Addiction and Mental Illness

It must be warned before absorbing this article, if you or someone you know have/has experience(d) addiction, mental illness or trauma and are suffering as a result, please do not hesitate seeking professional help. I will include a few numbers of agencies that can be contacted in the event of non-life-threatening emergencies. If the emergency is life threatening dial 9-1-1 or go to your nearest hospital immediately.

You are loved! You do matter! You are worth it! You have what it takes!

Having been through many experiences myself a multitude of feelings and emotions have arisen. I know talking about such events can lead to feelings and intense emotions, which may be triggering to some. I only wish to give you my belief on how we can possibly heal completely from this trio. I have asked Spirit to protect and guide those impacted by Trauma, Addiction and Mental Illness on every scale.

Addiction and Mental Illness are very serious and should not be taken lightly. All these insights I am about to share with you comes from a place of love and compassion. I was taught by the most compassionate and loving human being I had the honor of knowing, as of late. I met her when I was trying to figure out why I was still having nightmares, the same from my childhood. Even after, I forgave myself and my abusers (even if it wasn’t directly at my abusers). I still did it for the abuse I was remembering I endured. I was very sensitive to sounds that came from other people doing normal things like, washing the dishes or being too heavy on the feet. For me these sounds would force me to cower in fear.

I just want to say one more thing before I start. It was an honor knowing her and becoming part of her family.

Over the 20 years we knew one another we both gained amazing and valuable insights from each other. She would teach of these insights in her holistic therapy sessions. I have come to this theory from surviving through a plethora of traumatic events and have suffered from addiction and mental illnesses. I hope they may enlighten you on this subject or provide another angle of viewing them. Mental Illness and addiction are a direct symptom of trauma. Especially when the needs of the individual are left unmet there will be at least one type of mental illness impacting their life. I believe that addiction and mental illnesses when combined stemmed from a singular or multiple traumatic event(s). They can develop at any time during or after the experience. Even if the same incident occurs to different people, there can be completely different outcomes for each individual. These experiences leave us with a traumatized psyche.

Recalling traumas should never be done alone.

Please make sure you have a safe person or a therapist with you if you do.

The human brain processes highly emotional events such as a fatal car crash or the birth of your child uniquely from episodic memories. Memories of daily life. Traumatic experiences can leave us in a constant state of fight or flight. It is when we are in this state adrenalin, cortisol and norepinephrine are released. The brain would then create an imprint of the event and store it in the amygdala. The amygdala is responsible for processing memory and emotional response. When one recalls a trauma experience our heart may start to beat fast, maybe have a panic attack, start sweating and become afraid. These are symptoms of PTSD. Due to this emotional imprint our amygdala cannot discern recalling the emotional experience as opposed to physically in the actual event because the release of stress hormones. In this way we become addicted to the emotions of our memory. Since we have the ability of creating emotional imprints like this, through trauma. Then should we not have the ability to create new emotions to replace the limiting ones we hold to an event. Neuroplasticity says “when neurons fire together, they wire together” which means we can replace the limiting emotion that are holding us back from our potential. If you could change the way you remember horrible past traumas, would you? We recall memories with emotions. Our beliefs and values curve our perceptions. Our perceptions play a major role in how we discern these experiences. Due to everyone processing uniquely from one another a person who has experienced a trauma doesn’t always develop PTSD, meaning a singular trauma or Complex-PTSD, meaning repeated trauma and Major Depressive Disorder, substance abuse and self-harm are only some symptoms of Trauma.

If we only look to the known for answers or ideas, we will never become more then we know. We need to look outside the box of western medicine and delve back into the Eastern way of healing, especially with trauma patients.

You probably are aware that addiction is a form self-harm. This type of self-harm is a kind of self-medicating from trauma wounds. Some of which can be so concealed, within the mind, that one can develop unhealthy beliefs born from our fears. If any, of the methods available to you has not been working there is a chance a method is available somewhere. We should be able to heal completely, right? Healed of all the misguided information. I strongly believe humans are capable of healing from anything. Our body was designed to do so. But, why are there so many individuals suffering?

Only ever think of the things you want! The laws of Quantum Physics tell us that whatever we say, think or do will always come back to you. So be sure your intentions are with pure love.

Imagine what it was like to be the person before the first incident occurred. Try not to recount specific details of the trauma. Try to only remember the feelings and emotions that you felt. What was it like to feel that way before the limiting thoughts became your truth, beliefs and morals. The loss of innocence and trust. Now, remember how you felt after the trauma occurred. What emotion(s) were you feeling? How are they different now? What emotion has stuck with you? How has that emotion changed your views toward yourself, your relationships or your work? Now, remember how you are feeling now. Remember that you are worth it and that you are important. Now that you have survived till now, what would you say to your younger self? Say thank you to that other version of yourself for going through that event. Let them know they suffered long enough and you are ok and alive because of them. Tell them they don’t need to suffer any more. Tell them that you are grateful and you love them but they need to be free from the emotions. Whichever emotion you have been holding on to. All the fear and isolation, for all those years. It is now time to rewrite the meaning of that emotion. Release all the stigma you had to bind with the emotion(s). Thank your younger self one more time and let them go. Now say to yourself, I am strong, I can change all my negative and limiting beliefs. Pieces of me were stolen from me unwillingly. I now release the stigma I have attracted from these emotions. Now ask Spirit or God or Your Higher-Self to help rewrite the emotions you’ve held for so long.

You may start to feel all the false views you carried since the event ripple forward in time to you in the present. This may work for everyone. That is my aim. I believe that it is our birthright to feel loved and be safe.

Love and Blessings,

Roxane

Nation Institute of Mental Health 1-800-273-8255

Crisis Text Line text HELLO to 741741

Kids Help Phone 1-800-668-6868

LGBTQQ22SI crisis supports

Trans Lifeline Canada 1-877-330-6366

USA 1-877-565-8860

The Trevor Project for youth 1-866-488-7386