Are you "mentally ill" or spiritually starved? Flipping the script on mental illness.

Since I started the podcast a year ago, my views on mental illness and personality disorders have changed quite a bit. In this episode, I'll dive into why I've decided I'll no longer be viewing myself (or others) as "mentally ill" or "disordered." While diagnostic labels can certainly serve a purpose and have genuine utility (finding the right therapist/treatment), they can also stigmatize and pathologize the human experience.

​​💡 Questions answered and topics discussed in this episode:

■ The pros and cons of diagnosing someone with "mental illness" or "personality disorders"

■ The limitations of the medical model in the fields of psychiatry and mental health

■ Why a diagnosis of a "personality disorder" is often so controversial (specialists disagree about how to understand personality disorders, it doesn't take social context into enough account, and the term itself can be stigmatizing)

■ How spirituality can help us in the process of recovery by facilitating our autonomy and assisting us to live and grow beyond the limitations of "mental illness"

■ The importance of trauma informed care and therapeutic techniques

■ How our society over pathologizes normal human emotions (labeling normal human emotion and reactions to trauma as "disease") keeping us stuck in a limiting narrative

■ How I've incorporated symbolism, myth, spirituality / theology, alchemical thought and inner work into my recovery journey

■ Why alchemical phrase "solve et coagula" has become my recovery motto

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