A withdrawal retreat

[Bruci]

As I go through this hell, I often wish I had a retreat to go to, a place in nature where I could undergo my healing process with others who are also coming off meds. Is there such a place anywhere? 

[HugHK]

On 9/29/2021 at 9:37 PM, Bruci said:

As I go through this hell, I often wish I had a retreat to go to, a place in nature where I could undergo my healing process with others who are also coming off meds. Is there such a place anywhere? 

 

Hey

 

Where I live in HK, there is a great walk in the jungle with scenic views at the top around the peak. This isn't available to everyone though, I guess it depends on what parks you have near to you. 

 

I also find that a place can be a mental space: in spending time doing something you really like.

 

I am passionate about climate change, weather forecasting, History, and I also really like to read. Currently I'm in a wave. It sucks. But I know that every day I have a walk in the forest with beautiful views to look forward to, and I am currently in the middle of a 13 hundred page book that is really captivating. I am also writing something about the battle of Stalingrad and how the weather influenced battle conditions. 

 

I wrote something similar for the winter of 1941/42 on the Russian front. I enjoy these things so much that I am able to temporarily forget how bad I feel when I do these things.

 

These things also give me a sense of achievement. I can't live a normal life, I've had to drop my favourite hobbies (sport, socialising) and have cut down socialising to sometimes nothing for a week or two (I live on my own and WFH), but moving forward with my personal projects is enough to keep some form of happiness. 

 

Some other ideas may include listening to music, watching a good film / TV series, playing video games: anything that that creates big endorphines rushes and sets your mind on something nice. 

 

Look forward to hearing what others have in mind!

[UnfoldingSky]

I think there are a few retreats now designed for people in withdrawal. I wish I could recall their names...If you look on the site Mad in America , regularly read there, every so often one will be mentioned.  (Please note if you are not familiar with this site there can also be a lot of upsetting info on it, so if you are in a bad phase of withdrawal you might want to avoid it.)  Also be careful if you want to visit one of them make sure you vet their withdrawal process as there is at least one place claiming to help people that is expensive where they seem to want to take people off pills too fast.  If they don't follow the withdrawal protocols advised here, I would avoid them.  If they say they get everyone off pills in a month, definitely avoid.

 

It's also generally a good idea to find out too what they do if a crisis develops too.  And be mindful if the place also takes in street drug users as some of those types of centers can treat people who are stuck tapering psych drugs like they are addicts. (More common I think if you are on benzos than other sorts of pills.)  From what I have heard at least a number of years ago in North American rehab type set-ups like this they often had terrible tapering policies, or sometimes no tapering policies at all as in they would make people go cold turkey or nearly so. (I desperately hope they have improved since then, could be they have, I honestly don't know.)

 

Another option if you can't find a dedicated space for withdrawal, depending on what symptoms you have is to just find a retreat of another sort and visit there.   As long as you can bring your pills and cut them how you want then it might work too.  Like you might find a spiritual retreat to visit, some have done that.  Of course if you feel comfortable sharing with them about what's going on, it would be a good idea to thoroughly vet them to make sure that they would understand about withdrawal and how they might handle a crisis. 

 

I hope you are able to find somewhere relaxing that helps you!

[UnfoldingSky]

10 hours ago, HugHK said:

 

 

 

I am passionate about climate change, weather forecasting, History, and I also really like to read. Currently I'm in a wave. It sucks. But I know that every day I have a walk in the forest with beautiful views to look forward to, and I am currently in the middle of a 13 hundred page book that is really captivating. I am also writing something about the battle of Stalingrad and how the weather influenced battle conditions. 

 

I wrote something similar for the winter of 1941/42 on the Russian front. I enjoy these things so much that I am able to temporarily forget how bad I feel when I do these things.

 

 

 

 

 

Your writing sounds really interesting, I am into history lately too.