In the last few days, I've gone from taking 8 mg trilafon to just 4 mg, and earlier in the day, instead of at bedtime. Upon taking 8 mg, I started having scary side effects at night. I was getting incessant, repetitive surges of seeming electricity going to my upper head and body. It caused me to go into a coma like state, and it took everything with in me and crying out to Jesus literally to regain my bearings and become fully cognizant. One night this happened over and over again for hours. I tried laying upright to diminish the rush to my head, as I did for almost 18 months with the Seroquel, but it didn't help.
What did help was taking...duh, duh, duh...Lunesta. Yeah, I finally got to see what it would be like to have one of those pretty butterflies alight on my shoulder (you've probably seen the commercial). The first night I had just a couple of surges, but was still able to stay lying down and was able to sleep. I did wake up a couple of times, but got back to sleep. I could feel the sedation come on within about 15 minutes. I'm taking 3 mg. She only gave me about 5 samples, so I'm going to have her call in a prescription on Monday. I hope it continues to work.
My dreams have been pretty radical and bazaar, though the first night I took Lunesta, I actually had some sweet dreams intermingled.
Other good news: the voices are WAY QUIETER! they are, as the last blog post stated, tamed! I've only had a few in the last three days. It's been about three days of mostly quiet! I thank Trilifon and Jesus Christ for liberation from the haunting voices.
I have gotten some, like last night, I started hearing some of the old familiar ones come in, commenting on things I was handling or thinking about. I cried out to God that He would keep them away...that they wouldn't come back. I realize it's not going to be perfect...considering that...the impressions are still there. But they are way less too, however! The first of the three days, the impressions were coming on almost every move I made, discouraging me from doing whatever I was about to do or was doing. I've gotten a few today, but not much compared to where I was a week ago.
I've been dealing with some OCD. Yesterday, I had a strange mix of events that goes back to before I went on Trilafon. I watched a vlog by a guy with schizophrenia on youtube who had had great success with Trilafon. This was one of the main encouragements for me to go back on it. He also is a Christian, and believed this was a med God had blessed him with, that this was the answer, after 6 years of searching.
I was watching more videos of his yesterday, but as I was watching one of his videos that was giving scriptural and spiritual encouragement, I was getting a urgent impression that this wasn't a good idea. I'm always alarmed by the impressions. I pretty much think: "oh no, what happens if I don't follow the impression, and stop doing this?" The impressions warn me that there will be great consequence every time and my anxiety, paranoia, (and before, the voices) start going.
I continued--oop, I'm getting one now.
That's been happening for months, even way back on the seroquel. The impressions will come while I'm typing away on an email, journal entry, or blog, and it will say: "no, no, no! stop! don't do this!" in an impression that doesn't have a voice, but gives a strong discouragement from proceeding with a warning that this is either a sin, I'm being conceited or selfish, or that the other person will not take what I'm saying well. Do you understand? The agony! The confinement. The guilt and torment.
I'm still getting impressions as we speak.
The GOOD THING is that now when I ask God what's going on and why "He" wouldn't want me to proceed or do what I'm doing, I would always usually, especially in the last month, get voices--really loud voices explaining why. Understandably, now that I don't have this filling and occupying my mind, I'm a little bored. I'm not complaining though, no!
Currently, there's some clamorous noises going on around me. It's scaring me. That happens. I hate it. I'll hear a creak in the wall or something will fall on the floor and it feels like an assault.
I just want to give God the glory for all the improvements though. I feel so much better. It felt, just days ago, like I was in an intense spiritual battle all the time. For Christians, this is a reality for every one, but with schizoaffective disorder, and of the nature I have, it's like you've got to do everything in your will to ward off the attacks, and you can't run from it...you have to stand strong with the armor of God on all the time, fighting off demons, all the while thinking God's talking to you in your head, and you're trying to figure out what's Him and what's a demon or the illness. It's exhausting.
I had a very strong attack while walking the dog last week. My neighbor was driving down the private drive I was walking on towards his house. I waved (I always dread running into him, cause he can be mean, and even cussed me out one time). I am aware that God wants me to be a light everywhere I go and love even the unlovely, so I pray God will help me to be neighborly. As I passed him and his huge, loud truck, and he got out to get his mail, I felt needles go into my legs, as I walked on. This has happened many times within my illness experience, particularly in '07 and this year, when in the hospital. I am usually around someone that is an atheist or is yelling out blasphemous words, or in some conflicted spiritual zone. I got a voice in my head that said I was being demonically attacked and that I was trying to be of the world and not God, cause I wanted my neighbor's acceptance (yes, deep down, I want everyone's acceptance and care what people think of me). I wanted to go home and be safe, but the voices told me, I would be attacked there too, and that I couldn't escape. I pleaded with God. I'm sure I commanded the demons and Satan to leave in Jesus Christ's name, as I do, when I know I'm being attacked. When I saw another man at a business nearby, through a fence, the voice said I wanted his acceptance too, in a condemning way.
I went home, praying ardently, and told my mom. She said she was sorry and wished there was something she could do. I felt so alone and scared. Thankfully, the--what I know as--touch hallucinations did not continue, nor were there any advancements in various spirits or hallucinations of different sorts, which is what usually happens, according to past experience.
I'm still getting negative impressions. I just asked Jesus Christ to show me why I was getting negative impressions. The answer I got immediately was NOT A VOICE, thank you God, but an understanding that I it was because I'm speaking the truth about schizoaffective disorder and a girl's experience with it, and that I was speaking the truth about Jesus Christ, and how He has saved me and is saving me from demons and from darkness. Hallelujah.
And so I continue. I want to thank Jesus Christ for giving me the truth which sets me free, so that I may continue. With love. With compassion. With understanding. So that I can live. Psalm 119:144
The appointment with my psychiatrist went well. I'm thankful I've been able to see her, since the first time I saw her, every week, for the last three weeks. She's also very good in returning calls. That is one of the problems I ran into with my old doctor.
I also had three therapy sessions this week, two in person, one on the phone.
When in the heat of my voices and impressions, I believe it was last week, I was about to leave for therapy, and I was collecting some things to show my therapist. One was some matchboxes I had covered with decorative paper and inserted scriptures about light into on little printed out cards (a hobby of days past). One of the scriptures I found loose in the bag of matches was 2 Corinthians 6:14-16:
"Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God..."
This sent a message to me, which alarmed me greatly. A strong impression came upon me that said that I was rebelling against God by going to see this therapist. Being that she has never said she's a Christian, I assumed she wasn't, and therefore was trying to be in "partnership" with "darkness," "lawlessness," and "belial." And this was RIGHT as I was walking out the door, with positive anticipation of having a good therapy session with this person, wanting to share with her the things God was doing in my life and bless her with things God had blessed me with, such as the matchboxes and scriptures. Even though I thought she wasn't a Christian, I knew I was still doing a good thing by being a testimony for Christ.
Nevertheless, I went forth into the meeting and into later meetings, feeling like I was sinning very badly and rebelling against God and His word.
One day this last week, during a session, I was talking about the voices and impressions. The matter about the scripture and impression came up. I actually went to the meeting, not knowing if I was going to say goodbye to this person and never see her again, wondering where I would go then for help and therapy. However, she told me she was a Christian, grew up in the church, and had been baptized. I made sure, more than once, that she knew I was not judging her by questioning her salvation. I was not.
I trust her word. She is a very honest and sincere person. She also knows a lot about scripture and fully understands the gospel.
What more can I do but continue to be a light, pray that she will too, and trust that God is at work in her life and mine, or He wouldn't have had me go to her for so long in the first place.
Yet, I am still perplexed by the message I got that day, as well as so many other messages I've gotten since becoming schizoaffective. Just the other night I came across the scripture that talks about Jesus not knowing certain people and what He'll say to them in the end:
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me,you workers of lawlessness.' --Matthew 7:21-23
Back in '04, the day my illness hit the hardest for the first time, I was doing all sorts of strange things that I thought God was telling me to do, things I am too ashamed to tell a human being, even write in a diary. In the midst of my actions, I slid down to the floor, my face buried in the kitchen cabinet before me. I dreadful feeling flooded over me. I saw a vision of Jesus in my mind. He said: "away from me evil doer I never knew you." and disappeared. From that time on, a voice that appeared to be satan talked to me for hours, convincing me that I was in hell. I won't get into the details now. In short, the illness, or satan convinced me that where I was was going to be my hell and it was going to get worse and worse. At one point, I got physically hotter, the voice said I was dying, and the flames were getting nearer. The people around me, according to "the liar" that satan and my illness is, were just actors inhabited by demons to torment me for the rest of my life. I was told my family would even torment me and turn against me, though not my family, just actors. There's more, but I want to emphasize my initial point and stay on track here. I believe it was last night that I read the scripture from Matthew. A horrific dreadful emotion overcame me. I prayed ardently. I don't remember what I prayed, but it was definitely a plea that God assure me that my experience of '04 was ONLY MY ILLNESS, not reality. Jesus will never leave me. Hebrews 13:5 I didn't go to hell.
Oh the lies.
But I need Jesus Christ to comfort me and assure me more than anything that I am sealed with the Holy Spirit and have the promise of eternal life and nothing can take me out of his hands. Ephesians 1:3-8 Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:31-39
This is the truth of God's word. If I had claimed it back in '04, I believe I wouldn't have been led to eventually drive off the side of the road (this was a leading from what I thought was God to fall asleep at the wheel, which was a symbol of being asleep spiritually, which is something I still don't understand. It was to prevent me from going to hell, according to the voice).
Anyhow, if I can cut through all these experiences with the confidence God gives me and just be able to say, "yes, that was my illness." "no, that really didn't happen." "i was dillusional." "I have schizoaffective disorder and hear voices." "that's not normal." "Christians without schizoaffective or schizophrenia don't hear voices." ECT...it will save me a lot of obsession, anxiety, grief, and tears.
The truth will set me free.
I know I'm going to heaven. I know Jesus blood continually cleanses me of my sin. 1 John 1:7
I need God's peace and comfort and assurance. I need to sense His presence. I need healing. I need the Truth of His word and conviction about what is of Him and what is of my illness.
And this is happening! The fact that the voices and impressions have dissipated to an immense degree and I'm sleeping better has allowed me to have the clarity and freedom to write this blog post for you. The simple fact that I'm still alive, despite all the illness has led me to and brought on me is a testiment of God's grace and mercy.
Praise Jesus Christ!
Thank you for reading.
I hope this post has not brought you grief or has been oppressive to you in any way.
I thank you for allowing me to share and by so doing, to spread the truth of God's word, experiences of a woman with schizoaffective disorder, and her journey of healing from the scars of the illness and lies of the enemy.
Below are some scriptures of truth and comfort.
--His beloved
Psalm 147:3
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Jesus came to heal our broken hearts, set us free, comfort us, give us true and eternal life, and give us joy.
All He asks is that we believe.
Isaiah 61:1-4
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor,and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.
They shall build up the ancient ruins;
they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations.
p.s. the picture was found online. I thought it depicted the covering of the blood of Christ and living in His light, as I strive to also pray continually, as His Word says to. I fail daily, but His grace is sufficient for me...and you.
God bless you.
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