[di meliora]

Dan Edmunds, Ed.D., B.C.S.A., DAPA is an existential psychoanalyst and psychotherapist in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Dr. Edmunds' work has focused on drug free relational approaches for extreme states of mind and autism/developmental differences. He is the founder of the International Center for Humane Psychiatry, an emancipatory movement for human rights in the mental health system. Dr. Edmunds is the director of the Critical Psychology and Alternative Mental Health Services programs via European-American University. Dr. Edmunds is the author of The Meeting of Two Persons: What Therapy Should Be, which addresses the need to validate experience and explores the role of oppression and the social, familial, and political factors leading to distress. Dr. Edmunds has spoken a number of radio and television programs on existential and critical psychology, human rights in the mental health system, autism acceptance, and social justice issues. Dr. Edmunds is Board Certified in Sexual Abuse Issues via the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress and is a Diplomate of the American Psychotherapy Association.

Dr. Edmunds in his blog, Extreme States of Mind, again addresses concerns about how medications alone do not deal with the underlying events that lead to what often are termed mental disorders. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/...atric-paradigm

While I continue to be medicated, I also am aware I likely will never be as healthy as I had hoped. Being told several times by different professionals I have a personality not conducive to therapy is problematical. As I understand what is meant by "not conducive to therapy" has to do with a conscious or subconscious resistance to change.

[LiteraryLark]

I think you CAN become healthy without the aid of meds and therapy. It just take serious willpower.

I had an extreme irrational fear of germs. It was bad enough for I could have brought it up in therapy if I wanted to. Idk if it was bad enough for meds, but it was bad. I don't know why I was so scared of germs--as a kid I used to go dumpster diving--but something snapped and I couldn't touch anything that I deemed "dirty" like desks, doorknobs, shoes, garbage cans... I carried hand sanitizer in my pocket at school that I used them up in a day and I would wash my hands like a surgeon. I tried taking care of a pet snake, but I so scared of touching it that I had to shower even if I just touched the cage on accident. Eventually, and I can't exactly pinpoint when, but within the last three years I decided that enough was enough. I forced myself to touch things I thought were dirty. At first, it freaked me out to do it and I had to wash my hands, use hand sanitizer, and then shower afterwards. Eventually, the more I touched those things, I stopped showering and just washed my hands and used hand sanitizer. Then I tried to focus on not washing my hands like a surgeon, so now I only wash my hands and wrists and I'm not scrubbing. There are still things I can't bring myself to do, like taking out the trash, and I until I'm married I can't handle owning a dog because I'm too afraid to pick up after it, but I have come a long way from being scared of touching anything. I wouldn't even consider myself afraid of germs anymore, now it's just specific things I can't touch.

That is just a fear of germs. I have also made a nearly complete recovery of bipolar disorder. Long story short I had a manic episode during school which lead to dx, I came out of the hospital as a zombie from being overly medicated, my parents thought I wasn't going to be able to graduate so I forced myself to complete all my missing homework and within a month I was back in school and graduated on time while working with my doctor to have my meds reduced. If I didn't care about school and graduating with my class, I wouldn't be where I am today.

I want to be healthy and med free, so for the past year and two months I have been patiently working with my doctor to slowly reduce the meds. My goal is to be off them within 6 months more or less.

Most people are not that lucky. Most people do not have the willpower to do exactly what the doctor says, and most people don't do well in therapy. I think if you truly want to be healthy, you would do whatever it takes. For you, professional therapy is not the answer. Find another therapeutic tool you can use: cooking, art, therapy dogs, exercise. Essentially, you need to do what makes you happy and feel healthy. Therapy didn't make me happy, so I stopped going and I took up different hobbies as an outlet. This is just me, but I believe that you can achieve whatever you set your mind to if you have the willpower to do it.

[possum220]

Most people are not that lucky. Most people do not have the willpower to do exactly what the doctor says, and most people don't do well in therapy.

I think that statement is a tad over the top. Most People??

How can you change what is hidden in your subconscious?

[LiteraryLark]

Originally Posted by possum220

Most people are not that lucky. Most people do not have the willpower to do exactly what the doctor says, and most people don't do well in therapy.

I think that statement is a tad over the top. Most People??

How can you change what is hidden in your subconscious?

Well...most mentally unfit....

Most people do NOT have the willpower because of their illness. Those who do, recover.

How can you change what is hidden in your subconcious? Willpower.

[LiteraryLark]

Reread my story. I got over my phobia and my disorder because I decided enough was enough and I wasn't going to let it run my life anymore and I was willing to do ANYTHING to get healthy again. I had willpower.

Most people are not like me because they say, they say, they say, but do they do?

[LiteraryLark]

Yes, it's oversimplified, but I'm not going to go into step by step on how I slayed the dragon.

[Ortus]

If you haven't yet, you may want to read up on Carl Jung.

[nightbird]

I think if you find the mind-body connection within yourself ~ and there are many roads you can take to do this, you can work to heal and arrest certain drives and impulses that do not serve you well, or may be harmful.

Using the medical field is important in many areas... especially for surgery and for diseases that you need this expertise to assist you in removing obstacles so that this magnificent inherent healing system
may begin to work inside of yourself.

With the mind, it's also very helpful to learn about yourself and to have the resources available to aid you through uncharted waters, you know?

Medicine has it's place.

Especially if it's life-saving.

Willpower is only one area of concern ~

I feel it's our becoming whole, whether that means with all of our parts, (some of us lose things along this life) or what works in the way we function that serves us... wherever we are at... we can learn to feel whole and heal.

Peace,
Nightbird

[LiteraryLark]

[possum220]

I am glad you had the will power and the ability to slay your dragons DrSkipper.

My maze looks a little different to that.

"The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no one recipe for living that suits all cases." Carl Jung

[LiteraryLark]

Originally Posted by possum220

"The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no one recipe for living that suits all cases." Carl Jung

Which is why I say most people, because if I said, "I am the only person with willpower", then that wouldn't be right either.

[di meliora]

To me it seems to be another version of just get over it. So, I suppose I am a wuss without willpower.

[possum220]

You no wuss di ............ just find another path out of the woods.

Perhaps the real motivation comes from finding something to live for, or, and most often the case, someone. If one lacks this most significant factor, then one may succumb to the belief that there is no reason to heal. So why try?

Unfortunately, there are many (the exact estimate remains unknown) who would rather be comfortable in misery than take the risk of trying to change. Thankfully, we have sites such as this which encourage healing and give support to those who are in the process.

[di meliora]

I have spent a considerable amount of time in the woods. Changing has been a challenge. I am pleased I chose not to pass my problems on.

[lizardlady]

Most people are not that lucky. Most people do not have the willpower to do exactly what the doctor says, and most people don't do well in therapy. I think if you truly want to be healthy, you would do whatever it takes. For you, professional therapy is not the answer. Find another therapeutic tool you can use: cooking, art, therapy dogs, exercise. Essentially, you need to do what makes you happy and feel healthy. Therapy didn't make me happy, so I stopped going and I took up different hobbies as an outlet. This is just me, but I believe that you can achieve whatever you set your mind to if you have the willpower to do it.

Dr. Skipper, real life is not so black and white. I worked my backside off in therapy. I did what my T wanted me to do. I was still depressed and still wanted to kill myself. He suggested I see a pdoc. The pdoc put me on meds. I kept working my tail off in therapy while the pdoc and I played with med combinations. Finally we found the right combination and my T and I concluded I had my mental health problems under control. My T moved out of state and I stopped therapy. I had the tools I needed and knew how to use them. Then for a variety of reasons my pdoc and I tried to wean me off the meds. I started wanting to kill myself again. I was using all the tools I learned in therapy. For the first time in my life the idea of killing myself scared the poo out of me. I got on the phone to my pdoc and we restarted my meds.

It's insulting to hear that all I needed to do was have enough willpower and I'd be OK. I had a ton of willpower. I worked my butt off and I was still depressed. Saying all someone needs is enough willpower and they will be better is the equivalent of telling someone to "snap out of it."