mental illness and deep meditation

[NoDogma]

just couple of more pts:

There were few times in last 20 odd years when I had realized that it will not be my problem once I cross the line .... I was making it my problem because I felt I was on the border and was trying to make sure I didn't cross it... once I cross it, it's their problem ;-)  ... how can the wise blame/ridicule a mad-person for being mad ?

from my experience, if you've serious disorder then a therapist who has experienced these practices (a lot of parallel ones exist .... mine has suffi knowledge/teachings even though she is Christian) is a possible good guide rather than a spiritual guru who might not know about disorders or (s)he might be one with schizzo etc.

In the end, even a so called normal person needs to take it slow and self-pace... and quite often, only that person knows how fast it can be.

[dv2014]

Thank you all so very much for all the feedback!

NoDogma: Yes, I believe my mom's initial diagnosis was bipolar, although she hasn't had extreme mood swings. But again, I have felt the mainstream psychiatrists are eager to prescribe medication without spending enough time with the patient.

small paws: so kind of you to share your thoughts and experiences. I am glad you came out of your difficulties successfully. I guess my mom's experience also tells that intensive meditation techniques are not for everybody. What you said about ego/self esteem resonates with my observations as well. For example, My mom is generally of low self esteem and is highly sensitive and I have sensed that she often becoming even more sensitive as a result of her spiritual practices. So it seems building a strong base/anchor with healthy self esteem may be the priority for such individuals. I hate to connect it with chakras (with my limited knowledge on the subject) - but I have often felt that people like my mom (that includes me as well) lack healthy functioning of the lower chakras, but think of themselves as upper chakra persons, incorrectly so. They are perhaps eager to evolve to higher levels, to be selfless etc, but without a heathy sense of self they are always up in the air, never able to achieve anything substantial and thereby never building a strong healthy self esteem.  

BlueRaincoat: Thanks for your thoughts and info on breath meditation.
I am thinking I will suggest my mom to take a break from DM. Perhaps guided forms would be helpful - I will update what we find and how our experience goes with this ... if that would be helpful to others.

Thanks all

[KarenVic]

Hey
Here is my two cents. Screw the Doctors, awakening requires courage and strength. Use the 12 steps to tackle the mental illness, which is all the crap that is blocking her higher self. If she is determined enough she can see past the monkey mind and break free of it ccmpletely, look at Eckhart Tolle.
Fatih, BAHKTI,
do not settle for anything but the Divine

[mouni]

The problem with medication is that it can treat the symptoms of mental disorders, but cannot address the underlying cause. Medicines provide relief only by desensitizing the brain sensors and thus, the solution is temporary. Moreover, there are a number of side effects of medication. As the chemicals in the medicines are absorbed into the cells via the blood stream, it can cause damage to kidney, heart, liver and brain chemistry.

As far as the alternative methods or complementary medicine is concerned, they can be very helpful in alleviating mental health disorders.

[dv2014]

Thanks mouni and KarenVic for your thoughts.

Just to update on the situation, my mom is not doing any kind of meditation currently. I hope she can give a try to breath meditation later when her medication gets stabilized to a fixed dose.

Alternative therapy may be there as mouni said, but for someone who has been taking western medicine for such a long time, not sure how that transition would be, and how smooth that will be. Will have to find a knowledgable doctor who is confident about alternative therapy.