Druidry and mental health

[katie bridgewater]

I think mental illness is a complex and varied as physical illness. In fact, I don't think mental and physical illness are necessarily separate things as increasingly there is evidence to suggest that they are deeply connected at levels we are only just beginning to understand (parasitic, viral and bacterial infection, endochrine imbalance to name but a few known causes of symptoms).

Some things categorised as mental illness are as fleeting as a bout of flu, while others are chronic, debilitating and not easily managed. We don't talk about all physical illnesses under one umbrella term and neither should we with mental health problems really.

While talking therapies or meditating (though I'm more skeptical about the efficacy of showing someone something to do with crystals as was suggested in the opening post ...) can be helpful in some cases, there are others where only serious amounts of medication can make it possible for someone to interact with the world enough to survive it. I have family members and friends who are in this category, and in some cases, years of 'talking' and 'counselling', trying to be all spiritual about it and refusing medication caused such awfulness for both the ill ones, and those who love them, that I can only say it was a blessed relief when health care professionals were allowed to prescribe and intervene in a more conventional way.

From another perspective, it is interesting to trace the development of how mental illness has 'evolved' through the 20th century, hand in hand with the free-market economy based on Thacherite principles. There was a truly enlightening documentary series doing just this called The Trap a few years ago which I found very helpful
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trap_(television_documentary_series)
However, the current trend in alternative circles seems to be to see all professional diagnosis and intervention as some kind of conspiracy, which I am certain having seen 2 cousins and 2 close friends go through the worst kinds of bi-polar and schizophrenia, I do not subscribe to.

[Duellist]

We don't talk about all physical illnesses under one umbrella term and neither should we with mental health problems really.

I think 'mental health' suffers for the umbrella term, but benefits from being vaguely separate in some ways. On the one hand, there is one set of doctors (psychiatrists) who deal with all mental health issues from severe phobias and cyclothymia all the way to paranoid schizophrenia and the most severe dissociative disorders. They might have their specialisations (I am not sure), but the public seems to see a 'one size fits all' man in a white coat. On the other hand, anything more than depression is meant to be diagnosed by a psychiatrist and not a GP in the UK; essentially, the medical profession considers that it is a broad enough set of issues that it has its own set of doctors, like cancer.

If we look at 'mental health' as a category equivalent to 'oncology' or 'orthopaedics', I suppose it is not so far off (especially given that I hear 1 in 4 of us will develop a mental illness, compared to 1 in 3 for cancer) and so it works as a compromise. I mean, we are happy to have a group of disorders known as 'auto-immune' even though the term encompasses everything from hayfever and psoriasis to lupus and transverse myelitis.

The problem is that the average person hears 'mental illness' and thinks of schizophrenia (albeit usually a rather exaggerated version they once saw in a film) and multiple personalities. They forget that depression is a mental illness, that the strange urge to check if your front door is locked or to keep washing your hands could be a mental illness. The same statistics that say one in four will develop a mental illness say one in six adults is currently suffering from one. I think it might help the stigma if people were more aware of the lower end of the spectrum, so maybe adding a few 'odd' issues to the list of recognised mental illnesses might force people to re-evaluate their opinion of the mentally-ill.

I am not sure how bipolar is any more of an issue for co-workers and employers than ME, but one has the awful label of 'mental illness' and is somehow worse in people's minds. Ironically, bipolar is easier to treat and more responsive (usually) to the right medication. Schizophrenics function in society and there are more than you'd think out there working normal jobs (Care in the Community has a lot to answer for) with no voices in their heads as long as they keep taking their pills.

In the end, I suppose mental illness is like homosexuality and paganism; there will always be those who will be scandalised, but things might not really change until everyone is out of the closet and able to be open about who they are.

[Morganna]

"While talking therapies or meditating (though I'm more skeptical about the efficacy of showing someone something to do with crystals as was suggested in the opening post ...)"

I only feel this is of help depending on the situation an individual is in. Many people I see are of course sectioned in hospital while appropriate treatment is discovered. Others this would be ludicrus for. But I do feel there should be a layered approach. Keeping treatment person centred for each case and adapting as situations and feelings change. Mindfulness meditation isn't just about meditation but also about adapting view points and perspectives while increasing their self worth. I am currently running a group where on the first day a woman cried and ran out. She had recently been thinking about suicide and had made several attempts before. She has self harmed and only ever known and abusive life though her own hand or others. Why would she believe it could be better? She is on medication and has social work seeing her regarding her children but not her? We are now on our 6th week. She LOVES the course and the physicaland mental change in her is amazing. She will never be light and fluffy working with crystals. But she gets it! She is practising the techniques at home. She takes time to watch something beautiful in her environment and takes pleasure in it. She is learning to love and appreciate herself.

The fact that someone is taking time out for her is the key. Now a pagan came to the group and couldn't manage it and also talked about suicide. She wanted to be saved by giving her power away to someone else, for them to save her out of the situation. She wanted to have "tools" for protection and to take the edge off. So she went down the crystals,essences and other mediation route. It is working for her.

Medication is vitally important as is hospital care and maintaining the safelty of all affected. But I do belive that there needs to be more options out there as a way to prevent and maintain good mental health as well as ways of minimising the ill effects in conjunction with the medication and care. A lot of the people I see are put onto medication without discussion as to how they got to this point in the first place or how they can also help themselves by making changes in their life. So many are recovering from abuse of some sort an one horrific even. If you have a man see a doctor who is over weight and has a heart problem. He is not just giving meds. He gets advice about lifestyle changes so he can improve his health enough to stop having to rely on the meds. Why is this not done in mental health?

Ok ranting over........for now

[LoneWalker]

Knowing people who work in the "mental health" areas of the NHS I feel I should point out that when the system is working people do get advice on non chemical ways of dealing with problems and there are a lot of talking and group therapies available (at least in some trusts)

however budgets are under a lot of pressure, mental health seems to be an easy target for cuts and so people may not be getting all the support they and the doctors would like

[Al Hakim]

We should always be aware that our knowledge on mental illnesses is - mildly spoken - small. We don't know how a normal human brain works, and we have no idea either what occurs in an ill brain. Compared with the last centuries, however, we have gained the insight that a mental illness is neither divine nor diabolic but an impaired central processor.
Whenever we - assuming we are the healthy ones - approach a mental disorder we want to use methods that are logical in our "healthy" world. Perhaps it is a completely wrong approach. Perhaps a meditation that helps us to unwind causes the deepening of symptoms in an unhealthy individual.
I would not dare treat such an illness without appropriate professional training. Although it is likely that our progeny will lough about our poor attempts and puny knowledge a hundred years later.

[Muddy Fox]

We don't talk about all physical illnesses under one umbrella term and neither should we with mental health problems really.

I think 'mental health' suffers for the umbrella term, but benefits from being vaguely separate in some ways. On the one hand, there is one set of doctors (psychiatrists) who deal with all mental health issues from severe phobias and cyclothymia all the way to paranoid schizophrenia and the most severe dissociative disorders. They might have their specialisations (I am not sure), but the public seems to see a 'one size fits all' man in a white coat. On the other hand, anything more than depression is meant to be diagnosed by a psychiatrist and not a GP in the UK; essentially, the medical profession considers that it is a broad enough set of issues that it has its own set of doctors, like cancer.

If we look at 'mental health' as a category equivalent to 'oncology' or 'orthopaedics', I suppose it is not so far off (especially given that I hear 1 in 4 of us will develop a mental illness, compared to 1 in 3 for cancer) and so it works as a compromise. I mean, we are happy to have a group of disorders known as 'auto-immune' even though the term encompasses everything from hayfever and psoriasis to lupus and transverse myelitis.

The problem is that the average person hears 'mental illness' and thinks of schizophrenia (albeit usually a rather exaggerated version they once saw in a film) and multiple personalities. They forget that depression is a mental illness, that the strange urge to check if your front door is locked or to keep washing your hands could be a mental illness. The same statistics that say one in four will develop a mental illness say one in six adults is currently suffering from one. I think it might help the stigma if people were more aware of the lower end of the spectrum, so maybe adding a few 'odd' issues to the list of recognised mental illnesses might force people to re-evaluate their opinion of the mentally-ill.

I am not sure how bipolar is any more of an issue for co-workers and employers than ME, but one has the awful label of 'mental illness' and is somehow worse in people's minds. Ironically, bipolar is easier to treat and more responsive (usually) to the right medication. Schizophrenics function in society and there are more than you'd think out there working normal jobs (Care in the Community has a lot to answer for) with no voices in their heads as long as they keep taking their pills.

In the end, I suppose mental illness is like homosexuality and paganism; there will always be those who will be scandalised, but things might not really change until everyone is out of the closet and able to be open about who they are.

I think it doesn't help people to become less scandalised by mental illness when people use terms such as "mad", " psycho", "weirdo" etc in a derogortary fashion or as a means of insulting people who are a bit different, particularly those who view life and society in a different way. Or maybe live their lives along different driving principles that doesn't necessarily fit with mainstream thinking. I know a lot of creative, sensitive people who find meaning in their lives through avenues that are not considered conventional, they are often just misunderstood.

[Duellist]

I think it doesn't help people to become less scandalised by mental illness when people use terms such as "mad", " psycho", "weirdo" etc in a derogortary fashion or as a means of insulting people who are a bit different.

By that logic, it doesn't help people become less scandalised by physical deformity when we use terms like 'freakish', 'ugly' or 'fat' to describe those physically different. It doesn't help lift the scandal of homosexuality when 'gay' is used as an insult for things that people are not interested in. It doesn't help pagans when terms like 'heathen', 'infidel' and 'heretic' are used to describe those with different faiths. It doesn't help pacifists when 'tree-hugging hippy' is applied to anyone who doesn't conform to the consumerist mindset.

You are fighting against human nature, the urge to separate the world into 'like me' (good) and 'not like me' (bad) as a way of dealing with not being special. I think the world is full of bleeding-heart liberals who are more offended by terms like 'mad' and 'gay' and 'ugly' than those against whom they are directed. It's embarrassing...

[Muddy Fox]

Yeah I bet the kids who have taken their own lives through various forms of bullying and name calling, most recently, via the internet, were embarrassed to death.

[brightstar]

So good to see mental health a topic on the forum
I suffered a crisis a few years ago and dealt with depression, and anxiety.
I maintain my dogs helped save me, making get out for long walks in the countryside everyday even when it was brutally painful to walk out the door. I spent a lot of time with my horses too and whilst with them my symptoms were always much reduced.
Other things that really helped - accupuncture, reiki, mindfullness meditation/yoga and cross stitch (when I could concentrate enough), and gestalt psychotherapy.

I did take medication at the start as I was desperate and confused and had a lack of understanding of what was happening to me. But that on its own I am sure was not enough to bring me back to feeling well again. The drugs just made me feel detached from my feelings...sometimes this was helpful but mostly not especially as time went on - the drugs just became something else to worry about in the end.
Looking back I feel quite blessed to have had to opportunity to get to know myself better because of the illness, and I think I am stronger than I ever was now that I know the signs and have strategies to deal with them.

I have unfortunatly encountered a lot of discrimination at work due to a total lack of understanding - people who have not suffered or cared for someone with mental health problems have no idea what it is like. If the opportunity arises I am quite happy to talk about my experiences to try to break down some of the misunderstandings and hopefully make it easier for others who may suffer.

[Niwalen]

Lots of people have mental illness and no one will ever even know, because they seem so normal, and they don't want to say anything because of all of the discrimination that exists out there. Spiritual communities are especially intolerant, and all of the pagans I have ever met have had plenty of issues and flaws, yet somehow "mental illness" is what gets singled out as being supposedly incompatible with enlightenment. But not everyone with a mental illness is apt to interpret spiritual ideas in a delusional way.

[Explorer]

Lots of people have mental illness and no one will ever even know, because they seem so normal, and they don't want to say anything because of all of the discrimination that exists out there. Spiritual communities are especially intolerant, and all of the pagans I have ever met have had plenty of issues and flaws, yet somehow "mental illness" is what gets singled out as being supposedly incompatible with enlightenment. But not everyone with a mental illness is apt to interpret spiritual ideas in a delusional way.

I don't think that has to do with how spiritual idea's are interpreted.
My observation is that mentally instable people can create quite some havoc in spritual settings, especially when it gets intense and emotional.
It can be harmless and just annoying, like when somebody grabs all the attention to channel their goddess, king arthur or whatever. But it can also be violently dangerous, I've once been in a very small room with somebody who suddenly jumped up screaming and grabbed a sword.

Mentally instable people are often more sensitive to the dynamics, energies, people and atmosphere, and are more prone to crash into a very emotional or worse state.
I probably should say that I advice against that now, but personally I think that would be patronizing. The risks are higher, but everybody has their own responsibility. And if anybody wants to risk going over that edge, then I'm not going to stop them. (in fact, there is also something as the 'shamanic wound', crazy people are often the most powerful shamans).

But... there are often also the other participants who open themselves up mentally, emotionally and spirituality. And if disturbances and outbursts occur, then that also cuts deeper than usual for them also. Or what happens more often, out of protection they close themselves up like an oister, and their experiences are ruined.
These people expect a safe environment, and I think they have more than a right to that.

In most regular seasonal rituals and gatherings this is hardly a problem, they usually don't go very deep, and then everybody should be in principle be allowed to particpate imho.
But some rituals do go deep, like certain samhain rituals, inner work, or trance like activities. And I don't like mentally instable people to participate in that either.
I don't see that as discrimination, but as protection and responsiblity, to all sides.

[Aphritha]

My observation is that mentally instable people can create quite some havoc in spritual settings, especially when it gets intense and emotional.
It can be harmless and just annoying, like when somebody grabs all the attention to channel their goddess, king arthur or whatever. But it can also be violently dangerous, I've once been in a very small room with somebody who suddenly jumped up screaming and grabbed a sword.

I've worked with people like that, and in my cases it wasn't so much mental illness as somebody wanting all eyes on them....

What would be the difference between someone who is suffering from a life trauma or someone who is suffering from a mental illness?

[Explorer]

What would be the difference between someone who is suffering from a life trauma or someone who is suffering from a mental illness?

I don't know, does that matter?
My point is that people shouldn't screw things up for others. Especially when that is risky.

And if the particular activities in combination with the mental state of a person is such that they screw things up for others, then they have no place there. Don't you agree?

I don't take blind people hiking into the mountains either, is that discrimination also?

[treegod]

What would be the difference between someone who is suffering from a life trauma or someone who is suffering from a mental illness?

Speaking from a non-professional POV:

We all suffer from "traumas" at one point or another. We've all had shocks to the system that later affect us in life, but I don't think that is "mental illness". How trauma affects us is a different matter, because some deal with their traumas well, and others not.

If the trauma is large enough and is not resolved then, I suppose, it can lead to mental illness.

[Aphritha]

My point is that people shouldn't screw things up for others. Especially when that is risky.

Well, of course not, regardless if its a mental illness, trauma, personality flaw, or a two foot talking growth out of someone's head. I see your point there. I was just questioning out of curiosity....I've seen so many people who seem to have gone through a trauma that end up being told its a mental illness...I just get confused on where one draws the line.

[Explorer]

My point is that people shouldn't screw things up for others. Especially when that is risky.

Well, of course not, regardless if its a mental illness, trauma, personality flaw, or a two foot talking growth out of someone's head. I see your point there. I was just questioning out of curiosity....I've seen so many people who seem to have gone through a trauma that end up being told its a mental illness...I just get confused on where one draws the line.

I agree, I don't see that line clearly either.
What is considered mental illness in one time and age is considered genius (or art) in another.
That is why I only look at the effects on others (and myself).
I am totally unqualified to make a judgement about somebodies mental health anyway.

[Kima]

I have just found an amazing resource on mental health: http://theicarusproject.net/

OUR MISSION:
The Icarus Project envisions a new culture and language that resonates with our actual experiences of 'mental illness' rather than trying to fit our lives into a conventional framework. We are a network of people living with and/or affected by experiences that are often diagnosed and labeled as psychiatric conditions. We believe these experiences are mad gifts needing cultivation and care, rather than diseases or disorders. By joining together as individuals and as a community, the intertwined threads of madness, creativity, and collaboration can inspire hope and transformation in an oppressive and damaged world. Participation in The Icarus Project helps us overcome alienation and tap into the true potential that lies between brilliance and madness.

I haven't explored the website yet but I share a similar outlook and am happy I found it!

[Dragon]

For myself, depression was a comfort zone to retreat into and took more than the liberation Trees offered in the woods, more than the raging sea, more than the soaring mountains shrouded in misty sunlight to get rid of it. All uplifting of course but the depression I suffered wasn't something I could exercise or meditate away. It wasn't karma nor a test nor something inherited from family or others.
The depression I suffered was another reality in which thinking stopped.
The comfort zone, a walled area where I could be with life as I knew it in all its misery. I retreated into it because it was safe and predictable. For some this can lead to morbid considerations but for me the only thought was change. I felt wrong. I had to change me.
This took a lot of work and self analysis made me feel worse at first but with each step I asked myself what to do differently.
Sometimes the answer was dramatic but whatever came forth in my mind I tried and most upshots led to new opportunities for change not just in me but my environment, house decor , relationships, past life, work, music, interests.
When I started to think in this way the clouds lifted and the walls of my prison crumbled.
It took guts though.
And the power of thought. Of change.

[Heddwen]

I do not subscribe to the view that medical intervention is a bad thing . The concept that doing without medication and seeking alternative healing modalities can be dangerous in some cases. That is not to say that alternative therapies can't compliment traditional treatment.

[Kima]

I do not subscribe to the view that medical intervention is a bad thing . The concept that doing without medication and seeking alternative healing modalities can be dangerous in some cases. That is not to say that alternative therapies can't compliment traditional treatment.

I believe that we should have a choice, which means that information should be available. I am not always against medical treatment but I am wary of doctors' authority. I want to be able to make critical choices myself and I want it to be possible for others to do the same.

Personally, I have been been to therapy with three different counsellors over the years and have done MBCT training (meditation) but have always refused medication. If I was seriously suicidal I would probably take drugs, but this isn't the case. I am also tired of therapies and looking for other support networks and alternative ways to take care of myself. I don't think it's all or nothing, it's about self-assessment and education.