• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Schizophrenia

Geoff-Allen

Geoff-Allen

Resident megalomaniac
Dreams of a better world (from a conference many years ago!) -

That both Consumers and Practitioners (healers) can walk the path, (the journey from darkness & despair) together, respecting and valuing the uniqueness of all divine beings. Compassion & reverence for all life. This is my "DREAM".

To be more perceptive in locating the truth, beauty and wonder of the world every day.

To dance as if no one is watching.

That everyone's song be heard.

I would like to see a time when "Care of the Soul" becomes as important as Care of the Mind and Care of the Body.

Much more to come ... stay tuned :)
 
Geoff-Allen

Geoff-Allen

Resident megalomaniac
A few more dreams -

My dream is that one day mental health care is truly integrated into community based care that does NOT involve psychiatrists as the primary decision maker & authority holder. I dream that one day we will judge the humaneness of our society by how we treat the mentally ill.

That we should no longer think of anyone as "them". That love should stop being an unacceptable idea and become how we relate always. That generosity of spirit underpin decision making.

I dream about being accepted for who I am and not the person for who people strive me to be.

To make a difference, be it big or be it small, to someone's life.

In my life – peace, love, understanding. At work – strength of my connections and the ability to get others to follow or taken on board some of my dreams. Hmmmm… To have the time to slow down and hear and see the world as it passes! …

To help myself and others overcome mental illness.

To be cured of my mental illness. To continue to improve my quality of life in the meantime. To bridge the gulf between consumers and psychiatrists.

To be still. To experience. To have fun. To assist. To learn. To love. To understand. To feel and participate in fun activities and open myself up to fun / happiness in the future.

To live life creating adventures with joy & compassion. To make light of my own & other's rules. See each day with its possibilities & opportunities to extend and create more of whatever. To live in love. That flora, fauna & people respect & are respected.

To be able to celebrate me without fear of condemnation, judgments or recriminations. To be laughed, cried with and not at.

To be happy with myself and to work and meet with other people who are happy with themselves. To understand better what makes things and people the way they are.

To sing. To heal & give pleasure with my voice.

To be able to work in harmony with consumers. To collaborate with other services and share knowledge. To be good at what I do.

Rage against the machine.

To grow old with my family, to watch my children grow happily and their children.

I would like to see a time when "Care of the Soul" becomes as important as Care of the Mind and Care of the Body.

As a worker, we could have more time to provide and share more compassion and care.
 
gnomon

gnomon

Well-Known Member
Interesting thread. I just wrote this tonight......

Called recovery based upon my experience in AA and dealing with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia...

I stepped out on a promised land.

A vast distance empty.

That first step promised so much more.

But among the eyes...they were empty.

The voices opened with a chorus...

But crashed in disharmony.

The common refrain...give up and give in

You don't know yourself and you were wrong.

Everything you have done to yourself is because you misjudged

Yourself and treated others in the wrong.

Seek the higher power!

I was overwhelmed and gave in...

It must have been true.

Years after wandering upon that desert of hope...

The mind still betrays and hope hides behind a mirror.

**** it!

What chance did I have?

Not knowing how or why I did what I did

Or heard what others did not

There came a siren song that I heard.

I swam with all the strength of hope

And found myself drowned upon their rocks.

Battered...bruised...I turned to the apothecary.

Here is a tincture of hope and seek the sirens...

They said.

For ****'s sake. I left my body there.

I'd rather live miserably than live a false life.

I just don't know if I can stand the pain to simply stand up and do it.

All I have to do is stand up and say stop!

But it doesn't work that way.

I could climb a thousand steps

But my mind will always stay the same.

A mere twelve steps.....

It's a lifetime of climbing to find a way.

End. I like your posts. Many people are offended by jokes about mental health because they have not been there. I had a roommate of mine at Ridgeview, in a NA meeting, as other members opened up about being an addict.......he declared himself as a toxic waste dump. I offended others at the meeting when I laughed out loud.
 
Geoff-Allen

Geoff-Allen

Resident megalomaniac
gnomon said:
End. I like your posts. Many people are offended by jokes about mental health because they have not been there. I had a roommate of mine at Ridgeview, in a NA meeting, as other members opened up about being an addict.......he declared himself as a toxic waste dump. I offended others at the meeting when I laughed out loud.
Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing!

Humour is a personal thing. Mine is a little out-there :)

Glad you like the thread.

All the best!
 
Geoff-Allen

Geoff-Allen

Resident megalomaniac
The Asylum

There is a place where I can be free
It is the local psychiatric facility
Free to think my craziest thoughts
And talk to lunatics of various sorts

Free from the straitjacket of normality
Free from the absurd requirements of confromity
Free from those sad and desperate rational folk
Free to enjoy the ultimate joke
 
U

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
Geoff-Allen said:
Here is a heavily-edited version of a MUCH longer poem I wrote when I was really "psychotic".

I realise most folks have a fairly brief attention-span these days :)

Schizophrenia

I used to walk down the street
And scream at everyone I meet
So they locked me away
From the world every day

I crawled through the walls
So they showed me some normals
They strangled my mind
To help me unwind

I used to think I was a robot from outer space
With wires in my head and a little plastic face
I used to believe I had such magic powers
Which I would gladly practice for many hours

I am a human experimental life-form
My blood flows backwards to keep me warm
People ask me if I can save the world
I tell them to leave all the flags unfurled
Click to expand...

Catch this from the post in the other thread. From poet to poet, nice work. Briefly, I suffer from epilepsy. No pun, but they act like mental illness and mental illness acts like seizures. So they dont know, they just treat. I had dellusions for a good year and the first one scared the SH** um Mess out of me. Then smaller ones now its like, that was weird, but thank gosh nothing.

Here is a poem from a man who has seizures. This discribes my mental state as well.

"'He was thinking, incidentally, that there was a moment or two in his epileptic condition almost before the fit itself (if it occurred in waking hours) when suddenly amid the sadness, spiritual darkness and depression, his brain seemed to catch fire at brief moments....His sensation of being alive and his awareness increased tenfold at those moments which flashed by like lightning. His mind and heart were flooded by a dazzling light. All his agitation, doubts and worries, seemed composed in a twinkling, culminating in a great calm, full of understanding...but these moments, these glimmerings were still but a premonition of that final second (never more than a second) with which the seizure itself began. That second was, of course, unbearable.'"

Fyodor Dostoevsky (Russian Novelist with epilepsy)

I wonder if this is the same for illnesses like schizophrenia.

:herb:
 
Geoff-Allen

Geoff-Allen

Resident megalomaniac
Carlita said:
Here is a poem from a man who has seizures. This discribes my mental state as well.
Click to expand...

Thanks so much 4 sharing!

Not everyone with schizophrenia is as fortunate as me - so I always try to practice gratitude.

Thanks again for your interest ...
 
Geoff-Allen

Geoff-Allen

Resident megalomaniac
Remind me 2 post some from my "book" - been ages! ...

I have learned to be grateful. Here's a list from my notebook - I read it often to remind myself NOT to take ANYTHING for granted:

- the gift of life itself

- the fact I can eat healthy food and the many beings responsible for growing & transporting it and the cashiers at the supermarket etc.

- the sun that helps all plants to grow and ultimately feeds us all

- knowledge of how to be healthy physically, emotionally & spiritually

- the skills of authors & poets & musicians & singers & sportsmen & I'm probably leaving a few out :)

- wisdom contained in so many books I have read over the past ten years. I will list several of them at the end of this piece

- the beauty of nature and the photographers & documentary makers that capture it

- my own imagination as well as that of many writers & composers throughout history

- laws of nature that make this universe exquisitely tuned to support intelligent life like some humans. See this page:

HugeDomains.com - GodSci.com is for sale (God Sci)

Or just fine tuning universe

- I am grateful that Olanzapine has FAR less side-effects than Haloperidol

- How could I leave love out of my list of "things" to be grateful for ... in ALL its forms

I have learned that there are many CHEAP things can lift my mood such as going for a brisk walk; doing yoga; eating healthy food; chanting & meditation. Plus a good laugh on a regular basis. Reading a good book can also be uplifting. Watching a nature doco when I can't actually be out in nature. Surfing the web is also a mood enhancer - if you seek out the good stuff that is out there in cyberspace. Obviously a lot of overlap between the things I am grateful for and things that lift my mood!

I have learned to take wisdom from all the various religions I once dismissed as nonsense:

"Like the bee gathering honey from the different flowers, the wise person accepts the essence of the different scriptures and sees only the good in all religions."

~ Gandhi

I have learned to focus my mind on the present moment rather than worrying about the future or regretting the past. For MUCH more on this subject, try these books:

"The Power of Now" & "A New Earth" both by Eckhart Tolle

I have learned that it is possible to learn from everyone who crosses your path.

I have learned that the Dalai Lama is a wonderful teacher. Here's some of his advice:

Spend 5 minutes at the beginning of each day remembering we all want the same things (to be happy and be loved) and we are all connected to one another.

Spend 5 minutes -- breathing in -- cherishing yourself; and, breathing out cherishing others. If you think about people you have difficulty cherishing, extend your cherishing to them anyway.

During the day extend that attitude to everyone you meet.

Practice cherishing the "simplest" person (clerks, attendants, etc) or people you dislike.

Continue this practice no matter what happens or what anyone does to you.

These thoughts are very simple, inspiring and helpful.

The practice of cherishing can be taken very deeply if done wordlessly, allowing yourself to feel the love and appreciation that already exists in your heart.

I have learned that peace of mind is experienced when you don't feel inferior to anyone & you don't feel superior to anyone. You are unique & so is everyone else.

I have learned that every experience I have is an oportunity for greater growth

I have learned that we do tend 2 reserve our fondest thoughts for those who agree with us & who are most like us. I have found that spiritual practices can help us generate kind thoughts for all beings.

I have learned to not allow myself to become so hypnotised by the content of my mind that I lose the essential mystery of my own existence.

So, there you have it. I really do wish I had a better way of describing step-by-step how this metamorphosis happened to me. Then you'd have a do-it-yourself guide to transforming all your negative emotions. The metamorphosis still puzzles me greatly to this day. I am incredibly grateful naturally. I still have no IDEA why some people suffer and are NOT transformed by their experience. Just one of MANY questions I'd like to ask God. I guess there are unanswered questions no matter what you believe.

Here is one of my poems -

Nirvana

I've been to the place where it all makes sense
Where there is no past or future tense
To get there is easy - you may find
All you need is a quiet mind

More to follow ...

Enjoy your day!

:)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top