Hello there! I have been taking antidepressants for ten years now for a mood disorder. But currently I’m at a point in my life where I’m enormously fulfilled and happy with what life has to offer me and I have a very good grasp and control over my thoughts and feelings. Unfortunately my doctor has not been supportive in helping me wean off because she is a very rigid practitioner. I need guidance to go off my medicines safely. How do I pray, offer this intention to the Divine for it to manifest?
—Pooja, India
Dear Pooja,
Your question is one we encounter regularly and is an important one. Meditators naturally tend to be more sensitive and thus, mood and energy-wise, vulnerable emotionally within and to those energies of others and yet also possessed of a degree of inner confidence in God and soul.
But all too often I have seen where the confidence buoyed even by the sustained support of one’s medication(s) tempts the devotee-meditator to forgo that support and with undesirable consequences.
Perhaps your doctor is strict by nature or perhaps your doctor is strict in respect to what he or she perceives is your need for the stabilizing support of your medication(s).
I have a couple of suggestions:
1. Ask your doctor if he/she would participate with you in a trial period for an agreed upon length of time without your meds (including perhaps a weaning off period where the meds are steadily reduced). There would be an agreed upon list of symptoms that would end the trial period and an agreed upon schedule of check-ups during the trial period.
2. Perhaps of a lesser value, seek a second opinion and be willing to allow the two doctors to speak with one another. Perhaps the second one would supervise the trial period proposed above.
3. If there is such a trial period, you would also engage the support and counsel of someone who knows you well and interacts with you with some regularity (family member, friend, or fellow devotee) who would also have the list of agreed upon symptoms and at whose signal, you agree to resume your meds with medical supervision.
Eliminating the very medications that have likely contributed to your stability is not a decision to be taken lightly. Divine Mother will guide you through the wise support and counsel of trusted friends and professionals.
There should be no stigma or disgrace in taking medications of any kind. Be practical in your idealism and grateful for the help you have received. A diabetic finds that she must be disciplined in taking her medications and controlling her diet in order to maintain health, and your case it’s similar. The very nature of your condition strongly suggests that you do not make your decisions alone. Ok?
Blessings and Joy to You!
Nayaswami Hriman
Seattle WA USA
www.Hrimananda.org
