About Us

Showing posts with label here. Show all posts
Showing posts with label here. Show all posts

Thursday, 31 July 2014

Insomnia can kill. I hope this isn't me (no sleep for 11 months)

insomnia 2 green alien face




Picture 'Humanoid' by Irina Pechkareva 


Elizabeth Lucye Robillard writes: 'My insomnia was triggered by extreme trauma. I hope that it hasn't damaged my brain enough to kill me. I don't fancy going to hospital to have them prodding me about, it's not like they can do any good. Still, this sort of insomnia IS terrifying. Nobody believes it and they think it's as easy as 'switching off'. They can't imagine it, as they've never experienced it. It's very strange. You feel tired but you don't sleep. You can 'drift' into daydreaming and relaxation even but - still, the sleep never comes. I've written to the doctors and told the support workers, but they just ignore you. It's very distressing but you can't be distressed these days, without our 103 BILLION pound per annum, psychiatric industry, locking you up in a hell hole like St.Charles (R.I.P Natalie)' I hope it doesn't kill me, but if it does, well, thanks for the internet anyway world. It was good. meantime, there's more about fatal insomnia here

Tuesday, 29 July 2014

Mental Health Help - Phobic Reaction, Diet



Everyone can suffer from phobic reactions, even some professional shrinks (my experience) Some phobias can be cured or modified using repeated exposure, until desensitised to the feared thing. Other phobias, social phobias like Emetopobia, cannot be treated like that successfully (not usually) as it would mean making someone very ill indeed over a long period of time, so it isn't practical at all.

  Emetophobia is often linked to Anorexia, Anorexia and bulimia are often NPD but not always.

In order to help identify your unique and deep seated problems (usually the root cause of your trauma-reaction) we need first address general anxiety and our reactions to things. How you react generally is worth noting as not understanding your reactions, can make panic attacks and anger much worse when left unchecked. Keeping a notebook or diary (I use a notepad program on a computer) handy and jotting down all reaction, helps identify triggering thoughts and other things that release unwanted stress hormones that cause panic attacks or psychosis.

Always work on increasing your patience and testing yourself to see if your impulses are angry, sad or physical.  Label each reaction as one or a combination, in order to successfully identify the causes, do this for one month. This also helps with clarifying your thinking. *Not all reaction is bad/wrong, you just need to learn to modify reactions to suit you better.

If you hop from one therapy to the next and it isn't helping, it's likely you need to take an online course in  Nutrition and/ Psychology/CBT. Food intolerance recognition is still in its infancy, so to ensure you're getting the right treatment for you, be sure to rule it out as well as B12 deficiency (use probiotics anyway, these can be tailored to suit your needs, fortified foods, plain yogurt and pickles every day for 90 days will usually help, as will adding dark leafy greens to sandwiches and using brown instead of white bread, and eating a little dark chocolate every day - try this for a few months) Eat as though diabetic, as sugar-spikes can trigger anxiety. White sugar sucks, but other sugars are OK if kept to a minimum and eaten with protein. I've heard the argument that all carbs turn to sugar but white sugar can cause havoc in sensitive immune systems. Grind your own nuts (I use a meat grinder, works for carrots too, cheaper than a mixer and you can eat the person you hate after the murder (joke)) and sprinkle on oats with Cinnamon (blood sugar stabiliser, potent antioxidant) and dried fruits for a snack that will keep you calmer for longer.

If you fall off your plan for a while, never worry, just start again.  (It took me three goes to quit smoking years ago)

There are dozens of great, not-too-tricky psychology courses online (some free) 

There is a free, professional audio MP3 to help with panic attacks here (select 'First Aid for Panic')

Elizabeth Lucy Robillard