Nervous Breakdowns - Where Are We Coming From

 Years ago, away from the prying eyes of the public, one would infrequently hear the whispered diagnosis about someone they knew, "They had a nervous breakdown." Years have passed and it's not quite so secret anymore, and maybe even more prevalent - history will write that conclusion. Are there underlying similarities that lead to the a breaking point beyond the medical diagnosis?

Like many important stories, sometimes you need to hear the end first to understand the rest of it. Breakdowns are that kind of story. They typically occur when a person's last coping mechanism has failed to bring any balance back into their life, or they are overwhelmed by burdens they are unable to carry any longer.

They need to temporarily 'check out' of a daily routine and pick up the pieces their psyche has crumbled into. This can happen to anyone; thankfully society is a little more understanding than in days gone by.

In the absence of a debilitating physical illness, there really is not a breakdown of the body itself. The common thread seems to be a dawning awareness and finally, an acceptance that something has changed so utterly and completely there can no longer be any denial in acknowledging it to be true. It is the last thread of hope that has finally torn and broken free.

And so one enters what appears to be the dark tunnel of a breakdown. Depression probably began long before you were forced to simply let go, making everything in its wake appear even darker and less likely to be resolved.

In some fashion, acknowledging that one has reached the end of their proverbial rope speeds the healing process. Why; because Denial has left the building, thankfully. Now you can clearly see the reality of a situation and begin the process of acceptance and rebuilding a much better life.

Denial is an unhealthy illusion that is introduced into our lives at a young age. When the adults around us cannot acknowledge the true facts about a situation, they 'spin' it to something more acceptable. The children see the truth and have heard the discussions about the facts; yet they see the most trusted people in their lives leave the high road in favor of better story to excuse something. This is the drum roll that introduces Denial into our lives.

If you invite Denial in frequently enough, you begin to lose the ability to see clearly. It is actually a dark glass that appears rose colored. An emotional 'breakdown' is a significant event; significant events create significant change. The person who has been unwilling or unable to understand and accept the facts about a situation is now afforded the opportunity to be forced into a higher, more authentic consciousness.

One does heal from the breaking away of delusions about a person or change that was too painful to accept. Fear is wielding a hefty club that drives us to refuse to accept the unadulterated truth. Fear that something too important to lose is lost; fear that someone we were sure we could not live without is really gone for good.

Fear forces us to compromise the best and most powerful parts of ourselves. We grow from being strong, confident and certain in our direction to a cowering pale image of the majesty we had created. When we see what we have bartered our greatness for, we turn in revulsion. We must have just 'lost it all.' And so, a breakdown has occurred.

In truth, a breakdown is a breakthrough, a breaking out of the bonds of delusion that have held us captive to believing in a conclusion that will not become reality. We pass the shadow of ourselves when this happens; the dark side of our own heart. And sometimes, it seems impossible to put things back together again, we feel hopeless. It is at this point that we are on the verge of a personal ascension.

Ascension is not an event; it will not arrive at a prescribed time nor will it be heralded as such. It is a new momentum moving forward to a more authentic consciousness of reality. Your awareness and perspective completely shift into alignment with who you truly are. This is the significant event; the ascension of you at soul level, reclaiming the best of who you arrived to become!

If it takes a 'breakdown' to allow oneself the opportunity to release things that are no longer real or true allowing one to arrive at this point, it may well be worth the pain of losing it temporarily. And if you are able to avoid that event by simply opening up to a new awareness and trusting that things will be better and not worse, you can do it now.