Gianna Kali at Beyond Meds has posted some links to the inspiring work of Jungian analyst Maureen Roberts. I wanted to highlight just one of them for this post. Please read the rest of the article for an in-depth shamanic interpretation of schizophrenia.
from Schizophrenia: Your Questions Answered, by Maureen Roberts, Ph.D.
What is Schizophrenia?
A good question, with no simple, short, or straightforward answer, since each sufferer is unique and schizophrenia is a complex phenomenon. In general, schizophrenia is an extremely introverted, psychospiritual mode of perception, or way of relating to the world; or state of consciousness involving (what I have called) ‘extreme empathy’. This simultaneous blessing and curse is due to a fragile, fragmented, dead, or lost ego, or conscious personality structure. The normal, ego-enforced boundaries between the self and the world have broken down, such that schizophrenia sufferers – for better and worse – find themselves identifying with everything within their scope of perception. It is because of this ego loss, or ‘dis-integration’ that psychosis, shamanic initiation and mystical experience are so inextricably bound. The schizophrenic person may appear to family, friends and doctors to be lacking in emotion, but in reality is in a state of intense empathy, such that extreme sensations of joy and fear are usual. Because of their fragile personal boundaries, schizophrenic folk typically see, hear, sense, perceive and understand things that others are unaware of. Secret, or symbolic meanings are seen and heard in everything, and the schizophrenia sufferer typically feels responsible for the fate of the world.
Further reading: “Schizophrenia: The Shaman Sickness” by Sam Malone (former sufferer). Visit his website, which includes testimonies by schizophrenia sufferers. http://www.geocities.com/johnny_crowseed/sands/skzlike.html
(Editor’s note: The link provided does not work and I can find no trace of this website on the Internet.)
“the schizophrenia sufferer typically feels responsible for the fate of the world.”
This feeling of Empathy is then ridiculed as a Jesus complex or a mother Mary complex.
Then you have to ask what is in the heart of the psychologist/psychiatrist , or whoever is trying to help. They also feel the need to help their patient. And the helper has just a few methods to cope with the horror. Humour and hate are two methods to separate oneself from the other.
Rossa,
I hope this is not too far off-subject, but I found an announcement that I thought you and your readers might be interested in learning more about regarding “schizophrenia.”
A study is being conducted in Ontario with the Naturpathic Medical Research Clinic (NMRC) for First-Episode “Schizophrenia” that will use a natural approach –
http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/t-EpisodeSchizophreniaOpen-LabelClinicalTrial-Dec.7,2011.pdf
I hope you and your family have a nice Christmas.
My best,
Duane
Rossa,
As you know, I don’t like the term “schizophrenia,” and unfortunately Orthomolecular uses this term, and its practitioners point to biological imbalances of sorts – vitamin deficiencies, food and chemical (cerebral) allergies; along with indications that people diagnosed with “schizophrenia” have vitamin B-3 (niacin) dependencies… They also describe the need to stay on these nutrient protocols for the long-term.
Some of this is hard for me to embrace (being so anti-psychiatry, and anti-conventional model)… But at the end of the day, Orthomolecular Medicine has one thing that the conventional model does NOT OFFER – Success.
The Open Dialogue approach in Lapland, Finland is producing an 85% success rate.
Good news.
However, Orthomolecular Medicine (first-episode psychosis) produces a 90% success rate… slightly better. If we could only find a way to offer both, in one program, world-wide… Wow!
Call me crazy, but I say, “Go with the methods that have a track-record.”
A final interview with Abram Hoffer, MD, PhD (with Andrew Saul, PhD) –
http://www.townsendletter.com/Nov2009/hoffer1109.html
Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Duane