I just got off the phone with a very old friend of mine. We've known each other for 34 years. As the years progressed, her mental illness has become more pronounced. In fact, she just had a psychotic break. It was a long time coming, but today, she is fan-freaking-tastic. She sounds better than she has in years, and it's nice to hear it. Because she has been stablized, we determined that we could discuss these posts. I never mentioned them to her before, because I was a bit worried about her. But as in the past, when she is stable, we can discuss anything with no negative effect.
She has always tended toward religiosity, and she considers herself a Christian. She finds my atheist rants quite funny, and encourages them when she is well. When she is not well, we DO NOT discuss religion, because I understand that it is a trigger for her. So tonight, for the first time, I told her what was happening here. She is absolutely stunned. Well---she did get a hearty laugh over the Jehasuah whatchamacallit, and EE, she absolutely LOVED your posts when you went into dialect. She couldn't stop laughing, even though I had a hard time pronouncing much of it.
The voices, visions and personal revelations bothered her a bit. You see, when she experiences such, it's a BAD thing. It's a warning. She is amazed that people are talking about hearing a voice as if it is a good thing and quite ordinary. I asked her if it would be helpful to her for me to EVER validate a voice she might hear. She emphatically said, NO. I asked her if it was ever one voice, and did it ever say nice things? Absolutely. She said voices don't always say scary things, and sometimes are quite nice, but that doesn't change the fact that they are BAD. She cannot understand why this is not clear to others.
Then I told her of visions of dragons and dead bones, and this did not make her happy. She said it was very serious, and even suggested a cause. I asked her if she was exposed to this kind of talk when she is sick, would it ever be helpful. No. It would be harmful. She agrees with me, that I should continue to encourage anyone hearing a voice to see a doctor. It's not a good thing. It doesn't necessarily mean a profound mental illness, but it is nothing to play with.
She continues to be a believer. But she is stunned that these conversations are defended. That is one believer's take on this matter----a believer who knows what it means to hear voices and lose touch---a person who understands the harm in it. I have been encouraged to continue warning people that if they hear voices or see visions, they should get checked out. Maybe nothing serious, or maybe something that could turn ugly very quickly. I think I heard her shaking her head. It was too crazy even for her.
