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14 years ago 0 50 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
The Depression Centre is now offering Group Program Walkthroughs!

Depression Center Members,
 
I hereby commit myself to the weekly participation of the discussion of the sessions. I will work hard, be honest and will keep an open mind. I enjoy working with other who have some of the same issues and will try to understand issues that are outside the realm of my knowing. I encourage any and all members to participate as well. I look forward to hearing from all of you. Thank you to Ashley for setting this up and getting us started. I have no judgments on anyone except myself and I will try to not be so hard on myself as well. I expect nothing but kindness, open minds, and active energy in the discussions.
 
Thank you all,
 
Fallabe12
14 years ago 0 50 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Group Discussion on Session 1

I find that I am moving at an upbeat, but steady pace. However, I do not wish to rush and would like to work at the same pace as others in the group in order to get the most out of it. I found the first session was helpful to me. I have been making a daily activity tracker and mood tracker for myself. I have not visited the site daily, but I do check it weekly. I feel more encouraged to continue on a good path and the homework helps me to find a starting place. For me, it is always hard to know where to start. It seems almost an impossible task. I like that the sessions help me to organize everything, which is something I definitely need, in order to progress in this program with effective and accurate results.
 
Part of tracking my symptoms is the daily mood tracker. Also, how many daily goals/activities I commit to doing. The more I get done, the better I feel. I check things off as I go along and later, look back on my activities that week and see how many of the daily tasks I had done and how many I set out to do but have not completed. It really helps me to see where I'm at.
 
I hope I stayed within the group topic. My mind has so much static sometimes that I can't concentrate on one thought or idea at a time.
 
Fallabe12
14 years ago 0 50 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Body and Mind meditation....

Hello all,
 
I am proud to announce that I have taken a step forward and have started therapy. I have worked on my first session with my therapist. She suggested a very helpful meditation in order to keep calm and to hopefully gain some insight into some of the problems I am facing.
 
The meditation is to start with you tapping your hands on your knees from a relaxed, sitting position. Then, bring up images in your mind of certain life situations. The object of the exercise Is to focus on connecting the physical sensations with the feeling in your mind. Making this connection is extremely important because very often, even if we do not know how we are feeling in our heads, our bodies will know how we are feeling. We experience headaches, body aches, feelings of anxiety in our body, tenseness, etc. If we can learn to recognize the way our bodies are feeling physically and connect that to how we are feeling mentally, we can form a bod-mind connection that will help us to better understand soem of our issues, as well as find better ways to recognize the triggers/warning sign of an upcoming episode, as well as how to cope with it.
 
Visualization is key here!! Relax, keep an open mind and allow your thoughts to come naturally to you, do not force them. Think of a particular event in your life that has truly mad you sad or brought feelings of hopelessness or devastation into your life. For every action, there is a reaction, so try and think of a time when you remember something triggering your mood or a time when your negative mood was strongest. Then, keep going from memory to memory with no judgments, simply observation of your thought and mind. Once you feel you have sufficiently pictured an event, try to see how your body reacts to the emotions of that memory. Continue this for several memories. Then, picture someone in your life or a symbol in the world that represents what makes you feel protected. Connect those feeling with what you are physically feeling. Then think of a nurturer in your life and go with that. Again, connect with the physical sensations. The, think o a place in your mind, whether in reality or in your imagination that makes you feel calm and at peace. Now, take that feeling in and notice how your body feels. Now, visualize your future and where you would like to be. Then, visualize taking all your past memories, and thoughts of your future and place it in a container where you can store them and then reopen them at a later time. All the while, breathe deeply.
 
Hope this helps,
 
Fallabe12
14 years ago 0 50 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Body and Mind meditation....

If anyone has any other suggestion for meditation routines that also work, please list them here. It would be most helpful. Also, If you do try this meditation I suggested, give feedback on how it has been working for you. In addition, if you have tried this meditation or something very similar before, please share your experiences.
 
Thank you,
 
Fallabe12
14 years ago 0 50 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Body and Mind meditation....

Luciana,
 
Thank you for your feedback. I am glad you are going to try the meditation I suggested. I hope I made it clear. Thank you also for helping to encourage others to post their experiences as well.
 
Fallabe12
14 years ago 0 50 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Body and Mind meditation....

kittykat,
 
I am so glad you have read this post and have tried the meditation. It puts a smile on my face. I am glad you found it interesting. Thank you for your feedback.
 
Fallabe12
14 years ago 0 50 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Body and Mind meditation....

goofy,
 
I don't know who the originator of this idea/technique is, but I will ask my therapist where this meditation came from and what the name is. As soon as I know, I will post it here. I would like to know that too.
 
Thanks,
 
Fallabe12
14 years ago 0 50 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Body and Mind meditation....

Pete,
 
Thank you!! I am proud of myself, as well, for starting my therapy again. You mentioned group meditation therapy? Sounds very interesting. I like the sound of that. Thank you for taking an interest in the suggested meditation and although you aren't able to fully take it on just yet, I appreciate that you are optimistic about trying it in the future.
 
I too, have only used meditation for spiritual practice in the past. I have also used it for relaxation to help me go to sleep. But, this is the first time I am using it in a way that will calm my mind as well. I guess calm body = calm mind is the idea.
 
Thanks,
 
Fallabe12
14 years ago 0 50 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Lithium?

freefall,
 
I was prescribed lithium, and although I am not taking it now, I did at one time. My experience with the side effects was very negative, so I decided to get off it.
 
Side effects I had:
Body shaking/trembling
Hand tremors ( I too would have a hard time drinking from a cup, before I got even close to bring it to my mouth, I would spill it all over me)
Facial twitching
Involuntary muscle movements (my legs would give out beneath me and I would fall)
Constipation
Hair drying out and falling out
Gaining a lot of weight
 
If these are your experiences as well, you have to assess your symptoms with your care provider and discuss the severity of the side effects and how they make you feel. Sometimes the costs outweigh the benefits.
 
You said you're on mg. Well, I don't think it has to do much with dosage, but it's possible because everyone reacts differently on this medication, but, I was on mg of Lithium and I had the same side effects you listed. So, I am not 100% sure on what you should do, but if the side effects are becoming a serious worry or a terrible inconvenience, then I would suggest lowering the dosage. Also, and most importantly, talk with your health care provider. Be assertive and don't be ignored. I told my doctor that I needed a reduction on the amount of meds I was taking, and they arrogantly told me thats not what I needed and that I will stay on the meds. That is ridiculous!! Only you, the client/consumer, if you will, can dictate the details of their treatment plan. Mental health specialists are there to help guide you and make suggestions for treatment, not dictate or tell you what treatment to go with.
 
Fallabe12
14 years ago 0 50 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Lithium?

You said you're on 1350 mg. Well, I don't think it has to do much with dosage, but it's possible because everyone reacts differently on this medication, but, I was on 600 mg of Lithium and I had the same side effects you listed. Correction in my middle paragraph. Sorry. I put mg, but didn't have the number there.