Dear Gary:

After being diagnosed seven years ago with manic/depressive disorder I have traveled a somewhat rocky, if not horrific, road. For four years I was medicated to the point of oblivion, entering the hospital each fall despite the medication. Finally after my last stay, at which time I was told by one of the admitting nurses that; "You must be mistaken about your medication, I have never seen anyone take this amount. We will wait for your file to come down and check for the proper dosages." and later on told by my doctor that they would have to increase my medication. I began, despite by state of mind and sense of vulnerability, to know things weren't "kosher".

During my follow-up visit, I asked my doctor for a reassessment of my diagnosis. It was at this time that I discovered that all of the medications I had been ingesting were for mania (a condition that had never given me a problem, although I could get hyper...never delusional), in other words the condition which affected me incessantly, chronic depression, was not only not being treated but being exaggerated as a result of taking medications which cause sedation and were in and of themselves depressants. At this point, don't know where I found the courage, but I fired all my doctors. Found a new doctor who believed in patient participation and was re-diagnosed as chronically depressed. This all being said, you should note that during all of this time, I never once received psychological help.

Following a few months of withdrawal, my new psychiatrist put me on antidepressants. This helped, however I felt there should more I could do.

I then found Rose Raftus, an NLP counselor, and my healing journey began. This was last September. I was in rough shape. No confidence. Lots of fear of venturing out into the world. The medications had caused me to become quite isolated but the biggest fear was in my ability to take care of myself. Hard to believe that prior to my initial admission to the hospital I had worked since the age of 14 and upon admission, owned two successful companies. My soul was broken.

Rose employed EFT in somewhat of an extensive method. Realizations began to emerge. Slowly one block after another got removed. Lots of emotional garbage (the above is a very condensed version of the last several years) as a result of both my upbringing and situations that were perpetuated as a result.

DINAH CONTINUES: I began to do Yoga every day. I started to feed myself properly. Reading. Studying. Discovered a lot of allergies. Now, I have recently set goals for my future and am beginning a course in NLP in the fall (this is big, big stuff). Took a workshop on EFT, Silva Mind Control Method, and Reiki. Hard to believe that I couldn't stand being in social situation less than 10 months ago. All of this within months. Probably the biggest news is that I am no longer on any medication and although I still feel some fear, I have hope.

DINAH CONTINUES: I no longer believe that I ever was manic depressive nor chronically (chemically) depressed but simply that I did not have the tools to handle life properly and was situationally depressed when I entered hospital.

I feel that I fit into both category 2 an 3. I am still in therapy and my counselor is amazing, helping me resolve one issue after another.

Thanks for your contribution to my health and future.

Dinah