If you're wondering where I've been for the last three weeks, I will tell you this:"I was hospitalized for mental illness." To be more succinct, I suffer from PTSD-related Major Depression, and I had a relapse. Yep. It's true. As most people know, there are more forms of mental illness than I can possibly list. It does not matter whether it was caused by trauma or a chemical imbalances. Call m

e sick. Call me crazy, but don't call me stupid. Don't tell people your sister had a "nervous breakdown", because they just do not exist. This is my personal plea for people who have this disease. End DADT for mental illness. Please post this on your FB page for at least 4 hours. Post it again and again. Tell everyone Julie A. Garrett Woods sent you, and would love to have all of you "crazies" as a friend.

Paper bicycles!

Paper bicycles!   Cool, huh?!

Why Psychiatry is dying

Psychiatrists, such as Carl Menninger, and Jung were all about healing....Making the patient's surroundings pleasant and supportive to the healing process.  Today's Psychiatrists are nothing more than legal dope dealers.  Prescriptions are given out like candy to patient's trusting in the judgment of these "healers". Psychiatrists only have a vague idea of how psychotropic drugs act on the brain.  They have no idea why some drugs seem to work for some people, and are worthless to others.  All drugs have side effects, but psychotropics are the biggest offenders in the drug industry. Seroquel...currently a very popular drug with Psychiatry, is the second most dangerous drug on the market.  Not only does it cause weight gain, it has been now proven to cause Diabetes 2...an extremely serious disease.  The best medicine for Depression, Anxiety, and a host of other maladies is vigorous daily exercise.  I swim 3 miles a day, and ride my horse every day, as well.  I fall in bed pleasantly exhausted.  It helps if you believe in a higher power.  As I drift off to sleep, I imagine myself surrounded in the soft glow of God's love.  I am medication free, and I will never be happier.  If God is not your thing...use soft music, and imagine yourself in a peaceful place, calm, warm and contented.  Go about your day in a mindful way, finding pleasure in everyday activities.  It helps to have a pet in your life.  I have two:  my horse, Sunny, and my Alaskan Malamute, Bree.  They are my therapists.

It’s good to be pretentious!

It’s good to be pretentious!

My Life at Age Five

I was an extremely shy little girl.  However, the nuns gave me a big part in the kindergarten play.  I believe I had 5 lines.  On show night, we all performed well, and I was quite proud of myself.  My friends mothers all patted on the back. There were smiles all around.  My Dad was grinning from ear to ear.  On the way home in the car, my mother said:"You did great, but you need to speak a lot louder."  It was praise from my mother that I wanted, but never seemed able to make her proud.  I sank down in my seat, dropping my head.  My mother turned around and stroked my sister Sarah's hair.  Sarah was two years old, and, in my 5 year old opinion, a complete brat, and yet my mother gave her the attention I desperately wanted.  My father, on the other hand, was always calling me his pretty little girl.  That night, after our baths, my mother put us to bed.  I fell quickly asleep.  Hours later, I heard the squeaky board in front of our bedroom door.  My father crept in and whispered softly to me.  He said I was his special girl, and that he would never let anyone hurt me.  He stroked my dark brown hair and kissed me softly on the lips. I remember being surprised by that, as we were always kissed on the forehead or the cheek.  He put his hand gently under my pajama top, and rubbed my tummy.  That felt so nice.  My Daddy really loved me.

SWIM!

Polaris Ranger Men's Mountain Bike - 26" - Mountain & Hybrid Bikes (Google Affiliate Ad)On  August 5, 2012, I will attempt my first open water swim in Lake Michigan...up North.  It will be one mile long, in cold water.  I'm training like crazy.  I'm going to be swimming with one of my former age group swimmers.  She won her age group last year.  I'm working hard to do the same in my  age group...a lot less competition, though.  It will be quite an adventure.

Can you say Law Suit?

Yep.  I'm suing.  I'm looking for the most aggressive, take no prisoner bad-ass attorney I can find.  It's futile to look for an attorney to sue the U of M, as it is a company town.