The medical paradigm of treating Bipolar illness (or any mental or emotional illness) is based primarily on Medicine treatment (also known as "drug treatment" or "drug therapy"). In my opinion, IT IS A CRIME to sheepishly sumbit to taking pharmaceutical medication for your arbitrarily canned mental or emotional illness diagnosis that may or may not exist. Guess what? If you do, you're now a legal junky. You have a physical, emotional, and mental dependence on powerful pharmaceutical medication.
"But it makes me feel and act better" you may respond. Of course it does. What you're taking would probably knock a bull on his ass. What you probably haven't been told is the medication you're taking may shorten your life span by a decade or two and may cause premature organ failure. Please understand I'm not saying for you to stop taking your meds -- this could be VERY DISASTEROUS and in some cases even LETHAL (if you decide to stop your meds, you have to be weened off of them slowly by either a Dr. or a Psychiatrist). However, I'm trying to wake some of you up to show you that you probably are enabling a multi-billion industry that is arbitrary, ignorant, and perpetuates canned diagnosis while also perpetuating legal junkies with emotional dependencies on medication that may shorten your life-span by a decade or so.
IMO, it is detrimental that the only paradigm presented concerning the advent, etyology, and treatment of Manic Depression (or other mental or emotional illnesses) is limited to the medical/psychological model. The medical, psychological, and pharmaceutical communities are bed fellows. Usually the bottom line is perpetuating treatment according to their agenda as well as money and/or profit. Are we really trying to heal people or are we perpetuating drug dependencies with risky side effects all in the name of convenience & profit?
The ancients and Native Americans taught that the mentally/emotionally tormented were "visited" or blessed by spirits. Contemporary writer, Stanislov Grof, and others talk about "spiritual emergence." In other words, those suffering from apparent mental/emotional illness are, in fact, not ill but rather are wrestling with some form of latent/visceral spirituality trying to emerge. Is this true? Then there is also the issue of karma. Bad karma from past incarnations creates suffering in one's current incarnation. The question then becomes what does one do to deal with one's bad karma if it does exist? Don't get me wrong, I'm not preaching. Nor am I sure what the answers are when it comes to coupling Bipolar, mental or emotional illnesses, and spirituality. However, I am presenting alternate theories in order to make you think about your life, your health, and whether or not you participating in mass collusion while gambling with your health, mind, personality, and soul. The coupling of Manic Depression and spirituality opens up interesting discussions and potential new paths for practice & treatment, however, the difficult aspect is determining what is truthful and what is not.
IMO, the best advice is utilitarian. If any type of approach (medication, counseling, spirituality, etc) works well for you, then use it. For me, once again, I take a holistic approach: spirituality, meditation, yoga, aiki (aikido), mudras, chakra work, gemstones work, prayer, exercise, various cognitive coping techniques, support groups, creative outlets, dream work, and good 'ole personal responsibility are the most effective paths in dealing with mental and emotional problems.
Let me end with one of my favorite quotes from a seventeenth century Samurai text called Hagakure.
"There is something to be learned from a rainstorm. When meeting with a sudden shower, you try not to get wet and run quickly along the road. By doing such things as passing under the eaves of houses one still gets wet. When you are resolved from the beginning, you will not be perplexed, though you will get the same soaking. This understanding extends to all things." Believe in yourself, question authority, ask yourself why you are putting blind faith in a Dr., a Counselor, or a Psychiatrist. NOBODY KNOWS YOUR BODY AND MIND LIKE YOU DO. To thine own self be true and be armed with knowledge, critical thinking, voiced concerns, determination, autonomy, and nothing or no one will stop you. The author Thomas Moore wrote about CARE of the soul not CURE of the soul. These words are food for thought. I wish you the best. Blessings to you on your soul's journey and may you be a blessing to others. I included some of the links below for your information.
P.S. - I usually get a stream of e mail from others asking me about personal details of my life. I have done my best to answer them Here.
