PARADOXICAL

Notes on Mental Health

Years ago, mere mention of the words "mental health" would conjure wild thoughts in the mind of most people. "Mental" was such a freighted word or a loaded expression in conversations, pregnant with such negative connotations.

In fact, among Filipinos, "mental" is synonymous with "crazy" or "psycho." It is also unfortunately associated with the National Mental Hospital, now called the National Center for Mental Health. The City of Mandaluyong in Metro Manila where it is located has this singular misfortune of being made synonymous with "mental = crazy." "Naku, itinakbo siya sa Mental." "Ikulong na yan sa Mandaluyong."

These days, things seem to have winded down a bit. Common people have become a lot more informed especially after they themselves experienced a variety of mental health conditions at the height of the covid pandemic. Apparently, a lot of people have realized that no one is exempt or immune from mental health issues, even people who come off as emotionally strong. After all, who hasn't experienced anxiety, panic attack, sleeplessness or insomnia, nightmares, loss of appetite, lack of drive, weird phobias, low self-esteem? Who has not met someone who was raped, experienced incest, attempted or committed suicide, was into drugs, or in a codependent or toxic relationship?

Hopefully, time will come when the words "mental health" or even "mental illness" would have far less stigma than before, no different from, say, physical ailment.

It is indeed good that it is now being discussed out in the open, instead of in hushed tones, and among the greater public instead of being restricted to academics and mental health professionals. But I think the public conversation is just getting started. Awareness of the issue, while a giant step in itself, is only just the beginning of a good thing, just "a first step in a journey of a thousand miles," to quote Lao Tzu or something.

This is because mental health is a complicated topic. Part of the reason is that it is just like medicine at large: it has such a big scope, and there are so many competing theories underlying the field, and worse, the debate is ongoing. The development of knowledge in the field is so fast that if you don't take time to read up on it, you won't be able to keep abreast of it.

Nevertheless, it is hoped that people will continue to study the subject on their own in each of their own search for mental health or overall wellbeing or wholeness, in their own search for finding meaning in life, finding fulfillment, and other such serious pursuits. After all, healing takes a lot of time and conscious effort. You can't possibly resolve any mental concern overnight.

Today, I'd like to share some of the mental health therapies and wellness modalities I have learned through the years of delving on the subject as a layman and writer-researcher.

Basic Communication Study

One of the basic things to watch out in mental wellness is self-awareness. Why? Because denial is such a big thing when one goes through some disturbing issues that lead to personality complexes; it is part of the natural instinct to protect one's fragile ego, but to one's own detriment in the long run. Studying the different levels of communication is thus essential in sorting out the kind of person you are in terms of how you communicate your thoughts and feelings.

Study of Defense Mechanisms

Another essential matter is the study of defense mechanisms. Here, the individual is made aware of himself/herself on a deeper level. Being made self-aware of how one copes up with life in an unhealthy way through distorted views of reality is being on the road to mental wellbeing.

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Those with really serious issues like addictions, obsessions, compulsions, unexplained and intense sadness, fear, anger, shame, or any irrational because excessive emotion that indicates some compensatory behavioral strategy, etc. need to resort to other various modes of therapy.

Inner Child Retreat

If one truly wants healing, one needs to go out of his/her way to find it. One must be willing to undergo "psychological archaeology" to help resolve issues. Otherwise, forces beyond one's awareness and comprehension will be the one dictating one's behavior. And we all know that bad behavior of course impinges on one's sense of self and relationships.

An inner child retreat allows you to delve into how the things you experienced as a child shaped you to who you are today. You can trace the undesirable parts of yourself to your upbringing and how you reacted to it, and once made aware, you can start to reassess yourself in the face of this reality.

Counseling

Whether in individual or group sessions, talk therapy is beneficial in sorting out the issues you are unable to process alone. Contrary to others' views, this is not a selfish act nor is it an indication that you are going crazy, but a necessity towards your journey to mental wellbeing.

Journaling

Keeping track of your thought life through a journal or diary is helpful in sorting out your thoughts and feelings and making sense of them.

Use of Genogram

Many of the things we are unaware of about ourselves are directly inherited from both sides of our family. In our confusion, it is eye-opening to know which traits and tendencies come from. This is not to put the blame on anyone from our past or to find fault in ourselves, but to know oneself several notches better towards clarity. It pays to know how genetics and epigenetics have such a large role to play in who we are as a person. Knowledge of this reality will help us transcend or sublimate our personal realities toward to the kind of person we want to be.

Bibliotherapy

Reading emotionally evocative and thought-provoking books and novels, watching quality plays, musicals, and movies, and even watching such autobiographical TV shows as "Maalaala Mo Kaya" and "Magpakailanman" are helpful in keeping in touch with our own thoughts and emotions. No matter the story, each life story, after all, imparts important lessons to many people. You never know how someone's story will resonate with your own in a way that is mind-blowing or life-changing. In the realm of psychotherapy, an encounter with stories that resonate with the individual helps lower the person's defenses.

Empty Chair Technique

A specific method to wellness is revisiting portions of your past that are unsettling or lacking in closure and allowing yourself to be able to say the things you were unable to say just to find closure.

Trauma Therapy, Including EMDR and Hypnosis

EMDR or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is a method of re-establishing connections between the right part of the brain with the left part of the brain, based on the assumption that a traumatic experience severs such a connection, resulting in unexpressed emotions like anger and grief and un-processed 'material' in the mind.

Hypnosis may be resorted to with the help of a licensed professional, of course, as it endeavors to venture into the subconscious and unconscious, particularly memories of traumatic experiences buried so deep in the psyche, in the hope of shedding light on the present and resolving disturbing issues that cannot be easily resolved through usual means.

Reframing

After reaching a high level of self-awareness, you are now ready to reframe the past by looking at it far more objectively than when you are being controlled by it. This releases you from the shackles of the past, liberating you from the way your "automatic mental scripts" control you subconsciously or unconsciously. This can only be an exhilarating experience, of course, as you emerge feeling exorcised from the evil that has been bugging you for so long.

Gratitude Therapy/Positive Psychology

If you are experiencing intense sadness due to a negative life event, and supposing there is no issue with unexpressed emotions, it could help to take an inventory of what is there instead of getting stuck with what is missing in your life. You'd be surprised to find a lot of blessings, many of which may have been hidden from your memory all along.

Neurolinguistic Programming

I have been hearing this for so long, but I am unable to wrap my head around it so far, so I can't comment on it for now.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT is a form of therapy that focuses on symptoms of psychological distress by examining the interconnections between your behavior and automatic thoughts, core beliefs, as well as cognitive distortions in order to challenge these thought processes and changing them towards desired thoughts and behaviors.

Gestalt Therapy

Based on the belief that 'broken' individuals have disjointed thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations (in contrast to 'whole' individuals) as a result of trauma of some sort, Gestalt therapy focuses on "present-moment awareness and the integration of fragmented aspects of the self" using "experiential techniques such as role-playing, empty chair dialogue, and mindfulness exercises to facilitate self-discovery and promote personal growth." "Instead of focusing solely on symptom reduction, it encourages exploration of unresolved issues and unfinished business, fostering greater self-awareness and authenticity."

Dream Analysis

Recurrent dreams are significant; they have something to tell us -- they often reflect back unprocessed, unconscious material to our consciousness, so it is best to pay attention.

Medications

Of course, in severe cases, the intervention of psychiatric prescriptions is necessary.

Religion/Spirituality/Retreats

While it is true that you cannot just pray away your mental health problems, you can never discount the value of prayer and spiritual approaches, including intercessory prayers. If all else fails, this could be your only hope.

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Other Practical 'Therapies'

Depending on the issue, one can resort to a host of other therapies: physical exercise, massage, aromatherapy, breathing exercises, vagus nerve exercises, acupuncture, communing with nature, joining a support group/group therapy, enjoying some hobbies, etc.

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Precautions: Psychotherapy vis-a-vis Christian POV, Etc.

Beware of the pitfalls of the secular application of psychological concepts, as it tends to get you stuck at a self-centered position, in contrast to contextualizing therapies in the broader context of spiritual healing and wholeness. After all, the journey towards mental wellbeing is not much different from the pursuit of spiritual wholeness -- in other words, holiness.

Then there's the danger of abusing the use of psychological terms and psychiatric diagnoses to refer to normal negative behaviors or mere character weakness or to rationalize bad choices in life, e.g., saying you are depressed when in fact you are merely sad. Personally, I find the use the word 'abuse' much abused with overuse, especially since it's a term with unclear and inexact meaning and thus prone to misinterpretation.

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Having said all these, it is unfortunate that, even though the need for help among many sufferers is quite pressing, our society is ill equipped at addressing their concerns. There are just not enough counselors, psychologists, and psychiatrists, especially in the countryside, and if they are available at all, counseling and psychotherapeutic sessions cost an arm and leg, way out of reach of most people. In Metro Manila, the only institutions I know that render pro bono work are church-based. One is the Redemptorist church (Our Lady of Perpetual Help national shrine's St. Gerard Family Life Center) in Baclaran and the other is the Psycho-Trauma Clinic in St. Aquinas Research Complex, UST, Sampaloc.

posted by Resty Odon  # 9:23 PM 0 Comments