Mental Illness Challenges

[Jitendra Hydonus]

Steve, thanks for your words, it's true that God's drama unfolds with surprises, some of'em pleasant, others less pleasant, but the lesson is that we must play the part which has been assigned to us, this is what the great Masters thought to us and I firmly believe to apply in all lives.

On my side, I must confess that I'm probably not playing my part very well, I should do my best to try and meditate notwithstanding the unfavorable conditions, but I have my limits and must juggle many things together, my duty toward a son with karmically predetermined mental sickness, my work duties, my duties to my physical being which must be kept healthy (above all a minimum of sleep is necessary) and so on.

I thank God & Gurus that my son's conditions have improved since his 'liberation'. In the first few months, he often behaved like a young man possessed by a demon. I understand why in medieval times mental conditions were thought to be the expression of demonic possession.

A careful choice of psychopharmacological drugs and environmental positive stimuli seem to have been beneficial, I hope things keep going like this and that he finds daily accommodation in a good local facility, then I'm going to have some time at my disposal.

At the beginning it was hard to abandon most previous habits, I mainly miss my daily meditation practice, which I hope to resume ASAP.

mccoy, I have been wanting to create a thread for this for some time, however I was not sure how to share it or bring it up. To the extent that it is of interest to other members I will contribute to it here. My take on your situation and mine is that though we have different circumstances, there are parallels, just like there are between Eric and I and for instance Kelly and i. You seem to recognize after a time that your present conditions are reflected in more than one way and one person in your life to get feedback and assess what our particular conditions mean for us. That is my observation.

Seeing this, I say that I have also experienced mental illness of various types around me in many ways in life also. One thing that has been made clear to me is that it is possibly to help others, at many times, with such conditions, and at the same time increase my own understanding.

I had a good friend that became a monk at SRF when I was younger. I remember he used to have an evil presence of some sort cling to his chest while meditating. He was advised to practice the presence of God constantly when this was happening and eventually the presence left him. And presently I see the challenges of a friend who hears ‘voices’ but they are not the kind someone would want to listen to, what I have noticed is when we are in nature and sit for awhile (meditating) she hears these voices less often. It is true that such presences do not feel comfortable in the influence of higher forces. They seem to thrive on drama, oscillating currents in consciousness and other such vibrations that do not exist in the presence of higher forces.

[mccoy]

Steve, mental illness: physiological or astral? I have been studying some basic aspects of psychopharmacology, and it is clear that both biological and environmental causes affect mental disorders. But you point out another totally different aspect, that is the negative influence of astral entities. However, often it is very difficult to discern if demonic forces are at work.

For example, auditive hallucinations like hearing voices are a very common phenomenon in schizophrenia and it usually disappears with adequate pharmacological prescriptions.

I have often tried to poke eventual demonic presence when my son was very young, but never had any reaction to OM sound pronounced in the ears, or reactions to reading holy texts, seeing the images of saints and so on.

What if pharmacological drugs are effective? Then I would say that the cause of the illness is a brain disorder, usually addressed by blocking various neurotransmitter receptors in some regions of the brain.

Until 1956, when the first psychiatric drug, Thorazine, was developed, people affected by serious mental conditions could only find a place in specialized institutions.

Presently, with psychiatric drugs of the second and third generation, serious cases can decrease substantially their problems.

[Jitendra Hydonus]

I am not pretending to understand mccoy just presenting some of my own experiences with people with such ‘disorders’ and my experiences working myself in mental institutions. No doubt many of these mental disorders can be helped to some degree by psychotropics. I see one of the problems though is that the disorders are merely ‘masked’ but not cured. Take away the medication and the symptoms once again appear.  So in that case there is some numbing taking place here. Which can also cause other issues like prolonged sleep, fatigue or flat affect, emotional bluntness, or lack of ability to connect or sympathize with others, socially speaking. The interesting point from a spiritual standpoint is that many saints convey such ‘distant emotions’ in their personal appearance and approach. For instance Brother Bhaktananda was quite an example of this; he had a very dry sense of humor and often spoke to others in his acceptional awareness with a rather distinctly robotic and some what distant effect on the listener, as though he was not in any way connected to the situation or the person he was giving advice to. He was even this way when asked about his own experiences; as though somehow he was talking about something or someone other than himself.

I think one of the parodoxes I’ve seen happen here is that many people recognize that they have such mental disorders and struggle with them and the knowledge they have such conditions. Yes, I have also spent a lot of time with people who have a spiritual outlook on such matters, especially since they have been able to diagnose the problems from a spiritual cause and not just the symptoms that manifest and are treated superficially, from a biological perspective, and with material substances.

I want to summarize this post with a disclaimer; i by no stretch of the imagination claim to be a healer as for instance I have witnessed with Saints and Masters. Although I have noticed this; when i meditate with someone for instance who ‘hears voices’ those voices are somewhat or all silenced at times during the meditation and I do believe quite strongly that such ‘presences’ cannot and do not like or feel comfortable in such conditions and environments. In fact quite often I’ve seen violent or aggressive presences diminish around the presence of people and places that exude a spiritual and peaceful
presence.

We ourselves have witnessed the influence of saints and Masters on our consciousness and a change of behaviors which often return again once the influence of a Master has left us. Which gives us a glimpse of how these people can influence those hearing for instance voices, or act in ways that others do not see as socially acceptable. I have seen people bring such people to receive blessings from Amma. And they are exceptionally devoted to the divine mother in her.

[mccoy]

Steve, it is right as you say that psychofarmaceutical drugs usually do not cure. They must be taken for years or the whole life. They cure some symptoms of the underlying mental illness though. My son became more docile and less aggressive. Collateral effect: a little sedation, hair loss, augmented hunger.

It would be an extraordinary achievement if a real cure for schizophrenia or autism were found. Worth many Nobel prizes. But I suspect they are far away to come yet. Maybe in Treta Yuga some researcher or group of researchers can tune into the right sphere of thought, originating from God. The illness originates from Satan of course, but the basic biological, ultra-complex mechanism which the illness undermined originates from God's mind.

In the case of my son I often speculated if some entity might be there, tinkering with his brain. Before crises, the look in the eyes would become distinctly evil. I tried to reveal the presence of such a hypothetical entity, but it never showed up. No hints. No adverse reaction to holy sounds or environment. I asked some holy monks around here. No was the answer. My conclusion is that his illness is probably physical, although there may be cases where the illness is astral and caused by evil entities. Unless the entity is ultra-smart to cover its presence, of course.

Last but not least, as you say, the drugs may cover up the presence of the entities, disabling such entities from taking full possession of brain mechanisms.

The issue is so complex that I think only very few people in the world, the real masters, can discern whether the origin of mental sickness in an individual is mental or astral.

Father Amorth, a very renowned exorcist, wrote that it was very difficult to say for sure that a person is possessed. The symptoms in mental illness overlay. He also wrote that Father Candido, a powerful exorcist, was able to immediately discern whether an entity was there or not. Maybe, as Yogananda says, he could see the astral body of the person. When such a clairvoyant sees two overlapping astral bodies, then he knows there is an astral parasite involved.

[Jitendra Hydonus]

Thanks 😊 mccoy I appreciate the well thought out response. When I find I have some more information that may contribute to the subject I’ll come back to this  thread.

[Jitendra Hydonus]

Mccoy and others interested, I have recently been in the presence of mental illness in others. Quite often it is used as an excuse or explanation for the actions of those who have it. They can be very disturbing to the environment and lead others to actions and behaviors they would not normally consider. I have actually seen people that have multiple personality disorder fluctuate from one distinct personality to another. What concerns me further is that I have seen some personality shifts in myself and have attempted to be mindful of shifts in behavior thus  bringing them under some control so that they are not a nuisance to myself and others. These behavioral changes are amplified and pronounced in those I’ve witnessed coming in my environment. I have determined for me, there are some behavioral issues that arise in those I think or thought of as friends, but are incompatible with what I am attempting to accomplish this life. At times we have to come to terms with the reality that the personal desires of others come in conflict with our highest values and our deepest intentions.

What I’ve found is that people who have severe mental illnesses usually fade from my environment. I believe the vibration is challenging for them to endure. But there are also times when others will strike out against us and attempt to eliminate us and our activities. At those times I recognize that I must rely on a higher vibration of for instance Babaji, Yogananda, or Amma to manage my affairs. Those who are sedated do not pose as much of a problem, but the sedation appears to also prevent them from functioning at optimal level.

I guess you could say I’m starting to take friendships a little slower. It is difficult to know the workings of another persons mind. And you can be misunderstood so easily. Most the time we listen to the headlines of our own personal stories. And don’t recognize the cocoon we have weaved around our own consciousness, limiting us to prescribed living habits and behaviors.

[mccoy]

It is difficult to know the workings of another persons mind. And you can be misunderstood so easily.

Misunderstandings are run of the mill, language is not a perfect way of communication and I find that often my words aren't construed the way I meant them.