Posted by mars on September 3, 2002, at 1:18:59
In reply to Getting WELL! To old-timers..., posted by JonW on September 1, 2002, at 23:11:03
Hey all ~
i hesitate to call myself "well," but i sure am a helluva lot better. i was never a real regular on Dr-Bob, but i spent a lot of time here about two years ago. So, for what's it worth, here's what my stuff is, and what i've done that's really helped.
i am bipolar II and have fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. i also probably have sensory-motor integration dysfunction ~ i've always been very unhappy in my body until the last year.
i grew up in a very difficult family ~ my parents met in a psychiatric ward, and they were very troubled. i grew up very depressed, knowing that something was wrong, did therapy and meds as a teen, and then from the age of 26. i didn't even get diagnosed for the bipolar until i was in my thirties. (i'm 39 now.) i was always very, very messed up. i've been hospitalized twice, had shock treatment as well, and i've been on nearly every psychiatric med there is. i've had years where i couldn't work and had to go on disability.
When i started reading posts on Psycho-Babble, i got some very good anecdotal evidence that long-term treatment with SSRI's and other psychiatric meds could make a person worse ~ in particular, i had a lot of anhedonia ~ no pleasure in anything. i had an alcohol problem at the time, too. Things were very bleak. But i had been given an article from a natural health magazine about the actress Margo Kidder and how she manages her bipolar disorder w/o meds. So, armed with some information, i made the decision to taper off my meds in spring of 2001. i am definitely *not* anti-medication ~ i just think that it has its limits. i had reached those limits years before, as it turns out.
i tapered off the meds i was on slowly, and started doing supplements (fish oil, GABA, taurine). It took me about a year to get really stable w/o meds, but i'm *much* more stable now than i ever was on meds.
Then i started getting craniosacral massage, which has been the greatest gift. It's very gentle and non-invasive (i have had big problems with people touching me), and was developed by doctor of osteopathy. It helps circulate your cerebrospinal fluid, and it's helped me to relax and feel good in my body ~ better than i ever have before. It's supposedly great for people who've been through trauma ~ it certainly has benefited me ~ i've lost 55 pounds, and have nearly quit smoking. i had terrible insomnia before getting cranio, and now i sleep really well.
The next step was getting five-element acupuncture ~ it's different than the acupuncture that the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) people do. That has been a big help, as well. Really keeps me feeling good.
i also improved my eating habits and started walking. i couldn't have done that before, but it hasn't been hard. i've also pretty much decaffeinated. i still need to lose about 30 more pounds, but i feel so much healthier. i also don't want to drink anymore, which is great.
Other than those things, it's mostly been a lot of trial and error. i do bodywork whenever i can ~ i can get a full-body massage now w/o discomfort, and it helps me feel really good. i treat myself better and have made a lot of progress with my self talk. i've learned to do a little energy work ~ work with my chakras. i was a real skeptic, but it works for me. Everyone's going to need something a little different.
i've also done a lot of work on my attitude ~ just learning to be appreciative, let go of pain from the past, etc. i did a lot of therapy in years past, and it definitely did me some good, but until i got the bodywork, i couldn't talk my way out of the pain. The pain was in my body, as well as my head. i still have down days, and have to watch my moods carefully, but i am doing so, so much better. i ran into the woman who gave me the Margo Kidder article a few months ago, and she didn't recognize me. She went, "Mary, you've transformed!" It's not just the weight loss ~ it's that i look happy, have a sense of well-being. It feels like a real miracle.
Hope this info helps somebody, someday. i really liked the people i met here, and PB helped me through some rough times. i know how dark it can get, and i just wanted to let y'all know that i'm finding some good ways to deal with my stuff. It's still a lot, but it's just so much better than i ever thought it could be.
Here's the website about craniosacral massage:
Here's a website with information about alternative mental health treatments, including the info about Margo Kidder that has helped me so much:
http://www.alternativementalhealth.com
Best to you all,
mary
poster:mars
thread:29742
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20020829/msgs/29784.html