What Ultimately Makes us Suffer or Recover

[getofflex]

This is a profoundly helpful and wise video I just listened to by Dr. Peter Breggin, who is a well known psychiatrist who has been able to heal psychotic people without drugs.  Dr Breggin is anti psychiatric drugs.  

 

His main 2 points are 1) learned psychological helplessness is the cause of mental illness, be it depression, psychosis, etc. 2) learned helplessness around love is especially a cause of mental health issues 3) what is at the root of mental illness is the belief that we are unloveable and undeserving of love.  He says we can overcome this by cultivating the belief that we are not helpless, that we are able to be effective human beings, and that we are capable of and deserving of love, and we can be the source of love for other people.  He says he believes that loving other people is more healthy than just loving ourselves.  He stresses the importance of being in touch with nature and with a higher power.  He also says that addictions are attempts to find happiness by bypassing these healthy philosophies and that addictions never work to bring you happiness.  

 

I would love to start a discussion about this topic.  It is an hour long, but well worth the time spent.  I listed to it while I was doing chores around the house.