Before meds ... there were mind tools and much understanding that has been lost. My thesis has to be, as we understand more of the physiology and understand more how our individual minds operate and we fullfil our needs and improve the physiology we CAN get control of our mind .. i.e. we can change our minds ... slowly and carefully we can remove the meds and gain confidence.

Yes, as you say we need the hygiene factors right .. but perhaps most of all we need the mind factors right ... connectedness, mindfulness and breath control.

Yesterday at a local bipolar group meeting we connected three bipolar people to a capnometer and checked their blood carbon dioxide levels. Two were below the 'normal' level and one had severe chronic hypocapnia. Search hypocapnia on the web and understand what that condition does to the brain ... severe cognitive thought impairment ... and blood chemistry imbalance. Hypocapnia, which is caused by overbreathing, can be corrected by breath retraining but it can take a lot to achieve it. How many bipolar people unknowingly suffer from a degree of hypocapnia ??? a physiological problem. It is a very destabilising condition. As the body works to compensate it excretes electrolytes. Hypocapnia causes a lot of other physical complaints that defy diagnosis ..

Nick

Meds have the advantage of working regardless .. my 24 years of stability used mindfulness to realise I needed to 'slow down'. The action was to relax, walk or whatever. When all else failed then a few (2 or 3) 0.5mg Haloperidol capsules always did the trick.

Same will apply, but as confidence builds .. read meditate instead of Haloperidol ? The jury will be out for a few years shortly, when I ween myself off everything.

Nick