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Providing support for healing and recovery, holistic health, developing spirituality, personal growth is what we offer at Sageplace.com.

Contents in SagePlace

Introduction
Birthquake, the Book
Excerpts
Words of Wisdom
Life Letters
Psychotherapy
Essays, Stories, Thoughts
Interviews
Articles
Books

Introduction

Birthquake The Book

Excerpts


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Words of Wisdom

Life Letters

Psychotherapy

Essays, Stories

Interviews

Articles

Books on the Following Issues

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APA Reference
Staff, H. (2008, October 10). Sageplace Sitemap, HealthyPlace. Retrieved on 2024, December 23 from https://www.healthyplace.com/alternative-mental-health/sageplace/sageplace-sitemap

Last Updated: July 17, 2014

Adventure

Chapter 38 of the book Self-Help Stuff That Works

by Adam Khan:

IN HIS MEMOIR, Education of a Wandering Man, Louis L'Amour wrote, "As I have said elsewhere, and more than once, I believe adventure is nothing but a romantic word for trouble...What people speak of as adventure is something nobody in his right mind would seek out, and it becomes romantic only when one is safely at home."

If adventure is only a romantic word for trouble, then it follows that you can see trouble as an adventure. In other words, trouble isn't a reality; it's a judgment. And "adventure" would be an equally valid judgment.

I was once in an argument with my wife, for example, that was getting too heated, so I took a break, went down to the library to calm down, and thought about what L'Amour said. And I asked myself, "How is this fight like an adventure?"

"Well," I replied to myself, "I'm doing something I don't do very often - hanging out at the library. And doing something I don't normally do must be one of the prerequisites for an experience I can call an adventure."

Musing over this question, I thought, "The fight itself is like a jungle. Can we find our way through it to the River of Love? I think so. But we may get temporarily lost in the tangled valley of Being Right. We may sink in the quicksand of Hurt Feelings. We may miss the shortcut of Forgiveness and have to take the long way around.

"There are predators to look out for: We can get eaten alive by Dredging Up Past Injustices. The Unwillingness to Exercise Self-Control is somewhat like a swarm of mosquitoes that can inject us with malaria and make us sick for a long time, slowing down our progress through the jungle.

"We must somehow get across the chasm of our differences. One of us can cross it alone or we can meet half way."




And after thinking about it this way, I went home and talked to Klassy with a different attitude. A better attitude. Try it. When you run into trouble, ask yourself: "How is this like an adventure?"

Ask yourself, "How is this like an adventure?"

This is a simple technique for reducing a little of the stress you feel day to day. Its biggest advantage is you can use it while you work.

Why do people in general (and you in particular) not feel happier than our grandparents felt when they had far fewer possessions and conveniences than we now have?

What is the most powerful self-help technique on the planet?
What single thing can you do that will improve your attitude, improve the way you deal with others, and also improve your health? Find out here.

Would you like to be emotionally strong? Would you like tohave that special pride in yourself because you didn't whimper or whine or collapse when things got rough? There is a way, and it's not as difficult as you'd think.

Think Strong

In some cases, a feeling of certainty can help. But there are many more circumstances where it is better to feel uncertain. Strange but true.

APA Reference
Staff, H. (2008, October 10). Adventure, HealthyPlace. Retrieved on 2024, December 23 from https://www.healthyplace.com/self-help/self-help-stuff-that-works/adventure

Last Updated: March 31, 2016

Voicelessness: Holiday Blues

If you are unhappy or dissatisfied with your life, chances are you suffer even more during the holidays. People compare their lives to those around them--when they perceive others are intimate and connected, their alienation becomes even more painful. They also blame themselves for their inability to take pleasure in events that are supposed to be satisfying. They tell themselves: "Everyone else is having a good time--there must be something terribly wrong with me." Family members echo this self-blame, if not in words then in actions: "We are a wonderful family--you have no reason to feel bad in our presence, so snap out of it."

Of course, there is no snapping out of it. And sometimes there is nothing " wrong" with the holiday sufferer. In fact, very often he or she is the member most sensitive to the damaging hidden messages and the "voice wars" that occur in the subtext of family life. Voice, the sense of interpersonal agency, is like any other essential commodity. If it is in short supply within a family everyone competes for it: spouse vs. spouse, sibling vs. sibling, and parent vs. child. At holiday time, when families are together, the battle for voice intensifies.

Consider, Patty G., a single, 32 year old financial planner who is a client of mine. She always feels depressed as Christmas day approaches. Her mother, Estelle, makes a lavish, picture-perfect dinner at the family house--the same house Patty grew up in. Her father, grandfather, and older brother all participate. The house is lit brightly, a fire roars in the fireplace, and one would think that Patty should look forward to the occasion. But she dreads it. Below the surface charm, a fierce voice war rages in the G. family. It is a war that no one is allowed to address--everyone must pretend that all is well, otherwise the family begins to come apart at the seams. Cheerful fiction is the glue.

In the kitchen, Estelle is in complete control--otherwise things won't be done "right." Patty helps out, but she is not allowed any initiative. She does what her mother says, chopping this, adding a little spice to that, and quickly she finds herself shrinking so that she barely hears her footsteps on the pine floor. She cannot make even a side dish, to do so would make the dinner more hers and less her mother's, and the meal must be a reflection of her mother. Estelle has good reason to maintain control--she can't do anything right in her father, Walt's, eyes. The dinner is about proving herself--and Estelle has to do it every year.


 


Last year, Walt shoved his plate aside because Estelle had put sliced almonds rather than walnuts in the sweet potatoes. "You know I hate almonds," he bellowed. From the rage in his voice, one would guess his daughter had tried to poison him. He looked at the almonds as if they were dead cockroaches, and then laid his fork and knife next to each other in the plate. Estelle jumped up, carried his plate to the kitchen, and then returned with fresh servings of food, this time, of course, without sweet potatoes.

"Don't you have any sweet potatoes without the damn nuts?" he asked bitterly.

This year the family waits for Walt's explosion, but so far nothing has happened. Charles, Patty's older brother, gulps down his fourth glass of wine, and while his mother is out of the room, he coyly puts two serving spoons upright in the bowl of sweet potatoes. As soon as his mother returns he reaches into his pocket, pulls out a quarter, stands it on edge on the table, and then flicks it with his index finger between the "goal posts".

"Three points!" he says, as the quarter clatters across the table and comes to rest next to Patty's water glass.

Estelle explodes. "What are you doing?" she screams. "I spent hours cooking this meal."

"Lighten up, Mom," says Charles. "I was just joking. I didn't kill anyone."

"Stop being obnoxious to your mother," says Andrew, Patty's father, half-heartedly and out of obligation. He has learned not to get involved in the hopeless struggle that will follow. "I have an idea," he adds. "Maybe we can get back to the task at hand--eating dinner."

"I wasn't being obnoxious," says Charles. "I was fooling around. And screw the dinner. This family is way too uptight. I can't even swallow." He slams down his napkin on the table and says "I'm going to go watch the football game." On his way to the den, he stops at the refrigerator to grab a beer.

Patty looks on silently. Throughout the meal she continues to shrink until now she is now a speck of dust floating in the air. She hates the helpless feeling. She struggles to re-inhabit her adult size body, to locate her self. She begins to imagine our next session--what she will say, what my response will be. This gives her solace.

Patty had two tasks in therapy. The first was to understand her history and her family from a different perspective. Dysfunctional families often create their own mythology in order to hide painful truths. In the G. family, people were supposed to believe that Christmas was a joyous, loving occasion. Anyone who challenges this mythology (as Charles did) is seen as crazy and difficult. Unless challengers change their minds and apologize, they are pariahs. Patty could not verbalize the damaging subtext in her family. All she knew was that when she spent time at her house, she shrank to nothing. But this she considered to be her problem, not theirs. Deep down she believed she was defective and the family was normal. She was also rewarded for thinking this way: as long as she maintained these beliefs, she could remain a member in good standing.


In fact, Christmas was hardly a joyous family holiday in the G. family, but instead an occasion for each member to remember how they had been chronically unseen and unheard and, in response, either diminish their expectations even further (like Patty and her father) or to resume their desperate quest for voice (like Walt, Estelle, and Charles).

Voicelessness is passed from generation to generation. A person deprived of voice may spend their whole life searching for it--leaving their own children voiceless. If a parent is continuously striving to be heard, acknowledged, and appreciated, there is little opportunity for a child to receive the same. As Estelle and Charles illustrated, often this results in a "voice war" where a parent and child continuously fight battles over the same issues: do you see me, do you hear me, do you appreciate me. Charles experiences his mother's preoccupation this way: "Why is the meal (and Walt) more important than I? Why can't you pay attention to me?" He senses the holiday has little to do with him, and more to do with his mother being "on stage." Nevertheless, he can't say these things. After all, he is a grown man and not a child: admitting such vulnerability and injury is not masculine. Furthermore, he knows what his mother's response would be: "I cooked this meal for you." Being partially true, the statement is unassailable. Instead, he drinks, acts out his need for attention, and alienates everyone. This solution, while indirectly addressing the problem of voicelessness, is really not a solution at all: ultimately, it is self-destructive.

Patty is temperamentally different from Charles. She can't aggressively do battle. But she craves voice just as much. If only she can be good enough and flexible enough, she will receive tiny scraps of attention here and there. During her childhood, she subsisted on these scraps--she asks for little more from anyone in her life. Now, her relationships with men are all the same: she contorts herself to fit their narcissistic needs.


 


The first task of therapy, understanding one's history and one's family from a different perspective, is, by far, the easier of the two. Patty understood the personal histories and destructive patterns within a few months. But, insight was not enough. A therapist can address a particular pattern: "This is what you do and why you do it..." many times, and the client will still not be able to change. The most powerful change agent in therapy is the relationship between therapist and client. Because voicelessness results from relationship problems, the restoration of voice requires a very special relationship to undo the damage.

Patty was very willing to listen to what I said about her family, and let me know that she understood and agreed. She was as flexible with me as she was with everyone else. On the surface, it appeared that she trusted me. But she didn't yet know me, and given her past history she had no reason to trust me. Instead, she was doing what was necessary to build and maintain a relationship. Because of years of prior experience, she believed I couldn't possibly accept her for who she was, and therefore she would have to prove herself by being accommodating. Ultimately, it was my job to show that this was not necessary--that her true, vulnerable self could be appreciated. I did this by listening carefully, by accepting her thoughts and feelings, by truly enjoying the time we spent together. This was not difficult: Patty has many wonderful qualities that had never been appreciated. Being valued was initially scary and confusing to Patty. Her initial emotional reaction was, in part, to push me away to avoid attachment and inevitable disappointment. A therapist's humanity and goodness abrasively grind away at the very same defenses that allowed the client to emotionally survive his or her childhood. On the basis of our relationship, Patty was ultimately able to carefully and actively look for intimacy elsewhere in the world.

Two and a half years into therapy on the session before Christmas, Patty arrived in my office with a small bag from one of the local bakeries. She pulled out two cupcakes with blue icing, and she handed me one of them along with a napkin. The other she kept for herself. "For once in my life I want to celebrate Christmas on my own terms," she said. Then she pointed to the icing and laughed: "Holiday blues," she said. For a split second she looked at me, wondering whether I would appreciate the irony. Then her face relaxed.

She knew I did.

(Identifying information and situations have been changed for the sake of confidentiality)

About the author: Dr. Grossman is a clinical psychologist and author of the Voicelessness and Emotional Survival web site.

next: Depression and the Subtext of Family Life

APA Reference
Staff, H. (2008, October 10). Voicelessness: Holiday Blues, HealthyPlace. Retrieved on 2024, December 23 from https://www.healthyplace.com/self-help/essays-on-psychology-and-life/voicelessness-holiday-blues

Last Updated: July 14, 2016

Six Questions about Voice and Voicelessness

  • What is "voice?"

"Voice" is the sense of agency that makes a child confident that he or she will be heard, and that he or she will impact his or her environment.

  • Why is "voice" important?

"Voice" is essential to the emotional well being of children and adults. The absence of "voice" contributes to many mental "disorders:" depression, narcissism, anxiety, relationship difficulties, etc. If you, or anyone you know, suffers from any of these problems, it is important to understand "voice." If you are raising young children, fostering voice is critical.

  • What is your evidence that "voice" is important?

Over and over again, my work with clients has confirmed the importance of "voice." While childhood love and attention were important, by themselves they were not sufficient to inoculate my clients against depression, narcissism, relationship problems, etc. For example, every chronically depressed person I have treated has suffered from "voicelessness." Of course, my own personal experience as child, stepparent, and parent has taught me a great deal about voice.

  • "Voicelessness" sounds a lot like Seligman's "learned helplessness." How are the two related?

Voicelessness is an interpersonal learned helplessness. "Voicelessness" is not the result of a single trauma. The "learning" begins early in life and continues throughout childhood. If a child's voice repeatedly has little impact on his or her parent's world, helplessness is engendered. A child will do anything he or she can to escape this feeling of helplessness and the concomitant anxiety and depression. As I describe in the essays, children's unconscious "solutions" to voicelessness are often self-destructive.

  • Where can I read about "voice?"

Voicelessness and Emotional Survival (see link below) is a good starting place. In these essays, I discuss many of the disorders mentioned above from the perspective of voice. When I find work directly relevant to "voice," I will post it on the Voicelessness and Emotional Survival Message Board (see the link below). Of course, all recommendations are welcome. Don't feel limited to psychology or the social sciences--some of the best depictions of voicelessness can be found in fiction. Feel free to use the Voicelessness and Emotional Survival message board to post your favorite resources.


 


  • How can I give my child the gift of voice?

Ah, I thought you'd never ask! Time to move on to the essay: Giving Your Child "Voice"

About the author: Dr. Grossman is a clinical psychologist and author of the Voicelessness and Emotional Survival web site.

next: Voicelessness: Narcissism

APA Reference
Staff, H. (2008, October 10). Six Questions about Voice and Voicelessness, HealthyPlace. Retrieved on 2024, December 23 from https://www.healthyplace.com/self-help/essays-on-psychology-and-life/six-questions-about-voice-and-voicelessness

Last Updated: July 14, 2016

Work Principles

From the book Self-Help Stuff That Works

by Adam Khan

Chapter 46
If you're bored, increase your challenge.
If you're stressed, increase your skill.

Chapter 47
Make a list and put it in order.

Chapter 48
Vividly imagine the completion of important tasks.

Chapter 49
Whatever happens, use it to accomplish your purpose.

Chapter 50
Rather than give up:
Get help,
tackle the obstacles one at a time,
and get some training.

Chapter 51
Keep your word.

Chapter 52
Assume extra effort is an investment
that returns to you with compound interest.

Chapter 53
Increase your ability to get along with people
and improve your disposition.

Chapter 54
To earn more respect:
Increase your competence,
use good manners,
and speak up rather than smolder.

Chapter 55
During a dull task, move faster
or listen to something.

Chapter 56
Find something you like to do that is needed and wanted.
Put more of it in your life.

 


Chapter 57
Listen to your own heart.
Don't let your music die with you.

Chapter 58
Just keep planting.

Chapter 59
When you notice your mind has wandered,
bring it back to the task at hand.

Chapter 60
Act more energetic.

Chapter 61
Use your own energy during your leisure time.

Chapter 62
To earn more money:
Increase your service, and continue to learn about
your work, good health, and people.

Chapter 63
To handle a troublemaker at work:
Do your work exceptionally well,
keep your integrity level high,
and stay in good communication with everyone else.

Chapter 64
Learn to like competition and compete with honor.


Chapter 65
Find a purpose you're enthusiastic about
and get to it.

Chapter 66
Decide how you want to act, and act that way.
Replace some of your TV time with game playing.
Ask yourself, "What can I take credit for?"
Think about what you want and try to make it happen.
Forbid something for the day.
Notice when you're drifting away from your own purposes, and then get back on track.
To increase your vocabulary: Look up words, listen to vocabulary tapes, and use vocabulary flash cards.
Get so engrossed in your work that you forget about everything else.

Make your life better by reading helpful books.
To read faster and increase your comprehension: Don't let your eyes regress, practice picking up speed, and take in more words at a time.
When you're working, try to burn calories.
Set standards and stick to them.
Treat your boss like a liege lord.
Notice something you appreciate and tell someone.
To solve a problem: Define the problem, list the causes, think up possible solutions, and pick the best one.
Slow down your movements once in awhile and pay attention.
To get your mind off your troubles and increase your feelings of self-worth: Get to work - keep it challenging, but not stressful.

Don't try to apply all these principles at once. Pick the one you think would most benefit you, read the chapter, write the principle on a card, and carry it with you. Try to apply it frequently for the next few weeks or months. Make it your theme.

Here's how to create a spirit of willing cooperation
in the people you work with and live with.
How to Get What You Want From Others

Being able to express your feelings is an important part of intimate communication. But there are times and places where the ability to mask your feelings is important too.
The Power of a Poker Face

Close friends are probably the most important contributor
to your lifetime's happiness and your health.
How to Be Close to Your Friends

If you have hard feelings between you and another person,
you ought to read this.
How to Melt Hard Feelings

Is it necessary to criticize people? Is there
a way to avoid the pain involved?
Take the Sting Out

Would you like to improve your ability to connect with people? Would you like to be a more complete listener? Check this out.
To Zip or Not to Zip

Purchase Self-Help Stuff That Works


 


next: How to Avoid Feeling Socially Awkward

APA Reference
Staff, H. (2008, October 10). Work Principles, HealthyPlace. Retrieved on 2024, December 23 from https://www.healthyplace.com/self-help/self-help-stuff-that-works/work-principles

Last Updated: June 8, 2016

Recovering Your Mental Health: A Self-Help Guide

Identifies activities and strategies you can use to help manage your own mental health conditions, psychiatric illnesses.

Identifies activities and strategies you can use now to help manage your own mental health conditions, psychiatric illnesses.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Introduction
Taking A Look At Yourself
Things To Remember
What To Do If Your Symptoms Are Very Serious
Getting Health Care
Your Health Care Rights
Using Psychiatric Medications
Additional Things You Can Do Right Away to Help Yourself Feel Better
Things To Do When You Are Feeling Better To Keep Yourself Well
Further Resources

Foreword

Consumer self-care is becoming an important part of efficient and effective healthcare delivery. By exercising best practices of promoting wellness and preventing illness, informed consumers can dramatically improve outcomes and reduce costs. This strategy has been widely successful in primary healthcare delivery; yet, few efforts have been conducted in the mental health arena. There is clearly a defined need for information and guidance to assist mental health consumers to become better educated in the management of their own care.

This publication, Recovering Your Mental Health: A Self-Help Guide, identifies activities and strategies that people may use to help manage their own mental illnesses and services. This booklet is intended to support and enhance the nationwide focus on self-help for and recovery from mental health problems. It is based on the extensively-reported day-to-day experiences of people with psychiatric symptoms, and how they get well and stay well.

The booklet offers practical steps that people need to keep in mind as they work on their own recovery including: getting good medical care and treatment; ensuring effective medication decision-making and managing; using specific simple, safe, free or inexpensive tools to relieve symptoms; rebuilding and keeping a strong support system; developing and using a comprehensive plan to monitor and respond to psychiatric symptoms as well as to maintain on-going mental wellness; and developing a lifestyle that enhances wellness.


 


It is important for mental health consumers to take part in all aspects of their own care and to have the tools and knowledge to do so. It is our hope that this booklet will provide self-help skills and strategies to assist people with mental health problems to achieve new levels of stability, recovery, and wellness.

Joseph H. Autry III, M.D. Acting Administrator
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Bernard S. Arons, M.D.
Director
Center for Mental Health Services

Introduction

If you have troubling, uncomfortable, or severe emotional or psychiatric symptoms, this booklet contains helpful information on things you can do to help yourself feel better. It is complementary to, and not a replacement for, your professional treatment. Never stop taking medications without careful consideration and without getting the advice of your physician and other supporters. Never abruptly stop any medication. There are protocols which must be followed in stopping or changing medications.

Not all of the ideas in this booklet will work for everyone—use the ones that feel right to you. If something doesn't sound right to you, skip over it. However, try not to dismiss anything before you have considered it.

The term health care provider in this booklet refers to any person or people you have chosen to provide you with health care.


Taking a Look at Yourself

Have you been told that you have a psychiatric or mental illness like depression, bipolar disorder or manic depression, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, dissociative disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, an eating disorder or an anxiety disorder?

Do any of the following feelings or experiences make you feel miserable or get in the way of doing the things you want to do most or all of the time?

    • feeling like your life is hopeless and you are worthless
    • wanting to end your life
    • thinking you are so great that you are world famous, or that you can do supernatural things
    • feeling anxious
    • being afraid of common things like going outdoors or indoors, or of being seen in certain places
    • feeling like something bad is going to happen and being afraid of everything
    • being very "shaky," nervous, continually upset and irritable
    • having a hard time controlling your behavior
    • being unable to sit still
    • doing things over and over again—finding it very hard to stop doing things like washing your hands, counting everything or collecting things you don't need
    • doing strange or risky things - like wearing winter clothes in the summer and summer clothes in the winter, or driving too fast
    • believing unusual things - like that the television or radio are talking to you, or that the smoke alarms or digital clocks in public buildings are taking pictures of you
    • saying things over and over that don't make any sense
    • hearing voices in your head
    • seeing things you know aren't really there
    • feeling as if everyone is against you or out to get you
    • feeling out of touch with the world
    • having periods of time go by when you don't know what has happened or how the time has passed — you don't remember being there but others say you were
    • feeling unconnected to your body
    • having an unusually hard time keeping your mind on what you are doing
    • a sudden or gradual decrease or increase in your ability to think, focus, make decisions and understand things
    • feeling like you want to cut yourself or hurt yourself in another physical way

 


If you answered "yes" to the first question or answered "yes" to any of these experiences, this booklet is for you. It is designed to offer helpful information and suggest things you can do to feel better.

Things To Remember

Above all, remember, you are not alone. Many people have feelings or experiences like these at some time in their lives. When such experiences become severe, some people reach out for help and treatment from health care providers. Others try to get through it on their own. Some people don't tell anyone what they are experiencing because they are afraid people will not understand and will blame them or treat them badly. Other people share what they are experiencing with friends, family members, or co-workers.

Sometimes these feelings and experiences are so severe that friends and people around you know you are having them even though you have not told them. No matter what your situation is, these feelings and experiences are very hard to live with. They may keep you from doing what you want to do with your life, what you have to do for yourself and others, and what you find rewarding and enjoyable.

As you begin to work on helping yourself feel better, there are some important things to keep in mind.

  1. You will feel better. You will feel happy again. The disturbing experiences and feelings you've had or are having are temporary. This may be hard to believe, but it's true. No one knows how long these symptoms will last.

    However, there are lots of things you can do to relieve them and make them go away. You will want help from others, including health care providers, family members, and friends in relieving your symptoms and for ongoing help in staying well.
  2. The best time to address these feelings and experiences is now, before they get any worse.
  3. These feelings and experiences are not your fault. Remember, you are just as valuable and important as anyone else.
  4. When you have these kinds of feelings and experiences, it is hard to think clearly and make good decisions. If possible, don't make any major decisions—like whether to get a job or change jobs, move, or leave a partner or friend—until you feel better. If you have to make some major decisions, especially about getting treatment, ask your friends, family members, and health care providers for help.
  5. Spend time with people you know, and work on developing friendships with people who are positive, caring and who like you just the way you are. Sometimes people who have these kinds of feelings and experiences are treated badly by people who don't understand. Try to stay away from people who treat you badly.
  6. Listen to the concerns of and feedback from your health care providers, friends, and family members who are trying to be helpful, and work with them to find solutions that feel right to everyone involved.
  7. These feelings and experiences do not take away your basic personal rights. You have the right to-
    • ask for what you want, say yes or no, and change your mind.
    • make mistakes.
    • follow your own values, standards and spiritual beliefs.
    • express all of your feelings, both positive or negative, in a responsible manner.
    • be afraid and uncertain.
    • determine what is important to you and to make your own decisions based on what you want and need.
    • have the friends and interests of your choice.
    • be uniquely yourself and allow yourself to change and grow.
    • have your own personal space and time.
    • be safe.
    • be playful and frivolous.
    • be treated with dignity, compassion and respect at all times.
    • know the side effects of recommended medications and treatments.
    • refuse medications and treatments that are unacceptable to you.
  8. If you are told that the following things are not normal, don't believe it. They are normal. These kinds of things happen to everyone and are part of being human.

    • Getting angry when you are provoked
    • Safely expressing emotions when you are happy, sad or excited
    • Forgetting things
    • Feeling tired and discouraged sometimes
    • Wanting to make your own decisions about your treatment and life
  9. It's up to you to take responsibility for your behavior and for getting better. You have the right to as much help as you need, but it is crucial that you take charge.

What To Do If Your Psychiatric Symptoms Are Very Serious

If your psychiatric symptoms are so severe that you feel hopeless and worthless all the time, or your feelings and experiences feel overwhelming, or if any of the following apply to you, take steps right away to help yourself.

  • You feel like life is not worth living anymore.
  • You think a lot about dying, have thoughts of suicide, or have planned how to kill yourself.
  • You are taking lots of risks that are endangering your life and/or the lives of others.
  • You feel like hurting yourself, hurting others, destroying property or committing a crime.

Things you need to do
RIGHT AWAY:

  • Arrange an appointment with your doctor, or other health care provider, or with a mental health agency. If your symptoms make you a danger to yourself or someone else, insist on immediate care and treatment. A family member or friend may need to do this for you if your symptoms are too severe. If you are taking medicines and you think it would be helpful, ask for a medication check.
  • Ask friends or family members to take turns staying with you until you feel better. Then talk, play cards, watch a funny video together, listen to music— do things that keep you from feeling any worse and may give you some relief.
  • Do some simple things that you usually enjoy like "getting lost" in a good book, viewing a beautiful picture, playing with your pet or writing in your journal.

You will find more things you might choose to do to help yourself feel better in the section of this booklet entitled: "Additional Things You Can Do Right Away to Help Yourself Feel Better." As you learn what helps you to feel better, and as you take action to help yourself more and more quickly, you will find that you spend more and more time feeling well and less time feeling badly.


 


Getting Health Care

If you possibly can, see a doctor or another health care provider you like and trust. He or she can help you find out if the way you are feeling is caused by a medical illness, such as a thyroid problem or diabetes. In addition, your health care provider is often your best source of referral for other kinds of help. The sooner you get help, the sooner you will feel better.

It's always easier to go to the doctor if you take along a good friend. Your friend can help you remember what the doctor suggests, and could take notes if you want notes taken.

When you go to see your health care provider, take a complete listing of all medicines and anything else you may be doing to help yourself feel better, and a list of unusual, uncomfortable or painful physical or emotional symptoms—even if they don't seem important to you. Also describe any difficult issues in your life—both things that are going on now and things that have happened in the past—that may be affecting the way you feel. This will help the doctor give you the best possible advice on what you can do to help yourself.

Your Health Care Rights

Your doctor or health care provider is doing a service, just like the person who installs your telephone or fixes your car. The only difference is they have experience and expertise in dealing with health issues. Your doctor or other health care provider should:

  • listen carefully to everything you say and answer your questions.
  • be hopeful and encouraging.
  • plan your treatment based on what you want and need.
  • teach you how to help yourself.
  • know about and be willing to try new or different ways of helping you feel better.
  • be willing to talk with other health care professionals, your family members, and friends, about your problems and what can be done about them, if you want them to.

In addition to the personal rights described earlier, your health care rights also include the right to-

  • decide for yourself which treatments are acceptable to you and which are not.
  • a second opinion without being penalized.
  • change health care providers—although this right may be limited by some health care plans.
  • have the person or people of your choice be with you when you are seeing your doctor or other health care provider.

Using Psychiatric Medications

Your physician may suggest one or more medications to help you feel better. Using these medications should be your decision, but first, you need answers to some important questions. To get those answers, you might ask your doctor or pharmacist, check a book about medications at the library, or search a reliable information source on the Internet. Double check with your health care provider before making a final decision.

  • What are the common name, product name, product category, and suggested dosage level of this medicine?
  • What does the physician expect the medication to do? How long will it take to do that? How well has this medicine worked for other people?
  • What are the possible long- and short-term side effects of taking this medicine? Is there any way to reduce the risk of experiencing these side effects?
  • What, if any, restrictions (like driving or avoiding certain foods) need to be considered when using this medicine?
  • How are medicine levels in the blood checked? What tests will be needed before taking this medicine and while taking the medicine?
  • How do I know if the dose should be changed or the medicine stopped?
  • How much does it cost? Are there any programs that would help me cover some or all of the costs of the medications? Is there a less expensive medication that I could use instead? Can generics or non-brand name medications be substituted for any the doctor suggests?
  • Are there any medications or supplements that I shouldn't take at the same time as these? What about over-the-counter medications?

If your symptoms are so bad that you are having trouble understanding this information, ask a family member or friend to learn about the medication and to help you decide whether this is the right course of treatment for you.


 


In deciding whether to take a medication or have a certain treatment, you might ask yourself whether the benefits of the medication outweigh the risks. You might also decide that you will take it for a trial period and then re-evaluate.

If you decide to use one or more medicines, you must manage them very carefully to get the best possible results and to avoid serious problems. To do this:

  • use the medicines exactly as the doctor and pharmacist have suggested.
  • report any side effects to your doctor, and keep notes for yourself about what you experience, when you experience it, and what the doctor's response is.
  • tell your doctor about any times that you have not been able to take your medicine for any reason so the doctor can tell you what to do—do not double the next dose unless the doctor tells you to.
  • avoid the use of alcohol or illegal drugs. (If you are addicted to them, ask your doctor for help.)
  • pay close attention to lifestyle issues that cannot be corrected by medications, such as stress, chaos, poor diet (including excessive use of sugar, salt, caffeine, smoking), lack of exercise, light and rest. If these are problems for you, you will need to address these issues at some time in order to feel really well. But take it one step at a time

Additional Things You Can Do Right Away to Help Yourself Feel Better

There are many simple, safe, inexpensive, or free things you can do to help yourself feel better. The most common ones are listed here. You may think of other things you have done to help yourself feel better.

  • Tell a good friend or family member how you feel. Talking with someone else who has had similar experiences and feelings is very helpful because they can best understand how you feel. First ask them if they have some time to listen to you. Ask them not to interrupt with any advice, criticism, or judgments. Tell them that after you get done talking you would like to discuss what to do about the situation, but that first you need to talk with no interruptions to help yourself feel better.
  • If you have a mental health provider you feel comfortable with, tell her or him how you are feeling and ask for advice and support. If you don't have a health care provider and would like to see someone professionally, contact your local mental health agency. (The phone number can be found in the yellow pages of your phone book under Mental Health Services. Alternatively, contact resources identified in the back of this booklet.) Sliding scale fees and free services are often available.
  • Spend time with people you enjoy—people who make you feel good about yourself. Avoid people who aren't supportive. Do not allow yourself to be hurt physically or emotionally in any way. If you are being beaten, sexually abused, screamed at, or are suffering other forms of abuse, ask your health care provider or a crisis counselor to help you figure out how you can get away from whoever is abusing you or how you can make the other person stop abusing you.
  • Ask a family member or friend to take over some or all of the things you need to do for several days—like taking care of children, household chores and work-related tasks—so you have time to do the things you need to take care of yourself.
  • Learn about what you are experiencing. This will allow you to make good decisions about all parts of your life, like: your treatment; how and where you are going to live; who you are going to live with; how you will get and spend money; your close relationships; and parenting issues. To do this, read pamphlets you may find in your doctor's office or health care facility; review related books, articles, video and audio tapes (the library is often a good source of these resources); talk to others who have had similar experiences and to health care professionals; search the Internet; and attend support groups, workshops or lectures. If you are having such a hard time that you cannot do this, ask a family member or friend to do it with you or for you. This may be hard for you if you don't normally ask anyone for favors. Try to understand that others are often glad to do something for you if they know it is going to help.
  • Get some exercise. Any movement, even slow movement, will help you feel better—climb the stairs, take a walk, sweep the floor. Don't overdo it though.
  • If possible, spend at least one-half hour outdoors every day, even if it is cloudy or rainy. Let as much light into your home or work place as possible—roll up the shades, turn on the lights.
  • Eat healthy food. Limit your use of sugar, caffeine (coffee, tea, chocolate, soda) alcohol, and heavily salted foods. If you don't feel like cooking, ask a family member or friend to cook for you, order take out, or have a healthy frozen dinner.
  • Every day, do something you really enjoy, something that makes you feel good—like working in your garden, watching a funny video, playing with your pet, buying yourself a treat like a new CD or a magazine, reading a good book, or watching a ball game. It may be a simple, free activity, such as watching the moon rise, smelling flowers, or walking barefoot in the grass. It may be a creative activity like working on a knitting, crocheting, or woodworking project, painting a picture, or playing a musical instrument. Keep the things you need for these activities on hand so they will be available when you need them. It might be useful to make a list of things you enjoy, and keep adding to it all the time.

    Then refer to the list when you are feeling so badly that you can't remember things you enjoy.
  • Relax! Sit down in a comfortable chair, loosen any tight clothing and take several deep breaths. Starting with your toes, focus your attention on each part of your body and let it relax. When you have relaxed your whole body, notice how you feel. Then, focus your attention for a few minutes on a favorite scene, like a warm day in spring or a walk at the ocean, before returning to your other activities.

If you are having trouble sleeping, try some of the following suggestions.

  • Listen to soothing music after you lie down.
  • Eat foods high in calcium, like dairy products and leafy green vegetables, or take a calcium supplement.
  • Avoid alcohol—it will help you get to sleep but may cause you to awaken early.
  • Avoid sleeping late in the morning and taking long naps during the day.
  • Before going to bed:
    • avoid heavy meals, strenuous activity, caffeine, and nicotine
    • read a calming book
    • take a warm bath
    • drink a glass of warm milk, eat some turkey and/or drink a cup of chamomile tea.

Keep your life as simple as possible. If it doesn't really need to be done, don't do it. Learn that it is alright to say "no" if you can't or don't want to do something, but don't avoid responsibilities like taking good care of yourself and your children. Get help with these responsibilities if you need it.

Work on changing your negative thoughts to positive ones. Everyone has negative thoughts that they have learned, usually when they were young. When you are feeling badly, these negative thoughts can make you feel worse. For instance, if you find yourself thinking, "I will never feel better," try saying, "I feel fine," instead. Other common negative thoughts and positive responses:

Negative thought Positive response
No one likes me. Many people like me.
I am worthless. I am a valuable person.
I'm a loser. I'm a winner.
I can't do anything right. I do many things right.

Repeat the positive responses over and over.

Every time you have a negative thought, replace it with a positive one.


 


Things To Do When You Are Feeling Better To Keep Yourself Well

When you are feeling better, make plans using the ideas in the previous section that will help you keep yourself well. Include simple lists:

  • to remind yourself of things you need to do every day - like getting a half hour of exercise and eating three healthy meals;
  • to remind yourself of those things that you may not need to do every day, but if you miss them they will cause stress in your life, like bathing, buying food, paying bills or cleaning your home;
  • of events or situations that may make you feel worse if they come up, like a fight with a family member, health care provider, or social worker, getting a big bill, or loss of your job. Then list things to do (relax, talk to a friend, play your guitar) if these things happen so you won't start feeling bad;
  • of early warning signs that indicate you are starting to feel worse - like always feeling tired, sleeping too much, overeating, dropping things and losing things. Then list things to do (get more rest, take some time off, arrange an appointment with your health care provider, cut back on caffeine) to help yourself feel better;
  • of signs that things are getting much worse, such as feeling very depressed, not being able to get out of bed in the morning or feeling negative about everything. Then list things to do that will help you feel better quickly (get someone to stay with you, spend extra time doing things you enjoy, contact your doctor);
  • of information that can be used by others if you become unable to take care of yourself or keep yourself safe, such as signs that indicate you need their help, who you want to help you (give copies of this list to each of these people), the names of your doctor, or other mental health professional and pharmacist, all prescriptions and over-the-counter medications, things that others can do to help you feel better or keep you safe, and things you do not want others to do or that might make you feel worse.

In conclusion:
Don't try to do everything or make all the changes suggested in this booklet all at once. You can incorporate them into your life gradually. As you do, you will notice that you will feel better and better.

continue: List of Additional Resources and Organizations

next: Action Planning for Prevention and Recovery: A Self-Help Guide


Further Resources

Consumer Organization and Networking Technical Assistance Center
(CONTAC)
P.O. Box 11000
Charleston, WV 25339
1 (888) 825-TECH (8324)
(304) 346-9992 (fax)
Web site: www.contac.org

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)
(formerly the National Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association)
730 N. Franklin Street, Suite 501
Chicago, IL 60610-3526
(800) 826-3632
Web site: www.dbsalliance.org

National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI)
(Special Support Center)
Colonial Place Three
2107 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 300
Arlington, VA 22201-3042
(703) 524-7600
Web site: www.nami.org

National Empowerment Center
599 Canal Street, 5 East
Lawrence, MA 01840
1-800-power2u
(800)TDD-POWER (TDD)
(978)681-6426 (fax)
Web site: www.power2u.org

National Mental Health Association (NMHA)
(Consumer Supporter Technical Assistance Center)
2001 N. Beauregard Street - 12th Floor
Alexandria, VA 22311
(800) 969-NMHA or 6642
Web site: www.nmha.org


 


National Mental Health Consumers'
Self-Help Clearinghouse

1211 Chestnut Street, Suite 1207
Philadelphia, PA 19107
1 (800) 553-4539 (voice)
(215) 636-6312 (fax)
e-mail: info@mhselfhelp.org
Web site: www.mhselfhelp.org

SAMHSA's National Mental Health Information Center
P.O. Box 42557
Washington, D.C. 20015
1 (800) 789-2647 (voice)
Web site: mentalhealth.samhsa.gov

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Center for Mental Health Services
Web site: www.samhsa.gov

Resources listed in this document do not constitute an endorsement by CMHS/SAMHSA/HHS, nor are these resources exhaustive. Nothing is implied by an organization not being referenced.

Acknowledgments

This publication was funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), and prepared by Mary Ellen Copeland, M.S., M.A., under contract number 98M0024261D. Acknowledgment is given to the many mental health consumers who worked on this project offering advice and suggestions.

Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this document reflect the personal opinions of the author and are not intended to represent the views, positions or policies of CMHS, SAMHSA, DHHS, or other agencies or offices of the Federal Government.

Public Domain Notice
All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission from SAMHSA. Citation of the source is appreciated.

For additional copies of this document, please call SAMHSA's National Mental Health Services Information Center at 1-800-789-2647.

Originating Office
Office of External Liaison
Center for Mental Health Services
Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration
5600 Fishers Lane, Room 15-99
Rockville, MD 20857
SMA-3504

Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Admninistration

next: Action Planning for Prevention and Recovery: A Self-Help Guide

APA Reference
Staff, H. (2008, October 10). Recovering Your Mental Health: A Self-Help Guide, HealthyPlace. Retrieved on 2024, December 23 from https://www.healthyplace.com/alternative-mental-health/main/recovering-your-mental-health-a-self-help-guide

Last Updated: July 8, 2016

What are Alternative Approaches to Mental Health Care

Covers alternative approaches to mental health care including: self-help, diet and nutrition, pastoral counseling, animal assisted therapies, expressive therapies, healing arts, relaxation and stress reduction.

Covers alternative approaches to mental health care including: self-help, diet and nutrition, pastoral counseling, animal assisted therapies, expressive therapies, healing arts, relaxation and stress reduction.

An alternative approach to mental health care is one that emphasizes the interrelationship between mind, body, and spirit. Although some alternative approaches have a long history, many remain controversial. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health was created in 1992 to help evaluate alternative methods of treatment and to integrate those that are effective into mainstream health care practice. It is crucial, however, to consult with your health care providers about the approaches you are using to achieve mental wellness.

Self-help

Many people find that self-help groups for mental illnesses are an invaluable resource for recovery and for empowerment. Self-help generally refers to groups or meetings that:

  • Involve people who have similar needs
  • Are facilitated by a consumer, survivor, or other layperson;
  • Assist people to deal with a "life-disrupting" event, such as a death, abuse, serious accident, addiction, or diagnosis of a physical, emotional, or mental disability, for oneself or a relative;
  • Are operated on an informal, free-of-charge, and nonprofit basis;
  • Provide support and education; and
  • Are voluntary, anonymous, and confidential.

Diet and Nutrition

Adjusting both diet and nutrition may help some people with mental illnesses manage their symptoms and promote recovery. For example, research suggests that eliminating milk and wheat products can reduce the severity of symptoms for some people who have schizophrenia and some children with autism. Similarly, some holistic/natural physicians use herbal treatments, B-complex vitamins, riboflavin, magnesium, and thiamine to treat anxiety, autism, depression, drug-induced psychoses, and hyperactivity.


 


Pastoral Counseling

Some people prefer to seek help for mental health problems from their pastor, rabbi, or priest, rather than from therapists who are not affiliated with a religious community. Counselors working within traditional faith communities increasingly are recognizing the need to incorporate psychotherapy and/or medication, along with prayer and spirituality, to effectively help some people with mental disorders.

Animal Assisted Therapies

Working with an animal (or animals) under the guidance of a health care professional may benefit some people with mental illness by facilitating positive changes, such as increased empathy and enhanced socialization skills. Animals can be used as part of group therapy programs to encourage communication and increase the ability to focus. Developing self-esteem and reducing loneliness and anxiety are just some potential benefits of individual-animal therapy (Delta Society, 2002).

Expressive Therapies

Art Therapy: Drawing, painting, and sculpting help many people to reconcile inner conflicts, release deeply repressed emotions, and foster self-awareness, as well as personal growth. Some mental health providers use art therapy as both a diagnostic tool and as a way to help treat disorders such as depression, abuse-related trauma, and schizophrenia. You may be able to find a therapist in your area who has received special training and certification in art therapy.

Dance/Movement Therapy: Some people find that their spirits soar when they let their feet fly. Others-particularly those who prefer more structure or who feel they have "two left feet"-gain the same sense of release and inner peace from the Eastern martial arts, such as Aikido and Tai Chi. Those who are recovering from physical, sexual, or emotional abuse may find these techniques especially helpful for gaining a sense of ease with their own bodies. The underlying premise to dance/movement therapy is that it can help a person integrate the emotional, physical, and cognitive facets of "self."

Music/Sound Therapy: It is no coincidence that many people turn on soothing music to relax or snazzy tunes to help feel upbeat. Research suggests that music stimulates the body's natural "feel good" chemicals (opiates and endorphins). This stimulation results in improved blood flow, blood pressure, pulse rate, breathing, and posture changes. Music or sound therapy has been used to treat disorders such as stress, grief, depression, schizophrenia, and autism in children, and to diagnose mental health needs.


Culturally Based Healing Arts

Traditional Oriental medicine (such as acupuncture, shiatsu, and reiki), Indian systems of health care (such as Ayurveda and yoga), and Native American healing practices (such as the Sweat Lodge and Talking Circles) all incorporate the beliefs that:

  • Wellness is a state of balance between the spiritual, physical, and mental/emotional "selves."
  • An imbalance of forces within the body is the cause of illness.
  • Herbal/natural remedies, combined with sound nutrition, exercise, and meditation/prayer, will correct this imbalance.

Acupuncture: The Chinese practice of inserting needles into the body at specific points manipulates the body's flow of energy to balance the endocrine system. This manipulation regulates functions such as heart rate, body temperature, and respiration, as well as sleep patterns and emotional changes. Acupuncture has been used in clinics to assist people with substance abuse disorders through detoxification; to relieve stress and anxiety; to treat attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder in children; to reduce symptoms of depression; and to help people with physical ailments.

Ayurveda: Ayurvedic medicine is described as "knowledge of how to live." It incorporates an individualized regimen—such as diet, meditation, herbal preparations, or other techniques—to treat a variety of conditions, including depression, to facilitate lifestyle changes, and to teach people how to release stress and tension through yoga or transcendental meditation.

Yoga/meditation: Practitioners of this ancient Indian system of health care use breathing exercises, posture, stretches, and meditation to balance the body's energy centers. Yoga is used in combination with other treatment for depression, anxiety, and stress-related disorders.

Native American traditional practices: Ceremonial dances, chants, and cleansing rituals are part of Indian Health Service programs to heal depression, stress, trauma (including those related to physical and sexual abuse), and substance abuse.


 


Cuentos: Based on folktales, this form of therapy originated in Puerto Rico. The stories used contain healing themes and models of behavior such as self-transformation and endurance through adversity. Cuentos is used primarily to help Hispanic children recover from depression and other mental health problems related to leaving one's homeland and living in a foreign culture.

Relaxation and Stress Reduction Techniques

Biofeedback: Learning to control muscle tension and "involuntary" body functioning, such as heart rate and skin temperature, can be a path to mastering one's fears. It is used in combination with, or as an alternative to, medication to treat disorders such as anxiety, panic, and phobias. For example, a person can learn to "retrain" his or her breathing habits in stressful situations to induce relaxation and decrease hyperventilation. Some preliminary research indicates it may offer an additional tool for treating schizophrenia and depression.

Guided Imagery or Visualization: This process involves going into a state of deep relaxation and creating a mental image of recovery and wellness. Physicians, nurses, and mental health providers occasionally use this approach to treat alcohol and drug addictions, depression, panic disorders, phobias, and stress.

Massage therapy: The underlying principle of this approach is that rubbing, kneading, brushing, and tapping a person's muscles can help release tension and pent emotions. It has been used to treat trauma-related depression and stress. A highly unregulated industry, certification for massage therapy varies widely from State to State. Some States have strict guidelines, while others have none.

Technology-Based Applications

The boom in electronic tools at home and in the office makes access to mental health information just a telephone call or a "mouse click" away. Technology is also making treatment more widely available in once-isolated areas.

Telemedicine: Plugging into video and computer technology is a relatively new innovation in health care. It allows both consumers and providers in remote or rural areas to gain access to mental health or specialty expertise. Telemedicine can enable consulting providers to speak to and observe patients directly. It also can be used in education and training programs for generalist clinicians.

Telephone counseling: Active listening skills are a hallmark of telephone counselors. These also provide information and referral to interested callers. For many people telephone counseling often is a first step to receiving in-depth mental health care. Research shows that such counseling from specially trained mental health providers reaches many people who otherwise might not get the help they need. Before calling, be sure to check the telephone number for service fees; a 900 area code means you will be billed for the call, an 800 or 888 area code means the call is toll-free.

Electronic communications: Technologies such as the Internet, bulletin boards, and electronic mail lists provide access directly to consumers and the public on a wide range of information. On-line consumer groups can exchange information, experiences, and views on mental health, treatment systems, alternative medicine, and other related topics.

Radio psychiatry: Another relative newcomer to therapy, radio psychiatry was first introduced in the United States in 1976. Radio psychiatrists and psychologists provide advice, information, and referrals in response to a variety of mental health questions from callers. The American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association have issued ethical guidelines for the role of psychiatrists and psychologists on radio shows.

This fact sheet does not cover every alternative approach to mental health. A range of other alternative approaches—psychodrama, hypnotherapy, recreational, and Outward Bound-type nature programs—offer opportunities to explore mental wellness. Before jumping into any alternative therapy, learn as much as you can about it. In addition to talking with your health care practitioner, you may want to visit your local library, book store, health food store, or holistic health care clinic for more information. Also, before receiving services, check to be sure the provider is properly certified by an appropriate accrediting agency.

Source: The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine

next: How to Select a Complementary and Alternative Medicine Provider

APA Reference
Staff, H. (2008, October 9). What are Alternative Approaches to Mental Health Care, HealthyPlace. Retrieved on 2024, December 23 from https://www.healthyplace.com/alternative-mental-health/main/what-are-alternative-approaches-to-mental-health-care

Last Updated: July 8, 2016

Color Therapy for Psychiatric Disorders

Learn about color therapy in treating emotional and physical disturbances including treatment of aggression, ADHD, reading and learning disabilities, and seasonal affective disorder.

Before engaging in any complementary medical technique, you should be aware that many of these techniques have not been evaluated in scientific studies. Often, only limited information is available about their safety and effectiveness. Each state and each discipline has its own rules about whether practitioners are required to be professionally licensed. If you plan to visit a practitioner, it is recommended that you choose one who is licensed by a recognized national organization and who abides by the organization's standards. It is always best to speak with your primary health care provider before starting any new therapeutic technique.

Background And Theory

Color therapy uses colors for their proposed healing abilities in treating emotional and physical disturbances. Changing the colors of clothes or home or office décor or visualizing different colors may be recommended. Color therapy is based on the premise that different colors evoke different responses in people. For example, some colors are considered to be stimulating, whereas others may be soothing. Some color therapists assert that they can read and alter the colors of people's auras. In traditional Ayurvedic medicine, different colors are associated with different chakras, or energy centers.


 


Color, light or phototherapy using single or mixed colors, sometimes from a laser, may be shined on the whole body or on particular chakras. The Luscher Color Test is said to indicate mood and personality. Silks colored with natural dyes, meditation and breathing exercises may be used. Solarized water, color cards or a light box or lamp with colored filters is sometimes included as a part of treatment. Ocular Light Therapy, in which light is projected through colored filters into the eyes, is sometimes used in people with psychological disorders. Colored light therapy, Colorpuncture and Chromopressure are emerging techniques.

Scientific evidence is lacking for color therapy. Color therapy is different from conventional ultraviolet light phototherapy, which is used to treat high bilirubin blood levels in infants and skin disorders such as acne or psoriasis. Light therapy is used to treat seasonal affective disorder.

Evidence

Scientists have studied color therapy for the following health problems:

Musculoskeletal pain
There is preliminary research suggesting that color therapy may be helpful in the relief of hand, elbow, or lower back pain. Further study is needed before a clear conclusion can be drawn.

Unproven Uses

Color therapy has been suggested for many uses, based on tradition or on scientific theories. However, these uses have not been thoroughly studied in humans, and there is limited scientific evidence about safety or effectiveness. Some of these suggested uses are for conditions that are potentially life-threatening. Consult with a health care provider before using color therapy for any use.

Aggressive or hostile behavior
Asthma
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
Bronchitis
Dyslexia and other reading disabilities
Enhanced athletic performance
Enzyme stimulation
Epilepsy
High or low blood pressure
Improved academic performance and IQ
Increased strength
Insomnia
Learning disabilities
Lethargy
Lung cancer
Migraine
Muscle relaxation
Prison reform
Seasonal affective disorder
Sedation
Stress
Tension
Uterine fibroids
Vision disorders

Potential Dangers

Color therapy appears to be well tolerated in most individuals, although safety has not been thoroughly tested in scientific studies. Exposure to bright light can cause eye injury. Strobe lights may cause seizures in susceptible individuals.

Summary

Color therapy has been suggested for many conditions, but safety and effectiveness have not been thoroughly studied scientifically. Speak with your health care provider if you are considering color therapy.

The information in this monograph was prepared by the professional staff at Natural Standard, based on thorough systematic review of scientific evidence. The material was reviewed by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School with final editing approved by Natural Standard.

Resources

  1. Natural Standard: An organization that produces scientifically based reviews of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) topics
  2. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM): A division of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services dedicated to research

Selected Scientific Studies: Color Therapy

Natural Standard reviewed more than 40 articles to prepare the professional monograph from which this version was created.

Some of the more recent studies are listed below:

    1. Anderson J. The effect of colour on the severity of migraine symptoms. Brain/Mind Bull 1990;4(15):1.
    2. Barber CF. The use of music and colour theory as a behaviour modifier. Br J Nurs 1999;8(7):443-448.
    3. Cocilovo A. Colored light therapy: overview of its history, theory, recent developments and clinical applications combined with acupuncture. Am J Acupunct 1999;27(1-2):71-83.

 


  1. Deppe A. Ocular light therapy: a case study. Aust J Holist Nurs 2000;7(1):41.
  2. Evans BJ, Patel R, Wilkins AJ, et al. A review of the management of 323 consecutive patients seen in a specific learning difficulties clinic. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt 1999;19(6):454-466.
  3. Geldschlager S. Osteopathic versus orthopedic treatments for chronic epicondylopathia humeri radialis: a randomized controlled trial. Forsch Komplementarmed Klass Naturheilkd 2004;Apr, 11(2):93-97.
  4. Maher CG. Effective physical treatment of chronic low back pain. Orthop Clin North Am 2004;Jan, 35(1):57-64.
  5. Ohara M, Kawashima Y, Kitajima s, et al. Inhibition Of lung metastasis of B16 melanoma cells exposed to blue light in mice. Int J Molecular Medicine 2002;10(6):701-705.
  6. Schauss AG. Tranquilizing effect of colour reduces aggressive behaviour and potential violence. J Orthomol Psych 1979;4(8):218-221.
  7. Schauss AG. The physiological effect of colour on the suppression of human aggression, research on Baker-Miller Pink. Int J Biosoc Res 1985;2(7):55-64.
  8. Wileman SM, Eagles JM, Andrew JE, et al. Light therapy for seasonal affective disorder in primary care: randomised controlled trial. Br J Psych 2001;178:311-316.
  9. Wohlfarth H. The effects of colour psychodynamic environmental modification on disciplinary incidences in elementary schools over one school year. Int J Biosocial Res 1984;1(6):44-53.
  10. Wohlfarth H. The effects of colour psychodynamic environmental modification on absences due to illness in elementary schools: a controlled study. Int J Biosocial Res 1984;1(6):54-61.
  11. Wohlfarth H. The effects of colour psychodynamic environmental colour and lighting modification of elementary schools on blood pressure and mood: a controlled study. Int J Biosocial Res 1985;1(7):9-16.
  12. Wohlfarth H, Schultz A. The effect of colour psychodynamic environment modification on sound levels in elementary schools. Int J Biosocial Res 2002;(5):12-19.

back to: Alternative Medicine Home ~ Alternative Medicine Treatments

APA Reference
Staff, H. (2008, October 9). Color Therapy for Psychiatric Disorders, HealthyPlace. Retrieved on 2024, December 23 from https://www.healthyplace.com/alternative-mental-health/treatments/color-therapy-for-psychiatric-disorders

Last Updated: February 8, 2016

About the Author of Self-Help Stuff That Works

ADAM KHAN genuinely likes people and wants to help them. He was voted the readers' favorite (in a survey of readers of Rodale Press's newsletter At Your Best), not only because he's fun to read, but because he has a talent for absorbing large quantities of information, figuring out what's really useful, and relaying those insights in a way that leaves you with tools for building a better life.

Adam Khan has been published in Prevention Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Tea Magazine, Body Bulletin, Your Personal Best Newsletter, Think and Grow Rich Newsletter, and was a regular columnist for At Your Best for seven years.

Click here to purchase Adam's book: Self-Help Stuff That Works.

He answers more questions in an interview-like format at
Frequently Asked Questions.

Check out Adam's Recommended Reading list.

Or check out the three chapters with his favorite principles (the ones he tries to apply most often):
Positive Thinking: The Next Generation
Unnatural Acts
Just Keep Planting

 


 


next: Book Cover

APA Reference
Staff, H. (2008, October 9). About the Author of Self-Help Stuff That Works, HealthyPlace. Retrieved on 2024, December 23 from https://www.healthyplace.com/self-help/self-help-stuff-that-works/about-the-author-of-self-help-stuff-that-works

Last Updated: March 30, 2016

You Create Yourself

Chapter 66 of the book Self-Help Stuff That Works

by Adam Khan

I WAS TRYING TO WORK yesterday, but I was tired. I had stayed up late and gotten up late and I felt "off". When I realized what was happening, I decided to get back on track. I started paying attention to my work. I looked people in the eye and spoke with purpose. I decided to be a person I respect - not some victim to my feelings or circumstances, but a creator of who I am. I set a standard for myself and then lived up to it in behavior. And my feelings came around. I stopped feeling so tired. I started feeling more purposeful. But even if my feelings didn't come around, and they sometimes don't, it wouldn't matter. I can look people in the eye even when I don't feel like it.

You can do this too. It's not like I have any great amount of self-discipline or willpower. You can set standards for yourself and then live up to those standards, even when you don't feel like it.

Let's not be the effect of our feelings. They change too much. Set physical standards for yourself: What you will DO, not what you will feel. Act ethically. Speak with intention. Exercise even when you don't feel like it. You cannot choose how you will feel voluntarily, but you can always choose what you will do.

Then, regardless of your upbringing or past habits or how much you drank the night before or the argument you had with your spouse this morning, take the actions you want to take. Be who you choose to be. It's up to you. You are what you decide you are at any given moment - not how you feel, not how you were raised. Those are defaults, like the defaults on a word processor, and can be overridden at any time by a conscious decision. On some days, your defaults may be perfectly good because the circumstances and your feelings line up to make you act exactly as you wish. But the rest of the time, you'll have to take over the controls.

Decide how you want to act, and act that way. You create yourself.

What is more fun: Things that require the expenditure of resources like material and electricity and gas? Or self-powered activities?
Burn Your Own BTUs

Competition doesn't have to be an ugly affair. In fact, from at least one perspective, it is the finest force for good in the world.
The Spirit of the Games

 


Achieving goals is sometimes difficult. When you feel discouraged, check this chapter out. There are three things you can do to make the achievement of your goals more likely.
Do You Want to Give Up?

Some tasks are just plain boring and yet they have to be done. Washing the dishes, for example. Learn how to make the tasks more fun.
A Terrible Thing to Waste

Scientists have found out some interesting facts about happiness. And much of your happiness is under your influence.
Science of Happiness

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next: Wasting Time... The Old-Fashioned Way

APA Reference
Staff, H. (2008, October 9). You Create Yourself, HealthyPlace. Retrieved on 2024, December 23 from https://www.healthyplace.com/self-help/self-help-stuff-that-works/you-create-yourself

Last Updated: March 31, 2016