My World, Tricked by Mania, mania-bipolar-trick By Julie A. Fast All rights reserved

Hello Readers,
I came across this article on the Internet. Julie Fast, who suffers from bipolar disorder, takes her disease head-on as she describes her periods of mania. I can identify with her as one who has bipolar 2 and had some hypo-mania in a time of great grief reaction and pain when our daughter, Lindsay and her baby, Emily Hope, were killed in a car accident- which, by the way, we witnessed.  I was talking way too much and I had a hard time realizing that when I engaged in conversations. I was taking people as "listening" hostages and would not let them go.
I also had a lot of anger during this period and was trying to resume my regular work schedule even though the month before Lindsay died I, myself, almost died from Lithium toxicity. So, my near poisoning added to the grief response brought my first period of hypo-mania into the mix of my illness. Rev. Steve Bloem B.A. M.M.

No matter how good it feels, euphoric mania is destructive. Learn to identify and manage your warning signs to stay on track. Have you ever wondered why people with obvious signs of mania won’t get help?
This often happens because mania tricks those of us with bipolar into thinking that out-of-control and sometimes dangerous symptoms are actually a positive. Here’s a description of what it’s like for me.


When I’m in a euphoric manic episode, life feels wrapped in loving-kindness, with every cell infused with joy juice. (Other people might experience the flamboyant or irritable aspects of mania; for example, by becoming the life of the party or turning into an angrier Oscar the Grouch.) A rock on the ground becomes infinitely fascinating to me because my brain no longer processes information in a linear way. See how that rock has flecks of green! See how it is situated right next to the blue-green grass and how it shines in the sun! I need to take a picture! I’ll put it in in my pocket, as it will bring me luck today—this beautiful day when all things are possible. I stand up and skip down the street. What fun thing can I do next? Ah, my room needs to be rearranged. To the store! I need storage boxes! The colors are so wonderful! Look! I can get a purple box, a green one, and wow, an aqua one! My shopping cart is filling up. Oh, the delicious possibilities!




My brain has no boundaries when I’m manic—no thoughts of the work I need to do or how much money I have in my bank account. I hit the candle aisle and oh, it’s buy two get one free! I’ll get six! Why don’t I see this as mania? One reason is that my depressive episodes consume me to the point that I can hardly leave my room without a struggle. It makes sense that I would not see my manic behavior as a negative; I see it as the opposite of my horrific depression, so it must be a positive, right? I might be feeling a little pang of worry when I see the bill, but hey, it always works out. I’ll be fine! Right?

 I can’t stress enough how serious mania can be, and how we must all learn what our mania looks like in order to prevent it from getting too out of hand.  During this kind of mania, my brain stops producing reasonable questions and thoughts. I’m not ignoring any warning signs—my manic brain isn’t sending me any; it truly is not creating any checks and balances to keep me on track.
 

Although I manage my bipolar, hypo-mania still stalks me every day. If I don’t watch for it all the time, I can get tricked into thinking that euphoric mania is actually happiness. Before I was diagnosed at age 31, I believed that the hypo-mania was the “real me” and the depression was the “sick me.” Realizing that mania and depression are two sides of the same bipolar disorder coin changed my life. I now know that no matter how good it feels, euphoric mania is destructive.




I manage my mania with a plan that uses symptom listing, trigger management, and a team around me that is always allowed to tell me if I seem manic. There have been times when I’ve been in a store doing my Hyman thing and suddenly realized by looking at my cart, Julie, this is mania! Get out of here! I’ve taught myself to see what is happening and to act on visual cues because my ability to understand or rationally process what is happening is simply not there. My mania and I are in our own world.I’ve learned that taking pictures of rocks, redoing my room, and filling up shopping carts are signs that I’m sick and I have to stop and manage the mania immediately—no matter how good it feels.


A Tip from Julie:  

Make a list of your or a loved one’s first signs of mania and memorize the list. For example, my euphoric mania always starts with vision changes and a sense of profound well-being. I can’t let this catch me off guard! Once you know your first signs of 
mania, you can go in the management direction instead of in the I’m-going-to-give-in-to-this-mania-
because-it-feels-so-good direction!
For a brief treatment of bipolar disorder, please go to:
http://sbloemreflections.blogspot.com/2014/04/bipolar-part-2.html

 

Broken Minds is available from this author and in Kindle Format, For a  new copy of Broken Minds, Hope for Healing When You Feel Like You're Losing It. go to our web-site,  Follow the link to our donation button. http://heartfeltmin.org/author-page.html .The book sell retail for $16.00 and $3.00 for shipping.  I promise you that you will not regret getting this book.



Here is a link to one of my blogs that explains bipolar disorder.
 http://sbloemreflections.blogspot.com/2014/04/bipolar-part-2.html

Missionary killed in India. Iranian Christians are murdered.

Hindrances to prayer for the persecuted church.

I. Apathy - This is a neglecting of God's command to pray for those who are in the body of Christ.This is what is called a sin of  Omission.
  Cure - Read the Bible through in a year and you will be brought face to face with people who have suffered because of persecution and trials and tribulations. For instance read this from   Hebrews 11:35-40:


 "Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection;and others experienced  mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect."




2. Ignorance - A failure to understand the doctrine of the church universal. The analogy in the Bible God often uses is the body. You have a connection with every born again believer who is a Christian in the world. You will meet every one of those true believers in Heaven.

You will also stand before the judgment (bema) seat of Christ and give an account of why you prayed or why you did not pray for our brothers and sisters who are in horrible pain and suffering.

3. Cure -   Ephesians3:3-6) (NIV) Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to one hope when you were called-one Lord, one faith, one baptism;   one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

                                                       
Prayer Requests

Nov. 20, 2015 | Iran
 
Pray for Christians Arrested at Church

Iranian security agents raided a house church in Tehran province on Nov. 1, arresting at least 14 Christian converts from Islam. Another Christian connected to the group was arrested at his home the next day. Many members of the house church are former members of the Emmanuel Protestant Church in Tehran, which was forced to stop its Farsi-language services in 2012. Farsi is the most widely spoken language in Iran, so government officials have tried to limit religious services to the Assyrian language, which is spoken by a small minority. After the Emmanuel Church was disbanded, its former members formed several house churches. The families and friends of those arrested have not been told where they are being held. To be continued.
Please visit our newsletter.

//sbloemreflections.blogspot.com/2015/11/heartfelt-newsletter-winter-2015.html

Nov. 20, 2015 | Laos
 
Pray for Hmong Believers Whose Church Was Destroyed

Local officials dismantled a building used by a Hmong house church in rural Laos earlier this year. One of the Christians took a video of village officials as they removed the building’s roof. “Today is August 2,” he narrated. “We are believers in this village. We got our house destroyed by our relatives, the head of the village and the village office…they destroy our house just because we are believers in Jesus.” The 60 Hmong families that attend the church had moved to the village after being persecuted for their faith in other villages.

Nov. 20, 2015 | India  
Pray for the Family of "Jeejo," Who Was Killed Because of Missionary Work

In August, Maoists brutally murdered a missionary serving in Odisha state. The leader of the Maoist group came to Jeejo’s home one evening, set his house on fire and took Jeejo into the forest. The next day, villagers found Jeejo’s body, along with a note forbidding future evangelism in the area. Jeejo had been shot multiple times. “The main reason he was killed,” a VOM contact said, “is that through his ministry 44 Maoists have received Christ as personal Savior and turned away from their Maoist activities.” Maoists are active in several eastern Indian states, including Odisha, where they are waging a guerrilla war in favor of communist rule.

If you would like to purchase a copy of our book, Broken Minds Hope for Healing When You Feel Like You're Losing It, please do the following: For a hard copy new, go to our website
http://heartfeltmin.org/author-page.html.  It retails for $16.00 + $3.00 shipping (In USA). If you would like a Kindle copy, please visit -
http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Minds-Healing-Youre-Losing-ebook/dp/B004EPYNLE/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Heartfelt Newsletter Winter, 2015

Steve Bloem BA, MM

Robyn Bloem, Co-founder

Heartfelt Counseling Ministries

4371 Northlake Blvd. Suite 256

Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410

561.909.9109 www.heartfeltmin.org

Counseling-Educating-Advocating

Fall 2015

What is CAMI?

CAMI stands for Christians Afflicted with Mental Illness and is an organization within Heartfelt Counseling Ministries. We have support groups through CAMI and have ongoing training. One of our greatest achievements has been to write our own CAMI Material. This includes Leader and Student Guides with all the instructions on how to start, lead and maintain these valuable groups.

Mental Illness is a disease that begs for community and it is often more subtle and much more prevalent than we imagine.

CAMI Guide

These provocative and interesting manuals pose questions relating to the issues so relevant to those who live with these diseases. Each lesson has sections entitled Key Verse, Theme of the Week, Talking Points and The Crux of the Matter. There are six lessons in each workbook with approximately eight questions each. The Leader’s Guide has an additional section with all the questions answered and helps to lead the discussion.

The subjects for the lessons in the first series are as follows:

     The Providence of God and

     Mental Illness

     Breaking the Stigma of Mental Illness 

     Elijah, a Depressed Man

     The Lethality of Mental Illness

     Shepherding the mentally ill

How would you or your friends benefit from a CAMI group? Or why buy the material?

1) There is nothing similar available

2) It is scriptural

3) It is affordable

4) Easy to read

5) Stimulates discussion

6) Tells you from A-Z(ed) how to start and conduct a support group

We have recently decided to offer this material to the public. This is not a repeat of our book, Broken Minds. There is new information and the Leader’s Guide answers over a hundred and twenty questions about mental illness. The Leader’s Guide is only $12.50 and the
Student Guide is just $8.50. Training for using this material is available from Heartfelt Counseling Ministries if you feel you need it.

Just go to: http://heartfeltmin.org/how-can-i-get-involved.html  Donate Now page and order your books today!

 Steve is a BLOGGER!

Have you caught Steve’s Blog?

He writes on topics related to three suffering “people groups.” It is part of our purpose statement; helping those who suffer from disturbances of the mind and mood; those dealing with bereavement and loss; and keeping the spotlight on the persecuted church across the world. He has over 1700 hits each month on his provocative blog.

sbloemreflections.blogspot.com

 

If you help us -
       We will help others!

Counseling

Steve continues to counsel individuals, couples and families. Besides the mental health clients with diagnosed illnesses, he has a ministry with those who have Borderline Personality Disorder. Steve is a certified Dialectical Behavior Therapist and received intensive training from Dr. Marsha Linehan at the University of Washington, Seattle. He does mindfulness exercises from the wisdom literature of the Old and New Testaments.

CAMI Thursdays

We are very thankful for the opportunity to meet at our home church, Boca Glades Baptist, every Thursday evening from 7:00- 8:15 for one of our CAMI Support Groups. We have good discussions as we study God’s Word.

We hear almost daily of people who have either stopped going to church or have become so guilt-ridden that they are hiding their illnesses from their friends and leadership within the church. We are regularly challenged to educate pastors and leaders on mental illness, to advocate for the sufferers and counsel as many as possible while they go through this fiery trial of the mind and mood.

Sliding Scale For treatment

We continue to offer counseling at reduced rates. We calculate that 90% of our clients pay less than full price fee and most are at least 50% discount. We try to be the best stewards we can be to our donors and to the Lord.

Please prayerfully consider what you can do to help finance Heartfelt Counseling Ministries. You may desire to offer a Faith Pledge for the coming year, which of course is not binding, but is a way for us to plan for the year ahead.

When people call for help they are usually severely depressed and often suicidal.

Does that seem like an important ministry?

We think so, too.

Who do we help?

Here are a few of the examples of people we minister to regularly: 

• Our CAMI members

• Christian woman who recently contacted us who is in an episode of depression and feeling isolated from the Lord. She has read Broken Minds and now has ordered CAMI support group material. This spiritual  emptiness is a typical emotion depressed people feel. 

Steve and Robyn are uniquely equipped to minister to people with mental illness or have a family member who does. I have been blessed and encouraged by them both. God has sovereignly allowed them to go through some very deep waters so they are able to come alongside the rest of us during our dark nights. JH

• A client with borderline personality disorder who has been re-directed and counseled for months.
•  A young woman, a Bible College Student contacted us because she was in horrible depression and anxiety. Her college did not believe in mental Illness but Steve was able to help her and restore her to a “normal life” This took some time but we were able to do it.   
• A young woman with OCD and depression who was using Alcohol to cope. She is clean and sober and living for the LORD.  A deeply depressed recent college grad who didn’t think he could take his new job. We got him in quickly with a doctor did some family and individual therapy and he is working that job today!

Heartfelt as many other non-profits depend on end of the year donations. When you give to Heartfelt you should know that we are one of a few agencies that give a major discount to people who cannot afford counseling. You can give to Heartfelt Counseling Ministries on-line or with a check.  Please visit the link below.  We are a 501 (c) (3) and all gifts are tax deductible.

 http://heartfeltmin.org/how-can-i-get-involved.html

In 1985 when mental illness hit our family the first time, we didn’t understand what happened. We had pain, fear, false guilt and a major disruption in our lives.   Well, NOW we know what to do and we effectively help others in their journey with these painful