Good evening, fellow BFL (BrainFitLife) people! Forgive the length of this post. I am an aspiring writer; I have been all my life.  I have been published in the past and am working on being so again. So anyways, I have an idea for a book (several books, actually) called (tentatively) Crazy on Purpose and I was wondering if Dr. Amen or someone he could recommend to me would like to collaborate with me about it and give me advice.  I thought of the book last month.  The basic gist of it (still working on this) is how I am trying very, very hard to not live my life in any kind of “altered state.” To myself, being in an altered state is living under the influence of any kind of chemical (man-made or otherwise) that effects a person’s behavior in a negative way and, ultimately, does lasting damage to our brains, which we all love.

For example, after a nightmarish 10 years, I am no longer on any psyche meds, even though I am severely mentally ill, and have been since the age of 4 when the symptoms first showed up. I am also, proudly, not addicted to any substances such as alcohol, sugar (working on this), caffeine, illegal drugs, nicotine, gadgets, etc. Anything, in other words, that I feel would put me in an altered state. My counselor at my day program for the severely mentally ill, Phil, says I am doing remarkably well for someone who is mentally ill and NOT on any psyche meds. Several other people have also made the same observation.

I agree with Dr. Amen that psyche meds are insidious. I read an article online recently (I can try to find the link, if you want it) that said that the psyche meds prescribed since the 1950’s have had no trials to determine the long-term effects of psyche meds on the brain and, therefore, the body. It was suggested, for instance, that benzos ultimately lead to dementia. I’m not sure how they determined this, but it frightened me. What effects do Zoloft, Paxil and other meds have long-term on the brain, I wondered. Thus, I agree with Dr. Amen that these types of meds should be prescribed dead last. My physical health has improved considerably since being off my psyche meds, including the virtual elimination of my type 2 diabetes, which my NP was convinced was caused by those meds. I was recently taken off my insulin after over 15 years of dependence on it and a high cholesterol medicine I was taking was eliminated this month.

I am coping with my mental illness with the help of Dr. Amen’s materials (I was introduced to them in July of 2019 through a PBS special) and my day program though Best Self, which teaches classes on DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) skills. These skills, along with Dr. Amen’s materials, are changing my life. I am having problems putting these skills into practice (DBT has over 400 skills alone), but, as Dr. Amen says, in order to make changes that last, you have to go slowly. It takes ample time for new neurological pathways to develop in the brain. As I always say, “It’s about progress, not perfection!”

So I working on writing a book about how to help people live the way I am living: free of mental-state altering influences, including addictive negative behaviors as well as chemicals. I am still developing all of this, but if there is anyone willing to work with me on this, please let me know. Thank you in advance for any kind help!