Hello and Welcome,

I initially wrote this document to compliment a course I was creating for

my start up Scizm. Since I shut that down

I am offering it for free now to aid as many people as possible. I have also started a blog: Scizm.blogspot.co.uk

My advice is bred from personal experience, so as a disclaimer you should always seek medical advice if you think

you have schizophrenia, this is not meant to be a replacement and there are no guarantees, merely it is to add to your

tools of recovery.

I am using google drive which also includes a free 6000 word ebook on spirituality,

please feel free to download that as well! If you want me to continue working on this kind of thing I am accepting donations at: http://gogetfunding.com/project/scizm-

fundingIf you have schizophrenia then this

information is for you. The techniques we will learn today will help you beat your

illness, or at least manage it more effectively. Some of what I will say is

contentious but I am merely talking from my own experience of what worked for me to achieve the level of health I have now (a million times better then what I used to be) and the many people I have

met who also suffer different conditions. I hope you find this informative and

enlightening!

So lets jump straight in, first I will talk about ways to beat mental illness which are not specific to an individual illness but are in fact universal to all the

types of mental illness you may have. The next few pages are helpful to many different mental

disorders.

HopeThe number one thing you can never give up is hope! It is a very dangerous thing to lose and

without it, getting better is far more difficult. Take comfort in stories like my own, I am a million times better then I used to be, well enough to even set up Scizm and start making a difference! Having hope

will also ensure you are safer from yourself and who knows, tomorrow you could see a marked

improvement. Search for mental illness success stories on Google, these uplifting stories are plentiful

and empowering.

MedicationTake your medication! It is so helpful as it is more

than likely that you have a chemical imbalance in your brain which causes the outlandish experiences, feelings or thoughts and will counteract these by, primarily, blocking your dopamine receptors. I

found medication creates stability in my mind over time, making me less prone to delusional thinking. Take it religiously and a few months down the line

you should begin to see improvements.

ActivityTo distract yourself from the experiences or nightmares make sure your day has much

structured activity, so make plans to do things. This can be as simple as reading a book, surfing the

internet, learning an instrument, going out for a meal, going to the cinema, watching television or any of the other 'normal' things that people do.

Fake It To Make ItBy acting normal and getting on with normal

activities you will begin to see a change inside yourself towards wellbeing. This means faking

smilies, saying that everything is fine and generally trying to eliminate abnormal behaviours. There are many people out there who would benefit from this

and I have heard of this approach working for sufferers. By saying everything is fine, you make that statement and begin to believe it yourself. If you repeated the statement “everything is fine” over and over again, even though the world was

ending (literally) inside your head you would begin to believe it. This is what I had to do to survive

hearing God being tortured, apart from breaking down into tears! Obviously tell your therapist and CPN what is really going on and your family, but

over the years start faking it to them, it really will help in the long run. It's called 'putting on a brave

face', I have been doing it for years.

CryLet out some of that bile that’s inside, all that

sadness and hatred or any negative emotion that has built up inside you needs to be released. This is

an extremely important step, the chemicals associated with stress come out in your tears and I have learned how to fling out the bile at break neck speeds. Next time you want to cry, let it take you over and fully release your sadness of the world, to

the world.

ExerciseOne of my favourite ways to cope with mental

illness and life in general, exercise releases endorphins which will combat your illnesses negative

traits.

Think PositiveI know this can be really hard, but is one of the only

things that kept me going through the constant

waking nightmares, my schizophrenia threw at me. Think positively and you will get positive people and circumstances in your life, like attracts like and so thinking negatively attracts negative things. Don't worry though, positive thinking is a million times

more powerful then negative thinking, one powerful thought of “I AM LOVE!” (I am statements are very powerful) will attract much more then the hours of negative meanderings we are prone too, try it now!

It is down to you to reprogram yourself through positive affirmations and good life choices to bring an end to your illness, and usher in the good life

which follows.

Healthy EatingNot so much limited to just us mental illness

sufferers but still produces a massive boost to our wellbeing, which is the name of the game. I eat

celery and fast once a week and it really produces results, I feel great and I know this is the boost vegetables give us. Plus this will counteract the

weight gain, so common in mentally afflicted lives,

due to the side effects of many antipsychotic medications.

JournallingWrite about your experiences in a private journal. A gratitude list can be very helpful, list all the things you are grateful for in your life (the roof over your head, the food, water, family) anything. You can

talk about hopes and dreams, your current feelings, anything you like!

HobbiesTaking up a hobby will help a lot, I am a huge

advocate of guitar, it helped me no end and now I have a useful skill! It can be kite flying, boating,

fishing, bowling, chess, book reviewing, writing, a musical instrument of any kind, just get good at

something while you have this time on your hands. They also can be turned into careers, years from now as it is your passions that you are advised to

turn into businesses!

Friends and familyThe support from friends and family is a huge one,

they can be really helpful as a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on and if they're super nice will cook you a nice meal and even lend you money when you are broke! Plus the advice can be great and it will boost you a lot to be around someone who actually

cares.

TherapyI found therapy sessions to be most useful, we used some CBT techniques and talked through my many

symptoms and issues over a number of weeks. A professional knows an awful lot about mental illness and are generally caring and kind when treating you. They have seen it all so there's no need to

worry about opening up, they will help you to the best of their ability, which is considerable.

RewardsNever forget to offer yourself rewards such as nice

food, fine clothes, those shoes you want, that katana which would look awesome on the

mantelpiece etc. anything that you can give yourself a pat on the back with and say 'well done me, you deserve this!'. Rewards are very important to get you through the illness, say to yourself 'I will buy

that tablet computer (hopefully from Scizm) once I have achieved my goal of....' and think of something you want to achieve, this will help you to achieve it

for obvious reasons.

Connect With Fellow SufferersThe internet is a great place to meet other sufferers

and read about inspiring stories of survival and victory over these illnesses. You can also make

lifelong friends, find very helpful advice and feel a part of a community of survivors.

Know That You Are Not Alone!This is important, knowing that there are millions

like you with exactly the same illness and symptoms can be a huge comfort. Why not buy our Smiley

Mug, which includes the slogan, you are not alone! This will help us further our work to help sufferers but also raise awareness of mental health issues,

reminding you that you are not alone in this process.

Quit SmokingThis was the best choice I ever made in my life and I feel so much better for it. I also have much more

money and no longer have those nagging shadows in the back of my consciousness, telling me I'm going to die a slow and painful death. This is the worst part of smoking, those shadows but I also have

other reasons why you MUST quit. I can't tell you how much it increases your physical health but also the mental health is further healed after the initial period of wanting a smoke badly. There was a crazy

person living in my head, fuelled by the want of nicotine which disappeared a few days after I kicked

it. People say it relieves stress but it is my experience that it actually increases stress initially and then relieves the stress it creates, not even

touching life stresses at all. I have been clean for a year and a half now (well one birthday cigar if I am

being honest) and never felt better. DO IT!

Lack of AlcoholI have found that alcohol fuels my symptoms in a

very tangible way. I am very much trying to quit at the moment, cutting down loads and would suggest

that it really is bad for our mental healths. I am sure I don't need to tell you the other risks inherent

with taking it but I would definitely recommend cutting down if you are a heavy drinker as the

moments of sobriety allow your mind to heal. Plus beer kills brain cells and we need our brain cells!

Staying Off DrugsThis is a big one, they can be very dangerous to anyone but those prone to mental illness can be hugely hurt just by a simple one like cannabis. It

might be tempting, maybe you were even triggered early like I was by cannabis, but you must resist the

temptation to 'have a good time', knowing that there is a possibility that hell awaits should your

resolve falter.

LearningLearn as much as you can about everything, the

internet provides the sum total of human knowledge, or close to it. Try different courses,

there is every kind of course available to you right now!

TimeTime heals all wounds, as some wise man once said and this certainly applies to mental illness. Just give

it time. If you take the above steps then it will

happen faster, but you must give steps such as medication months before you see a difference. It

can then take years for your brain to rebuild itself, but if you remember that you have to take out the old rubbish that’s in there from trauma and put in new positive life affirming experiences to replace

them then you will see a massive improvement. Us mentally unwell individuals have the potential to be more well then the average person on our quest for well mental health. You might find yourself getting 'too well' and noticing the madness that is around

you, that governs the world. This is a good sign, and one that I am sure, once you are a balanced,

rational human being will lead you to want to and go out and change the world!

Divine AssistanceI have to admit this one was THE BIGGEST factor in my getting better, God (for there is a God) has helped me out of my constant waking nightmares and into the light! When I say God I really mean

Higher Intelligence of myself and all of humanity and all of the universe, basically the sum total of all. Pure, living conscious love is another way to describe Her and, if you haven't asked for help from Her in

awhile I urge you to try now. They cannot intervene until you ask, so please, try it. What can it hurt to

request, 'help me to heal God, please send your healing Angel Raphael to help me through my

illness.' They're waiting for you to make contact.... All you must do is:

Ask!

Ok so hopefully this is a good wake up call for you to now implement some of these techniques and ideas into your daily life. If you are truly serious

about getting better then you need to try some of these things.

Next I am going to talk about how specifically schizophrenia can be dealt with.

Firstly, if you are hearing voices then my heart goes out to you, I know how hard that is but would like to say again: You are not alone! One technique I found to be extremely helpful is meditation. This does not mean silencing the mind, it means being the ever present watcher of your thoughts and taking time out to relax, get in your body and

cultivate awareness of yourself.

It is really difficult with schizophrenia, I heard voices for years, well a voice, that constantly badgered

me, sounding like the ghost of a dark sorcerer and was always trying to send me to hell! Having visions of the place made this a very scary time, but I am

now free of voices and have been for years. I did this via two secrets, which I will share with you now.

Secret number one

I was and still am on Risperidone and Abilify. These two medications, coupled together, made a good

platform of stability for my head to rest. Abilify is a

type three medication, the only one currently on the market and is actually capable of sniffing out

which receptors in your brain need turning off and on!

Risperidone is only a type two, meaning it is older but is still effective, for me anyway, in creating

stability. Take it at night, if the doctor allows as it can be very sleep inducing and the Abilify in the

morning as this one keeps you awake! This means it will be easier in the evenings to get to sleep but easier in the mornings to wake up and should be fine with your doctor, I have been doing this for a

number of years. That is secret number one.

Secret Number Two.

Talk to your voices, kindly and compassionately. Ask them, why they want to hurt you, if they do, what

they feel their purpose in life is, how they are feeling, what they would like to be called, what

troubles them so etc. Tell him or her that you care about them (for they are an extension of you and

self love is so important), love them even (this is hard but saying it will take you one step closer to healing), that you want what's best for them and

would never hurt them. It will become easier to feel these things just by thinking or saying these

statements out loud, even if you actually feel like taking an axe to their face (this was what I wanted to do to the ghost of a dark sourceror or possibly alien Artificial Intelligence that had invaded my

mind after awhile) and hurting them with all the hatred you have for this super annoying thing inside you. As it turned out this was a voice in my head, so I was just self hating, even if at the time it felt

like an outward entity.

Top tip: Chin up and love, love, love!

So that is dealing with voices, but there are many, many other symptoms of schizophrenia that you

need to address. Voices are usually linked to trauma, possibly in childhood but other symptoms, such as delusions or lack of emotion are due to a

chemical imbalance inside your brain. We are just wired that way!

To counteract this rather unfortunate set of circumstances, self-awareness is exceptionally

important. Meditation will increase this much, but it is also possible to cultivate it through other

means, such as staring at the night sky! I found that seeing the vastness of space increases our

awareness of ourselves as the tiny specks of matter that we are. Also being in the presence of the sun

as this entity is so grand in comparison to ourselves.

Us schizophrenia sufferers can be amazingly creative with our story telling, artistry or musical

expression. We find very interesting ways to connect seemingly unconnectable situations and events,

something which I would define as hugely creative. A conversation springs to mind that my parents

were having and I was listening to. I thought every word, every sentence was about me and was

relating it all to the idea they were dark sorcerers. Very, very creatively my mind did this for every

word. Luckily, by then I had enough self-awareness to know that this was in fact mental illness,

noticing this and watching with avid interest to see what my mind's paranoia could conjure up next!

Due to cultivating the ever present watcher that we all have in our minds, I was able to treat myself as a kind of study in paranoia and creativity, from an outward perspective. Their are many guides on how to practice Mindful Meditation, search on Google or

wait for my course on that also!

Delusions

To beat delusions, such as thinking that you have the ability to read minds, find a close friend or

trusted family member and test your theories out on them, explicitly explaining what you are

currently experiencing and believing. They will probably be shocked and worried, (this just shows they care) but do not be deterred, after a short

time they will calm down and help you explore your ideas. Do not hesitate to do this if you are

experiencing things that are 'out of the ordinary'.

Lack of emotion.

This can effect anyone who has an illness, even physical ones and is something I have had to deal with for a long time. It can be hard for the person in question who loves you, when you tell them that

you feel nothing for them, so I would suggest keeping it to yourself and not hurting their feelings. I almost never advocate lying but in this instance I would say that it is a good idea. Tell them you love them, for deep down you do, you infact love them enough to become their son or daughter, parent or sibling and make it convincing. It is hard enough on them that you are ill for years, make it easier on

them with this simple lie. Do not feel ashamed; it is a symptom, you wouldn’t feel guilty for breaking a

leg would you?

Get a therapist and talk through your traumas, hopes, dreams, desires and feelings you may find that some of the emotion comes back. If not then

view yourself as a prime candidate for high integration with the machines of the future, for lack

of emotion will be a big part of tanshuman experience. This is of course if they haven't found a

way round this! You can look at yourself as a biological machine, cool as a cucumber, who needs

those pesky, irrational things called feelings anyway? They only cloud your judgement and force rash decisions out of people, why not be governed

by rational, machinelike thinking. Make the best of a bad situation by looking on the bright side like the above thinking, which is exactly what I thought when I noticed almost no emotion whatsoever.

Paranoia

This one is really tough, I remember experiencing the blackest terror, words being completely

inadequate to describe this sensation. If you are smoking cannabis then STOP this is the cause of it!

It took me ages to realize that it was this drug which was causing my symptoms, which by then

had got much worse and it took me years of

abstinence from cannabis to get my head back to normal. If you are having trouble quitting it there is plenty of support available online or in your local

community.

If you have never tried cannabis then I know it can still be really bad and is linked with delusional

thinking that people are out to get you. A way to get through it is therapy as it is almost certainly past trauma or deep sadness, manifesting as fear. You can try going for quite walks or talking with

those that love you, who will reassure you that it is in your mind.

But whatever you do, stay off drugs!

Suicide

Grit is another way to cope, meaning determination that you can and will survive this life (pun intended)

and you will do so with pride and dignity, with a single minded intent that few well people can

match. Tell yourself that you will never end your

life, that this is the ultimate way to give up and fail, that your friends and family would be

devastated and that you are stronger then that. I know that this is the only way we can fail (though

technically we never can, due to the infinite chances given to us by the Divine), that then we have to

start all over again and suffer for all the pain our selfish action of suicide caused, as well as the rest of

our Karmic debt all over again!

Didn't you ever wonder why you are still here? Why all those suicide attempts failed or why your life was just the right level of difficulty for you to be

tested, at times unbearably, but still come through? It is because it needs to be just the right level so

that it is not too hard for you just to end it all, but not too easy so that your karmic debt doesn’t get

paid. You may disagree, but I absolutely know there is a God and Angels and many other wondrous

expressions of holy divinity, walking the earth right now and helping us all in our lives. As I previously mentioned, but will go into more detail later on (I may very well make a course entitled Spirituality;

The e-Learning Solution later) these entities are extreme helpful when your in a tough spot and will improve your life if asked! They cannot intervene

until you do. And really, what do you have to lose?

Think of how far you have come to just get here today, if you can come this far you can go all the way! Life is such a precious thing and we are so

special to be on this Earth at such a crucial time it is mind boggling. Taking your own life is the saddest thing that can happen to you and although there is no hell, it is immensely harder on you, please trust

me on this! Good things are right around the corner, hell and heaven both existing here on Earth

as a state of mind.

Hallucinations

There are many different varieties of hallucinations, and they can be very distracting from our lives. I

was once eating dinner with a friend who also had schizophrenia and when I asked him what was

wrong, he pointed to a corner and said “her”. This

really brought home to me how lucky I was not to see actual people, that my visual hallucinations

were, although bad, very limited. Of course this was balanced by some truly appalling auditory

hallucinations which happened almost every night for years involving the screaming of very loud

horrific torture, involving many people. I am sure you have many a story to tell about your

hallucinations also.

To come through them is a huge achievement, give yourself a huge hug and pat on the back for coming this far. To deal with them requires determination, positive thinking and ambition. Try and see them as

an illness, although it might be difficult to differentiate between the real world and the

hallucinations, so you must tell someone about them to check.

Stress

Stress can be a big trigger and danger point for you

as it is proven to raise the symptoms of schizophrenia, making them worse very quickly. Unfortunately, the symptoms themselves can be

very distressing and so cause a self fulfilling downward spiral. To counteract this, try and relax when things aren't too bad, so mindfulness and nice music. This will create the mindset of relaxation for

when things get worse and make it easier to get back to that peaceful place. Take a holiday or go on

a retreat while you can to help your mind stay grounded.

Medication Side Effects

There are too many of these to list here but I really put this here to make sure you don't let that put you off. If you are suffering any of the symptoms I

have mentioned then medication will help, it is proven to help. Do not be deterred by the initial

weight gain or drowsiness, there are ways to combat these effects and medications that don't

even cause them, such as the pre mentioned Abilify. Talk to your doctor about changing now, the Abilify

wakes me up in the mornings while the Risperidone puts me to sleep, its a winning combination!

Remember: relapse is most commonly caused by not taking your medication!

Lack of Libido

This is very common so do not be alarmed if for awhile your sex drive is hampered or gone entirely. It might be a very lonely place but I guarantee you are not alone and that a partner is just around the

corner, one who understands that this is a symptom. Their is also, *wink* *wink* Viagra type

drugs which can be purchased from your local chemist. Now that’s a fun trip into town! But

seriously, don't worry about it, their will be plenty of time for sexual experience once you are on the road to recovery and feeling better in yourself, it

will come back!

Visions

I had many visions, some very scary, others

incomprehensibly random that I couldn’t make heads of tails of them. This led to very confusing times, I tried to make sense and interpret the

abstract nature of what my head produced, but failed considerably due to them being nothing more then products of a mind gone haywire on drugs.

To deal with visions, firstly tell yourself it is mental illness. See them as a product of your mind,

hopefully with the self awareness of meditation helping you and the guidance of your Guardian

Angel by your side. If you can, distract yourself with a book or film, but whatever you do, don't try to

make sense of them, it will lead you down the pathways of madness. This is because they are such a powerful experience, but so random that, when you try and find meaning in them you will become

further entrenched in delusions and this is a nightmare. Trust me! 'Interpreting' the visions led me to some wild conclusions which lasted for years

after the experiences.

Hopelessness

You may feel like there is no hope, but this is a common reaction to an illness as serious as

schizophrenia. It may feel like a life sentence but this couldn't be further from the case, with the

right steps followed and the right mind set anything can be achieved. I once read about a little girl with the illness, seeing blood coming down the walls and people in here room. Now that is terrifying! She is

now happily married and shows little signs of symptoms! Think about how strong she must be

now to have come through years of hallucinations at such a young age.

So that's what I can offer you on symptoms specific to schizophrenia. I chose this format so that it will stick in your head as much as possible, using bright

colours and punchy wording.

Having come through six years of the illness, including very intense mental anguish and suffering

I have much to offer those who are still going through it, now that I have achieved a million

percentage increase in health. Although this can be primarily attributed to the fact that it was almost certainly drug induced schizophrenia, so by staying away from drugs over the last few years, my brain has been given time to heal, it is also most of these

things that I have listed.

I am writing this blog to help people like me and you with advice to survive mental illness, but it has to come from you, there is no cure except for our

own personal and spiritual growth, which is of course what an illness like this is all about. View it in such a light and it seems a little less scary, a challenge to endure and overcome, a way of life even, that differs from the 'normal' paths people take so completely we are akin more to the Gods then the mortals (Aristotle said something along these lines about madness, a most empowering

speech which I would suggest you look up). Sounds too grandiose? My head generated Satan, God,

angels, demons, the screaming and roaring of hell, the peace of heaven, the voice of a black god or

sorcerer or Artificial Intelligence in league with the dark forces, white sorcerers and a good and evil

persona inside me all battling at once for my soul! If that sounds too grandiose then it is not, for mere words can never describe what that was like, awe

inspiring, terrifying and humbling it was the quintessential times of my life, the makings of me as a man and life itself unfolding before my very eyes.

The craziness that is inside my brain produces creativity like no other and I revel in how special

this all makes me feel. I take the positive symptoms and leave the negative ones.

You can too....

Finally I would like to talk, briefly, about the Divine.

You have a Guardian Angel that helps you

constantly throughout your life. Ask for help often and it is granted. God exists and is the

'sum of all things'. Wholesome and loving, kind and wise, beyond all conceptions of the words, our beloved creator is our most humble and brilliant benefactor. He loved us all so much,

that he put a tiny part of himself in each and every one of us, that which we call the soul.

This Divine spark is our most prized possession as it offers eternal life across creation and

makes us all the incarnation of God in physical form. He feels all our pain, all our love, all our peace, all our anger and every thing else. How do you think he got that awesome after all?

Spiritual development is the sole reason we are here. This works out very well for the good

people among us, like you, who suffer considerably at the hands of their subconscious.

It means that you will be rewarded in the

afterlife no end for the extra miles you have walked. Valued hugely you should be very

proud of yourself. Here is an extract from my book Spirituality Secrets:

• God exists and we are all one with Her at all times

• Angels exist, with billions of them here on earth and near infinite individual forms of there beings in Heaven, combining to make an Infinite Force of Angelic brilliance.

• Reincarnation is a process we have gone through many times over as humans

• The force of Karma exists and blesses and punishes, from the tiniest of transgression or kindnesses to the largest of crimes and acts of benevolence

• The place this force operates from is one of absolute truth and wholesome knowledge, based in love and is from the highest ideals

of humanity.• There is no such thing as hell• Original sin does not exist and neither does

- in the ultimate sense - any sin.• The Divine wants to express itself in all its

glory so this universe, and many others exist to allow it to do just that which is why the myriad of incarnations on this planet exist, let alone a universe with close to infinite suns and planets.

• There are many messengers on earth at the moment, including myself which I will list later as some of their books are very, very good.

• We are eternal beings on an eternal journey, living this life so we may express ourselves as fully fledged Divine creators and recreate ourselves anew in the next (this life) greatest and grandest vision we ever had about ourselves. Ever.

• Infinite universes exist. I am very interested by quantum physics and read many books on its' different aspects. Take this knowledge to mean that this Higher Intelligence encompasses all these different parts of us (we all have close to infinite if not infinite doppelgängers) and all these different dimensions so it is pretty much the most amazing, wise and kind being it is possible to create.

• This being is increasing itself through us every second we live.

• We are taking thought to new places, standing every second we live on the edge of creation, staring in to the abyss.

• Divine guidance is accessible to all of us, all we must do is Ask!

• We have all been given a Guardian Angel from our birth who is with us every second of our lives till our deaths, offering us

protection and love throughout.• This is our go to guy, the angelic force we

can ask to bring us whatever we desire, although one way we are able to chart our spiritual development is by the things we ask for.

• Spiritual development is our sole purpose for living this life, being judged on lessons learned, such as acts of compassion or the art of patience.

• To make our eternal existence easier for our lives can be exceedingly difficult, spending time learning these lessons is important and will shorten the time it takes for all of us to reach the same level.

• This level is Mastery, attained by Jesus, the Buddha and many others, the beautiful fact being that it is available to all of us and is our race's destiny for every individual to achieve and share.

• This is the grand design, the state we are all moving to.

Guidance

My advice is to ask for help often and talk to God about absolutely everything. They cannot

intervene in your life, due to the gift of freedom of choice, until you ask. Most likely He

will send more Angels, His messengers and they will influence you from another level of existence, very close to ours. There are Arch Angels, Guardian Angels, Teacher Angels, Prophet Angels, an Angel of Strength, an Angel of Hope, an Angel of Children and

many, many more types. So if you are in need of any of this then it is important to first ask your guardian Angel to get the Angel of Hope, rather then asking the Angel of Hope directly. This simple step will improve your communion

with them a lot.

There is lots more from this book on my blog!

I will leave you now, dear fellow schizophrenics; Be safe in the knowledge that you have achieved a huge and incredible thing just to get this far with such a

burden and know that you are complete and perfect in this moment.

Extend this kindness I give you now with all life.

I will leave you with a quote from Winston Churchill,

“Never, never, never, never, give up!!”