Claiming A New Paradigm...For Myself

So back to the idea of "can we shift from a mindset of "illness" to one of "wellness"...

Part of making that shift from "illness" to "wellness" mindset was choosing to see "diagnosis" and "symptoms" as something I can learn to change vs. seeing these labels as something I "have"...and I have no control over or power to change.

In talking with others I've noticed how they, like me in the past, talk about their mental wellness - or lack of it - as though it is a "thing".

And while it's true that this is the message we've been getting since Bill W. called alcoholism a "disease of the mind"...I found that in owning this message I was left feeling very dis-empowered. Or if you've been around for awhile, you may notice this is an idea that falls under that concept of "feeling powerless" (click to listen to what I said about "powerless" on BTR)

I felt powerless to change because I viewed my coping mechanisms of "acting out"; irritability, anger, aggression, hyper-vigilance ie the "lashing out" at the world and others - as well as the "acting in"; depression, dissociation, insomnia aka the "self harming" behaviors -as related to this "diagnosis" that told me that I had some "genetic" mutation in my genes that made it impossible to change"it" or the behaviors related to it.

By "buying into" the idea that my emotional and cognitive distress was something I "had" ie "I HAVE (fill in the blank with whatever your "diagnosis" or "symptom" is)..."

I was left feeling as though I had no power to change my life because that is what I had been told by the providers of...and is the "standard of care" in the biological, genetic, medical, disease model of mental health issues.

It was hard letting go of this paradigm of "care"...

I mean....come on; these guys are the "doctors", the "providers".....

Yes; but they are not "god".

And I gave them 15 years of my life to "fix me"....

But I found "wellness" when I gave up "illness" as my chosen "paradigm".

Next time....a look at what is a "paradigm" in the sciences....

Q: How have you claimed your own power recently?

I can dance!

Over at Healmyptsd, LLC Michele Rosenthal shares her story about how dancing helped to free her from her PTSD symtpoms....and creating that "new me" through movement and joy...

While I havent gone out to a dance studio, I have found the same freedom in movement in my own living room, it isnt anything fancy - I dont get dressed up and in fact kind of just start moving with the music on the radio. Pretty soon I find that I'm dancing at the dishwasher (while my pup Brindle stares in me in doggy wide eyed wonder like "mom???)

As I free myself to follow the beat of the music, I become a famous singer as I sing along to Beyonce and "halo"....or Rod Stewart....R kelly and his song "I can fly"....and in my mind I am standing at that place where the mountains wrap their expansive arms around me in safety and the sound of the ocean waves licking the edges of the beach I stand on....before I know it as I slowly begin to sway, or feel the beat and my body spins around my living room - I begin to feel free of all that that has imprisoned me for years.....

The body and mind are amazing and dont seem capable of holding the pain of the past AND the joy of movement at the same time (lucky me!) If I'm noticing that the horror movie is playing again in my head and the "fog" is starting to roll in - I can change my mood - my "state of mind" by turning on some tunes and just letting go....before long, my attitude is better, my outlook is better .... and....I might be acting silly and having fun! Listen up to this guy and his dilema........;) Susan

"Running is to dogs what dancing is to people. It is their way to get into the rhythm of the universe." ~Stanley Coren~