According to modern psychiatry and the National Institute of Mental Health, bipolar disorder is a lifelong mental health condition characterized by extreme, abrupt energy levels and mood variations.
The sudden alterations in emotions affect not only behavior but also the ability of the patient to go about the day, usually performing daily routine activities.
Primarily, the suspected contributors are known to be genetics, problems in brain development/chemistry, traumatic life experiences in the past, and more. But given the complexity of the illness, the exact explanation is yet unclear.
However, there are theories about the spiritual roots or causes of bipolar disorder. These are mainly based on individual patient accounts of spiritual experiences witnessed during manic and depressive phases.
Let’s see if they are connected at all. But before we do that, we will understand how bipolar disorder generally works.
Phases of Bipolar Disorder
Patients suffering from bipolar disorder experience a condition that cycles between mania and depressive episodes. There are categories based on the severity of illness, such as bipolar I and bipolar II.
Type I bipolar disorder is more intense and is characterized by a longer duration of manic episodes, unlike bipolar II, which is less severe and exhibits long-lasting depressive episodes.
Often these phases are erratically punctuated by calm intervals, making bipolar disorder very difficult to diagnose and treat in the long run.
However, some therapists and healers have suggested that bipolar disorder may also have a spiritual aspect associated with its symptoms that might help with an effective recovery.
They say that the multiple transitions in behavior and personality in a bipolar patient are a testimony to the presence of multiple souls at play within a single body.
Spiritual Roots of Bipolar Disorder
According to healing experts, communication with these souls could be vital in alleviating the significant symptoms of bipolar disorder.
Since we are discussing the root cause of this mental condition, QHHT or Quantum Healing Hypnosis Technique needs an honorable mention.
It was invented by pioneering American hypnotherapist of the 1960s, Dolores Cannon. And is still used even today as one of the most popular standard healing methods to connect to your past, manifest what you desire in life, and heal your subconscious mind to find the spiritual roots of bipolar disorder.
A few studies have linked spiritual and religious beliefs to improving health outcomes in bipolar patients. However, this has not been adequately explored by medical and psychiatric researchers/practitioners.
A wide variety of hypnotherapy techniques, such as QHHT, self-hypnosis, autogenic training, visualization, etc., can be used to improve moods and support the psychiatric treatment of bipolar disorder.
These techniques provide a way to connect to the different souls causing chaos in the minds of bipolar patients. Hypnotherapy experts are of the opinion that healing through the spiritual awakening route promotes an increase in positive energies and restructures the positioning of active and passive souls.
Is There a Spiritual Connection?
Most patients affected by bipolar disorder, in their depressive phase, experience a profound sense of hopelessness leading to intense depression and isolation from the rest of the world around them.
During the manic phase, the patients develop this sudden urge to reestablish the lost connection, which is more spiritual in terms of feelings rather than physical or physiological.
Even though this experience cannot be medically validated yet, they are viewed as spiritual concerns by most bipolar patients.
Therapists providing bipolar disorder treatment can help patients learn effective methods of managing emotional distress, and hypnosis is explicitly shown to have resulted in positive outcomes.
Patients are generally brought into a meditative state and are guided through positive affirmations to help them manage the symptoms.
According to healers, the change in personality in bipolar disorder individuals relates to the soul exchange phenomena in the spiritual sense. These are typically known as walk-ins that can take place between the time period in which the person is born and dead.
The “Religious and Spiritual Experiences” special issue (October 2020) on mdpi.com states that religious and spiritual events witnessed regularly by bipolar patients can have lasting impacts on their lives. And can even positively influence their manic or depressive phases.
Psychiatric practitioners, however, consider these spiritual encounters or interpretations as hallucinations and delusions in bipolar patients.
Although addressing the need to understand the spiritual roots of bipolar disorder is gradually being focused on, in some cases, it has not been formally introduced as part of professional mental healthcare and psychotherapy.
Scientific Models to Understand Spiritual Roots of Bipolar Disorder
Modern societies have now developed an outlook where both spiritual and medical approaches are applied to understand the symptoms better. Studies on the different models explaining the religious or spiritual origins of bipolar disorder are underway.
Arthur Kleinman’s model emphasized addressing both medical and spiritual aspects of a bipolar patient’s several experiences. Whereas Hubert Herman adds a psychological aspect to his model. This is called the Dialogical Self Theory or DST.
Dialogical Self Theory digs deeper and focuses on the process of uncovering spiritual or religious narratives and understanding them in detail.
Conclusion
Psychotic phases in many bipolar patients have been marked by significant religious and spiritual experiences. Now anyone calling themselves a particular person of god or someone hearing divine voices in their head is generally treated as a mental patient.
But it is essential to know that the affected person naturally uses these experiences or mystical revelations as a primary coping mechanism.
This management skill can be vital in alleviating bipolar disorder symptoms by striking a perfect balance between spiritual beliefs and medical/psychiatric treatment along with prescription drugs.
The country the patients belong to and their cultural beliefs can also shape the course of treatment for bipolar disorder. Spiritual experiences may be considered a sign of power in some cultures but a symptom of mental illnesses of sorts in others.
Therefore, it makes sense to investigate or take into account the spiritual meanings that may lie behind the facade of a mental disorder for better diagnosis and enhanced management of symptoms.
She is an experienced Clinical Psychologist and Mental Health Writer with a decade of expertise in psychology. Skilled in assessment, therapy, and patient care. Committed to helping individuals through clinical practice and mental health writing at Therapyjourney.co. Passionate about promoting mental well-being and awareness. Open to aligned opportunities.