The inner struggle is extremely difficult for all of us, because we all have faults, severe ones, that we will struggle with forever.... It’s wise to accept that faults are inevitable. Factor that in and keep going. … [click on title for the rest of the post]
Survivors of incest or molestation, and/or extreme neglect often talk about how they are evil or damaged or worthless. When we tell them that is not true, it can make them feel even worse, more alone and misunderstood - despite our good intentions, we have just told them again how wrong they are, even about their own reality. They need for us, as their therapists, to get how ugly they feel about themselves, how ugly their core self map really is. We need to help them go inside themselves with an adult ego and notice what happened to them without dissociating or avoiding. There is no need to relive the memories, only to witness them as an observer (the reliving of a memory is known entering the memory field). If they bring adult awareness to wounded child-part of themselves, it becomes easier to regulate the core brain stem functions. [This is the foundation of self compassion training.] … [click on title for the rest of the post]
Even when trauma is long past, it replays itself in the body through pain, anxiety, depression, illness, digestive issues, and so on. We must help the client learn to tolerate the physiological trauma symptoms while remaining in their bodies - since nearly all PTSD is dissociative in some way. …
Therapy is set up to help the "disturbed." Sometimes the psyche upsets us in order to allow us to go further...mental health care is thus misguided in that it tries to get rid of distress. We need to instead come to understand why the distress is there. … [click on title for the rest of the post]
by PAUL WOODWARD In the 1980s and ’90s, the psychiatric system went through a major transformation as psychiatric medication replaced psychotherapy as the standard of care. This broadened the scope of psychiatry in two ways. With patient care being reduced to medication management, doctors could see more patients. And with a massive growth in the number of Americans receiving disability for mental illness, the market for psychiatric medication has been booming, thanks in part to Medicaid funding. The pharmaceutical industry has only one interest: selling drugs. It can reasonably be described as the most successful form of organized crime in human history. When companies repeatedly pay billions of dollars in settlements, it is clear that they regard such settlements as simply a component in the operating costs. … [click on title for the rest of the post]
Dancing in the Flames is a brilliant and intimate documentary into the life of Jungian Analyst, Marion Woodman, who is known for her ground breaking work as a teacher and author on feminine psychology and addiction. We are taken into a metaphoric representation of the unconscious imagery that Marion discusses so passionately and, in doing so, are invited to examine our own lives. Brilliant mystic and author Andrew Harvey interviews Marion as she explains the mysteries of her soul’s journey and reveals a series of psychological ‘deaths’ and ‘rebirths’ that have formed the consciousness into which she has evolved. The film presents a philosophy of dynamic opposites, the bridging of seeming contradictions. Life and death, love and grief, courage and submission are not at loggerheads for her—they’re part of a harmonious whole. By embracing these opposites we come into the totality of human experience. … [click on title for the rest of the post]
After a long meditation, I wrote this poem. In it, there are three people: the twelve-year-old girl, the pirate, and me. Can we look at each other and recognize ourselves in each other? The tide of the poem is "Please Call Me by My True Names," because I have so many names. When I hear one of the of these names, I have to say, "Yes." … [click on title for the rest of the post]
Nestor Kornblum sings the melody of Amazing Grace using only the overtones (harmonics) in his voice. There are NO musical instruments or electronic effects involved. … [click on title for the rest of the post]
Antipsychotics: Brain Shrinkage ~~ Joanna Moncrieff revisits a very important issue...one of which has been discussed on Beyond Meds many times. I like to remind people that "antipsychotics" are really misnamed. They are a class of drugs called neuroleptics and quite often do not do anything at all to mitigate psychosis. They are major tranquilizers and neurotoxic drugs that harm and use should be minimized as much as possible.
We don’t have to DO anything except choose willingness and be available. If I’m lost in stories and distraction, compassion will arise but I won’t recognize it. We ask Life for support, then we get to this/here/now, and Life brings us all we need. … [click on title for the rest of the post]
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