My Decision, No Med Recovery

[Mami]

I quit my med in the mid of March. Taking a med is not a good option for me. I know some people prefer taking med during recovery.

However, to me, med makes flashbacks sleep. Med stops processing overwhelming memory through flashbacks. Flashbacks are scary, but they are very meaningful.
Previously, I was overwhelmed by flashbacks and intense emotions accompanying.

Currently, I am more used to having flashbacks. When I talked about flashbacks, many people told me how to stop it, but I do not agree with them. To me, it is the best to have flashbacks and talk about it.

One of abused women advised me to study naturopathy, and I will. Hope it will help...

I want to have more flashbacks and clear up my unconsciousness.

 

[Philippa]

Awesome news.

Yes, meds have the tendency to force people to repress the emotions and stuff that would actually help them heal faster if they didn't.

They aren't bad if you don't take them for too long...just to give yourself space to get new tools to handle the disorder, but in the long run, they are deadening to your emotional realm, and that's bad news.

I applaud you, that's a harder path you've taken...but I think, as you said, you may gain more insight into yourself healing in the long run.

 

[evergreen]

I wish you well on this journey of self dicovery and healing.

 

[Mami]

Yes, meds have the tendency to force people to repress the emotions and stuff that would actually help them heal faster if they didn't.

I love your reassuring meds have the tendency to force people to repress what help them heal faster.
I have met several physicians and psychiatrists so far, but all of them recommended meds. Though I showed my resistance against my meds, they tried to convince me. I hate all of 'em and I left them.

I need to phone a new physician the next week. I found that her clinic has naturopathic docs, so she might have better understanding 'bout naturopathic healing.

Removing meds' effects are the same as removing substance effects out of my body...
I am feeling better slowly without meds, but I still suffer. My body is used to taking meds and now there are no meds in my body, and she is getting confused, I guess... I need to slowly adjust my body to naturopathy... I used to be addicted to alcohol. It was very difficult to stop taking alcohol, 'cause my body wants it more and more. It's the same as meds, once I take it, it wants more and more meds. It is not healthy or therapeutic.

In case of naturopathy, I do not think addiction happens, because herbs and food creates a balance in my body, on the other hand meds create artificial imbalance.

I am learning a new way to heal...

 

[Philippa]

You can learn breathing exercises that will help with any anxiety, and eating a well balanced diet will also help immensely.

I'm not saying meds can't be useful, just that many people tend to think they are a cure-all and will happily stay on them forever. It's been proven that many anti-depressants actually work on a placebo effect! Yes, that's right...the belief that a pill will take it all away and cure the person is enough to actually help them.

I tend to agree with your conclusion, and it's great that you are thinking for yourself here. That will go a long way towards you feeling genuinely empowered to heal rather than just being told to take a pill by an outside authority.

 

[evergreen]

I would be interested in hearing what you learn from your naturopath! I would like to go off my meds eventually too!

 

[Trinomial]

I only take a sleep aid, which doesn't seem to effect flashbacks or my mood. It was recently suggested to me that I try reiki or accupuncture with someone who is trained specifically to help people with trauma, with plenty of experience.

Supposedly, living with the trauma and the repressed emotions for many years has a huge physiological toll on the mind and body. Cognitive therapy helps with the processing, but reiki / accupuncture works more at the cellular level and can help rid the body of these long-term negative effects of trauma / emotional repression. I haven't tried it yet, but I think integrating a physical aspect with the psychological one may be useful for a complete healing.

Let us know how your progress goes.

If I try the reiki / accupuncture, I'll post about that. Meds are ok for a crutch, but I think it's healthiest if people could learn how to heal themselves and move away from drug dependence. So, kudos, for taking this route!

 

[Lady of Longbourn]

I think you should do whatever you feel comfortable with. If you think medication is not for you, that is fine. I applaud your open minded approach to your problems and you facing them with such strength!

There are many other ways to deal with flashbacks and other problems, like the above posts point out.

 

[Mami]

Hi Phil,

What do you mean by breathing exercises?
When I feel panicky, I breathe deeply through my nose. Is this breathing exercises?

I have a binge eating disorder, and I binge like every day. I feel obligated to binge. When stress gets bigger and bigger, I feel a lot of pressure to binge. In my case, feeling stressful and an action of binging are directly connected. I need to cut this relation. Some people binge and some don't under stress. I want to be someone who does not binge under stress.

Yes, I also thought anti-depressants are more for a placebo effect. Depression causes feeling of hopelesness. Taking meds can give a patient hope. A patient have expectation that meds can cure depression. It is good to have hope, but there are many other ways to have hope. As you say meds cannot do everything. My depression comes from severe distrust in people. My father was untrustworthy authority. I've been trying to find trustworthy authority. I tried some physicians and psychiatrists and I found they are corrupt and abusive. I left them. My journey of looking for trustworthy authority is giving me hope.

I am happy to hear that you tend to agree with my conclusion. I am feeling greatful that I am thinking for my benefits. I used to sacrifice my benefits like my health, time and energy for abusers, and I still sacrifice those valuable resources within me for abusers. However, I am slowly learning to think for my benefits on my own. My father abused me and I gave up taking care of myself and went to doctors. I learnt that not every doctor care about a patient's benefits. I am trying to take back my power within; power taken away by my dad, and by some doctors. Still, I think it is very important for me to find a trustworthy doctor to get outside help.

 

[Philippa]

You've got a great attitude Mami.

Empowering ourselves by taking our health into our own hands is the best way to go in my opinion. The medical profession is more interested in money and having their authority remain unquestioned to sustain their existence. Why would they want that power over others to dwindle if people started to think for themselves and do their own research into foods and alternative methods for healing the cause of the problem, not just covering over the symptoms, as anti-depressants do.

The information is all there.

Yes, taking big deep breaths is what I'm talking about. If you study Yoga or have looked into it, there are certain breathing techniques, designed to teach us all to breath from our diaphragms, which is how men breathe naturally. Women tend to breathe more shallowly.

I think anyone who lives in a city does not get enough oxygen because our bodies instinctively don't take in enough oxygen because of all the pollutants in the air, from cars and factories etc. We've learnt to breathe really shallowly, and it doesn't take too long to train yourself to start breathing naturally from your diaphragm.

This will help counter act anxiety, though with some people, I think freak of nurture is one, breathing this way actually causes more anxiety for them due to personal trauma reasons from their past. For many people though, it helps immensely.

I strongly recommend you have a look at the website of Dr Elaine Hollingsworth. She has written an e-book that you might find interesting. It's called "Taking your health into your own hands" It's a fascinating and scary read about what is really going on with our food industries.

 

[mamachick]

I have been on an anti depressant for many years. I read an article that said that they cause chemical brain damage. Im not good at reporting on anything scientific, but basically it changes the chemicals that the brain produces and the brain becomes dependent on those chemicals. I saw a good video on this site (cant remember where) that was by a former pharm. rep. and she opposed many meds that we are prescribed. One of the things that I do not like about anti depressants is that they make us more complacent, and when this happens, we are more inclined to tolerate circumstances rather than making necessary change for better in the long run. Many things to consider.

 

[justhere]

I went off my meds almost a year ago and done well. I taught myself deep breathing, doing something I like (writing) to help calm me down. Now here I am struggling ... Every experience is different though. I think subconsciously I've thought about the fact it was my ex's birthday last month and my 3yr anniversary is coming in July. I think this is playing a role in why I'm having a difficult time. You may find you like no meds. It took me 2yrs to finally go thru the grieving process. I was so numb, no feelings on the meds.