Do you believe that ssri’s and other commonly prescribed drugs these days can numb people to the point where trauma therapy can be ineffective? Like a layer of numbness between what would be an otherwise healthy and healing process so that the old trauma is not effectively healed?
Like you can talk about past trauma (or use EDMR or whatever) and sort of have emotions that you don’t fully feel and it just doesn’t really work, at least not very well…
This is an excellent question. When someone actually suffers from PTSD- which can be impairing and enduring... we know there is a natural process of emotional processing that is essential to recovery and post traumatic growth. Facing the pain, the dark, the traumatic memories is a powerful and a profoundly necessary process. Many people enter into this process on their own and do not require therapy. For those who do... I never enter into that process with that person actively numbing out the emotional process through drugs, prescription drugs, alcohol etc... It's counterproductive to the entire process. SSRI's are not medicine. They do not "take the edge off"... or any other nonsense that is repeated. They interfere with natural emotional processing mechanisms and send the harmful message that their emotional states are "too much"- which is damaging in itself. I should write an article on this. Thanks for bringing it up. I have strong opinions on the subject.
I read this piece at just the right time. The prolonged hot weather gave me a variety of alarming symptoms. I tried store-bought pills for each symptom. Some of the pills appeared to work once then stopped; others made me feel worse immediately. I gradually concluded that most of the symptoms fit the classic picture of anxiety/panic/depression. Most last about 10 minutes, most disappear when I'm involved in a PURPOSEFUL task.
Depression is a well-designed response to hot weather. Nature doesn't want us to spend much time hunting and farming when it's too hot, and our appetite decreases to compensate for less available food.
The Resilience Revolution is a magnificent slogan!!!!!
I appreciate you speaking out about this. I have believed the same about psych drugs for so many years, but people just don’t listen to someone like me. For better or for worse, they need someone with letters in front of or behind their names to say it before they’ll (maybe) listen and take it to heart. Keep speaking the truth.
Seems like it could be possible to take back the profession, if you could find a sympathetic billionaire or foundation to fund the reform. Before the pillpushers grabbed the reins around 1920, insane asylums and prisons often kept the inmates busy with obviously useful work, like growing food for the institution or sewing clothes for the other prisoners. They had a MUCH better record of real change and non-recidivism. PURPOSE and COMPLETED TASKS are a good cure for most problems.
A 2010 book by a psychiatrist documented this removal of health. I reviewed the book here:
Yes yes yes! Now this I would support wholeheartedly.
Sadly the latest “effort” in the UK is “man sitting on bench smoking the butt end of a cigarette goes to flick it on the ground and a sad duck (literal feathered duck) sitting next to him looks sad” Que the government - worry not just ask us and we will provide you (from tax payers money) a butt box…. Ehh yes a small flip top plastic box. I’m lost for words.
Excellent article!!
Do you believe that ssri’s and other commonly prescribed drugs these days can numb people to the point where trauma therapy can be ineffective? Like a layer of numbness between what would be an otherwise healthy and healing process so that the old trauma is not effectively healed?
Like you can talk about past trauma (or use EDMR or whatever) and sort of have emotions that you don’t fully feel and it just doesn’t really work, at least not very well…
(I do)
This is an excellent question. When someone actually suffers from PTSD- which can be impairing and enduring... we know there is a natural process of emotional processing that is essential to recovery and post traumatic growth. Facing the pain, the dark, the traumatic memories is a powerful and a profoundly necessary process. Many people enter into this process on their own and do not require therapy. For those who do... I never enter into that process with that person actively numbing out the emotional process through drugs, prescription drugs, alcohol etc... It's counterproductive to the entire process. SSRI's are not medicine. They do not "take the edge off"... or any other nonsense that is repeated. They interfere with natural emotional processing mechanisms and send the harmful message that their emotional states are "too much"- which is damaging in itself. I should write an article on this. Thanks for bringing it up. I have strong opinions on the subject.
Powerful.
I read this piece at just the right time. The prolonged hot weather gave me a variety of alarming symptoms. I tried store-bought pills for each symptom. Some of the pills appeared to work once then stopped; others made me feel worse immediately. I gradually concluded that most of the symptoms fit the classic picture of anxiety/panic/depression. Most last about 10 minutes, most disappear when I'm involved in a PURPOSEFUL task.
Depression is a well-designed response to hot weather. Nature doesn't want us to spend much time hunting and farming when it's too hot, and our appetite decreases to compensate for less available food.
The Resilience Revolution is a magnificent slogan!!!!!
Yes, I love the slogan, too. It's perfect!
Love this!! The commercial scripts are spot on.
I appreciate you speaking out about this. I have believed the same about psych drugs for so many years, but people just don’t listen to someone like me. For better or for worse, they need someone with letters in front of or behind their names to say it before they’ll (maybe) listen and take it to heart. Keep speaking the truth.
I want to live in THAT world! Let's make it happen!
Seems like it could be possible to take back the profession, if you could find a sympathetic billionaire or foundation to fund the reform. Before the pillpushers grabbed the reins around 1920, insane asylums and prisons often kept the inmates busy with obviously useful work, like growing food for the institution or sewing clothes for the other prisoners. They had a MUCH better record of real change and non-recidivism. PURPOSE and COMPLETED TASKS are a good cure for most problems.
A 2010 book by a psychiatrist documented this removal of health. I reviewed the book here:
http://polistrasmill.blogspot.com/2010/04/anatomy-of-epidemic.html
Yes yes yes! Now this I would support wholeheartedly.
Sadly the latest “effort” in the UK is “man sitting on bench smoking the butt end of a cigarette goes to flick it on the ground and a sad duck (literal feathered duck) sitting next to him looks sad” Que the government - worry not just ask us and we will provide you (from tax payers money) a butt box…. Ehh yes a small flip top plastic box. I’m lost for words.