A bad night's sleep

Last night I went to bed at 9 pm. I fell asleep in an instant. It seemed like a good night. Then all of a sudden I woke up from an unpleasant dream. I felt a burning sensation in my stomach. I got up. It was 2 am. And I didn't panic. What a change! If this had happened a month or so ago, I would have gotten worried. I had only slept for 5 hours.

I prepared myself something warm to eat and went back to bed. Still I didn't fall back asleep. Nevertheless I didn't panic. I rested in bed with my eyes closed.

Then at 5 am I started coughing. I was fed up with lying in bed. Therefore I finally got up, got dressed, made myself a cup of chamomile tea and switched on my computer.

There are two reasons why I didn't panic. First: my thoughts were calm all the time, thus it couldn't have been anything psychological. Second: I have been doing a special exercise called number 8. This is one of the basic exercises of the Phyllis Krystal method. Number 8 helps us to stop other people or things having control over us. You can guess whose control I am trying to break these days: the control of the schizoaffective disorder over me. It works.

You can ask me more about my experience with the schizoaffective disorder: bb.bukle@gmail.com.

I am back

I am back from the very intensive seminar in Munich. Our teacher Phyllis Krystal will be 96 in April and she is still able to work full time for four days in a row. She is more than amazing. She is a miracle. The next training is in October. First I was asking myself: “Why do we need half a year from one training to another?” Today I know the answer. It's because we need a very long break. And it’s also because she gave us a lot of homework. Till October we are supposed to practice and write a report about it. For me this will be nothing new really, for I have been working with her method — the so called Phyllis Krystal method — for four years now. However I can imagine that this homework will change the lives of people who have only started to work on themselves. Some of the participants in the seminar were beginners namely. It will change their lives just as it has changed mine. For the better of course.

The method improves our self-image and thus makes it easier to cope with our schizoaffective disorder. You have to be very careful though and always talk things through with your psychiatrist. The method might be too intensive for your brain, so don’t try anything before consulting your psychiatrist. And never stop taking the medication! Also don’t start working with this method on your own only according to the books by P. Krystal. Join a seminar first. In seminars you can find mentors to help you doing the exercises. Find more information about the method: http://www.phylliskrystal.com/

You will be able to read more about my experience with this method in my next blog. I try to publish a new blog every Monday.

You can ask me more about my experience with the schizoaffective disorder: bb.bukle@gmail.com.

I am Taking a Short Break from Blogging

Dear readers, I would like to let you know that I will publish my next blog on the 15th of March. I am already packing my suitcase for Munich, where Phyllis Krystal is giving an intensive one-week-seminar. I am looking forward to immersing myself into the knowledge of how to liberate our minds from all kinds of negative thinking. Of course I will take with me two »items« that make me feel safe – Zyprexa pills and my beloved husband.