What other drug-free therapies are available for Schizophrenia?
Generally, schizophrenia sufferers - most of whom, understandably, do not want to be forced to take harmful 'medication' - find any or all of the following helpful: non-patronizing acceptance, intelligent conversation, peace and solitude, good friends, long walks, practical help (with managing their day-to-day living needs), literature on mythology, spirituality, the Cosmos and shamanism, excursions into Nature, open fires, drumming, drama and art therapies, music, soulful environments, shamanic work, Vision Quests and Medicine Wheel work (based on Native American rituals).
Herbal remedies, Bach Flower remedies, acupuncture, homeopathy, aromatherapy and vitamin therapy are also vitally helpful in redressing associated biologic imbalances and nutritional deficiencies. Always bear in mind that the person who knows most about schizophrenia is the one experiencing it. Always, therefore, listen primarily to what the sufferer has to say regarding what they find helpful, meaningful, truthful and healing. Don't try to force the schizophrenia sufferer into accepting any treatment which they don't want, or don't find helpful and respectful of their needs - it simply adds further anxiety and trauma to their already fragile condition.
Who, then, can help?
Whoever helps needs to be compassionate, non-authoritarian, flexible in approach, comfortable with psychosis, self-aware, imaginative and respectful of the whole person's needs and values. Seek out any C. G. Jung Societies, Jungian Analysts, or Spiritual Emergence Network members in your area, or contact the Schizophrenia Crisis Helpline [Adelaide]. Ask if there are any Jungian practitioners available who are comfortable with and experienced in working with schizophrenia and psychosis.
Avoid self-proclaimed New Age 'Spiritual Healers' and suchlike, particularly if they have no reputable credentials, training and experience in the field of soul-centred psychiatry. This kind of work is potentially hazardous, tricky, and intensely demanding. It can backfire on anyone who panics, gets out of their depth, or falls back on a neat theory, and it involves a great deal of soul-centred training, self-knowledge, personal commitment, first-hand experience and education. People who have pulled themselves out of a schizophrenic episode or spiritual psychosis are, above all others, invaluable sources of help to folk still stuck in a psychosis.
Finally, you can help, by remaining non-judgmental, by re-educating yourself about schizophrenia, by listening to and learning from schizophrenia sufferers, by doing some intense soul-searching in order to own your own inner demons and madness, and by befriending, practically helping and supporting schizophrenia sufferers in the way(s) they wish to be helped.
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