Many people who have been diagnosed with mental illness find a spiritual dimension in the experience, especially when they have worked their way through and, looking backwards, can connect the dots between what they’ve learned and make some sense from the struggle.
“I can’t be me” disorder.
Sean Blackwell experienced depression, then mania and psychosis. He found that for him orthodox notions of illness and diagnosis did not fit- he experienced it as spiritual, healing and transformative. So, not satisfied with medicine’s explanation he set out on a personal research project to learn about different ways to understand the kind of experience he’d been through and found his own way to make sense, eventually forming his own theory. Sean makes meaning out of the cycle of depresion and mania and psychosis as a struggle between who he was and the person he was to become – between ego and self, conforming to expectations and freedom to be. he calls this I can’t be me disorder. And he talks of how he came to break through to a wider consciousness: more awar, more connected with himself, with others and with his place in the universe.
He documents what he found and his ideas in a series of youtube videos with wonderful visuals and very accessible narration by Sean himself….and it’s presented in short episodes each about ten mins or less. He’s now turned it into a book too.
The real cause of bipolar
Is Bipolar spiritual enlightenment? part 1 ?
Is Bipolar Spiritual Enlightenment? Part 2 ?
Related articles
- People with bipolar disorder may wait 13 years for diagnosis (guardian.co.uk)
- Bipolar Disorder Has Its Upside, Patients Say (sott.net)
- The bipolar explosion | Darian Leader (guardian.co.uk)
- manic depression (recoverynetworktoronto.wordpress.com)
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This is a brilliant article. I have friends in the UK who have Bi Polar. If people find a spirtual way of dealing with their so called illness then that is fabulous. There is no proof what causes a mental illness but in my family’s case – for instance my younger daughter and elder daughter had a very traumatic experience which triggered such illness but the very worst thing that could have happened to them was visiting their doctor. My younger daughter got better but my elder daughter unfortunately is under the most apalling yet world renowned hospital called “Royal Bethlem”. There are 2 professors involved and basically this is a research hospital which I was unaware of they they are using patients under S3 against their wishes but in accordance with the apalling law in this country to do whatever they like. On about her 15th drug I want the Professor and Consultant Psychiatrist held criminally responsibile. I am apalled and disgusted at the treatment of my daughter which has been drug after drug after drug. I am challenging them like noone else and have a journalist involved now and am in touch with a former patient who was held down by nurses and forced to take Clozapine. Professor Taylor’s research is absolutely horrifying and they are using drugs I believe to be unsafe – ie raising the drug so high it is against normal recommendations and my daughter could die as a result. I want the world to know about this HORRIBLE HOSPITAL IN THE UK and I would like world press to come down to this hospital. I want a host of celebrities involved in visiting these poor patients who have no visitors at the weekends and nothing to do whatsoever. This is cruel treatment. Today I was threatened with arrest and am banned from the ward. I was training to be a police officer and now want to volunteer for the local police. This Consultant Psychiatrist needs to be put in his place and the leading professor – Professor Taylor and i have all his shocking research papers and how unsafe this drug is yet they are giving it to patients against their wishes. This is criminal so how come it is allowed under the law of the U|K. I am therefore writing to all of the Royal family as they do not deserve the title Royal. Please see my latest blog which I will write shortly on psychiatricabuseuk.com.
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