Healing Mental Illness Through Full Expression

Mental illness has always had solutions higher than any medication one can think about. Although medications are important, there are other alternative methods which bring even better results. These methods are directly linked to EXPRESSION. It can be easily deduced that most mental illness has to do with repressing emotions which ought to come out. And because of repressing them, these emotions boil as steam into maddening thoughts, which keep you up at night. Two types of these practices, which can relieve this pain, are: 

1) Art

2) Writing a journal

Art:

When someone who is diagnosed with a certain type of mental illness, he goes through his whole life wondering what he could do to heal himself. Although psychiatrists and therapy do help, they still realize that the overall problem, is only solved up to around 30%. There will always be that large portion inside them that is still not healed. They feel that some scars can never be soothed. But it can be noted, that all of such horrifying and petrified feelings and thoughts, comes from a fear of the expression of who you really are. Since you can't express it out in the open in a dangerous way, such as breaking things or shouting at someone, there has to be a better and more healthy medium. 

Out of all things which marks true expression, art will always be at the top. If you are dealing with such issues, find a practice of art which really does appeal to you. It can be poetry, novel writing, painting, composing music, and even singing. You need to find a medium in which to transform these scars within you to something beautiful. Art has always had its miraculous way of transforming the pain inside you into something magnificent.

So many artists in history claimed that they dealt with a form of mental illness, and added, that the only thing which helped was artistic expression. They realized that although the pain inside them was extreme, they could convert it into something else, something which becomes surprisingly beautiful. The best thing one can do, is to learn the lessons which echo from the past. 

Once you find an art in which to express all the horrors, and beauties, in your heart and soul, keep doing it. And make it like some sort of ritual, even though that sounds kind of strange. If the time is, say, 10:00 PM, say to yourself, "For the next 30 minutes, I'm going to focus ONLY on my art, and put what is exactly on my heart and mind unto my work." Let all the distorted thoughts and broken memories flow on your artistic work. Don't be afraid to go too far with it. You don't necessarily have to share it with anyone else. If you feel that there is a work which you are comfortable with sharing, then do so. But regardless, remember that you are doing all of this for yourself.

Writing a Journal:

If art doesn't seem to do the job properly, try writing and keeping a journal. Sometimes with art, you can't fully express everything in your heart, because art is usually something you might share with others. And because of that, you may refrain from expressing every last emotion. However, a journal is completely and only for you, all the time. 

When one writes a journal, he feels absolutely no boundaries when writing. The reason why a journal can be very helpful, is because although you'd love to express what's inside you, you can't, because you're always afraid that very deep emotions can greatly bother others. That's why, we keep troubled and scarred emotions to ourselves most of the time. However, with writing a journal, you are given that open window to pour everything down, no matter how dark of melancholic your thoughts may be. 

Again, treat such a practice in the sense that it's a scheduled event in your routine. If it's say, 10:00 PM, say to yourself, "For the next 30 minutes, I am going to POUR every thing that's bothering me unto this journal, and absolutely nothing is going to hold me back. I'm going to spill every hurt and damaged emotion on it, until I feel my spirit and soul healed." This may sound too extreme, but that's what it's all about. This is all about putting all extreme emotions down on paper, so that you can channel out all negativity on a medium.

Let all the darkness out. Stream and channel all of it on your journal. Look for that harmony, that space between your thoughts, when you let all the darkness flow from your mind, to your pencil, to your paper. For 30 minutes every day, or every other day, when things get dark, become one with the darkness, only to let go of it with the use of your pen. 

In conclusion, always look for methods to bring healing to your condition beyond the advice of your psychiatrist. Don't get me wrong. Take every advice of your medical practitioner in order to lead a better life. But in the end, EVERYONE is different. What works for others may not work for you. Although the contents of this post may not apply to you, give it a try. I'm not insisting that this is the BEST way, for this is only a suggestion. Look everywhere for solutions. Never give in, and a light will eventually show up.