The East has quite a different attitude to mental illness than we do.
In the East,
It's considered a transition.
It's considered a spiritual event and it's transitory,
Meaning the psyche is healing.
It's part of the healing.
Just like,
You know,
If you get a sliver,
You get a bit of a fuss around it.
You get passed in a red.
But actually the body is propelling the sliver out in the same principle with mental illness.
It's seen as a movement into health.
It's a bit of a fuss.
It's showing a wounding,
But given enough time and loving care,
It can heal.
And then the person's spiritual understanding is enhanced.
Now this is really different than what we're doing.
The thing about the Eastern way is there's a tremendous upside,
A tremendous belief in the meaning of it,
You know,
That it's not just bad news and the healing capability and that it's just a transitory period.
So you know,
In the West,
And we're very well intentioned,
But we have this tendency to then stamp ourselves with these diagnoses.
You know,
So if somebody's been diagnosed as non-oppressive,
They might feel like stamped across their forehead forever.
And also,
You know,
Who in the West has the wisdom to be able to help somebody through,
You know,
Say manic depression,
Back to health?
I mean,
Many of our health professionals,
Counseling psychiatrists,
Haven't made that journey.
How could they help an individual do that?
So this is my concern.
You know,
I did two,
I went through a very difficult period in my 30s with the beginning the spiritual journey and I was very ill-equipped and a sizable ego and no good help.
And you know,
I ended up in the psych ward.
And you know,
While I was in there,
I decided that I wasn't going to be helped.
I could feel that the Western approach wasn't going to help me at all.
And so I decided that whatever difficulty I had,
I would find another way to heal.
And indeed,
That was my experience that the mental distress healed into a much bigger understanding that included the heart much more than the usual Western consciousness.
So you know,
My experience,
The usual Western consciousness,
We're very head-based and our hearts are screaming actually.
And that's part of this epidemic with mental illness.
And I think it might be really wise of us to adopt some of the Eastern perspective and see it as a transitory period and that the person needs just a space and time and you know,
Emotional support.
And we need more people,
I think,
Who have made the journey from mental distress to an expanded mind and heart.
And we'll get them.
I mean,
What else?
I mean,
We're going to have to.
I feel anyway.
Okay,
Bless your hearts.
