Medicine Cultures

[Urib]

Hey guys.

So I hail from spiritual traditions and communities that do not hold mainstream views on mental illnesses or of healing in general. We believe in spiritual causes for physical ills, and spiritual answers-- much of our medicine is intangible.

Now, when I struggle with issues related to post traumatic stress disorder, it feels like it's simply in my bones to direct myself and my healing in the ways of my people. And it goes deeper than that-- I mistrust not just the system but also the school of medicine which trains MDs.

Dating an ex-mental health worker has brought me close to the some of the differences in opinions and approaches to healing in the U.S, and I find that in professional settings my knowledge and opinions are often despaired of.

What do you guys think? Is it practical to take a wholly spiritual approach to healing trauma? Depression? Anxiety? I also take herbs, and I suppose that would count as both a spiritual and a physical approach...

In the case of the ex-mental health worker, he would often become extremely upset and emotional when he felt my condition was dire-- there were times when he felt meds were necessary to my survival, while I saw them as a threat.

I guess I'm just looking for opinions and input.

And please, no hate and no worries about being PC. We are all one people, and many things shape our individual views. I am used to being heavily criticized for my views and this does not offend me. However I will not engage in verbal battles demoralizing indigenous cultures.

Thanks in advance :)

 

[Vuju]

I don't take any prescription anti depressants/anxiety meds. Most of the time I can cope, but still there are days. There are so many great herbs out there that you can tea or tincture or capsule and you are right, homeopathic and herbal remedies are pretty much frowned upon. I think a lot of it is because of Big Pharma. A lot of people, myself included, ascribe to the mind/body connection, which is a great way to get in touch with you and your own health. I don't hear it talked about too much because it seems the world is focused on medication, again, big pharma (in my opinion).
I think if you find something that works (well enough) for you, then why seek additional support in the form of meds. If you find that you just aren't coping, you could at least book yourself an appointment with a therapist who is knowledgeable in both herbs and medicines to talk things out with.

 

[Ojeb]

I'm a healthcare worker myself so I do hold a level of faith in medicine. Ironically though I am anti vax and come up against a lot of stigma about that. I'd also say I'm weary of meds. But I feel they have a place, ie at one point it was better that I take zoloft than continue trying to commit suicide. As I come from a family that disregard mental health, I found it difficult to accept my own PTSD. But it was better than continuing to feel.plain crazy and beyond control.

I think you need to find self acceptance first and foremost. You have been diagnosed right? And you want to get help? Surely you have some level of trust in the healthcare system then? Remember medicine today, even psychiatry, is much more about choice than it was in the past.

 

[Ukok]

Avoiding them like the plague now since venlafaxine f*cked me up. Natural all the way, and I'm starting to feel better.

 

[Naki]

You'd resonate right the book Living In the Borderland . It explores the spiritual/natural/community approach to healing and how modern modalities aren't exclusive of these age old approaches. The book is technical but life changing.

 

[Sazabu]

I agree strongly. I believe that we are largely the masters of our own wellness; or demise.
This is a complicated subject that every individual will have much different views of.
I have seen people achieve great feats of healing both through faith and through meds, although meds more often seem so have lasting negative affects or consequences. Although none of our emotional and mental illnesses can be simply "wished" away, it seems people vastly underestimate the power of spiritual healing and the role that compassion and support play within that realm.
Our "civilized" society emphasizes "quick" fixes, meds, instant gratification, while millions die of loneliness.
Holding someone's hand and understanding, taking time to "be" there, to pray or have faith, to meditate, or simply accept we have pain or discomfort. I believe we have lost touch and have powers that we no longer know how to access or use.
I read the book "Mutant Message Down Under" by Marlo Morgan. In an instant I would trade my life for hers or the powers and abilities that the aboriginals possessed in her writings. I would recommend anyone google or read her book.
So I am a strong believer in spiritual connection, prevention and remedy. But I would also be remiss if I did not accept the occasional aspirin for a headache or surgical procedure for a cancer that my "higher power" has placed within my reach.
As far as depression, suicidal ideation, PTSD, etc. I would never wish to diagnose or prescribe for anyone else. Too many people rely on too many different things and I dare not assess what works for others. After many years of self medicating, unhealthy coping mechanisms, frustration, anger, and confusion, I commit myself today largely to a spiritual program of mental and emotional beliefs and healing. This has given me greater serenity and healthier coping mechanisms.
Urib, yes people may despair your views as you say. They (your views) are probably not understood, and sometimes feared, nor do they contain the "profit" motivation that our American medical society relies on by prescribing meds and surgeries. They aren't always "tangible". When I turn the light switch on in my room I expect that the light will come on. Why? I can't see the electricity that is going through that switch - but I have faith that there is a "power" that will turn on that light bulb and create light. I can't see it - but I believe and go flip the switch - and it happens. Perhaps that power exists for healing as well, does it not?
Very good topic. I wish to see what others think. Thank you.

 

[Gewiber]

Someone suggested that the side effects are not accidental at all and I wouldn't be surprised, just seeing how much big pharma make.

 

[Menurof]

My question is do you accept PTSD as a physiological condition, not just a mental or spiritual one? Do you understand that PTSD sufferers' autonomic nervous systems are stuck in an incomplete response to a threat? And do your alternative methods address this? I'm finding very few therapists understand this, so any school of thought or treatment that does is head and shoulders above a "professional" who doesn't in my book.

 

[Aguta]

I don't believe there's a difference, really. It purely a matter of what words a person uses to describe how something works. I can describe the scientific mode of action, or I can describe the results from a spiritual point of view.

Herbs are medicine. I can describe their chemical properties and how they interact with the body.

Infusing or decocting flower, leaf, stalk, bark, inner bark, root, etc.? (Aka making tea) is a chemical process. It extracts & discards certain chemicals, while retaining other chemicals. The exact same way that we make pills.

Ditto for other methods of use. Whether something is ingested, inhaled, absorbed, makes never no mind.

I can describe it spiritually or scientifically.

 

[Mipo]

I can describe it spiritually or scientifically.

Pretty interesting. I've used all kinds of natural and homeopathic therapies in the past, and I find them to be preferable to conventional treatments in a good number of cases. I'm finding this autonomic nervous freeze to be a beast however. I don't think herbs are aggressive enough to reset one's nervous system. I have thought about reiki and other alternative body work therapies. Never seen a practitioner, though.

 

[Uril]

It matters what your symptoms are and how severe they are. (This fact falls on deaf ears much of the time because there's this fallacy that we all suffer the same when in fact we do not.)

Some symptoms can indeed be healed through alternative means. Some IMHO require more traditional western medicine. And then when it comes to healing the nervous system, the nervous system heals extremely slowly, if at all.

 

[Ufasac]

And then when it comes to healing the nervous system, the nervous system heals extremely slowly, if at all.

Yikes. I'm going to take that with a grain of salt and keep trying. Have you read Peter Levine's Waking the Tiger? He talks about "thawing out" a frozen nervous system with a therapy called somatic experiencing. Actually, he writes a bit about shamanic cultures and how they heal trauma.