Every now and then a news story describes a change in how we make sense of things in the world. In this blog entry I would like to share two such stories that are fascinating, and in some ways, radical new ways to look at recovery and healing.

Medication helpful ... or harmful?

The first story has to do with the role of medications to treat psychosis. Consider this prominent psychiatrist’s conclusions, in a recent article in The Washington Post.

The traditional rule of thumb among psychiatrists has been that for people who chronically hallucinate or are delusional, antipsychotic medication is necessary, and in most cases, to be taken for the rest of the patient’s life. But these drugs have powerful side effects and are often toxic to the kidneys over long periods of time. Could it be that – for many patients with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or other mood disorder with psychotic features – the best treatment may be NO drugs?

Psychosis is (fortunately) not that common a symptom. But what else has conventional medical wisdom gotten wrong? Are we missing the mark with all our medications for depression, AD/HD, and anxiety as well? I generally advocate that a person use the least amount of medication on which they can effectively function, and to enter into an ongoing dialog with their prescribing physician about what that proper amount is at a particular point in time.

Trans-generational trauma

Second, a fascinating line of research, published in the journal Nature, shows that memories can be passed down from parent to child at the cellular level. Considered impossible for decades, it has been shown to occur with animals and their offspring. See this summary of the research on the BBC news site.

If this same process happens with humans as well, we may have to consider that a person could at times be coping with trauma symptoms (anxiety, phobias, autoimmune reactivity) that make no sense based on his or her own life history. Instead, the symptoms may derive from the traumatic experience of a parent or even a grandparent many years prior, such as abuse, neglect, or exposure to war. Psychotherapy may have limited value in treating such cases, as there are no conscious memories to work with. However, energy modalities such as homeopathy or Reiki may be of some help.