Jed Shlackman, LMHC, treats clients in the Miami, South Florida area as well as people from around the world who experienced a variety of trauma related and mental health issues. In addressing schizophrenia, anxiety, PTSD, and other trauma related reactions it is helpful to see how our mind and body function to handle perceived threats. We can get stuck in reactive programs carried in our subconscious mind and ancestral memory that are designed to enable us to react instantly without taking time to think. In that state of adrenaline infused nervous system stimulation and impulsive reaction we may act in ways that are not appropriate to the present situation, but which were designed to help us deal with a past stress or trauma. We can release the past trauma and retrain our mind-body system to no longer be triggered into that anxious, agitated state when there is no real threat. Holistic mind-body and energetic therapies can be valuable in fostering this healing process. Traumatic experiences trigger defense mechanisms that are instinctive measures for safety - but when those instinctive and subconscious reactions take over we may act irrationally and inappropriately for our present environment. When we can reconnect with the traumatic memory in a centered, integrated state, where we are no longer overwhlemed or stuck in that protective state, then we can restore a healthy sense of self relative to our environment. Here Jed has provided an explanation of his holistic approach to providing therapy and treatment to address these issues.
The Truth About Schizophrenia And Psychotic Disorders Schizophrenia is a psychiatric diagnosis given to individuals who present certain types of behaviors and patterns of mental activity that suggest they are poorly oriented to the ordinary human social environment. Schizophrenia is a label often given to those who appear to be at the extreme of the schizoid personality pattern, a pattern that is based upon a primal sense of being anxious and unsafe in the physical world and human social environment and needing to retreat or escape into one's inner world and/or the spiritual, non-physical realm. This is a coping or survival mechanism that comes from an unconscious, primal level, and can be triggered by environmental stresses. Similar symptoms can also appear in response to the effects of certain psychedelic drugs that have similarities to the effects of the compound adrenochrome, a byproduct of adrenaline that occurs naturally in the human body and is thought to become elevated in schizophrenics. Pioneering orthomolecular psychiatrist Abram Hoffer M.D. researched adrenochrome and also was successfully using Niacin (vitamin B3) to reverse symptoms of schizophrenia in a substantial percentage of patients.
If we recognize that this is a response or defense to cope with deep fear and feeling threatened we see how it could aid the person - they would be able to psychologically escape or dissociate from the physical environment and could also access input from the non-physical realms and extrasensory perception to identify danger. Their state of consciousness would appear abnormal and "crazy" or "insane" to most other people but it would serve a function for them and enable them to use abilities that other people don't normally exercise. Unfortunately, those with the schizophrenic pattern may remain stuck in that state and unable to ground themselves and function normally in a non-threatening environment. Also, their psychic perception is often distorted and confused as it gets mixed with their fears and fantasies. Some of them tend to be hyper-religious and unable to use discernment regarding their religious beliefs. There are many people who become professional mediums and psychics who were once perceived as schizophrenic or mental ill, and in many cases they needed to first heal their personal anxiety and traumas in order to balance themselves and refine their intuitive skills to use them in a more clear and accurate manner.
The schizoid type needs to be able to feel safe in the human body and have a stable environment. Their coping mechanism is one that is available from an infant stage of human development, where the individual is dependent upon parental caretakers for safety and nurturance and where the consciousness spends little time fully present on the physical plane. Babies spend most of their time sleeping, in and out of dream states where they are more connected to the inner realms and the spiritual planes.
Schizophrenics are commonly addicted to nicotine cigarettes - which combines an oral stimulus (like a pacifier) with a chemical that is a stimulant. It has been suspected that by converting their adrenaline rapidly into adrenochrome schizophrenics feel anxious as their adrenaline is depleted and seek the nicotine to refresh the adrenaline and neurotransmitters that are dependent upon the adrenal activation system. Schizophrenics tend to be sensitive to some common foods and environmental chemicals (gluten, for example, usually aggravates their symptoms). Their brains are in a sense inflamed by the toxic adrenochrome, so inflammatory foods could worsen the condition. Since they are weak in their lower chakras (digestion and elimination are functions of those lower 3 chakras) it is not surprising that they may digest some foods poorly and absorb the resulting toxins into their bloodstream which can have psychoactive effects. Most mental illnesses have a connection to the digestive system since what is happening with digestion has effects that influence the nervous system and other functional systems. If food is not digested fully it can create toxic compounds that affect the nervous system and it can lead to nutrient deficiencies, which also affect the brain and nervous system. Toxicity and malnutrition can be triggers for psychiatric symptoms. Medications used as antipsychotics are designed to suppress portions of the brain, but they don't treat any of the actual causes and they have debilitating side effects since they don't discriminate between the undesired activity and the desired functions of those brain pathways.
At the root of healing schizoid patterns is fostering a sense of calmness and safety and helping the person feel comfortable being fully grounded and embodied. Often, these individuals grow up in chaotic or neglectful family environments or go in and out of psychiatric facilities (which are themselves usually disturbing, chaotic environments). Providing safe, nurturing environments would help them recover. Good nutrition to help their bodies detoxify and stabilize their neurochemistry would also be beneficial. Spiritual healing to help balance and stabilize their energy fields and resolve past traumas (from this lifetime as well as other lifetimes and ancestral lineages) can also help address the schizoid patterns. Once integrated more into the physical plane, these individuals can be extraordinarily productive and helpful to society, as their development on the mental and physical level usually exceeds the norm of society. Many are very gifted in some areas, such as science, art, music, writing, and metaphysics. They just need to become more stable on the physical and emotional planes to be able to relate to society better and live more fulfilling lives.
Conventional psychiatric treatment often further aggravates mental health issues rather than helping people recover. Supporting true healing requires that we have an interdisciplinary, multi-dimensional, holistic understanding of mind, body, and spirit. I encourage you to read and study further to gain insight into schizophrenia and how those who have been given this diagnosis can become healthy and whole. The references below provide a wealth of information that transcends and supersedes much of what doctors and mental health professionals are usually taught. This will give you a clearer understanding of this subject and tips for a humane and effective approach to fostering healing.
The Biochemistry Of Schizophrenia - Elevated Adrenochrome And Megavitamin Therapies
Niacin & Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia, Psychosis, and Nutrition
Dr. Abram Hoffer's Book On Vitamin B3 (Niacin) and Schizophrenia Treatment
Schizophrenia, Adrenochrome, & Vitamin Therapy
Schizophrenia and Wheat / Gluten Reaction
Schizophrenia and Nicotine
Alternative APA - Dr. McKenzie - PTSD From Infancy And Healing Or Preventing Schizophrenia
PTSD & Schizophrenia
The Alternative APA & Schizophrenia
Bioenergetics & The "Schizoid" Character Structure - Healing Root Chakra Issues
Schizoid Character Structure in Bioenergetics
More On Character Structure Defenses
The 1st Chakra (Root) And The Schizoid Character Structure Defense
The Schizoid Defense (pdf)
