We choose our world. Plato suggested humans select a life prior to birth, then live it in a state of amnesia. Perhaps that’s true, but that’s not the point of this essay. For the moment, consider the inner experience. When you think about it, doesn’t what happens inside our brains have a bigger influence on our contentment than what happens outside? And aren’t the two more separate than we appreciate in day-to-day life? Even though the environment constantly touches our senses, and so shapes our minds, it is not hard to make a distinction between the inner world and the outer one. And it’s the inside that makes us happy, or drives us insane.

Somewhere ‘out there’ sits the cosmos. It consists of things we call ‘matter’ and ‘energy’. Outside of our minds, substances and forces move, fluctuate, and interact. We have good scientific descriptions of how this works, but we don’t experience it directly. All we have access to are the patterns of nerve signals that enter our brains by way of nerves. These nerve signals come from complex sense organs such as eyes and ears. They also arrive from scattered sensory cells (in our skin, organs, and tendons) that provide our sensations of touch, bodily condition, and movement.

It takes effort, but try for a moment to fully acknowledge these facts about the separation between the mind and the physical world. Scientists and philosophers debate about the nature of the ‘self’ that makes use of incoming data. But even without understanding the ‘self’, it is helpful to grasp that our minds depend on sense organs for contact with the universe. Sensory systems are the windows through which we view our lives.

I have finally settled on a motto that says it all for me – I Want To Be A Better Person. For me, that simple phrase addresses many of my issues; my arrogance, my bad behavior, my admission of having done wrong, my acceptance of who I really am, and most of all, my need for hope. I Want To Be A Better Person reflects my belief that in spite of my bipolar condition, I can overcome my bad tendencies and become someone to admire, instead of someone to fear or feel sorry for.

My journey to wanting to be a better person was long and convoluted, painful, yet even funny at times. My hope is that by sharing it with you, I will have an even greater desire to live up to my dreams and give someone else hope as well. There are countless details left out and many details may be wrong, but I hope to paint a picture of how I got to this point.

Long before my diagnosis of Bipolar, I exhibited behaviors that were considered horrible, to put it mildly. Thinking I was smarter and better than anyone, I would justify my behavior as the fault of whoever was my victim. It was always “your” fault that I was acting so horribly, and if it weren’t for you, I would be a saint. My extreme rages were outdone by my delusions, my denial that I was responsible for my behavior, or even believing that my behavior was perfectly justified.

After getting sick of my own behavior, I bought an estate that was next to the monastery that I once lived in. I volunteered to manage the computer systems department and was put under the direction of Lee, a senior monk who I have known for over 20 years. One day, I had a falling out with a friend of mine that I had hired to do some work for the monastery. We ended up in a heated email exchange that was rapidly escalating to the point that it was harming the monastery. Because I was representing the monastery, Lee insisted that all emails that I sent be approved by him. It has been almost five years now, but that experience is one that I have finally grasped.

Humility too often sounds like a dirty word in our culture. It goes against the dominant values of competition, self-promotion, and egotism. Prominent figures seldom exhibit anything like it. Sometimes we see weak attempts at false modesty, but only rare and special leaders are truly humble. The Dalai Lama comes to mind, but not many others.

This is unfortunate. Humility not only fosters cooperation within society, it promotes mental health. Alcoholics Anonymous has figured this out, and of course most spiritual systems advocate against excessive pride. But as a general principle of psychiatric wellness, we seldom hear of it.

The problem is that people misunderstand the word. We hear talk about the importance of self-esteem, and we suspect humility implies lack of belief in oneself. But the truth is we can’t be genuinely humble without first being confident of our worth. We all understand that the people who talk themselves up the most are often the ones who feel the most insecure. The converse, also true, is less well known. Those who feel more love and respect for themselves have less concern about proving themselves to society.

This is the Preface from the book Bipolar In Order:

“Those who dance are considered insane by those who can’t hear the music.” – George Carlin

When Christopher Columbus set sail for the new world, the common belief was that the world was flat and he would fall off. Once he saw the world from the other side and spoke of its many wonders, the world became a far more beautiful place.

Yet many people still clung to the old belief and could not accept the new evidence. It took many years for the world to adjust to the truth. To this day there are still some who believe the world is flat, but most of us consider them ignorant and unable to accept reality.

When I set out to explore the inner world, the common belief was that I would fall off the edge too. But just as Columbus discovered a world filled with beauty, I have seen depression, mania, hallucination, and delusion from the other side and found incredible vistas. With training, you too can visit those worlds without falling off, and discover a life far more beautiful than you can imagine.

What is unfortunate today is that far too many people continue to cling to the old belief that it is impossible to live a full life with a mental condition. On the other hand, a growing group of people are beginning to consider a life that is not restricted to a narrow range of experience. I look forward to the day when we all rise above the ignorance that keeps us in fear and denial of a better life.

Bipolar In Order is based on a very simple premise: we can learn and grow to the point that we see our condition as an advantage in our lives. Because this concept is often difficult for many people to accept on blind faith alone, I encourage everyone to simply begin by accepting that this new perspective is possible. To make this perspective a reality requires persistence, determination, and commitment. If you will give this perspective a chance, you will prove it in your own life.

There are so many examples of bipolar “disorder” that it is easy to understand why so many people try to avoid it instead of facing it and getting it under control. We can choose to view depression, mania, hallucination, and delusion from at least two different perspectives–either as “disorder” or as “in order.” Knowing that we have a choice of perspectives leads us to the understanding that we do not have to accept a diminished life. We begin to see what bipolar can be if we get it “in order” instead of trying to make it go away.

In virtually every sport, success boils down to having strong abdominals and strong lower back (the core). For you, that means that every movement you make over the course of your day involves either your stomach or your back. Everything from sitting, walking, running and jumping to getting out of bed in the morning and picking your kids up involves your abdominals and lower back. Unfortunately, these tend to be the most overlooked body parts of all. People, you have to train your abdominals and lower back. How many people do you know with bad backs? A lot of that could have been prevented if back muscles had been strengthened to keep the stress of the joints.

You need to do exercises that target your upper abdominals like standard crunches, your oblique’s (side abdominals) like twists with a broom stick or weighted ball, and your lower abs with a leg raise. Do thirty reps of each exercise with no rest in between for a killer six pack. Then turn over to your stomach and raise your arms and legs at the same time without resting for thirty reps. This exercise is called the superman and it’s great for the lower back. And remember none of this hard work will show without a proper diet! Peace and go get those abs!

The term ―evidence-based practices‖ evokes varying responses in our profession—not all of them positive. Indeed, it was not until I broadened my own theoretical and clinical perspective, that I was able to fully appreciate the value of scientific methods and integrate them into my daily work. My early training was rooted in Freudian, object relations, and family systems theories, and I continue to place a high value on those constructs and how they enhance my ability to effect lasting change in my patients’ lives. I also have witnessed the critical advances that evidence-based interventions have made toward helping patients understand and accept their conditions, while facilitating development of skills that reduce suffering and improve the overall quality of life. In this article, I review these contributions and invite readers who are not trained in these modalities to learn more about them and integrate them into their existing practices. I believe that borrowing the best of all areas is the optimal path to delivering effective treatment. But as our scientist-practitioner colleagues would say, ―the proof is in the data‖— so I invite you to join in the effort to collect them.

During my internship, my introduction to seriously ill adolescent inpatients and their slow responses to nondirective treatment methods forced me to step back and question my approach: Could I maintain a psychodynamic perspective yet broaden my clinical skills to intervene more directly and effectively in my patients’ refractory conditions? My subsequent clinical and administrative experience in public service, working with underprivileged, severely disturbed youths and their families, further deepened my resolve to diversify both my theoretical perspective and my clinical armamentarium. Perhaps the most helpful step toward that goal was my training and certification in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Dr. Marsha Linehan’s (1993) evidence-based paradigm for treating borderline personality disorder—and the only proven psychological treatment for reducing suicidal behavior.

Among scientist-practitioners, empirically driven models of care provide the foundation for assessment and treatment, and the literature is replete with articles highlighting their efficacy in improving patient outcomes. However, many independent practitioners …

Six months ago, two of my doctors turned up the flame of encouragement in strongly motivating me to lose about 30 pounds. “You won’t have to go on cholesterol medicine,” one said. “You can delay a hip replacement,” the other said. I’m half way to my goal…and guess what? The exact same process that helps one stabilize cash flow, eliminate debt and build wealth helps one lose weight! The same process for being rich and thin? Here it is!

Step 1: The Shift From Vagueness to Clarity

If you are one of my clients, you know this is the first concept we work on. How can you change anything until you are clear about what behaviors you are practicing, with food or money. Just as I have you track your cash flow to see where it’s going, I tracked my food and calories to see what I was taking in. My eyes bulged out when I saw that I was taking in 2500-3000 calories a day. I had no idea all the grazing I did added up. Just like many have no idea how all the little dollar amounts they spend add up to big numbers. It is empowering to take one’s head out of the sand, to acknowledge what is and then begin to step into the power of conscious choice.

Step 2: Stay Conscious and Aware Daily

Weight research studies tell us that (for people who are like me and stress eat) it’s best to weigh oneself daily with “relaxed awareness.” Make friends with the scale, make friends with your checkbook register. They both have important information to share. Knowing our daily weight number helps us make better food choices in the day. Knowing our daily checking account balance helps us make better spending choices in the day. Better food choices support weight loss. Better spending choices support a plumper bank account!

Step 3: Prioritize Needs

First, Wants SecondLogically, our frontal lobe knows that paying the rent or mortgage trumps buying a flat screen TV. Paying the utility bill trumps buying that new outfit.  The same is true for food choices, balanced meals come before dessert. Protein trumps sugar. Easier …

Acceptance is key. Depression, anxiety, and many other mental states that people dislike become less troublesome with acceptance.

Our inner and outer circumstances at this instant cannot be altered. We can make decisions to change what happens next, but the current moment is already …

I am very excited to be starting this blog. I have resisted doing a blog for a long time because I didn’t want it to turn into recounting what I had for breakfast today.  I wanted to participate in the give and take that blogs afford while trying to offer something meaningful. Having to write something as frequently as a blog seems very hard to keep relevant and interesting. The solution offered by Psych Central might work out perfectly – host the blog here and make it a team effort.

Psych Central has long been my favorite site for mental health issues. It has been open minded about all points of view and has attracted people from all sides of the issues. John Grohol has reached out to every community and has created a site where even my radical ideas are welcome and debated with respect and passion. I hope our blog contributes to that open minded approach and stirs much debate both within the Psych Central community and the outside world.

The biggest factor in my decision to start this blog is the commitment from our education team at Bipolar Advantage. With sixteen doctors, professors, and experts across a wide range of complementary disciplines contributing, I don’t have to worry about writing enough to keep current. We are aiming to have a new post every other day, so each author will be submitting an article a month and participating mostly in his/her own conversation.

As I am the lead on this blog, please direct ideas, suggestions, and other questions that are not related to a specific post to me. As we all know, spammers make it impossible to post direct email addresses online, so we are all forced to hide behind contact forms. I can be reached through the Bipolar Advantage Website or in a comment to any of my posts. I look forward to your thoughts.

Welcome to the new blog, Bipolar Advantage, hosted by Tom Wootton and his colleagues. We’re pleased to present you with an alternative view of this concern, focused on how it can be used to achieve anything you set your mind to. Tom said it best:

The mental health field is plagued with the bigotry of low expectations. Far too many people are talking about “changing the stigma,” while creating the worst stigma of all — the idea that we are not capable of achieving greatness. While their intentions are good, they are doing terrible harm to everyone with a mental condition and those who love and support them. This “can’t do” attitude is rampant in professionals, consumers, friends and family, and advocates.

This blog, then, will be about resetting expectations, raising the bar, and understanding how to believe in yourself once again. A diagnostic label should no longer hold you back from achieving greatness.

The mission of Tom and his colleagues is to “help people with mental conditions shift their thinking and behavior so that they can lead extraordinary lives. We are dedicated to the concept that recovery does not have to be limited to 90% of full function; true recovery means doing the hard work that brings you to 150%! We strongly believe that we can turn our ‘condition’ into one that becomes an advantage instead of an ‘illness’ or a ‘disorder.’”

Learn more about Tom Wootton and others who will be blogging here in the months to come…