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Stories Submitted thoughts and stories Labels don’t have to be forever
Stories Submitted thoughts and stories Labels don’t have to be forever
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bachs flower remedies | depression | female | hospital | medication | professional | psychosis | reiki | support from family | support from friends | support from mental health professionals | supportive spouse/partner | taking control
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Author: Jayne Middlemass Published: 09 October 2006 The importance of complimentary and alternative therapies is the focus of Jayne Middlemass’s personal recovery story. Jayne also explores the challenging attitudes of health professionals in regard to these therapies. It’s been a lazy Sunday. Crawled out of bed late, made a cup of tea and delved into the papers. This all feels a bit luxurious and indulgent. But there was a time when I struggled to get out of bed for a very different reason. Severe depression used to grip me like a vice. The blankets clamped me. Morning light seemed to pin me to the bed; it was too bright, too intense, too cheerful. But I’d make a gargantuan effort to get downstairs and throw myself into a routine: dog walk, breakfast, make up the fire and slowly but surely the blackness would be diluted into a muzzy kind of grey. Some days I felt absolutely fine and the emergence from the fog was joyful, miraculous. At worst I had spells of psychosis – the most hellish being what seemed like weeks of pure terror; nothing less than terror. Then I would be hospitalised for weeks, even months, and each time I would emerge to return to a monochrome life. I’m fortunate to have a very supportive family and a close, caring band of friends from all walks of life. Together, their support, and a monthly carrier bag of drugs from lithium to imipramine to sodium valporate, helped me to survive and life progressed into some sort of normality. The consultant and teams who visited me in surgeries and at home were immensely supportive too. But there was the unbearable feeling that I was stuck with the thought that I would never be totally well and would have to rely on these drugs for the rest of my life. I would never move on. During a winter stay in Huntleyburn three years ago a friend, who has had similar experiences to me, suggested that I should try Reiki. The decision to go ahead with this was to be life changing. My friend introduced me to Lyn, a Reiki Master, or teacher, who kindly volunteered to give me a few sessions of Reiki. We had to ask permission to do this in the hospital, and it emerged that at least half a dozen of the staff had undertaken some training in Reiki and one nurse was the daughter of a Reiki Master. The treatment was wonderful, it was relaxing and in no way traumatic. And within a week I left hospital never to return. Since then Reiki has become an important part of my life and often I use it to maintain good health and balance. Lyn Williams also introduced me to Bach Flower Remedies, which I strongly believe should be given a more serious name. Even though they sound like something from a children’s storybook, they were discovered by Dr. Bach, a Harley Street specialist, and meticulously researched by teams of medics. Taking the remedies I came off the drugs over a period of three months. I did have a few small blips, but a call to Lyn and some remedies helped me to maintain balance within a couple of hours. At first my consultant psychiatrist had said he had grave concerns about me doing this. I had relented for six months, but the time had come to go ahead and thankfully he gave me his blessing. Looking back, the drugs had taken me to a place where I could return to my career as a freelance journalist, but often in the mornings I felt vague. I used to start work late morning to allow the effect of the drugs I’d taken the night before to wear off. At that stage I was taking 17 tablets to stave off depression and control my bi-polar swings. That amounts to over 500 tablets each month and 6000 each year. My moods had been stabilised, but there was a numbness. A feeling that my emotions had been ironed out. So here I am still in the Borders, running creative writing workshops and Toolkit days to show small companies how to publicise themselves. My friends are still here and together we have fun. There’s a special man in my life and things really ain’t that bad. Recently a GP friend said she was concerned that patients with mental illness wanted to come off drugs and rely on energised water – flower remedies. It’s no coincidence that Lyn works with people with mental health issues in the town where my friend practises. Complementary or even alternative medicine can work for some people. Just give them a chance. If you’d like to share your thoughts or experiences of recovery then contact us on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 0141 240 7790 to discuss. Click here to go back to previous page |
Story Tags
activism community/socialising/inclusion coping strategies creativity depression employment (+) exercise female hospital male medication medication (-) peer support (informal) and befriending seeing things differently self knowledge/learning/growth self management sense of self support from family support from friends support from mental health professionals supportive spouse/partner taking control talking therapies voluntary mental health services volunteering Story disclaimer
The stories presented here are for information only. They are meant to inspire hope and show that recovery can and does happen. The stories highlight various examples of recovery and we do not advocate any of these experiences as the ‘right’ way to recover. Recovery is an individual and unique process, each person must decide for himself or herself what will work for them. Please carefully consider any decisions you make about your own recovery and consult with someone you trust if you feel unsure. See our Submit Your Thoughts pages for details on how to submit a story to us or you can contact us.
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