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Article #6: Psychiatry-Meditation Or Medication -That Is The Question

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In some of the old texts of therapeutic It took me many years to learn the what,
hypnosis, there are contraindications how and why it happens. It is now clear
mentioned to hypnosis. In layman's to me that when a person meditates, the
language it means that hypnosis was not body and the mind lose their tension. As
recommended for conditions like the person starts to relax, the patient
depression, psychosis or schizophrenia. starts to feel and remember events and
The reason given was that hypnosis makes emotions that were locked up in the body.
these conditions worse. There is no It is as if the body and the mind are
literature to reveal why this happened. releasing emotional distress. The release
Many years ago when I learnt hypnosis, I is also experienced physically, as in
wanted to know the what, how and why of depression, for example. It is a
this phenomenon. It became evident with researched fact that when a depressed
my work that meditation and hypnosis had person relaxes, the symptoms become
a lot in common. The imagery exercises worse. Clinically, if the person stays
and the relaxed state were common to with the experience, the body gets used
hypnosis as well as meditation. But there to it and the person feels well after
was no literature on meditation that sometime.
recommended any contraindications. Psychiatric drugs block the emotions
In my clinical practice, the answers that a person feels. Antidepressants make
came with many years of work. A senior a person 'emotionally anaesthetised'. If
professor of psychiatry referred me a the medication is reduced, the sense of
case of schizophrenia. On our first depression usually returns in a few
meeting I asked this person, a young months. All psychiatric drugs play a
lady, to do less than ten minutes of similar role. By numbing the emotions,
breathing exercise daily. Then I did not the thinking and perception of the person
hear from her for many weeks. Many weeks are affected. The 'illness'is said to be
later she phoned to tell me that within 'controlled' when this happens. At times
a week of doing the breathing exercises, drugs become mandatory especially when
she had become paranoid, despite being on the deterioration of the person's mental
medication. She had to be admitted in a state is irreversible. This happens when
hospital and her medicines were the patient loses insight.
increased. I learnt my first major Meditation and medication have their own
lesson. Meditation DOES make place in psychiatry.
schizophrenia worse.






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