spirituality and mental illness

[blackcat15]

hi all, some of the special gifts can sometime be similar to symptoms …

how do you discern?

If you can't tell the difference between someone who is mentally ill and a genuine medium, you shouldn't be consulting one. The differences are striking and clear. (When in doubt, get the heck out.)

[blackcat15]

Originally Posted by Everly

If you can't tell the difference between someone who is mentally ill and a genuine medium, you shouldn't be consulting one. The differences are striking and clear. (When in doubt, get the heck out.)

mean to offend anybody. this is a very serious question and i would be interested in the striking clear differences you mention. on the other hand i feel that such defensiveness and harshness is not justified.


so be it. good luck.

[The Back Seat]

Well I guess it depends how you define mental illness...

Sometimes people categorize others as mentally ill just because they don't understand their ways

Sometimes people call autistic kids stupid, not realizing the autistic kid is a mathematical genius.

Sometimes lacking in one area, allows for more strength in another area.

Is someone who shows unlimited love and compassion at a time when you don't feel that way, mentally ill? Is someone that sees a pattern which you can't, mentally ill? Is someone that goes through life filled with only negative emotion, mentally ill? Is someone that senses somethjng greater then themselves, mentally ill? Is someone that doesn't sense something greater then themselves, mentally ill?

While I see your well intension in the question, the generality of "mental illness" is open for interpretation based on the individual's own experience. Your question is also very general in the whole. Any specific experience you are questioning, or are you just getting your experience second hand by those who see spirituality as an illness? Sometimes we can only understand something if we experience it ourselves.

[butterfly1111]

Accuracy of the information the person is providing is the ultimate truth. Spirits have no issues with providing validation when real.

[Clover]

I don't think there is a clear indication to know for certain if someone has a mental illness or not.

My brother in law who lives with us at the moment is schizophrenic, and he is functional. He doesn't act stereotypical. Sometimes it's best to use your best judgement and trust your own intuition.

Originally Posted by blackcat15

mean to offend anybody. this is a very serious question and i would be interested in the striking clear differences you mention. on the other hand i feel that such defensiveness and harshness is not justified.

I was being brief and blunt, but hardly defensive. If my response was harsh, I apologize. I was not offended, just adamant. I'm a mental health professional, and while I don't practice anymore, I keep my license current with appropriate CEUs and also staying up on laws, regulations, treatment and theory. I currently make my living as a professional intuitive. I have extensive experience and training in both mental health and metaphysics.

I'm not going to provide a guide to recognizing mental illness. First, every mental illness (and there are many) manifests differently in each person. Second, it's easy to find a quick-and-easy laundry list of symptoms online. It's dangerous in a forum like this to delve to deeply into mental illness. This is not the place for such a discussion.

My point was that if you don't know if the medium is genuine and you have any doubts, then leave. Doubt is there for a reason. And I also stand by my statement that if you can't tell the difference, don't consult one. This is true for any kind of service. I know very little about roofing, which is why I would have a knowledgeable friend help me with finding a good roofer and why I would be diligent in my own research. (And by "you" I mean the generic, inclusive you, meaning everyone.) We all have to take responsibility for our choices. And ultimately, the proof is in the pudding. Life's decisions don't come with guarantees...we just do the best we can in each moment.

Excuse the bluntness:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diagnos...al_Disord ers

How will we care?

edit: @Everly

I like how you ended :)

[kkfern]

as an experiencer, i can tell the difference. at first i wondered about my sanity because i could see things and hear my guides. it is said that the mentally ill people do too.

when i see and hear my guides, i know they are guides. it is like knowing if you are seeing the world or watching TV. so i know reality and i know TV/my friends. people that are mentally ill do not know the difference.

kk

Zombie -- Ha! The DSM 5. I have it right here. (Thanks for the kind words.)

kkfern -- Not all mental illnesses entail hallucinations (auditory, visual, tactile, etc.). Actually, only a very few do.