What is bipolar disorder from a spiritual perpective?

[VioletFlame]

 @Angelite I'm saying it applies to various kinds of spirituality. Here's a good read. 

https://www.amazon.com/Shamans-Among-Schizophrenia-Shamanism-Evolutionary/dp/1300430915 

But I was just aiming towards giving you some encouragement, supporting your inquiry on the connection between mental illness and mystical experience. I was diagnosed at a young age with PTSD, I know it's certainly not the same as bipolar disorder but I'm just going to make it crystal clear that I know what these states are like, and have had my share of mania in my lifetime, highs & lows in which both sacrificed & liberated a huge part of myself. Both periods of euphoria and severe depression, and surrendering to emotional pain, created spiritual significance for me because it helped me find the mystical union of God and the Devil. I was given an invitation to embrace the both of them as one, which spiritually transformed my life.

[Angelite]

11 minutes ago, VioletFlame said:

 @Angelite I'm saying it applies to various kinds of spirituality. Here's a good read. 

https://www.amazon.com/Shamans-Among-Schizophrenia-Shamanism-Evolutionary/dp/1300430915 

But I was just aiming towards giving you some encouragement, supporting your inquiry on the connection between mental illness and mystical experience. I was diagnosed at a young age with PTSD, I know it's certainly not the same as bipolar disorder but I'm just going to make it crystal clear that I know what these states are like, and have had my share of mania in my lifetime, highs & lows in which both sacrificed & liberated a huge part of myself. Both periods of euphoria and severe depression, and surrendering to emotional pain, created spiritual significance for me because it helped me find the mystical union of God and the Devil. I was given an invitation to embrace the both of them as one, which spiritually transformed my life.

Haha you're funny. What is it, shamanism? Okay i'll look it up~ *but this would be another distraction~

Edited November 30, 2018 by Angelite

[Shadowraix]

In what context is spiritual being used here? At least to me spiritual is everything actual so everything is spiritual whether thats psychology, genetics, or biology. What such concepts point to anyway.

Edited November 30, 2018 by Shadowraix

[VioletFlame]

@Angelite Oh shit wait I tagged the wrong person?? I'm sorry! I meant @EvilAngel I got the wrong angel  *facepalm*

Edited November 30, 2018 by VioletFlame

[Ananta]

@Martin123 What? Well, of course I deserve to be Bipolar free. I also have Multiple Sclerosis, since I was 21. I deserve to be free of that too (I do fine tho), but ya know what, I honestly don't worry about either one. I just take my meds and carry on.... I make adjustments, as needed.

[Martin123]

@Anna1 Well then we’re on the same page. That’s amazing. 

I am so grateful to have been able to connect with your prescious heart.  

[EvilAngel]

1 hour ago, Anna1 said:

I'd say you haven't done enough research on Bipolar disorder. You don't "learn" the disorder. Studies have been done on family members (twins) that weren't raised together for example. 

Why do you think there's a spiritual component? Is there a spiritual component to diabetes?

I lean towards the 'nurture' side of the nature/nurture debate and I personally believe mental illnesses are *mainly* caused by experiences people have rather than an inherent chemical imbalance. I believe that trauma is the root cause in 95% of mental illness. Basically what I'm saying is the trauma occurs first, then  the chemical imbalance follows. It doesn't make sense to me that such a high number of people (and I'm going by the number of people I know personally) would be born with a faulty brain that biologically doesn't regulate it's neurotransmitters properly. It makes more sense that it is caused by traumatic life events, 

[VioletFlame]

18 minutes ago, Angelite said:

Haha you're funny. What is it, shamanism? Okay i'll look it up~ *but this would be another distraction~

Was totally not trying to be invasive! I hope we are cool and can find the humor in it! I was like "no wonder why I sense some confusion" because I just pretty much dragged you in on the topic ? but I'm just glad I was able to resolve this minor error..again, sincere apologies!❤️

[Ananta]

@EvilAngel ok, well, in my personal life and I'm 48. I only knew 1 other person officially diagnosed with Bipolar.

Maybe it's the crowd you hang with???

 

[EvilAngel]

 

1 hour ago, Martin123 said:

And by the way to address the genetic component - ego are patterns that have been repeated throughout history enough times that they get ingrained into the DNA and culture (collective unconsciousness).

That's interesting, thanks for sharing.

1 hour ago, VioletFlame said:

@EvilAngel One can most certainly have a spiritual awakening through manic episodes/psychosis. It just may not always be manageable, but most definitely experienced and understood.

It has been shown for instance, that there is a close connection between Shamanism and Schizophrenia. There is sublime familiarity. From a Shamanic perspective, it is believed that mental illness simply implies "the birth of a healer".

I only wish that that perspective was held in Western culture, instead of over-medicating people who have mystical experiences.

And I'll check out that book you recommended, thanks!

[DrewNows]

5 minutes ago, EvilAngel said:

I lean towards the 'nurture' side of the nature/nurture debate and I personally believe mental illnesses are *mainly* caused by experiences people have rather than an inherent chemical imbalance. I believe that trauma is the root cause in 95% of mental illness. Basically what I'm saying is the trauma occurs first, then  the chemical imbalance follows. It doesn't make sense to me that such a high number of people (and I'm going by the number of people I know personally) would be born with a faulty brain that biologically doesn't regulate it's neurotransmitters properly. It makes more sense that it is caused by traumatic life events, 

Some interesting stories here. This is a very personal subject. To each his/her own...

@EvilAngelI definitely have to agree here  and someone also mentioned collective consciousness 

years ago I was diagnosed with bipolar depression. Took meds for a year or so and quit. The diagnoses was a complete joke

Have you heard of wim hoff “ice man” and how his methods have been transforming what science has thought possible. @Anna1I am also curious of your take on him if you have knowledge of his ice water/breathing method 

[DrewNows]

Have you heard Teal Swan's perspective on the mental health system?

here's a short vid i just found 

 

[EvilAngel]

14 minutes ago, Anna1 said:

@EvilAngel ok, well, in my personal life and I'm 48. I only knew 1 other person officially diagnosed with Bipolar.

Maybe it's the crowd you hang with???

 

Google says it's 4.4% of the American population. Go figure. 

But yes, I have spent a lot of time with a lot of mentally unstable individuals. 

[Ananta]

8 minutes ago, DrewNows said:

Have you heard of wim hoff “ice man” and how his methods have been transforming what science has thought possible. @Anna1I am also curious of your take on him if you have knowledge of his ice water/breathing method 

Never heard of him. Looked him up on Wikipedia and reading this breath method, I thought, "wow, good way to have yourself pass out".

Then, found this on there-

"Wim Hof has been blamed by relatives of four men who separately drowned in 2015 and 2016 when practicing his breathing exercise. They died after suffering shallow water blackouts in swimming pools.[20][21]"

----------'

Anyways, imagine having MS for 27 years. I've had so many, well meaning ppl tell me...try this...try that...read this book. ...try this diet...wait, no this diet.........no thanks, I'm good !

[EvilAngel]

7 minutes ago, DrewNows said:

Have you heard Teal Swan's perspective on the mental health system?

here's a short vid i just found 

 

Woah, that's one of the best videos I've seen in a long time on mental illness. Bookmarked! She is amazing.

[Ananta]

10 hours ago, DrewNows said:

Have you heard Teal Swan's perspective on the mental health system?

here's a short vid i just found 

 

What she examples is a "personality disorder", which are caused by environment/trauma, because they shape the personality.

They are not the same as mood or thought disorders. (Ie, mood- Bipolar or thought- schizophrenia )

 

Edited November 30, 2018 by Anna1

[EvilAngel]

32 minutes ago, DrewNows said:

Some interesting stories here. This is a very personal subject. To each his/her own...

@EvilAngelI definitely have to agree here  and someone also mentioned collective consciousness 

years ago I was diagnosed with bipolar depression. Took meds for a year or so and quit. The diagnoses was a complete joke

Have you heard of wim hoff “ice man” and how his methods have been transforming what science has thought possible. @Anna1I am also curious of your take on him if you have knowledge of his ice water/breathing method 

Just checked him out, looks very interesting. I'll try it out. Thanks!

[VioletFlame]

1 hour ago, EvilAngel said:

I only wish that that perspective was held in Western culture, instead of over-medicating people who have mystical experiences.

And I'll check out that book you recommended, thanks!

Oh trust me, I can totally agree with you on that. I was diagnonsensed and put on medication at the age of 14-16 and let me tell you it was one hell of a chaotic experience. However I did make the common mistake of flushing them down the toilet and dropping them cold turkey, sure enough I was a total basket case the first couple of weeks but after that I finally felt like myself again, other than how I felt on the medication, which was total entrapment & confusion. If others are on medication and are looking to quit/recover, I would recommend gradually decreasing the amount. 

It was a psychological learning experience though and I can deeply appreciate that.

And no problem! ❤️

Edited November 30, 2018 by VioletFlame

[DrewNows]

3 hours ago, Anna1 said:

Never heard of him. Looked him up on Wikipedia and reading this breath method, I thought, "wow, good way to have yourself pass out".

Then, found this on there-

"Wim Hof has been blamed by relatives of four men who separately drowned in 2015 and 2016 when practicing his breathing exercise. They died after suffering shallow water blackouts in swimming pools.[20][21]"

----------'

Anyways, imagine having MS for 27 years. I've had so many, well meaning ppl tell me...try this...try that...read this book. ...try this diet...wait, no this diet.........no thanks, I'm good !

@Anna1Ouch! way to shut down this alternative medicine method with one quick search!

I don't want to call out "Confirmation bias!" but you have not looked at it in detail (potential benefits, as even medications have their risks/side effects) However, I hope not to offend you as i respect your belief/opinion and personal experience. The reason i wanted your take is because of your specific background. (I have no idea what it would be like to have MS for 27 yrs, and i feel very blessed in my lack of health related issues thus far) 

Wim Hof created this method after losing his wife to suicide, being left with like 3 kids and finding a way to deal with his depression. 

What i found astounding, other than the many world records Wim Hof broke, is how he was able to prove how to consciously control the autonomic nervous systems. A college took him and some people he trained for a few weeks with the wim hof method into a lab to be injected with a bacterium supposed to produce harsh cold-like symptoms and were able to feel nothing (show no symptoms).  

I practiced this method a few years ago and it was challenging but beneficial. I no longer make a habit out of it but i recommend for someone not in good physical/psychological health (do your research if interested, many detailed youtube videos on proper technique and necessary precautions )

3 hours ago, Anna1 said:

What she examples is a "personality disorder", which are caused by environment/trauma, because they shape the personality.

They are not the same as mood or thought disorders.

I would have disagree here Anna. All are mental health disorders. I am not so knowledgeable on the diagnosing of these disorders, but mood and thought disorders sound like "depression" and sure there may be a good chance it carries on through genes/dna (predisposed) to certain risks but this doesn't mean the main cause didn't come from environment/nurture/culture 

@EvilAngelAwesome hope you do check Wim Hof out! Some great documentaries on youtube. It reminds me of shamanic breathing in a sense and when i practiced it, it felt like it gave the brain (not just in the head) a good "reset" 

Wish you the best! 

Edited November 30, 2018 by DrewNows

[DrewNows]

Here's my favorite video of this extraordinary man for all the background/detail