Today my mother was talking about having out-of-body experiences. She says that she can walk, dance, and drive when she has these experiences. She believes them to be real, almost to the point where it’s not worth arguing about it with to her. She’s seeing a therapist at the nursing home, and this therapist is starting to convince her that she’s just dreaming.
She hates that she can’t walk, and believes that she cannot walk because people are telling her she can’t. If she tries to get out of bed, an alarm goes off – it’s under her bum on the mattress, so according to her, she has given up trying. I asked her if she could hold her legs straight up in the air while lying on her back. She looked at me like it was great idea. With that, she removed her covers and could only lift one leg about a foot off the mattress and had to put it down quickly because it hurt. The conversation moved back into her out-of-body experiences.
I’m more of a grounded type of person than my mother. I know enough to not judge other peoples belief system though. I believe our minds are more complicated than we realize and what works for me is not necessarily what works for others. I’m happy with that, and I love hearing how others think about this crazy world we live in, so today, I was willing to listen.
The mind is a beautiful thing. It can be reckless, it can be healing, it can be compassionate, it can be cruel, it can be … well you get the idea. I think my mom's mind is giving her the freedom she desires; sort of a relief from her present life. Is it possible that imprisonment is only body deep? If our minds are somewhat healthy, perhaps we can escape from the world in which we are present and go to places where we prefer to be. A way of dealing with stress, abuse, torture, etc.
Someone once said to me that God doesn't give us more than we can handle. I don't believe that statement to be true, I can back that up with many examples from the people I dealt with in my last job. I do believe though that our minds protect us from what we cannot handle for the time being. That's why people cannot remember their abuse or their life during a time of trauma. "Harvard psychiatrist and neurophysiologist Allan Hobson (1994) states, 'of all the practices known to be associated with good health, sleep is the most fundamental.'" This was taken from a book I was reading on PSTD called Assessing and Treating Trauma and PTSD by Linda J. Schupp, Ph.D.p 63. I cannot back up my theory on the subconscious with this book, but I do think while we sleep our mind tries to heal itself, and that's why sleep is so important to our psychological health.
In closing, my mom thinks she's having experiences that are beyond this world. For now this is making her happy; perhaps it's another way that she's dealing with her mortality. Her therapist will help her bring what she needs to the surface so she can deal with what ever is she needs to see. In the meantime, I'll just keep listening if she feels like sharing her thoughts. Just another step in finding out what's in her mind. Another day, another blessing.
Until next time: sleep well!
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