I read through all the comments on Oprah’s website on the Jani Schofield interview that took place on Tuesday, Oct. 6. I was glad to see the large number of people who looked at the problems of this seven year old girl diagnosed with schizophrenia in a holistic way. When a child this young has hallucinations and is violent, I think the people who talk about Indigo children, faith/spirit based strategies, and yes, even exorcism, are on to something. I say this because writers and poets have known for centuries that the period of infancy and childhood is a gradual process of drawing away from God/the universal mind. Some children, however, spend a longer, more intense time on this journey, and help is needed to coax them back to accepting a more material reality.
What Oprah’s commenters did not remark on is that a person with a diagnosis is usually seen as the problem. I believe that the problem should be seen in the larger context of family. This is my plug for more people to use family psychotherapy in addition to other holistic interventions.
It is interesting that the Schofields have named their children January and Bodhi (meaning either “enlightenment or awakening”) yet seem unwilling to embrace alternative healing ideas as something “extra” for their daughter. Michael Schofield is on record as saying alternative healing is fine if used in conjunction with medications. He’s not there yet in practice as it appears no alternative therapies are being tried. When I say alternative, I am referring to practices and therapies that are off the radar screen of most people (this is schizophrenia, after all), such as looking at the problem shamanistically, spiritually and energetically. As we all know, there is no quick fix. Healing works best if you try a number of different approaches and are consistent. If someone is lucky enough to shout “eureka, I’m cured” after one type of intervention, then they should consider themselves indeed fortunate. For the rest of us, it’s a slog.
In the spirit of providing ideas of what just might work for you, from time to time I will post an updated list of what other people are doing to help themselves or their relative. Here are some ideas that I have picked up in my travels. Please feel free to send me ideas of what worked/is working for you.
DENIAL
I told my child, as calmly and as seriously as I possibly could, while remaining terrified that it would not work, that as the parent, I made the rules and that they were describing the symptoms of a very serious illness that one, they were too young to have, and two, that I do not allow. I tried to make it that simple – “I don’t allow it” because it was either going to work or it wasn’t. Thankfully, it worked.
See also: Milton H. Erickson
LOOKING FOR GOOD NEWS
I couldn’t help but Google© his symptoms. He could have been diagnosed, instead I found a snippet somewhere that said that many boys outgrow “fits” or tantrums by the age of 7 or 8.
I also clung-to stories by other moms especially one who’s grown son is now an MD, who did the “classic” lining-up of toys that nowadays will achieve a diagnosis.
THE WISDOM OF OTHER CULTURES
I am about to suggest may not make any sense to you but it won’t hurt to try either. If you can change her name it might help. In my culture we really believe that all names have an effect on one’s personality.
BEING OPEN MINDED
When my child was 2 yrs old until 4 yrs old she had her “imaginary friends” all the time everyday and I thought it was ok but sometimes it was annoying and I spoke to my friend about it who spoke to me about ghosts and indigo children. I didn’t want to believe it but she was so right about it. I had an excorism done to my child and prayed a lot and used sage incense and this all worked. Since then she has had no further experiences. Look at this at a spiritual level and try other alternatives.
BEING OUTDOORS
I discovered running as a primary tool to use in recovery from mental illness.
You asked on Marians blog about your son not liking his name.
I guess it may be the Jesus reference, as in Jesus Chris(t).
Schizophrenics think they are Christ.
I could be totally wrong.
Seagulls say my name “Mark” , or they go “ARK, ARK”.
Another mental patient told me my parents wanted to leave a MARK in history.
I deliberately chose the name Chris (pseudonym) for the blog, because it was one letter away from Christ, for the reason you pointed out. Maybe it’s all about sychronicity, seeing connetions that most other people don’t. Thanks for your contribution.
Great to see these tips from other parents who have been there.
One of the reasons Schofield doesn’t have alternative healing in his toolbox is because of his own mother.
I can see how the ‘don’t allow it’ would work. Milton Erickson made similar suggestions to many of his patients. ‘Serious illness’, ‘too young to have’ and ‘don’t allow it’ all create something powerful in the mind of a child.
And it’s good to know that MDs line up their toys. I suppose that might mean garbage people might have made big messes of theirs.
Thanks, Adelaide. I’m going to list Erickson in the tips as a possible source of reference.
Here’s something else I found in the many suggestions posted online about Jani’s story,
http://www.remarkablemedicine.com/.
When you get a chance, have a look-it’s a facisnating story in itself!
Jani’s parents delete anything that doesn’t help their agenda in my opinion.
But reading between the lines of the comments in the many articles & websites, there ARE many valuable ideas, and NONE of them should be dismissed entirely.
You are doing what they refuse to do, and that is consider any & every possible cure/treatment.
Rossa, keep on mining-for gold in the comments meant for Jani that they refuse to consider.
Ignorance is one thing, but they are wholesale throwing-away information that could actually cure their child or someone elses.
The attitude that they have about diet in itself is almost scary in it’s denial.
As you have mentioned, dietary imbalances and allergies are a well-known scientific cause of phycosis, (such-as a metabolic copper problem, lead poisoning…) yet Jani’s folks treat that info. the same as they consider the many pleas to have an excorcisim performed.
They admit that they tried beating her because so many people gave them that advice, so maybe that’s why they now claim upfront that they do not want advice-they just want support & money?
Rossa-I will return to this post to continue to do what you started here, cherry-picking the ideas & suggestions that have been posted on Jani’s behalf, that have been deleted, disregarded, and thrown-away.
The link I found applies to Jani in particular because restless leg syndrome while sleeping is mentioned in her case and in the website link.
I took quick look at the website you recommended. This man realized that his depression might be related to the body’s electrical system. He tried an anti-epilepsy drug, Dilantin, and it worked. If you read my series of posts on the assemblage point, this may help explain how epilepsy, depression; mania and schizophrenia are all related in the electircal sense. This iswhy I feel that the really exciting nez developments in healing these conditions are related to energy medicine and the recognition that emotions are vibrations.
Another convenient thing about the name “Chris” is that it is sexually ambiguous. I haven’t yet explored this idea on my blog. I think there is a preocuppation in schizophrenia with transsexualism or bisexualism, which I take as indicating an interest in the unity of mankind with the universal mind.