One man’s plan towards freeing himself from “psychiatric hypnosis” — Majo Rising Project

A local (in the flesh human being) friend sent me this email the other day. I asked if I might share it with the readers of Beyond Meds and Majo was happy to let me do that. I wanted to share it so that folks could see ONE way that someone is constructing a support system for himself. I’ve said many times that there are as many paths to healing as there are human beings. There are, thus, as many different ways to conceive of and build the support we need to come off drugs as there are human beings. This way is not to be copied…it’s simply a work of art that we might be inspired to find our own way. Please enjoy.

This is one creative way to start the project of becoming whole:

The subject line of the email was: Invitation to the Majo Rising Project (a lovely and genuine way to create his own community of support):

Friend –

I am writing to invite you to be part of the Majo Rising Project, which has four components:

1. Helping me to overcome psychiatric hypnosis, reject the bipolar diagnosis and revision my ups and downs as part of my healing rather than part of a disease

2. To very gradually, over the course of a year. wean myself from my psychiatric meds – and ride out whatever physical or emotional challenges may arise from doing that

3. To build around me a very strong team – y’all – who will be  there for me and also more and more for each other

4. Healing for you all.  Me to focus on you, pray for you, listen to you.  Me to facilitate activities – at our team launch and on the Facebook group – to support your growth.  Me to write things on the blog that touch and support you.

I have included you in this list because I trust that you love or at least like me – and because I love you.  Also because you are a fundamentally positive person, whose strong constructive visualization will have power.  Finally, I love connecting with you in person or on the phone and will look forward to our meeting with each other at the beginning and end of the project.

The project has a few required activities and a few optional ones.

Required activities

1. Cheer me on.  Visualize me shedding the toxicity of identifying myself as mentally ill, detoxing from my psychotropic meds, and surrendering to the beauty and power of the group (you) that I have called together.

2. Meet with me twice, in person or over the phone (or Skype) – at the beginning and end of the project (one year).

3. Read the My Body poem and/or watch the video (links coming soon ; I did send you the poem last week, so you may have read it already) – 6 minutes each.

4. Watch the project overview video (coming soon) – five minutes.

Optional activities – strictly optional, don’t do what you don’t want to do.

5. Let me hear from you, even starting now (and also maybe later).  Let me know you are behind me – that you’re in with the project.  Tell me what you like about it.  Tell me something you like about me.   It feels bold and vulnerable to launch this project.  I fear that people won’t get why this is such a big deal for me or that I am just asking for too much.  I fear this email will be met with a resounding silence. Tell me if this inspires you and why.

6. Read the blog (details coming), at least some of the time.

7. Read – and hopefully participate in – the Facebook group (details coming), at least some of the time.

8. Come to my team launch party (details coming).

9. Spend more time with me – in person or by phone/skype, email or text.

You’re going to hear me three times in the next week, to get this project launched. Please know that this project will not involve so much communication once it gets going.

If even the entry-level activities above are more than you want to do right now or you just don’t want more emails, let me know and I will – with my blessings – take you off the list.

Love, Majo