Re: Light therapy . . . addiction? ()

[Guest guest]

, I've printed your post for safekeeping and future reference.

Yes I'm really beginning to see this way now. My husband was the

first to actually comment on it; when I told him what I was doing

with the help of this site, he said it sounded like Chinese

medicine, and he's been quite supportive.

I have learned that it's best to heal the underlying problem, rather

than tinker with body chemistry, because just like you said,

problems with body chemistry are a symptom of an underlying

imbalance. Experience is a very good teacher.

What I always wanted was to heal the depression through whatever

natural means I could. I think this is what most people would like.

The answers were very, very hard to find though and yes, I'm deeply

disturbed by that too. I think many people on my SAD forum wouldn't

even believe me. Many have already told me, or implied, that they

don't believe their problems can be solved by nutrition alone.

It feels good to know I'm on the right track, and not to obsess

about the weather anymore. I feel a lot more free now.

Thanks ,

.

[Guest guest]

> * * This is the evidence that it is related to your abrupt

withdrawal

> from the antidepressant. Your system is trying to re-balance

itself but all

> the light treatment is throwing it off. Your brain is not as

capable as it

> once was of handling serotonin.

How do I stop the light therapy? Is the gradual withdrawal I have

started the best way? It seems like a big shock to my system,

cutting down fast, and it makes me very unstable.

>

>

> BTW, the idea that " low serotonin " is the cause of depression is

a

> marketing tool only. You'll notice this is never definitively

stated,

> always coming with a modifier or disclaimer ( " may " , " believed to " ,

etc.)

Yes I've accepted that since I came here. This idea of low

serotonin, and the accompanying idea that serotonin needs to be

boosted, is deeply disturbing. It distracts from the real need,

which is to heal the underlying imbalance. I don't want to toy

around with serotonin anymore -- not with drugs, or light therapy,

or anything.

>

>

You need to stop

> seeing suicide as an option -- even as a way of expressing

yourself -- each

> time things get uncomfortable for a couple of days.

It helps that I can see the path ahead now. Any thoughts of suicide

I've had are always fuelled by desperation, a feeling that I'm

trapped, with no other way out. Even if I went through a really

tough spell now -- say, by cutting light therapy -- I would be able

to tell myself it's withdrawal, and I'll feel better for it, and to

stick it out.

You say that the artificial light is probably interfering with my

body's attempts to heal. I agree with you that it's a problem. My

question is simply, how do I best address it. I will do what you

advise, whether that's gradually cutting it down, or stopping

quickly so that my body can get on with healing.

Many thanks,

.

[Guest guest]

Hi , There is beauty even in a rainy, overcast climate. Kim just returned from Amish country in Ohio and shared some incredibly beautiful pictures with us that were taken in the rain. Do you ever remember being warned as a child that you could still get sunburnt on a cloudy day? The sun is there. It still warms our world, it still illuminates. It's okay that we can't see it everyday. We'd perish in an instant if the sun weren't actually there. I hesitate to use an example from religion, but I love the way it shifted my perception when I heard this. In a class I once had, a priest said, it is not about whether you believe in God, it's about whether he believes in you. If he stopped believing in us we would vanish in an instant. Great job on beginning to move through this.

Feel free to call! Free PC-to-PC calls. Low rates on PC-to-Phone. Get Yahoo! Messenger with Voice

[Guest guest]

" There is beauty even in a rainy, overcast climate "

LOL, stop talking about Britain like that!!!!

[Guest guest]

>

> " There is beauty even in a rainy, overcast climate "

>

> LOL, stop talking about Britain like that!!!!

>

LOLOL. It's rained every day here for a week and that doesn't look

like changing. My little girl can't understand why I won't go out to

play with her in the back yard in the cold, wet rain and wind

I love weather, I loved the extremes of weather we got in Missouri

where I grew up. Six months out of the year here (or more) it's just

dreary, grey and damp -- but it certainly can be atmospheric.

I only started hating the cloud when I had problems with SAD, and then

with this light therapy stuff. I think that once I get it sorted out,

I will be able to enjoy things like I never have before. I do get a

little taste of that once in a while. In fact I'm slightly afraid of

what I'm going to find along that road, because I know I'm also going

to feel more deeply than I've ever felt, and my experiences will have

changed me profoundly. I sort of don't know who is waiting to meet me

under there. In the past I think this kind of fear has caused me to

sabotage my own efforts -- as soon as I start to feel better, I do

something drastic and stupid.

It's nice to be in a position where I can even consider that

happening I think I can trust myself now though.

If I can add my own spiritual bit, I know I'm part of the universe,

and that it's important to go with the flow, in a Taoist sort of way I

guess. The problem is that I don't always know how to do that. My

instinct is usually a good guide, though, and I always seem to end up

in trouble when I go against it. We ought to learn to trust our

instincts more and not be so rationally-minded about everything, like

psychiatrists are

Thanks for the encouragement . I can't believe the chain of

events that's led me to here, but I value everything that's happened.

I've never been on such a profound path of learning, and that in

itself feels quite spiritual.

[Guest guest]

Dear ,

You said:

> You say that the artificial light is probably interfering with my

> body's attempts to heal. I agree with you that it's a problem. My

> question is simply, how do I best address it. I will do what you

> advise, whether that's gradually cutting it down, or stopping

> quickly so that my body can get on with healing.>>

** I don't see any issue with just stopping the light box. No

matter which way you go you run into some problems each day anyway.

The important thing here is to remember it is time-limited.

I would go outside and get some light each day whether it's sunny or

not.

Regards,

[Guest guest]

> The important thing here is to remember it is time-limited.

Thanks for your post; could you just clarify this statement though?

I know that I do a certain duration of light therapy but I'm not

quite sure what the idea is here.

I guess the question is, do I risk a week or more of being very

unwell and possibly struggling to look after my toddler? There's no

one else here to help me, which makes that a little scary. If I am

in the state I was in when I returned home from Denver last year,

I'd be so sleepy and sluggish that I'd barely be able to lift my

head and move. That won't necessarily happen but it's possible.

The drama queen in me says, wha-hey, go to hell and back gal. I

don't listen to her so much nowadays.

I've made two small cuts in my light therapy over the past several

days and so far I'm quite alright. I can feel some withdrawal

afterwards but it's not troublesome at all. At the rate I'm going I

reckon I'll be done with the light in three weeks or so -- that's

assuming I can reduce at a continual pace, which might not be the

case. But I think that might be an ideal sort of timeframe to look

at.

I'm interested to hear that you think it would be OK to just stop.

We don't advise people to just stop an antidepressant. I realise

that one is a drug and one isn't -- is that the difference? Both

affect neurotransmitters.

Thanks ,

.

[Guest guest]

,

wouldn't recommend for you to stop the light box if she

thought it would cause significant problems. She has already

discussed this issue with you in her posts. You can either do it or

not do it--it's up to you.

When we say something is time-limited, it means the problem will go

away in time. It won't last forever. So, if you have some symptoms

from stopping the light box, they will go away.

Keep in mind the big picture here. You are dealing with a cold-turkey

withdrawal from SSRIs. The light visor is adding excessive

stimulation to your nervous system, which is already reeling from the

SSRI withdrawal. While the visor may make you feel a bit better at

times, it may actually be doing harm in the long run in the quantities

you are doing it.

This withdrawal issue is NOT parallel to drug withdrawal. The drugs

have a far more profound effect on the body and cause damage in a

number of ways.

Your fear of a possible (not probable, just possible) reaction to

stopping the light box is going to lead you to have more symptoms.

It's also going to cause you to react more profoundly to those

symptoms. By giving this so much power, you are making it much harder

on yourself. It sounds a lot like that bedtime potato to me!

Regards,

Kim

--

KIM DENISE FINE ART

www.Kim.com

Fine Art Gifts

www.CafePress.com/Kim

[Guest guest]

<<Thanks for your post; could you just clarify this statement

though? I know that I do a certain duration of light therapy but I'm

not quite sure what the idea is here[statement was " The important

thing here is to remember it is time-limited " .]

I guess the question is, do I risk a week or more of being very

unwell and possibly struggling to look after my toddler? There's no

one else here to help me, which makes that a little scary. If I am in

the state I was in when I returned home from Denver last year, I'd be

so sleepy and sluggish that I'd barely be able to lift my head and

move. That won't necessarily happen but it's possible. >>

** You were eating poorly last year.

<<The drama queen in me says, wha-hey, go to hell and back gal. I

don't listen to her so much nowadays. >>

** Been there, done that. Now, as a compromise, I hang out

here ;-)

Here's what I tell people -- if you're not ready to hear my

opinion, don't ask. In other words, don't shoot the messenger.

<<I've made two small cuts in my light therapy over the past several

days and so far I'm quite alright. I can feel some withdrawal

afterwards but it's not troublesome at all. At the rate I'm going I

reckon I'll be done with the light in three weeks or so -- that's

assuming I can reduce at a continual pace, which might not be the

case. But I think that might be an ideal sort of timeframe to look

at. >>

** So do what you feel is best.

<<I'm interested to hear that you think it would be OK to just stop.

We don't advise people to just stop an antidepressant. I realise that

one is a drug and one isn't -- is that the difference? Both affect

neurotransmitters. >>

** There's a vast difference in how each affects

neurotransmitters. Psychotropic drugs cause unnatural structural

changes in the structure of the brain and alter chemistry in a way

your brain and body never would. Light supports the brain in

functioning as it should. The problem here is that it does not help

to force the brain into doing something it is not ready to do because

of the alterations to brain structure and chemistry.

Regards,