| I got a call earlier this week from a couple trying to get | | | | between mental illness and spiritual awakening, which |
| help for a beloved friend who was unable to get off | | | | can at times resemble a psychotic break. Since Freud, |
| the couch due to experiencing visions, flashes | | | | there has been a bias against spirituality in mainstream |
| spiritual-emergency of color and light, sensations of | | | | psychology, and so, many people are understandably |
| energy coming out of her body, and ecstatic trance | | | | reluctant to seek the treatment they need. |
| states. She also believes that the Messiah has | | | | Their friend was long ago diagnosed with bipolar |
| returned, and it is she. | | | | disorder, and her mother had suffered from |
| The couple had found me through Google as a | | | | schizophrenia. The friend had been hospitalized for her |
| 'transpersonal' therapist, or one who has had training in | | | | illness in the past, got on medication, and improved |
| assessing and treating what is called "spiritual | | | | significantly. Like many people, she went off the meds |
| emergency." For although their friend has a history of | | | | that were helping her so much due to the side effects, |
| severe mental illness, many of her symptoms are the | | | | and because she believed she didn't need them |
| same or similar as those of spiritual awakening. | | | | anymore. But something else of great import was |
| She was also experiencing evidence of a broader | | | | happening also. |
| spiritual understanding, of increased compassion, of | | | | One of the things I learned in graduate school that has |
| expansiveness, of the knowledge that everything is | | | | been a useful rule of thumb is that the mentally ill |
| made of swirling energy, and that she has an important | | | | person is drowning in the sea while the mystic is |
| role to play on earth. Unfortunately, since this was | | | | treading water. They are both in the same sea, |
| mixed up with her psychotic symptoms, her friends | | | | however. One of the ways we distinguish between |
| weren't sure what to do. | | | | the two states is to assess how stable the person |
| They didn't want her to be just medicated and thrown | | | | has been able to be in their life - have they been able |
| into the hospital again. Conventionally trained mental | | | | to care for their activities of daily living, provide shelter |
| health professionals are not taught how to distinguish | | | | and food for themselves, for example. |