This was originally posted on another blog in 2013. It is interesting to read this more than three years after I first wrote it.
September 24, 2013
My blood pressure increases significantly every time I encounter violence in our society . . . or violence anywhere in the world. Whether it is by reading news of a horrifying act of it, witnessing a child act it out in a preschool setting (I work as a musician in a preschool), experiencing it vicariously in a movie, or reading a comment on Facebook about gun control, there is a visceral reaction inside of me that is extremely frustrating to experience. It is as if I am internalizing the violence in some way. So, in an attempt to create something more productive than a beating to my insides . . . I write this.
As I continue along in my personal journey towards wholeness, I can't help but long for societal wholeness as well. As I was listening to NPR the other day, there was discussion of society's polarized reactions to violence - based in fear - that lead many people into a state of defensiveness, either for or against tighter gun restrictions. People tend to want to arm themselves and their loved ones as a way to protect themselves, or they want to take away the guns from everyone to solve the problem. I agreed with the discussion facilitator that neither option is an actual resolution to the underlying problem. It is simply an immediate, protective reaction.
On a deeper level, the way we are managing "mental illness" in our society is a reflection of the fear-based reactions that emerge when violence occurs in an obvious tragedy. Those who are clearly suffering with extreme states of mental and/or emotional distress are often given the opposite of what they need to cope effectively. They are restrained to numbing (and often harmful) medications and locked up in prison-like units. I know because I have been there. I have experienced that type of imprisonment, where you suddenly become dangerous and untrusted - far more often for feeling extremely hopeless, confused, and unloved than for feeling like you are going to harm someone. In this dehumanized state, you are physically examined in a way that makes the teen girl's first ob-gyn exam seem like heaven. You have every single possession taken from you, and you are left in a room without privacy . . . without personal comfort . . . without love. And that was my experience as someone who was "voluntarily" hospitalized. I know it is much worse for those who are forced.
Why is it so surprising, then, that people are more prone to becoming violent after repeatedly experiencing these methods of "treatment?" These methods are violent in themselves, and are very traumatic to the person who experiences them. Usually these people have already experienced great trauma in their lives, and already struggle with disconnecting from themselves and society.
The reality is - and I can say this truthfully, having worked with and been labeled one of the "severely mentally ill" (I do not like that label, and avoid using it in my therapy practice) for years - that when people experiencing extreme states of distress are given the opportunity to connect with others, are loved and comforted, and are accepted by family members and friends, most of them heal. They do not have repeat episodes of psychosis or bipolar depression and mania . . . or any other label we have come to associate with the "crazy" people. But you do not have to take my word alone. There is a growing body of evidence that compassionate methods of treating what we call "mental illness" are far more effective than heavy reliance on medication and restraint. If you do not believe me, visit this website: madinameria.com . . . or this one: http://beyondmeds.com/
I am not so much against medication as a form of treatment as I am against the manner in which providers perceive those who are suffering - often less than human, not deserving of the same rights as other "high-functioning" individuals. It is a vicious cycle of fear that is perpetuated by continual support of short-cut methods to deal with people who seem to be so scary in their distress. We have come to associate mental illness with violence, when in actuality it is the methods of treatment - largely restrictive and restraining - that have precipitated an increase of violence among those considered mentally unstable.
I will keep voicing my feelings about shifting our views and ways of working with individuals and families who are suffering extreme states of mental/emotional distress, for as long as I live if necessary. I am certain about very few things, but I know with absolute surety that the mental health system as it exists now is heavily contributing to increased violence in our world. Changing the methods used to work with people experiencing extreme states is key to addressing the epidemic of disconnection and violence occurring in our society.
I stated this in a recent blog post, but I find it is worth repeating here:
For decades, mental health professionals have been attempting to put the mind and soul in a box that can be "treated" with labels, behavior modification, programs, and psychotropic medications - none of which have been proven significantly to be an exact solution for mental and emotional distress. The effectiveness of any treatment, medication, or type of therapy is only as good as the connection between the "provider" and the "patient" or "client." Even more importantly, it is the connections people have access to and are able to foster in their lives outside of treatment that make a lasting difference as people attempt to work through difficulties of any kind.
. . . It is being human and connecting with others that matters. Every act of violence - from a global to an individual manifestation of it - stems from a lack of connection with the true Self and others. Every form of mental, emotional, or spiritual suffering can be helped by developing and nurturing connections within the Self and with others.
Does it sound too idealistic? Perhaps I sound like a dreamer, but I attempt to practice what I preach every day in my work and personal life. And I am witnessing change.
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