I have been doing increasingly better. It has been many days. I saw a shaman who has told me my spiritual protector was a wolf. The voices have no obvious way of being realistically in control. The totem animals are wonderful people. But the voices still try to scare me into thinking they are really my boss. They think they have the right to still tell me what to do. They tell me what my faults are and try to make that into an excuse to be rude. They tell me their demons and spirits. They bring up my sexuality. I just canāt think freely with ought fear of it being true. Any advise or similarities?
Have you talked to a doctor?
This is most bland heartless advise I can give you.
What happens in your head doesnāt matter. Focus on doing.
Iād see a doctor and not a shaman.
Iāve seen a number of wolves in my dreams. Perhaps itās a symbol of a personality type, which is why when I looked in a mirror one time I actually saw my reflection as that of a dark brown wolf - boy my head was huge too.
i have seen a doctor and a shaman
What does the doctor say?
the doctor said they are not real.
Iād go with the doctor. Most shaman types are as crazy as me and thee, theyāre just good at passing themselves off as high-functioning for short periods.
Pixel.
Thatās really not fair to say. Those are his spiritual beliefs. Shamans have been around for a long time. I once saw a medium that helped me understand my hallucinations in a way that made me feel better. Her advice was that even though I see my Grandmother, who has passed, the same way I see the demon that I should understand the demon is a negative experience while my Grandmother is a positive one. The demon is not real because it is negative. Iām not explaining it quite how she said it but it really helped. And those are my personal beliefs. Just because heās using his beliefs to understand an experience is not crazy. @ImSureImCrazy Iām sorry I donāt have much experience with voices as I have visual hallucinations but meds really help.
Thank you. I am on medication and am glad to be on it. I love the mediums point of view of hallucinations.
May i ask, what is their point?
āShamenā who like to interpret psychotic behaviour as being spiritual in nature and who encourage people to play with their symptoms rather than move towards eliminating them are very dangerous to the recovery of those with schizophrenia. It may not be fair or nice, but thatās the truth.
Pixel.
Look how many Christians take their faith to a delusional level. As a moderator I know you close many discussions on traditional faith because it gets people worked up. Beliefs sometimes bring comfort to people even if those beliefs are non-traditional. If he had said he saw a Catholic priest would you have responded the same way?
I might not be a good reference for this guys questions, but here is my experience: during my first manic episode, the religious side of my family ( which is muslim btw) suggested my mum to take me to some muslim priest. After he said a few prayers above my head, he said to bring my underwear to an old lady well-known for her alternative and rather bizzare methods of curing people. Think of mediaeval medicine.
I was crazy even back then but not that crazy to let the fairy tales play with my brain.
I wish that @notmoses is here, to explain you what is wrong with ābeliefsā.
No, but thatās because I havenāt seen as many people here damaged by Catholic Priests as I have āshamenā. Catholic clergy mostly seem to receive fairly decent training about dealing with mentally ill parishioners and are good at directing them towards medical attention and community resources. If the user had mentioned seeing a priest about an exorcism, yah, I would have started foaming at the mouth. Whackdoodle Catholic clergy are rare, but they do exist.
Pixel.
I really donāt want to argue with you. There are three reasons I responded to your post. 1) I was bullied horribly in middle school for being different and it breaks my heart to see someone made fun of. 2) Iāve never seen posts from this user before so Iām assuming theyāre new. If their first encounter is to have jokes made about their beliefs would they really want to come back? What if they really need the support of this site, which I have found priceless at times I have struggled? 3) Youāre a moderator and should be held to a higher standard. If you disagree with someone please be respectful and explain your point of view instead of making jokes. Please consider my words.
I want to see a shaman. Is there a website for that or do you have to āknow peopleā?
I donāt see anyone making fun of him, though? Weāre offering our perspective that a doctor is the best place to go for answers, not a shaman. Of course we want answers and will look for them wherever we think we might find them, but no one wants to see anyone steered down a potentially harmful path. Itās not mockery. Itās firmly expressed concern.
If we accept the ideas the voices tell us when the ideas do not square with what one can see, hear and feel to be actually so, should we expect the world to make sense?