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For anyone with mental illness there are 3 things that have to be healed: the mind, the body and the spirit. The body maybe the easiest because one has to do very little work for that. Assistance might be required from a doctor, but a body will find a way to heal on its own. The mind takes longer because retraining, therapy and medication are required. The spirit, however, takes the longest. Well, at least for me it will be. I've had debates with people about healing the spirit or the soul or the heart, whichever you prefer. Some people think that the spirit heals first and then everything else follows. I think with something as complex as the spirit, it is the last thing to heal because it needs more care and attention than the mind or the body. The spirit is more about finding happiness and after so long in the nothingness, happiness is the longest search of one's life.
I'm not referring to spirituality in terms of religion although for some people spirituality very closely associated with their religion. I don't care if you're Jewish, Christian, Buddhist or worship pandas. That's all fine. You tell those pandas that they're awesome, but does that define your spirituality? I am a member of a religious institution and teach at it, but I view both those things as social callings as opposed to spiritual ones. I associate spirituality with something/someone/some place that makes one feel calm and at peace. I actually had to teach the concept of spirituality to 5th graders (10 year olds) and failed miserably. They were too young to understand that sense of calmness and peace that I was describing.
At this point, I'm not quite sure what my sense of spirituality is. I think it's a hodge podge of different things. I believe in the paranormal and the healing properties of nature. I believe in reincarnation and that those we love never really leave us. I do not believe in God per say, but I believe in angels, dragons, unicorns and fairies. I believe that we all have someone to protect us, guide us and love us until our own luminous selfs are gone. I'm not sure if that's spirituality or just my madness.
I also believe that the spiritual healing happens when we find the place that we belong. For me that was England, so for 1 year I was whole. I could see and think clearly for the first time in a long time. When I felt like I was slipping back into the depression, I sought help immediately. I couldn't do so this time because I thought it would pass and that if I went back home that I would be healed.
My body has healed from all the scarring and my mind is lagging behind (that is a post for a different day). My spiritual healing hasn't even begun. The brokenness that engulfs my spirit has yet to abate. I hope that with the wellness plan that my spirit will heal and that I can find happiness.
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