Bipolar Disorder: How To Heal Bipolar Mania

Christof,
Thank you for your comments and I appreciate your input. I´ve given thought to adding the sort of 'warning label' info you talk about. The problem right now is that, basically, there are no professionals helping people through psychosis in this manner, and no locations to do the work. The only people who 'make it through' simply have the personal conviction that what they are going through is important, then are lucky enough to make it throught their experiences despite the efforts of family, psychiatrists AND therapists who mostly dismiss and pathologized everything they are going through. Every once in a while, I hear of an exception...a sensitive psychiatrist or psychologist who gets it, but on the whole, they are the exception, for now. I just took a module with Grof Training and there were actually 2 psychiatrists there. It was a welcome site!
Sean Blackwell
My YouTube channel is bipolarORwakingUP.

Dear Sean Blackwell.

Thank you for your kind reply. I largely agree to your response to my comment on your video, and want to elicit some of the problems psychiatrists, and psychologists have to take into considderation before being able to offer the kind of treatment we are discussing.

I belief that it is these problems and issues, rather than lack of interest in offering this therapy that prevents most mental healthcare professionals from offering that kind of therapy.

a) As said earlyer, not all patients with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia would benefit from guided therapy during psychosis. Some of the main pre-requisits for successfull treatment are:

a1 - the patient needs to have a realiable support network before, during, and after therapy, which many don´t have. Often the lifestyle and behavior related to recurring manic or psychotic episodes has stressed the social support network to an extend that it needs serious re-construction ( family based therapy ) before entering into treatment with guided psychotic episodes.
a2) Patients as well as support network need to be motivated, and have a reasonable insight into their disorder. ( psychoeducation)
a3) When this is in place, psychiatrists and psychologists encounter an even bigger problem, funding:

Even in countries with a relatively functional social and health care program, public health insurance does not cover the expenses for a therapy that is as cost and work intensive as this one.

Even if we do have the clinical fascilities, and even if we had the ressources to begin a work intensive treatment, which may take hours, days, weeks, noone knows, the cost for the patient would be bigger than the vast majority could afford.

Ideally:
There would be established patient associations that establish clinics where patients can be assessed, enter a psycho-educational program together with their support network, where social counsellors help making sure that the psycho-social environment of the patients is optimal.
Such clinics would typically have a secretary, a couple of social counsellors, 8 nurses, a group of 10 volunteers who can be well functioning patients and persons with relevant educations, as well as as 3 psychiatrists and 3 psychologists.

With that setting one would be able to have up to 10 patients at a time in preparatory treatment, while having the capacity to treat up to 4 cases of acute psychosis.

Now you do the math - As much as I´d like to offer that kind of program, I wouldn´t be able to establish such a clinic.

The math further tells me, that most patients wouldn´t be able to afford treatment either, unless there would be some considderable support from either state, municipality, patients organizations or others.

I´m glad you registered that there were psychiatrists and psychologists taking part in one of the Grof seminars. However, I can´t understand that you are so surprized about it. ;)

You are wellcome to write to me at my e-mail lehmannchristof@gmail.com if you want to discuss further.

Best regards

Christof Lehmann M.psych
Clinical psychologist

PSYKOLOGHJØRNET
Jægergårdsgade 54 1.sal
8000 Århus C
Denmark



With that setting you could have about ten patients in preparatory therapy at the time, while having the capacity to treat up to