It’s an interesting way of looking at what the origins of these mental illnesses are, isn’t it?
If this perspective is accurate, it means that those who are labeled bipolar or psychotic need to rebalance themselves by harnessing their sensitivities in a disciplined way, under supervision of well-trained mediums who know the territory. Study and discussion of the purpose of life and the nature of being a medium and relating to spirits can be part of that rebalancing. As we have recognized in psychology and practice in psychotherapy, the mentally ill also need to make amends for prior wrongdoing and to weave more compassion and love into their relationships. This is known to be essential in twelve-step programs aimed at recovery. Judicious use of psychiatric medication may also hold an important place. From this point of view, Spiritism can take a significant role in bio-psycho-social and spiritual healing.
The role of spirituality may be even more important with some of the mentally unbalanced than with those with physical disorders seeking healing. That becomes apparent in the course of each individual’s journey in healing. With everyone having emotional issues, there is a need to develop the skills to sort out relationships; learn more positive, accepting and forgiving ways of relating to oneself and others; and to manage anxiety without acting out that causes needless suffering. This is the work of personal transformation. It is a path of taking more responsibility for oneself, one’s physical health, and creating a positive role in one’s community.
There are many spiritual paths—East and West, North and South—that can assist in this endeavor. What is essential to all of them is accepting and relating to the existence of a Higher Power, be it God or a less-defined but still greater intelligence.
Integrative Medicine
I admire the way Brazil’s Spiritist Psychiatric Hospitals and their Spiritist Community Centers view spiritual therapies as just one part of an integrative approach to health and healing. We might be physically healthy but depressed. We might have many friends but feel spiritually empty because we are not connecting deeply with ourselves or with anyone else. If we reach a higher state of consciousness but can’t relate to our loved ones in a consistent, compassionate, and real way, we are out of balance. We might be great at giving to others yet depleted and sick because we are not capable of taking good care of ourselves. In other words, if we find ourselves out of balance, we need to attend to all aspect of health: the spiritual, the physical, the emotional, and community relationships.
Those who represent an integrated approach, now called the bio-psycho-social-spiritual,” assert that to experience wellbeing, we must be mindful of all areas of our lives. This means take in good food, get plenty of rest, have an outlet for our spirituality that invites spiritual growth and inspiration, exercise, relate to nature, maintain deep connections with loved ones, and participate meaningfully in our communities. When one thing is forgotten, we become out of balance.
The Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona defines integrative medicine (IM) as “healing-oriented medicine that takes account of the whole person (body, mind, and spirit), including all aspects of lifestyle. It emphasizes the therapeutic relationship and makes use of all appropriate therapies, both conventional and alternative.”
They define the principles of integrative medicine as:
•Patient and practitioner are partners in the healing process.
•All factors that influence health, wellness, and disease are taken into consideration, including mind, spirit, and community, as well as the body.
•Appropriate use of both conventional and alternative methods facilitates the body's innate healing response.
•Effective interventions that are natural and less invasive should be used whenever possible.
•Integrative medicine neither rejects conventional medicine nor accepts alternative therapies uncritically.
•Good medicine is based in good science. It is inquiry-driven and open to new paradigms.
•Alongside the concept of treatment, the broader concepts of health promotion and the prevention of illness are paramount.
•Practitioners of integrative medicine should exemplify its principles and commit themselves to self-exploration and self-development.
But, when we approach the spiritual side of health, do we know what we are trying to accomplish?
When someone does not know what harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind.
--Seneca
Today there are many many options open as far as where to pursue spirituality--maybe too many. Do we go to church? Attend spiritual retreats? Be in nature or our garden as our place of communion with the sacred? Attend a twelve-step program? Meditate and pray by ourselves? Get a Reiki treatment from a practitioner who can channel the energy of the Divine to us for healing and balancing? Seek a spiritual healer? Visit a psychic who can help us contact loved ones who have died? Drink in Chicken Soup for the Soul? Do we get overwhelmed and just forget it because we don’t easily recognize our path? Is our path not yet created? Questions, questions, questions.
Gerry (from the Introduction) came to me after her parents asked if I could help their daughter with what appeared to be a “spiritual emergency.” Although her psychiatrists labeled her “psychotic,” there was room to believe Gerry was highly sensitive and in need of one or more teachers to harness her abilities as a healer. Gerry immediately was drawn to an acupuncturist, who modeled how to be a healer and maintain balance within. Gerry learned from her when she received acupuncture. Gerry also took part in training seminars with other teachers.
It is up to each person to sort through the options and find their own path, but find it one must. We each are a spirit and hold a spark of Divine light within us; and we must attend to this side of ourselves or suffer the consequences. These usually turn up as a lack of meaning in life, or lack of an anchor point when the seas become turbulent or a tsunami approaches.
That said, this book you hold in your hands is not meant to indoctrinate you into the path or the destination that is right for you. My intention is only to introduce you to some ideas you may not have been aware of--new viewpoints that may facilitate you finding your own way.
I like to keep in mind a dear friend, Gerald Magnan, whom I met when traveling in Brazil. He is a Frenchman who lives in Brazil. He has been the supervisor of more than 100 healers who work in the community of Porto Alegre, Brazil. In that role, he paid attention to and gave advice about the ways the healers maintained a state of balance in order to help others. He always made it clear that our meditation and prayer life, as well as practicing healing for others, must be balanced with eating well, getting enough rest, enjoying our family, and having time in nature. He would, at times, send the healers to the beach to make sure they got enough direct sunshine, exercise, and communion with nature.
Recovering Mental Health
Selene Almeida, a pediatrician who is also a medium and healer in Brazil, was inspired by her spiritual guidance to define mental health and the way we achieve it. It is deeply spiritual but should not be confused with the accepted philosophy of Spiritism, as written in Spiritist books. What follows below in italics is a transcribed quote from Dr. Almeida—the rest is paraphrased (as the original is quite long):
There are