Resources for Extraordinary Healing: Schizophrenia, Bipolar and Other Serious Mental Illnesses
Resources for
Extraordinary Healing:
Schizophrenia, Bipolar and Other Serious Mental Illnesses
Emma Bragdon, PhD
Copyright 2011 by Lightening Up Press
All Rights Reserved.
Published in eBook format by Lightening Up Press
E-book ISBN: 978-0-9620960-0-6
Website: www.ResourcesforExtraordinaryHealing.com
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
Previous Books by Emma Bragdon, PhD
A Sourcebook for Helping People with Spiritual Problems
The Call of Spiritual Emergency:
From Personal Crisis to Personal Transformation
Spiritual Alliances:
Discovering the Roots of Health at the Casa de Dom Inacio
Kardec’s Spiritism:
A Home for Healing and Spiritual Evolution
Spiritism and Mental Health:
Practices from Spiritist Centers and Spiritist Psychiatric Hospitals in Brazil
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Disclaimer
The ideas and information contained in this book are for your education only and are not intended as a basis for diagnosis or treatment or a substitute for careful medical evaluation and treatment by a competent, licensed personal healthcare professional. The authors cited in this book do not recommend changing any current medications or adding any new therapies without personally consulting a fully qualified physician. The authors specifically disclaim any liability arising directly or indirectly from information contained herein.
Neither the publisher, editor, authors, nor suppliers make any claim that the information they provided in this book will cure or heal disease. No responsibility is assumed by the publisher, editor, authors or suppliers for any injury and or damage to person or property from any use of any methods, products, instruction or ideas referenced in the materials herein. Any unfinished course of treatment as well as any use of a referral and/or subsequent treatment regimen sought or as a result of buying or reading this book is the sole responsibility of the reader.
Note
The information is current at the time of publication, and is distributed as a courtesy to the public. We intend to make future editions available as new resources become known and information needs to be updated. Although we prefer to use the term “extreme states” instead of “mental illnesses,” which we associate with stigma, we have used the latter term so that the information we publish will be easier to find.
Advance Praise
“Resources for Extraordinary Healing provides a unique, ground-breaking contribution to the treatment of severe psychiatric disorders.
We are undoubtedly in urgent need of an alternative strategy, as the conventional approach sentences patients with serious mental illness to lives unbearably compromised by the treatment of their illnesses. The centerpiece of mainstream psychiatric treatment in 2011 is psychoactive medication that only palliates symptoms. It is often accompanied by such untoward and severe side-effects that patients feel chronically physically ill. With courage and clarity, Emma Bragdon introduces the reader to effective modalities of treatment that are very foreign to the conventional, western, rational "scientific" mind. She sensitively anticipates how the Spiritist philosophy and methodology will strike the ear of a mainstream reader, as the modalities she introduces posit a complete paradigm shift in our thinking about the cause of psychiatric disorder. Dr. Bragdon makes this unfamiliar perspective accessible with simple, clear explanations and moving case histories."
--Judy Tsafrir, MD, on Faculty at Harvard Medical School,
Adult and Child Psychiatrist and Psychoanalyst, Newton, MA. USA
“Through dramatic stories Emma Bragdon reveals the wisdom, grace and authentic power in deep spiritual healing and advocates that it needs to be an integral and vital component of recovery from mental illness. The most impressive results come with a compassionate, inclusive and collaborative approach to healing mental illness that is closely integrated with medical and therapeutic practices. This powerful book is a reference and guide for anyone wanting to fully heal from profound emotional disturbances, as well as their families and health providers.”
--Jill Leigh, Founder and Director, Energy Healing Institute, Boston, MA
"Western biopsychiatry has tried to disprove the existence of Spirit, but yet it refuses to go away. The reductionist focus on pure biochemistry and drugs has had devastating effects, producing some of the worst outcomes in the world for mental distress. With this book, Emma Bragdon is pointing us in another direction. When we allow those suffering from mental distress to engage with spiritual realms, in whatever form that takes, then they are able to access their most potent source of healing. Other cultures have figured this out. It's time that we did as well. This is an excellent overview of integrative--and successful--ways of discovering and recovering mental wellness without resorting to brain-altering drugs that may be harmful and numb the soul."
--Mark Foster, DO, family physician and author of the forthcoming book A Ghost in the Machine: Essays from the Front Lines of a Mental Health Revolution
“Resources for Extraordinary Healing is a valuable compendium on integrative approaches for healing from serious mental illnesses, useful for both mental health practitioners as well as those suffering from mental illness. Instead of merely masking symptoms with potent and potentially harmful medications, practitioners and patients who read this book will be encouraged to explore the underlying spiritual imbalances that are often at the root of mental breakdown. The book offers the reader guidance as well as many resources for embarking on a spiritual approach to healing from mental illness. The author, Emma Bragdon, PhD, writes in a style that is concise, yet full of wisdom and compassion. Her depth of knowledge about her subject is apparent throughout the book.”
--Erica Elliott, MD is in private practice in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She has consulted with John of God twice for her personal healing, and she encourages her patients to incorporate some of the methods described in this book to further their healing.
“Bragdon has done an admirable job of pulling together a diverse chorus of voices and resources, all pointing to the shortcomings of the bio-medical model and the need to re-integrate spirituality into treatment and recovery. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to learn more about the practical application of spirituality to healing from addictions and emotional distress.”
--Leah Harris, MA, Communications and Development Coordinator
The National Empowerment Center
“Having been involved over the past half-century with young students in the USA and abroad, I have seen the huge rise in the use of standardized testing and "therapeutic" drugs to combat so-called learning "disabilities," ADHD, poor social skills, uninspired teaching and basic boredom. Far too often a child and family face various labels and prescribed medicines as the only acceptable option to combat continued failure, confusion, and frustration. This book is the result of well over a decade of international research, scholarship and personal anecdotes regarding other kinds of evaluations and methods to facilitate emotional balance. It lends deep insight into the effectiveness of approaches and treatments well known to most of the older cultures of the world and is