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Mental Health Issues

To Julie, Alan, and Dazzamac,

Thank you for your responses! I look forward to meeting more people like you on the Camino. Dazzamac, I will be walking the Camino in July as well! Perhaps we'll run into each other! The only expectation I have for the Camino right now is physical pain :lol:! In a strange way I'm even looking forward to that. Seeing how far my body and sheer will can take me! I have come to peace with the fact that I may not make it by foot to Santiago de Compostela. Life is about the journey and all the people you meet along the way, not the destination. It's a lesson I'm trying to live by in my life.

I hope to see you all on the path and if not Buen Camino!

Laura-Lee
 
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Julie

Do let us know how you get on. Buen Camino!

Alan

Be brave. Life is joyous.
 
And some thoughts are better left unsaid! I suffer from a form of depression and have talked with my not so good Dr.s and as any Dr would say talking about the issues is the best therapy ,And i would have to agree
 
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I have suffered sever depression brought on by social anxiety for years. I am now down to 1/3 of my anti anxiety medications previously prescribed ... My secret, exercise. I now work out three times a week at a gym and currently am training for the walk. I would not be so cavalier as to think all depressions are the same nor would I suggest that walking the Camino is a cure: however, for me, the Camino is my reward and celebration of my healing.


Buen Camino
Bill

PS doctors and big pharmaceutical companies hate this
 
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Priscillian said:
"Doctor, the people in my family treat me like a dog."

"Well, let's talk about it, shall we. Please lie down on the couch."

"But I'm not allowed on the couch..."

My name is Tracy and I have a foot in my mouth.
Click to expand...


My Doctor asked if any of my family also suffered from mental illness?
I replied," I rather think they enjoy it"
 
Lightfoot Guide to via Francigena
The 9th edition the Lightfoot Guide will let you complete the journey your way.
The simple act of sharing along the Camino helps and there is a great deal of sharing there
 
Somehow I missed this thread and the one thing which stands out is the willingness of so many to share what others say "SSSHHH" to. I also notice that it started in October 2011 and most of the posts are from that time. The issue certainly hasn't gone away so what has changed.
 
As I read in a book recently, the opposite of "crazy" is "still crazy". We're all nuts. I say that as someone who had 3 months off work last year with depression and came very close to suicide. The difference between people with mental health issues and those that dont is that they are willing to admit it.

I make no secret of the fact that for a while I was crazier than a sh1thouse rat. I think it is great that other people feel the same. No one feels the need to hide cancer or a broken leg yet mental health is one of the biggest killers according to the WHO.

I have been shocked by how bad mental health treatment is in the UK. If you dont have money for private therapy then you're condemned to a prescription for prozac. Easy win. Even if you have money to spare the quality varies. Person centred counselling has to be the biggest money pit of quackery ever invented in modern medicine.

Getting better starts with getting worse. That means embracing it. Be crazy. Be open.
 
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Congratulations on your 5 years... I often find it odd that more people are not "out" about being in recovery on The Way...
 
I am walking the Way Aug 27 and I suffer from clinical depression. It sucks kind of a lot, but I'm up for it. I'm a writer, so I've been blogging the preparations, which helps. But still...some days it is a slog. I've definitely had suicidal ideation, some times worse than others. Ultreia to us all, I say!
 
I met a pilgrim this week who has severe issues. I can't put names to them, but he was quite obviously not living in the same world as the rest of us. He started walking from "a big country east of Germany" on St. Stephen's day because Good King Wenceslaus did it that way. He would not use or touch anything made of plastic. He will wash his clothes, but not his body, because he is "part of an experiment."
There are three nice beds in the room, but he chose to sleep on the floor, fully clothed.
His credential was in tatters, mixed in with creased prescription slips and pages torn out of prayer book, all of it carefully folded in brown paper.

Why are you walking the camino? I asked him.
Because it is the same every day, he said. I wake up, I walk, I sleep. It keeps me happy when things don't change.
Evidently, it keeps him sane.
 
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Puertos de Perdon...
The world needs these on more than the Camino.simple words.Absolute profundity
 
Everything
Nothing
What do I hope to find next year..?
I know the sadness
Ive seen the rain

The Triad,that is,the physical,mental and emotional aspects of a persons character can be challenged...
I am physically challenged,therefore emotionally challenged every day because of the shear volume of sensations,
The depression that accompanys is always,always there.


What i hope to find?
With a smile in my heart and soul..
Is nothing.
I hope to breath the air.
I hope to taste the waters,wine and rain
To nibble the "silver apples of the moon,and the golden apples of the sun"

There is no reason other than this
I feel the call
It is to be answered...or it is to be counted among the great disapointments.
Intolerable... To say the least.

I hope to be the kind word uttered in the morning to the one uncertain at the road ahead
I hope to be the encouraging wind at the weary ones back
I hope to be the shoulder to the one,who...is willing in spirit,but lacking in flesh,to have a go at the next hill.

My sadness is fought by action
I hope you can understand my imperfect idiation...
 
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I have issues with OCD and social anxiety. I get depressed, and i (usually) get better. I am allergic to most meds that doctors would prescribe for my conditions, so that leaves me with dealing with it. Also through some luck, i can take St Johns Wort, without issue. I tend to take it once in a while to level myself out a bit, usually once a month.

My camino (when i eventually start it) is a grounding exercise. I want to get my head straight, see the world a little bit, do something different. I have some life issues that i would like to improve (job, friends, family), and i also really want to see if their is a point to life, or whether it is just a slow journey to death. Im not against any answer i discover. Either way i will learn something from it. Thats all that really matters in the end.

If people want to know what ails me on my journey, well its a pretty long list. Yes i have mental health issues. Find me someone who doesnt.
 
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The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.

You tire of being tired
You tire of the road..ever beloved...ever cursed,and the drive inside that wont let go.
You tire of unfamiliar surroundings
Home..becomes idealized,better than what reality is.
You tire of your skin,your life...this is when the reformation begins,

Ide spend 5 to 9 weeks out on my beloved interstates,alone and content.
Until i saw some,family reunion on the road.
Going home became preoccupation...until home,then the road called again

An unhappy traveler,happiest on the road
 
So happy to find this thread! And grateful to those who have been so open here. I struggled emotionally on the Camino and have struggled since. I've searched and searched for similar posts to this one just to know I was not alone! I don't think I have a mental illness, but I had a lot of grief that kept me isolated from others. I loved the nature and the walking, but I think I made the common mistake of having massive expectations that the Camino would "cure" me or help me find the answers to some of my (many) questions.
The Camino is just like life itself. There were beautiful moments, there were sad moments, there were times of feeling union with others, there were times of desolating loneliness.
I think it's good to discuss it all!! That comforts those who are struggling and lets them know that it's all part of the journey for many, if not most, of us.
After all, a great causative factor for mental illness is loneliness or feeling like an outsider.
I am an art therapist and I will never forget one of my teachers saying that more than therapy, the greatest healer of mental illness has been found to be.... intimacy.
The more open a person is the more that person is helping all those around them, even if the subject is "taboo".
Anyone can become mentally ill. It just takes one too many experiences of heartbreak or isolation.
 
Hi Bill , you are so wright, I wish you well and a Buen Camino, Peter.
 
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The 9th edition the Lightfoot Guide will let you complete the journey your way.
This may be too broad or philosophical a statement, but in my opinion, any and all advice, from whomever or wherever, should be carefully weighed by the person receiving the advice as to whether or not it rings true for him or her, no matter how well-intended the person giving it.

(Whether the person receiving the advice has the ability to properly weigh it is yet another matter.)
 
Very well put "esmess", thank you for your post.
Pam
 
I would recommend the Camino for someone with depressed mood or major depressive disorder caused by either social anxiety or life events. The Camino is a really good way to come to terms with the causes of depression, if caused by circumstances, or to engage in a constant exposure therapy, if the depression is caused by social phobia. The environment has many healing factors, and is essentially consistent with the New Economic Foundation's Five Steps to Wellbeing.

I walked the Camino in August 2015 with depression that was the result of destructive personal circumstances. It was an extremely difficult experience, especially with my limited budget. Even so, I made a recovery over the course of the walk.
 
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I know this post was in the "wayback machine" but thank you for your service.
 
If one of my patients asked me that question...?
The answer would depend on the patient. Some have enormous capacity to reflect which will either save you or damn you. Some struggle with people; others struggle without. As far as physical health impacting on mood, the exercise, contact with nature and a good Spanish diet should all have an antidepressant effect. But the real journey is where your mind will go. And that depends on the individual and their personal circumstances. Some times are better than others to walk just as some routes may suit some people more than others. I think there are certain personalities that gravitate to certain routes especially if they do them as their first camino.
I would definitely warn them that finishing can be hard, leaving all those new friends and if the Camino reflects life, you have to be able to prepare for the "death" at the end. Easier for some than others.
For most people I would not advise tinkering with their medication unless there is a pre-discussed plan which includes a detailed relapse plan. And you need to carry a copy of that on you in case you do need to see a doctor.
The Camino could make you...But it also could break you. Ultimately you are the only person that can make the choice. But seek advice widely from people who know you well and who have your best interest at heart. And I hope you can include your mental health team in that circle.
 
Thanks to all for exploring mood disorders and the Camino. My trip to Spain is at least a year away, but since my responsibilities recently lightened and I was able to say “yes” to the Camino call, my life is changing. I have dealt with significant depression for 60 years; the past 20 have also included my care for my daughter, who has dealt with complex mood disorders.

As John Brierley advises, preparing for my spiritual journey on the Way. Participating in my church congregation in ways that match my gifts and needs; learning more about the saints, particularly Mother Mary. Exploring the history of Spain, starting from Brierley’s summary in his pilgrim’s guide.

Of course, these preparations have not “cured” my lifelong depression, but they have shifted me towards purpose, hope, simplicity... and the knowledge that other pilgrims (all imperfect, of course) are seeking the same.

Prayers and best wishes for all.

Jo
 
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Sabine, I know this thread is old but thanks to your link i am now reading through it and had to thank you. Your advice is perfect. Very succinct and appropriate and i am sure reassuring to many who are contemplating walking The Way. Thank you.
 
I haven't been here for a very long time - I walked the Camino may 2015. I walked it hoping for healing for my grief, depression and feelings of isolation from others.
When I got to Santiago I was in despair. My hopes and expectations had been so high and I felt I'd failed.
A nun took me aside and asked me if I was okay. I spoke to her from my heart about the issues id carried with me on the walk, and my disappointment that I was still carrying them.
She said to me, for some the changes come later.
Looking back, I can see now she was so right!
Walking the Camino gave me the seeds of believing in myself again, even though nothing went to plan. and two years later, the changes have been amazing. It started back then, struggling along the Camino.
It wasn't as I'd imagined, but the very act of doing it changed something in me.
I began to be myself, my real self. The self I'd rejected and tried to act differently from all my life -too shy, too sensitive, socially awkward - I began to accept and appreciate who I really am.
So much has changed since then.
This acceptance has given me peace and also a kind of joy I've lived most of my life without!
I'm not depressed any more, and I lived 50 odd years that way.
I just wanted to say this here to others struggling along the Camino in the way I was. The answers may come in unrecognisable and totally unexpected ways - and they may come later not during.
And it may be more of a whisper than a heroic shouting from the mountains. Hard won and slow to emerge.
Everyone's journey is unique.
Ultreya (not sure if I spelled that right) to all brave souls walking with these issues!!
 
This thread has been so helpful to me! Thank you! I came back from the camino in November, and have had a hard time processing it. I experience depression and panic, and sometimes on the Camino things would happen that would trigger a very uncomfortable cascade. But the solace was that there were always open peregrines to help and support. I came back a little disappointed that my mental state was slightly worse than before my trip, and was worrying that somehow I had done things ‘wrong’. But people here have helped me to see that the journey isn’t ever finished, and that there is no shame in how we handle the adversities along the Way. Cheers all, helped me remember we never walk alone <3
 
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I’d like to thank everyone for being so open on a somewhat difficult topic.

All I can add is that my experience of the Camino is it lends to people being more open than usual (more so than many other holidays at least). The best balm for mental health issues is feeling open enough (if possible) to share with someone on the trail, coping is often fostered by a simple chat.

My take is this is what we really miss and the primary cause of Post Camino Blues!

One thing I can say, is that even though miracles don’t come (for a lot of us), the real miracle is much more prosaic, we’re all in this together. Yea, at times people fall short and close down, not wanting to chat, when confronted with deeper emotional issues sometimes (cause they’re also struggling... shhhh!), but there are many more who’d be willing to lend a ear.

Also in my experience there are loads of good experienced helpers (social workers, counsellors, etc...) in the crowd. And we kinda like listening as well (quietly it takes our mind off our own stuff).

Buen Camino! and be brave, we all experience mental health concerns - just because some of us cope better than others doesn’t change the reality, we’re all in this thing called life together.
 
Thank for bringing up this question. It really depends on many factors and should be decide individually. I assume for people with some kinds of nevrosis camino would help get even better, but it is unpredictable with
psychiatric disorders.
 
I'm not sure I'd link Caminos as such directly with helping well-being, but rather would prefer the wider link of just being out in the fresh air every day, seeing mountains, crossing countryside, doing exercise daily and getting the heart pumping, challenging yourself daily, meeting and chatting with lots of interesting people regularly and so on.
 
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An old thread I know.
But this really resonated for me.

A Camino is a bit of an emotional roller coaster for me, as it is for many I'm sure.
 
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Rebekah Scott said:
I get clinically depressed. I was that way when I last walked the Frances, and I found it a profoundly lonely time.
Click to expand...
Yes, there is nothing more lonely than being alone in a crowd of happy people.
I also tend to depression, though I am generally pretty happy on the Camino (fresh air and exercise are truly medicinal), but I remember one day on my first Camino - I had started with a small Camino "family," but after about a week it sort of dissolved as some had to take it slower due to the late summer heat, and others found groups that they were more simpático with. Although I was still walking with a couple from the original group that I really liked a lot, I was feeling like I was walking "their" Camino, and not my own. So I made the decision to walk a longer stage than they had planned, which meant that we were no longer in sync on the Camino. The first few days I found it hard to find others to connect with, and I became down as I saw other groups laughing and smiling together. Then, one night in Astorga I ended up sharing a meal with quite a few other pilgrims. I didn't really know them, but then I started thinking that if the "lonely me" saw the me that was dining with that group, "lonely me" would assume that I was fully a part of that group - in other words, looks can be very deceiving - in some way we are all alone.
Rebekah Scott said:
The healing comes when you quit trying. Even then sometimes it doesn´t happen. Sometimes not for another few months, or years -- or in a form completely different from what you expect.
Click to expand...
On my subsequent Caminos I haven't been so concerned about being part of a group. I enjoy the company of others, but it's okay if I'm alone. What I love about the Camino is that every morning when I set out on the trail it's a new day with new opportunities.
Kanga said:
Yes, I think it’s important we don’t over-sell the Camino as a cure all.
Click to expand...
Absolutely! I think that if you are looking for the Camino to "fix" yourself, you will be very disappointed. That's why I think that it's so important to go with no expectations. Don't watch the YouTube videos or read the books. You will not have the same experience. You will have your own unique experience, and you should not let the experiences of others color your Camino.
 
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Interesting thoughts @trecile . We are all strange beings at times aren't we?
But we can find a home of sorts on the Camino.

I have to say I find 1 on 1 interactions, or small groups much easier to cope with on Camino.
As you say...
(there is nothing more lonely than being alone in a crowd of happy people)

Maybe that's why I have shied away from Albergues for so long?
Time will tell on my next Camino.
I might end up running from them LOL

But what ever 'issues' we have, there is lots of great advice on this thread.

Perhaps the key is to be kind to, and accepting of ourselves; just as much as to those around us.
 
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Sean Lad said:
Old
way out of date going back to 10 years ago
delate
Click to expand...
Hi Sean. You have walked the feet off yourself! Lucky you. I hope you will manage another camino or two this year. I am not from Ireland, as your avatar says you are. I can't find how to say I am from Scotland but live in Ireland though.
I am fortunate to be fairly healthy physically and psychologically, and I attribute that to the fried mars bars of my youth.. joke, I never saw a fried mars bar.
Now to your post. You are right, of course. It is an old post. Perhaps the fact that some people have discovered it again, or for the first time, will soon show if it needs to be deleted...
As for the original question, I am not equipped to respond. One of the great things in the forum structure is the private message feature. Maybe some people can help/find help via that route. Why not?
Anyway, time to get the spuds washed and keep the fingers crossed for an outdoors lunch in the yard. Patio to some.
Whatever your next one, buen camino!
 
This thread may be one of the oldest, but is still as relevant today as back then, just as any thread dealing with blisters, for example.
Albergues, restaurants, shoe styles, etc. come and go, often changing in time, but discussing the broader scope of mental health issues has no time limit.
 
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Ok. I’ll chime in… after reading so much advice about what to do, and what not to do. I’m hesitant to share my qualification in the helping professions, especially after seeing so many do so. I’m kinda weirded out… I always thought you should get to know your client for a few weeks before dealing out the “professional candy”. I’ll keep this simple…

A mental health issue shouldn‘t be a precursor for not doing the Camino. If you are able to manage in daily life, and are up for a challenge, I encourage it. We put too much importance in strategies, helplines, medication and professional support. Please remember, a Counsellor, worth their salt, will admit they’re there to try and remove obstacles that may be slowing a clients growth. Not to wrap them in cotton wool to make their life cosy. Yes, support is important, but if you don‘t give things a go, you simply live your diagnosis, instead of your life, the good, bad and ugly. Counsellors are only there to assist people adapt to life.

Yes, the Camino can be stressful, so you may feel triggered, but again, if you can “cope“ daily, and can seek friendly support when times are tough, why not? I can’t tell you the number of people I’ve seen crying on the Camino… and the numbers ready to offer a kind ear. You will know if your mental health concerns are too large… you’ll simply be scared to go, or remember times when the crap hit the fan. If it’s that serious, discuss it with your psych.

What’s the worst that can happen? You need to go home? Well, if you break a leg, that’s going to be the same outcome. Book a ticket with the option of changing the dates. Prepare yourself like every other pilgrim, you’ll just need to “pack” with the awareness of your specific quirks.

Life is the great teacher. Be bold and just live it.

Buen Camino
 
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