Something I don’t share often here, but do in my talks, is what happened when I went inpatient – a “psych ward” – bc of how dire my situation was.
52 med combos over 2.5 yrs, then TMS therapy which led me to the psych ward (granted diff things work for diff ppl, it just wasn’t for me), & my 1st day inpatient, I find myself in front of the attending psychiatrist – a Harvard trained MD w “Top Doc” plaques all over her wall, & she looks at my chart, looks at me and says:
“Eric you’ve tried everything there is, your ‘LAST RESORT’ is ECT.” That’s electroconvulsive therapy, or what we know in movies as “Shock Therapy.”
I had my brain shocked into seizure under general anesthesia 12X over 5 wks, simply bc a “Top Doc” told me there were no other options. My suffering continued bc – back to this slide, which was a line the head of the NJ Integrated MH Conference, Larry Thompson, shared yesterday: the misunderstanding that I was at the end of the road w options.
It’s why it was an honor if you scroll thru slides➡️ to give the keynote morn address w/ my dog, Oakley 😉 (thanks to them for giving a full hour & a half) to the 1st-ever Integrated MH Conference on the east coast.
200 guests (mostly therapists), over 30 companies as sponsors, all learning abt: OPTIONS for treatment.
The afternoon keynote (pic➡️) was a panel of diff practitioners talking abt DIFF modalities to treat the SAME case. What a novel idea: giving the patient many options to heal instead of what we’ve been sold for so long: “Med Management & Talk Therapy together is the gold standard.”
Our bodies need MANY options – which is why a gym has so much equipment. Our brains need many options. We call those options STARR: Stress & Trauma Active Release & Rewiring (or a Gym for the Brain), & have on-demand courses – that were like this conference: OPTIONS to heal.
It breaks my heart that suffering continues w so many kept in the dark. We aren’t proactive (bc we don’t know to be) stress & trauma build, & we’re sold – you have to balance your imbalance, simply.