psych ward.

In my experience meds, had a dulling effect, but that may have been because I only took them for a month at best.

That's not long at all. Notice the length of time I spend in a hospital. I've had three separate 3-month long stays in the last six years, and two of them were caused because I was not taking the illness seriously enough. I was biking without a helmet, and could have avoided them if I took my doctor's advice in the first place.

who better to know than someone who's going through it?

I'm surprised you don't clue in that I've gone through it. After dealing with it for six years, I find that taking my medication is important.

Have you noticed how it seems little the experts' are trying to learn from you?

They learned about it in school, and there is a lot more to their questions than you think. Sure, your sleeping patterns are important, but how you answer "how many hours do you sleep in a day?" is relevant. If you drift through 15 topics in 15 sentences, and never answer the question, you are having difficulty thinking.

[mystex]

That's fine, Trevor. I agree with all of that for the most part (we'll get to that later), that's not the issue here. Answer this and you'll have a better understanding of my intentions: why did you ever stop taking your meds? Obviously, there is something about the insanity that appeals to you. It's sorta like: water skiing (if you know what I mean). Maybe this is a delusional way of looking at it, but I believe that there's more truth to it than we'd like to admit. Also, I believe that if adequate control is maintained, the insanity (I'm using this very loosely) becomes an advantage (meaning, it becomes a disadvantage, if the control is lost).

[Tomas]

.


Mentally Ill and Locked Away for a Long Time

-- Some examples The Associated Press found of patients at psychiatric
hospitals being held in seclusion for months or years at a time:
http://newsmax.com/us/mental_health_out ... 64791.html

[Trevor Salyzyn]

mystex,

Obviously, there is something about the insanity that appeals to you.

Insanity is addictive. I don't think many people who have experienced it prefer sanity.

[mystex]

I hope everything works out for you (I do mean that, Trevor!). Hopefully/eventually, I think you'll realize that you can control yourself without meds.

If it was up to my doctor, I'd be on a low dose of antipsychotics. Thankfully, it's not(lol)! I do notice myself getting out-of-control at times, etc... But I'm able to control it now. I sorta "get out" of the mindset that I'm in. It's all about conscious-forgetting and stilling of the mind. Whatever.

Anyway, I've had enough of this place. Time to start studying. Farewell.

[michaelg]

I have Bi-polar (Hi everybody I'm new) so first of, it's easy for me to understand Britney's antics. An good manic episode can be like the a totally positive even spiritual euphoric high where social expectations aren't one of your modes of thinking. I became obsessed with reading into bible verses. I viserally felt the souls of people - their charge. I likes one girl's so much I proposed to her - she was my bosses daughter. Not good.

Anyway medication makes a whole lot of difference. Lithium seems neutral. I hate the anti-psychotics because they make it harder to meditate: The effects are milder, the pose less comfortable, my mind less disappearing into space beautifully.

There's an urge to quit meds to get the sensations back, but you wouldn't believe the depression, so I won't.

I'm seeking enlightenment instead.

Also, don't get too carried away with what is sane, or I mean too insistant that insane is beyond "our pale." As has probably been noted, sanity is a spectrum with noone in the middle. I'd put Buddha or Jesus in the middle. Who's like them?

[mansman]

you wish to see how mental illness and enlightenment interrelate? no problem, just visit a wiseman and bring a cowboys branding iron with you, have someone heat it up to maybe 1500 degrees and then firmly singe the blissful kind volunteer somewhere where the sun doesnt normally shine, you go stand in front to examine the enlightened persons expression and there-- dollars to donuts-- you will witness mental illness in action.

Mike, Jehu's like them.