[tsaaapla]

What is it that helps? The physical action of the arts in question or the mental discipline?

My guess is the normal interaction with people. Since the dojo mindset negates gender, color, and other things that normally change the way we interact with people. It's a change to really be just another person. It can be really debilitating to have everyone always treat you a little funny or never to be able to blend in. Everyone, mentally ill or otherwise, needs something in life to hold on to and help form their identity and provide self-confidence.

do you ever worry that you may have a psychotic episode whilst using an iato or bokken?

I'd be more worried about the manic days off the medication--no live blades please (but I'm queasy at live blades anyway). Other than that, lets get to work. I don't have any objections to training with someone with a bipolar condition.

I've had to deal with a few bipolar people in life (family). I'm not an expert on the conditions. I've passed my psych classes in college, and I've been through the wringer a couple times personally and even dealt with some non-family at work. They're usually fine. When they're not, you can tell quickly enough, and rate the day accordingly. For the ones I know, it usually takes a pretty serious emotional event to push them off balance.

Realize the manic or self-aggrandizing persona is sometimes just a slight bit more crazed than the average male teenage self-realized samuari (they appear here regularly). So, when they talk it can be obvious they're having a manic day. In an extreme manic episode they feel like they are above normal things and do great feats (No, you can't fly, and we wont let you on the roof to prove it. Or for the non-bipolar 18 year olds, you're not musashi reincarnated, how about a round of jigeiko with the sensei to check). By the time they really hit psychotic they're seeing and hearing thing--it's way beyond normal, and you know they need help.

The only psychotic things I've seen came from an extreme manic swing with paranoia. The paranoia just ramped it up fast. They're up and super-powered and you are denying them. You want them to take medicine. Since medication stops their powers-it's wrong, it hurts them, and you're evil for wanting to hurt them, and you're got sensors hidden in the rooms to make sure of it, and you'll kill me if I don't, I must fight back to live.. For FREEDOM!!!!! At which point, the family calls for help... (that wasn't a fun day)

In the cases I've dealt with the brain is broken, and it simply loses touch with reality in order to protect the person from something they can't deal with. 99% of the time you'd never have a clue, and in those 1% you just figure the person is full of themself.


So, as an experienced observer, I don't see any difference between the mentally-ill and normal people. The ill are very much normal when they're doing well, and a repressed normal when on medication. Yeah, the side-effects stink, but it's way better than other option.