Within this article, I will be talking about 2 main topics.
1.) Western Australia’s mental health system.
2.) My own mental health experience.

Recommended reading prior to this article :
i.) My main website – www.soulgrowth.com (‘true nature of reality’ + ‘astral plane’).
ii.) Hearing Voices Network – voices and visions : basic information

Lastly, be open to the possibility that consciousness isn’t limited to the boundaries of the brain. This is a relatively new theory that mainstream science has only recently begun taking seriously.
Further reading – ScienceNews.org : demystifying the mind – theory doesn’t limit consciousness to brain (note: behind a paywall as article is now over 1 year old).

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While I may be no expert in mental health, I do feel that my voice is worthy of listening to as I have experienced Western Australia’s mental health system from the patient’s perspective (August/September 2011) … and to be brutally honest, it’s as if humanity is still living in the dark ages.

Western society seems to be all about administering drugs rather than treating the underlying issues (perhaps this is due to the drug companies pushing their own agenda with kickbacks, ‘free samples’, overseas doctor conferences, etc) … it’s all about confining someone to a cold/stale environment with closed in walls away from society – a bed, and that’s about it, as well as giving the patient a cocktail of drugs.
That is THE REALITY of the majority of present day mental health treatment in Western Australia. But the tide is slowly starting to turn. It has only been the last 10 years that “alternative therapy” has started to gain more momentum – but to this day, it still plays A VERY MINOR ASPECT in treatment.

My Experience

Looking back at everything that went on, and being completely honest with myself it was a lesson that I needed to learn (well, actually many minor lessons, combined with a big sharp lesson) and who better to teach me that lesson, than a soulmate (the soul of my 1st love).
To this day, I still believe that there was a time when the soul (of my 1st love) could directly interact with my mind/body + directly communicate with my “local mind”.

Also, if you read through my main website – www.soulgrowth.com, you will start to understand my belief that the soul of someone that you have been in love with is able to look-in/observe on what you are doing … To understand that point is primary to understanding my overall situation and the ensuing mental health experience that I endured.

Why do I consider this?
Well, some of the messages that I picked up on (went on inside my head) were things that this person would’ve said if they were extremely mad at me in real life. Also, some of this person’s real-life fears (eg. possibility of going hell + other things to do with christianity, yet I’m not a christian in the strict sense as my beliefs incorporate ‘the astral’ and other such things) were projected into my “local mind”.
It’s an experience that’s very hard to describe, but I know in my heart of hearts that’s what happened.

How could this happen?
Well consider (within the spiritual realm) that there is a huge connection (as big as my whole torso), between the soul of myself and the soul of my 1st love … as opposed to a “small, string like in size connection between my 2nd love and myself” (which is most probably the size that would exist between majority of other people that are in love) … HOW DO I KNOW THAT THIS CONNECTION ACTUALLY EXISTS? well due to something unusual that happened when I fell “in love” with my 2nd love.

So why did it happen?
At some level I feel that my own soul must have allowed for this to happen. Again, I mention of a lesson I needed to learn (of a personal nature).
The day that it all began to happen, my ‘sun sign’ horoscope said “you can either have knowledge or power, but you can’t have both.” (without getting too side-tracked, my soul chose knowledge – that being a telepathic conversation with my 1st love, regarding walking, joining a walking group and such – hard for the average reader to understand I know) … and thus, in doing so I gave my 1st-love/soulmate power.
ALTHOUGH, I feel that the spirit/soul ended up taking things too far … and there was a point where it stopped becoming a lesson, and the soul deeply hurt me … something which has taken me/my-soul a long time to forgive that person/soul for (and while the actual person may not consciously be aware of all of what took place, it’s been very hard for me to forgive them for).
As I have discovered, souls have feelings/emotions too (that are separate to our ‘local mind’) and even kind souls can get angry at times just like a normal person would.
And this is partly why in October 2011 … the astral OBE mentioned here - took place and as well as a certain conversation (with god?) mentioned in that post. As I was deeply hurt by my 1st love/soulmate … hence (I believe) that I moved the soul of another person closer to me within the (astral plane) … yet as I said to god (or the source, universal centre, zero point field, etc) … I still wanted my 1st love/soulmate.

This challenges the current understanding, does it not?
For those that have Christian beliefs, this may be hard to understand (as the Christian view is that only satan himself, or the devil’s disciples are able to whisper voices inside someone’s head) …. and most certainly not that of a soul of someone that is living.
As a work colleague who is a practicing Christian, and also has strong Christian views said to me months later “How do you know that it wasn’t the devil masquerading/pretending to be this other soul. Perhaps it was actually satan’s voice that you heard?” … Without getting too in-depth, from my experiences it’s as if certain souls have unique identifying signatures, no two are the same (similar to how DNA is unique) - you just know!!! (some others have had different experiences as to hearing voices, and this is only my subjective viewpoint) …. but then, I’m not exactly a Christian, my experiences don’t challenge my beliefs, it challenges his – so ultimately I don’t need to justify it – but it did make me ponder the possibility.

It was only after going over everything that happened (eg. the voice asking me to move an erotic painting from near my main house entrance to somewhere more appropriate in a spare room. Also the voice saying to put some ‘adult content’ books that were on display on my bookshelf into a cupboard where they’d be out of sight + #1 see annotations - hardly things that ‘the devil’ would say), that I could definately rule that out as what had occured in my experience.

Even so, it was good to chat to this Christian colleague – one of the few people I have been able to talk to openly without the fear of being judged … even if we have differing views on the ‘spiritual realm’.

From a psychiatrists perspective “many times, they’ve heard patients saying about hearing voices” … perhaps the person is actually hearing a voice and it’s not a hallucination or to do with unbalanced brain bio-chemistry (ie. internal, brain based).

It’s certainly more common than one would think. Statistics vary, but it’s generally accepted that between 3% and 10% of the population hear voices that other people don’t atleast once over their lifetime.

From reading books, I am not alone (especially, when you start to read up on psychics,mediums,etc : many who acknowledge to hearing a voice that others can’t) – it tends to occur more often than one would think, and it doesn’t seem to be limited to evil sources … but again, that comes down to religious beliefs and such (ie. the strict Christian belief that once a soul is in ‘heaven’ that it is impossible for that soul communicate with loved ones).
When you start to read up on sensitives and empaths (which I tend to think I fit into that category) you gain a better picture … the basis of which - that a person’s consciousness isn’t limited to our brains – and that other people’s thoughts (or soul projections) can come into our ‘local minds’ from elsewhere.

To be in a room with a panel of psychiatrists (including the head psych doctor at the hospital) – and frankly BE TOLD that it’s all in my head, imaginary … and not true. That did me so much harm!
After I got out of hospital, my self-confidence hit rock bottom. I never did manage to get back to my ‘usual self’. EVERYTHING that I did, I was questioning and second-guessing myself. Even to this day, roughly 18 months since the events took place – there are days when I struggle, and question my sanity.
If people around you keep telling you that you had a ‘mental episode’ – and that the events were all a figment of the imagination – it doesn’t take much and then you start to think that maybe they are correct.
Which in part, is why I have put so much effort into creating the www.soulgrowth.com website, it was a way of proving to myself that I wasn’t going crazy, and that these things were truly happening in my life, also by reading books and website forums, I discovered I wasn’t alone … many others have experienced similar paranormal phenomena as to what I have done.

Getting back to my time in hospital …

I was admitted on a Thursday afternoon, I can remember everything prior to being admitted (even though some of which wasn’t ‘normal’ behaviour, yet I still have the memory of what happened).
In the initial consulting room, it was very stale, cold (lacking positive energies) and cramped. Imagine someone with heightened senses – the last thing you want to do is put them in a small enclosed room (ie. sensory deprivation) – as all that will do is intensify the patient’s senses, creating a volatile situation. I was told that, there were police waiting outside the door, and if I tried to step foot outside they would arrest me and I’d then be involuntarily admitted.
During admission, acouple of times I complained of a sore shoulder and asked for it to be looked at – but that was completely ignored as it wasn’t physical injury that the psych doctors had in their mind … if this had occurred or if they’d have thought to have asked “why is your shoulder sore?” then perhaps the psych doctors would’ve had a clearer picture as to what had happened in the days previous.

After being admitted, it went further downhill – and I feel that the actions of the psych doctors made my situation worse. It was roughly 10pm thursday night, that I was forcibly made to take anti-psych drugs. It was maybe 10 minutes after this happened, that my memory is blank – I can’t even remember being taken back by the duty nurse to the bedroom at the hospital.
My next memories that I have …
I can vaguely remember saturday (or was it sunday?) being in a room with the psych doctors, and me arguing saying “I know my own body. The drugs that they were giving me were too much.” And basically pleading with the doctors to reduce the dosage of the medication (anyone that knows me, will attest that I know quite a bit about drugs, almost like a walking encyclopedia on the subject).
My next memory that I have …
It was Wednesday morning, I was sitting at breakfast in the ‘common room’ of the hospital. There is a meal in front of me, and I am halfway through filling out the menu for Thursday’s meals. How did I get there? I couldn’t even remember making it out of bed, getting dressed, etc.
After breakfast, still trying to piece things together, I somehow found my way back to my bedroom – next to my bed I found a crunched up tissue hidden behind a disused cup of water, inside were 2 half-chewed tablets. I must have taken it upon myself to reduce the drug dosage rather than waiting for the psych doctors to do it for me.
Over the next few days, as a result of the reduction in medication (the psych doctors did eventually reduce the dosage at some point around here as well), my conscious thoughts slowly came back. I had more control over my thinking. But I still have no recollection of what happened those few days in hospital – “when I was dosed up to the eyeballs on anti-psychotic drugs”.

Schizophrenia
The psych doctors used the broad term of Schizophrenia (without really investigating any deeper) to characterise my condition … which in part was true – as there were times when I did hear a voice in my head + ‘I’ (local mind) wasn’t completely in control of my mind/body.
After coming out of hospital, and reading some books …
One of the books mentions that perhaps schizophrenia *could* hold the key to discovering some of the secrets to humanity (if I am correct, it was in the book “the daemon”) it was suggested, as if …
“the doorway from the brain to the spiritual/psychic world is opened, but rather than just allowing small fragments of information to pass through to the brain, the filter between the two stops working – and the brain is bombarded with such huge amounts of information from the spiritual/psychic world all at once – hence that the brain can’t cope and it simply overloads.”
This is certainly a true representation of what happened in my case.
But the psych doctors were wrong, in that the only course for treatment - was to prescribe drugs!

After almost 2 weeks in hospital I was discharged, and (largely) left to find my own footing in the world.
i.) In the weeks/months after, I had an fMRI + EEG scan as well as 3 out-patient visits … which, the basis of the psych visit was to discuss medication.
Aside from the usual anti-depressants (which the psych doctor very strongly tried to persuade even though I wasn’t depressed in an way/shape/form. ultimately I opposed his efforts and didn’t go down that road) + antipsychotics (eg. Olanzapine which I was also given while in hospital), I was given a prescription for Clonazepam (a class of Benzodiazepine drug, which is very common on the black market, and finally add to that the claim on some US health websites that the specific drug is ‘America’s most dangerous pill‘ – due to the large number of withdrawal-problems, overdoses, deaths attributed to the use of the drug). A vial of 20 pills + a repeat prescription, all for the total cost of $0 (yet society still struggles to get cancer drugs listed on the PBS). I only ever did take 1 of those benzo tablets – and after it making me feel completely out-of-it and like a zombie, I threw the rest in the rubbish.

From a science perspective, the psych doctors couldn’t diagnose anything wrong with me (even in terms of ‘chemical imbalance’ – since my levels of dopamine, etc weren’t measured in any way … such that they were only taking a best-guess approach as to saying that being the cause). Nor did they give me a proper explanation as to what happened – just that it was “out of character” with my usual self, and they were hoping that it was only a once-off occurrence.

ii.) I only had 2 out-patient counseling sessions with a social worker … that is what I needed most, someone to listen !!!
Although, it would’ve been useful if I could have been able to talk with complete openness (similar to what I have done in this blog post and on my website www.soulgrowth.com) about the true nature of my situation without the possibility of being admitted to hospital again.

iii.) The company that I worked for (at the time), also gave me little-to-no support … In fact, if it hadn’t have been due to my parents writing some strong emails to my manager/HR, then I would have lost my job completely due to my ‘illness’ and being in hospital. Even so, after hospital I was redeployed to a different department, and reduced to a much lower wage than what I was on prior … basically I was being “managed out” of my job!!! (IMO this is how many AU businesses meet their legal requirements – rather than instant dismissal – and hence staying within the legal boundaries set out by the Fair Work Commission).

This effectively halved my annual income (a factor, which on its own is extremely stressful when you have a house mortgage, let alone what else I was going through at the time). And that is a question, I would like to put to you, the reader … could you still cope financially and pay your house mortgage if your annual income was suddenly cut in half??? – let alone everything else).
In terms of income assistance, I could possibly have made a claim through my Superannuation insurance scheme, yet HR (at the company) never mentioned this to me at the time … also neither did the out-patient hospital workers (even though I talked to them about being under financial strain due to my time in hospital). This possible option was only brought to my attention many years later (mid 2015).

I would also like to put an end to some of the rumours that were flying around my workplace at the time. I was not on drugs! The only drug that I had consumed in the weeks prior was alcohol. Other than that, the only other underlying factor (without considering the spiritual aspect) was a lack of sleep (which was mainly only in the 1.5 weeks prior to being admitted).
And most certainly, I was not “seen on a train going towards Midland, being off my head and completely out of it on drugs” … as a particular person at work spread around (there were other rumours doing the rounds, but that was perhaps the most damaging).
Although, that workplace had rarely been the friendliest of places towards me.
While there’s certainly some nice people that have previously worked for the company, I did encounter some rather nasty people in my time … I might add, even to this day, some of those mean spirited people still work for the company in question.
In the 15+ years that I worked there, on 3 occasions I formally spoke with senior management regarding workplace bullying/harassment that was directed towards myself (countless times prior to that I informally spoke with my supervisor and immediate managers). Yet, no formal action was ever taken by the employer (little-to-nothing was done). The employer effectively wiped their hands clean and tried to ignore the issue.
It’s also somewhat disheartening, that a company that prides itself on being “family owned and operated, grounded in traditional family values” (essentially as if the company is one big family – which in years gone by was true) … yet they don’t look after the backbone of the company – as I’ve said, there was so much negativity at this workplace, it often felt like hell just going to work each day.
But I guess, all the bullying/harassment that went on – it just highlights what sort of character those people truly were, rather than my own shortfalls. I truly hope that – those that have done wrong in the past, learn from their lessons, and conduct themselves in a better manner in the future – treating other people with respect, having better values and morals.
Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise … about 9 months after leaving hospital, I moved to a far more friendlier workplace … partly due to the low wage I was now on, partly due to ill-feelings that I still picked up from others (including some at management level) at the previous company.
Also, by moving companies – not only am I surrounded by positive people, I am also being paid a higher wage (far more than I’d ever be able to achieve in all the years at my previous workplace).

Despite many prominent stories in the media since the early 2000′s … there is certainly still a stigma attached to ‘mental illness’ and quite a few people in society never treat you the same once they know … for I have experienced this first-hand.

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I try not to hold a grudge (as holding feelings of anger or resentment isn’t right) … not with the psych doctors, not with my previous employer, nor with those previous people I worked with, not even with my 1st love (one email from this person, would’ve been enough to prove to those around me at the time, that I truly wasn’t going crazy) … but they all didn’t know any better at the time.
Also, when I got out of hospital, my 1st love pretended on social media that she had been married for several years (even though she clearly wasnt!!!) … this did further damage, and helped cement that maybe the psych doctors diagnosis was correct – in doing so, this led me further down a downward spiral, which was extremely hard to pull myself out from … ‘it left my soul deeply wounded’.

Perhaps through reading my blog, and the vast information contained within www.soulgrowth.com … all will start to see the world a little differently, and have a greater understanding.

My biggest hope in writing this article - is that in future, if someone is faced to a similar situation to me, that their experience through Western Australia’s mental health system will be different … one which will encapsulate their entire situation : Mind, Body, and Soul – for that is where true healing can take place, and the true nature of the issue lies … anything less, and it is merely a band-aid solution !

It’s clear from my perspective, there were 2 main failings.
1.) WA’s mental health system.
2.) My previous workplace.

So what changes would I like to see to WA’s mental health system, and how do I believe that my case should have been treated, with the knowledge of afterthought of everything that went on?

Firstly, it shouldn’t just be about the use of anti-psych drugs.
When a patient presents, rather than the psych doctors (consulting something such as the DSM V and) saying “ok, this patient has such and such symptoms, so let’s give the patient these drugs.”
The psych doctors should build a case (similar to how forensics work). They should be asking …
i.) what occurred in the days/weeks prior to being admitted?
ii.) what was found at the scene/home of the patient?
iii.) perhaps even – to try and establish what was going through the mind of the patient.

In my case, if ANY of the above had’ve taken place – then the psych doctors would’ve had a greater picture of the true nature of my story.
EG. obscure things around my home, that were completely out of place, all to do with Christianity (I don’t identify as a Christian, nor am I religious – yet my 1st-love/soulmate has very strong Christian views. She also has some rather large real-life fears about the possibility of going to hell).
Also, while I was in hospital : I asked one of the nurses if I could swap one of my own books in-place for a bible, so that I could read the bible back in my room – another big hint! But the psych doctors didn’t pick up on these clues.
Another clue, when my parents visited me while I was in hospital – I asked them if I had been baptised when I was younger (although they didn’t mention this to the psych doctors).

I strongly feel that the spiritual aspect needs to be investigated deeper as a potential cause, and that the underlying issue may not necessarily be internal of the patient … or simply that of ‘chemical imbalance’.
While the Christian view acknowledges that the spiritual aspect could be the underlying cause to some mental health issues (hearing voices, etc). Where my opinion differentiates to Christianity is to do with ’that these voices are from the devil’ or evil sources. This is an old-fashioned way of looking at things, and I feel deserves to belong back in the 1900′s. If only I had the support of something similar to the Hearing Voices Network or for one of the psych doctors that treated me to have knowledge in this area.

I feel that the private clinics that you often hear celebrities go to, perhaps have a better way of treating patients – and that the public mental health system can learn something from … which in part, is what has started the momentum to increase the status of ’alternative therapy’ + social workers into the treatment of patients.
There were times in hospital (in the early stages of treatment) … all I wanted to do, was go outside and sit on a bench being among nature – as I could see the bench seat through a window while in the treatment room …. YET AGAIN, the psych doctors said, if I tried to step foot outside, I would be arrested by police …
To deny a person, the beauty of nature – it’s like cutting them off from the source of life,god,etc – you feel so alone and helpless.

As you can figure so far, the drugs given to me by the psych doctors weren’t what got me back on track … but having time-out from life was a major factor … something which could’ve been achieved through out-patient care only.
Ideally, I could’ve done the same thing (and have been much happier) staying at my parents house, with their dogs that I cherish so much … and visiting the hospital daily for ‘checkups’ … as separating someone from the things that they love, family,etc certainly sends you into a downward spiral and makes it even harder to pull yourself out from.
In-patient care : does have it’s uses, but in my case – it was too extreme, to resort to that straight away.

While in hospital, what also pulled me through (aside from the daily visits from my parents) – was “alternative therapy”.
Such as, a ”mindfulness” workshop, to do with relaxation techniques. Also access to a gym (a much loved activity that I used to do on the outside). Foot massages. And (in the later stages of my stay) a group walk around the hospital (again, walking was an activity that I used to do on the outside).
These were all activities organised by social workers – as opposed to the psych doctors … and I feel that social workers deserve much more credit as to what they are given (they are also paid substantially less than a psych doctor) as to improving a person’s mental health than the psych doctors … atleast, that is what I found in my case.

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Annotations :
#1) Additional information to show that the voice in my mind wasn’t evil (and perhaps was actually that of the soul of my 1st-love/soulmate).

a.) Going back to May/June 2011 …
I accidentally upset my 1st-love/soulmate, by sending her an email that offended her christian views (and which didn’t respect her boundaries). I then sent her an email and apologised. That night, I heard a voice in my mind saying “not good enough”. My astrological horoscope also mentioned about expanding on what I had said if I wanted to correct my wrongs … so the next day, I sent this person another email, where I went deeper and offered my condolences as towards hurting her. That night I heard a voice in my mind say “on the right track”.

b.) I have also experienced a ‘different type’ of hearing a voice as to what I have described above …
While the source of other voices that I’ve described ‘appear’ to be from other spirits/souls, I have also heard (in my mind) a voice that (to me) strongly felt like it was the voice of my own soul.

10th of July 2011, the day that the newspaper ‘News Of The World’ ended publication – I woke up to several news headlines saying things such as “The World Is Ending”.
What was also special about this day, was that in terms of the spiritual landscape, it was all set for me to actually ‘be in love’ with my 1st-love/soulmate (my horoscope – through Jonathan Cainer – at the time will also confirm this) … but I got ‘spooked’ … suddenly, I got it in my mind that it was a sign from the spiritual realm that the world was actually about to end (in a way, similar to the other signs/synchronicities that I have come across). I spent half the day in hysterics – it was roughly about 11am that I heard a calming authoritative voice in my mind (which the origin was non-local) say, “enough of the silly talk”.
It really felt like the voice was that of my own soul – and was certainly different as to the other voices that I’ve described. On another occasion I have also ‘heard’ that same (identity) voice – that was also in 2011, when my 1st-love was about to send me an email (after her horoscope suggested that she do so) – but around 6pm of that night, she intently decided not to … and I heard a voice speaking about it’s strong disapproval/dissatisfaction of her inaction.
The next day, my horoscope confirmed what the voice had said in my mind.

It’s hard for the average person to understand, but when I talk about hearing a voice, it’s very hard for me to describe – the best way for me to do so, is that it wasn’t my own conscious thinking (non-local) … almost as if it interrupts my train of thought – similar to someone/something taking over the controls of a ‘dual control driver-training car’.

Again … this furthers my beliefs that perhaps the christian view (as well as the views held by mental health professionals) as to the exact source as to hearing voices could be incorrect.
From my perspective it certainly casts doubt on hearing voices being entirely a hallucination or ‘brain-based’ (internal – neurochemical imbalance) to that of the patient … or the christian view that it is of an evil source (the devil, etc).

References :
Hearing Voices Network

Additional Information :

1.) Chemical Imbalance : sloppy thinking in psychiatry : part 1 – indepth article written by a US psychiatrist.
2.) Mental health experts call for end to locking up, restraining patients – feature story (10.12.2013) from the program ABC 7:30 report (note: while my own mental health experience didn’t include this, it was certainly used as a verbal threat by hospital staff towards me … that is what would happen if I didn’t comply with what the psych doctors wanted me to do … as an adult even the thought of it happening scares me, so for a child it would be very traumatic).
3.) TED talk – Eleanor Longden: the voices in my head.
4.) Sick: a documentary – youtube doco regarding the mental health institutionalisation of youth.
5.a.) DSM 5 : why all the fuss?
5.b.) Mental Illness and the DSM V – feature story (20.5.2013) from the program Lateline on abc.net.au covering the DSM V and how it relates to the diagnosis of mental illness, as well as the influence of drug companies.
6.) The Marketing of Madness: The Truth About Psychotropic Drugs - youtube, almost 3 hrs in length. this video delves into the history of pharma drugs + just how much influential power the drug companies have on pushing their drugs onto society.
7.) Empath Guide – a quick look into sensitives and such.

[First Published: January 4, 2013]
Last updated: December 16, 2017 at 16:02 pm
[Revision: 1.3]