How a lack of mental health support can leave you ‘trauma-toads’ed’ 🐸
Last month I mentioned I was going to climb Kilimanjaro to raise money for Mind. I wasn’t sure I’d make it as it is extremely high altitude under tough conditions, but I’m not one to give up easily! Happily, despite quite nasty altitude sickness, I conquered the highest peak in Africa at 5,895m above sea level! We’ve also exceeded our target fundraising for Mind, raising over £500 to support those with mental health needs, so my sincere thanks to all of you that donated to such an important cause.
Trauma
Previously we discussed quantum mechanics and the role of energy in mental health. We said that experiences, or trauma, can affect us emotionally, mentally and even physically. However, we have not yet fully discussed trauma as a cause of poor mental health, and yet it is one of the most recognised.
The UK Trauma Council define it as “the way that some distressing events are so extreme or intense that they overwhelm a person’s ability to cope, resulting in lasting negative impact… with increased risk of later mental health problems”.
Traumatic events, of differing magnitudes, inevitably occur throughout a person’s life. They can include death of loved ones, childhood or later abuse, accidents, war, natural disasters or any event that is considered upsetting by the person experiencing, or witnessing, it.
Trauma and mental health
Experiencing trauma can manifest as a range of mental health problems, from anxiety and depression to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and also physical conditions. For example, stress is known to cause the release of cortisol in the immediate term, which gives rise to many physiological changes. This has a longer term, causal role in many diseases including cardiovascular disease and digestive problems. Some scientists suggest that our cells can store emotional memories and that this can be the root cause of diseases like cancer [1].
In some cases, PTSD can manifest in hallucinations and delusions, which are commensurate with psychosis [2]. However, the cause of psychosis is likely multi-factorial, and our lack of understanding of all the causes is why we often fail to remedy mental health conditions. For example, it is known that eating gluten is associated with psychotic behaviour, including Schizophrenia, and following a gluten free diet can significantly improve, and often completely eliminate, symptoms [3].
I also believe something more significant could be triggering psychosis in certain circumstances, which we will come to.
Treatment
People deal with potentially traumatic events differently. However, with the right resources that facilitate healing and resilience, such as talking therapy and positive social environments, there is potential for recovery.
Indeed, other more recently accepted therapies in the west include meditation, Reiki, Qi Gong, acupuncture, or Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) in which specific energy meridian points are physically tapped to release emotional distress.
A bigger problem
In the absence of effective remedy, or appropriate help, some people seek to manage symptoms of mental health problems by turning to methods of escape, like alcohol and drugs. The issue I’m seeing in some of my clients is that they look for remedy in unregulated pharmacological substances. This can actually make their mental health worse and could even lead to psychosis.
This is especially when it is in the form of ‘ancient medicinal practices’, such as using psychedelics, like ayahuasca, bufo or kambo (the latter 2 being toad and frog venom respectively) [4]. These are often delivered with psychological ‘coaching’, or taking the participant on a spiritual journey, that is intended to rewire the brain positively, but which could backfire and leave the person in a worse position [5].
Some of these are available in the UK, albeit illegally. Otherwise, with the commonality of international travel these days, people often seek these practices abroad from less developed countries where there is little, or no regulation, or support if something goes wrong.
Remedying an unknown cause
Whilst the multi-factorial nature of mental health concerns is often disregarded in western medicine, the problem is trying to untangle the issue without a complete understanding of how it arose in the first place. This is especially the case when illegal or foreign practices, like ayahuasca, have been used as they are often not reported. Here lies the problem with modern medicine; we fail to recognise the root cause of illness.
Mental Health Getaway approach
Mental health patients experiencing psychosis are often placed on a psychiatric ward, because medical professionals do not know how else to manage them; although this may also be for the physical safety of themselves and those around them. However, in our opinion at Mental Health Getaway, this is the least helpful course of action as a method of recovery as:
· proper nutrition is not provided,
· the toxicological, physical and social environment is usually detrimental,
· the patient is usually heavily medicated, with extremely negative side-effects, and
· basic human needs are often denied, including connection with loved ones, physical freedom and positive occupation, such as learning something new or playing a musical instrument, which allow us to grow as individuals.
It is our mission to use this modern scientific understanding, backed by a root cause approach, plus our Building Blocks Model for Good Mental Health to provide an alternative, and more effective, method to improving mental health and we are currently working with clients on this basis.
If we can help you, or someone you know, please do get in touch.
Until next time.
Well wishes,
Andie x
[1] Chronic Stress Promotes Cancer Development
Dai et al, Frontiers in Oncology, 2020; 10: 1492.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7466429/
[2] Psychotic PTSD? Sudden traumatic loss precipitating very late onset schizophrenia
McIntosh I, Story GW, BMJ Case Reports CP 2021;14:e235384.
https://casereports.bmj.com/content/14/1/e235384
[3] Effects of a Gluten-Free Diet in a Teenager Presenting With Psychosis
Selmi et al, Cureus, 2023 Jul; 15(7): e41807
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10422848/
[4] Acute and subacute psychoactive effects of Kambô, the secretion of the Amazonian Giant Maki Frog (Phyllomedusa bicolor): retrospective reports
Schmidt et al, Scientific Reports, 2020; 10: 21544.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7725827/
[5] Ayahuasca-Induced Psychosis: A Case Report
Tapia et al, Revista Colombiana Psiquiatria (English Edition) 2021 Jan 11:S0034-7450(20)30129-3.