What saved me from complete self-destruction during the worst throes of my husband's illness was knowledge. The knowledge that I was not alone.
The factor of loneliness is often overlooked in any kind of suffering. The tendency is to feel that only you are going through your particular pain. To some degree this is true. On the other hand, there are many who experience the same kind of things as yourself, even if they don't feel exactly the same pain.
With this in mind, I decided one day to do an Internet search, and the rest is history. Here I sit before you in my capacity as a healthy virtual presence, putting words into coherent sentences. Go figure.
So I would suggest that the Internet is the best therapeutic tool for those who suffer. Think about it; through the groups offered by Schizophrenia.com, Yahoo, and many others, you can connect with people who suffer through the same things you do. You can connect with those who suffer in the same way your partner does. You can understand much more about both of yourselves by connecting with others.
What helped me most was the fact that I didn't need to look these people in the eye. It's amazing what you're able to say when you don't have to actually look at a person in real time. You can cry and laugh and scowl without the other person having to know ... unless you want them to. There's freedom in that. And power. And healing.
So use the Internet: it's your therapeutic tool. It's your partner in health.
posted by Cathi @ 1:27 AM
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