This week, we'll be hearing about Ana's successful withdrawal from six psychiatric medications. Since our interview, Ana has come off all her medications smoothly and successfully. Her health is continuing to improve as she basks in her newfound energy and zest for life.
How did she do it? That's what we'll be exploring in our podcast coming out on Wednesday. Read on for my reflections on her miraculous healing journey.
Coming Off Six Psychiatric Medications Successfully
What makes an amazing healing journey possible?
I know many patients whom I call "miracles walking on two legs," but Ana has set a record even among them. Coming off six psychiatric medications smoothly and successfully? Who would dare to hope for it, much less achieve it? Well, Ana, of course.
A successful businesswoman who overcame cancer in 2009 and then experienced severe mental health problems in 2018, Ana had just stabilized after several hospitalizations when she called me, eager to get off her medications. We began working together on 3/31/20. By 3/20/21, she was completely off all medications: Klonopin, Seroquel, Trileptal, Trazodone, Propranol, and Effexor.
She was doing so well with her withdrawal that we decided to create a podcast on her smooth withdrawal process before she came off all her medications. Now that she is off her medications, I will carefully monitor her and plan to celebrate with another podcast interview at the end. While I am confident that she will do well over the course of treatment, I will be supporting her healing process over the next three months since it is a vulnerable time for most patients.
As you listen to her talk on my podcast, listen for what she indicates are important factors for her success.
From my perspective, Ana's character embodied key elements that made for an easier withdrawal process:
1) Discipline: I could count on Ana to follow through with doing her energy work and taking her nutritional supplements. But in addition to the "required" tasks, she also did extra things to support her health: additional meditation, exercise, and journaling are among just a few examples.
2) Can-do attitude: Ana is a strong and capable woman who knows what she wants and goes for it with gusto. I never had to carry her or drag her along. She shouldered her part of the recovery process with a positive attitude.
3) Proactive partnership: when I worked with Ana, my burden felt lighter. She worked hard to take care of herself in countless ways that mattered between appointments. If she was tired, she would take a nap. When she woke up, she would meditate before starting the day. Her healthy choices made my work much easier.
4) Faith: Ana believed in her ability to heal, though traditional psychiatry didn't agree with her beliefs. While she had to take risks whenever she lowered her medications, she did it anyway. She trusted the holistic process with her life.
5) Courage: The courage to work on one's withdrawal process, in spite of the world telling you it's impossible, takes great courage. Ana demonstrated this courage effortlessly during her healing journey. The kind of courage that Ana has is the kind that creates and builds, rather than destroys and maims. It's a quiet kind of courage that doesn't boast about its accomplishments, but in the end, produces miraculous results.
Congratulations, Ana!
The Holistic Psychiatrist Podcast (Ep. 11):
Exploring the process behind a successful psychiatric medication withdrawal
(Part 1 of 2)
Check out the teaser for this new episode coming out tomorrow!
Ana is an exceptional woman who is coming off six psychiatric medications with ease. What are the secrets to her amazingly successful healing journey? What does she have to share with us that can transform how we view medication withdrawal?
Click here for the full episode available on Wednesday.
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