Public Comment

A person's mind may not right itself following a period of disorganization, unless you use deliberate effort. For example, in my past I had psychotic episodes, and following reinstatement of medication, I wasn't well right away--it took a while, and it took some doing. I needed to draw on memory as a model for how my mind was supposed to work. Also, I have learned self-observation.  

Recovery from an episode of severe psychosis can take years, following the point that medication is introduced or reintroduced. If you go off medication against medical advice on a repeat basis, you are very likely doing harm to your brain. This can take the shape of having less capabilities, having fewer or less adept faculties, or it can look like residual confusion and noise from the mind. Again, it can take years to fully come back from a psychotic relapse. 

In the two or three relapses I had, I'd wind up in the hospital, and wake up on my second or third day there, and I'd think "Here I am once again, and this is starting over, from scratch." Upon meds reinstituted and basic sanity restored, there was a long road that followed. 

Instead of getting ill, we must prevent a psychotic episode. And this may involve more than just medication compliance. 

Maintenance of precious mental stability is a supremely valuable endeavor and necessary. Sometimes you must learn how to guide your mind into a good zone. Sometimes the waters are choppy, and you need to keep your little boat upright, and not capsizing. I have learned to consciously navigate. 

To stay safe and sane, you must acknowledge you aren't superhuman. If you are a nicotine addict, you can't combine withdrawing from that drug alongside too many other forms of difficulty. To quit nicotine successfully, things in your life should be stable and your mind should be stable. 

As I'm writing this, I'm using nicotine replacement therapy. I have no choice. My building doesn't allow indoor smoke, and it is too dangerous to step outside at this hour. Thus, I'm very glad to have found a nicotine patch that I could wear. Many substances have profound effects on the brain and mind. And this can affect a person's mental stability. 

Basic ignorance of human vulnerability, or thinking you're tough, doesn't make you strong. Everyone has some soft areas. 

But today I'm bringing up at least three issues: Medication compliance; dealing with substance abuse; navigating to remain stabilized. The three issues are often interwoven. 

Navigating is a broad term, and you must include context for it to mean anything. I'm speaking of keeping track of what the mind is doing, redirecting thoughts and other content, and third; using specific pain-relief cognitive methods that work imperfectly to reduce mental suffering. 

Keeping track of what the mind is doing: Are you going deeply into thought? If so, what would this look like to an outside observer? And how can we change the state of deep thought? Do we want to change it? 

As a psychotic person, sometimes deep thought is the enemy and sometimes it isn't. To get out of deep thought, sometimes a physical activity can work to help the mind shift gears. You could get on your phone and text back and forth with someone you know, and that activity might be enough to bring you out of deep psychotic (or other) thought. You could watch television. You could speak to a person. You could interact with your pet cat or dog. 

I'm not the enemy of intellect. Yet thinking deeply isn't the only thing we can do with our time and energy. Getting too heavily into thoughts can become a hotbed for developing delusional systems. 

Navigating out of thought mode can be as simple as eating some potato chips. But I really favor potato salad, and you can buy a tub of it at Safeway--and it isn't really that bad for you. If you want to be a purist, you can boil some red potatoes and eat them after they cool off, with nothing on them. I've done that too. 

Jack Bragen lives and writes in Martinez, California.