My life could be a lot different... (and so could yours)
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- Опубліковано 26 гру 2024
- Finding the medical ketogenic diet and metabolic therapies is changing my life. While I'm ecstatic and grateful, there is a part of me that wonders how my life could have been different had I discovered this treatment sooner, or had it been offered to me from the medical system. Or rather how much suffering and anguish stemming from my mental illness that I could have avoided.
Ultimately, I'm grateful for the life experience I've gotten the way my life has played out thus far. But if sharing information about this treatment method could help others avoid those periods of pain and suffering resulting from mental illness, well that would be incredible.
MEDICAL KETO RESOURCES
You can learn more about medical keto for mental illnesses on the Metabolic Mind UA-cam channel (@metabolicmind) and on their website www.metabolicm...
You can find more about my keto coach Nicole Laurent and her work on her website:
www.mentalheal...
You can also learn more about metabolic health and mental illness from the book 'Brain Energy' by Dr. Christopher Palmer - brainenergy.com/
HOW TO TEST YOUR KETONES (important for medical keto!)
• The Keto Mojo blood glucose and ketone monitor is a finger prick blood test to accurately measure ketone and glucose levels. You can save 10% off monitor kits purchases and help support this content by using our affiliate link, thanks!: bit.ly/ketomoj...
• The SiBio continuous ketone monitor is a wearable device we have been using to get accurate and continuous ketone levels. You can save 15% using the coupon code “LIVINGWELL15” and help support this content by using our affiliate link, thanks!: bit.ly/sibio
HELP SUPPORT THE CHANNEL
We depend on the support of our audience to create this valuable resource. If you have found our content helpful, please consider supporting us today. Your contribution can make a huge difference and enable us to continue providing valuable resources to those living with mental illness.
• One-time donation: donate.stripe....
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JOIN OUR COMMUNITIES
Join a free online community of people using metabolic therapies to treat their mental illness.
• Metabolic Therapies for Mental Disorders: www.metabolict...
We also have a peer support community specifically for people living with psychosis spectrum illnesses.
• Schizophrenia Peer Support Community: www.schizophre...
MENTAL HEALTH APPAREL
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SPEAKING & CONSULTING
Looking for an expert speaker or consultant for your upcoming event or project? With years of experience and a passion for mental health advocacy, I can provide the insight and inspiration you need to make a positive impact. Visit my speaking website to learn more!
www.laurenkenn...
SOCIALS
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#schizophrenia #schizoaffective #schizoaffectivedisorder #mentalhealth #mentalillness #metabolichealth #keto #metabolichealth #medicalketo #suffering
JOIN OUR ONLINE PEER SUPPORT COMMUNITIES
Metabolic Therapies for Mental Disorders: www.metabolictherapysupport.com/
Schizophrenia Peer Support Community: www.schizophreniapeersupport.com
What's ur OF tho?
Im so happy for you
Dear Lauren,
Dealing with surviving trauma is a very painful experience perhaps even more than the trauma itself.
Losing 10 years of your life and suffering is tragic, especially early in your life.
Hopefully the remaining 60 to 70 years ahead in your life provides you with the opportunity to heal and actually experience joy.
You are wise beyond your years, embrace the good times ahead. I lost 30 years of my life to my illness and at age 60 found the silver bullet.
I found the following youtube channel very healing listening to the life stories of fellow human beings that have survived overwhelming trauma.
youtube.com/@SoftWhiteUnderbelly?si=3kjhVzinMVxzl7bI
Peace
For a long time I've been waiting for you to explain how the schizophrenia symptoms have actually been affect you, even on a daily. I still think you're a star over an armchair therapist.
Edit: look im not stupid.... -.- still, this is still top nutrition and its prolly keeping the venom of schizo-affective at bay?!!? Woah, whats next? I'm always looking forward to it.
I have also been on a huge roller coaster regarding my mental health as a schizoaffective. I'm a nurse, and no one knows my diagnosis. There are years of regret behind me, and I'm now alone. Your videos are helpful, but I'm often afraid to watch as I never want to see you fail and take away some of the hope that I glean from your example. Our micro-biome is powerful, I am a health nut as I freaked out at the thought of having another "event" that could expose me and cost me my job. My husband is done with me and has sole custody of our child. I don't blame him. You are fortunate to have that husband support. My husband had to see me doing things that no husband should endure. Sending you love.
So sory ❤ hope it gets better
@@mariaamb6687 I'm ok. No worries. Thank you.
I really hope you can rebuild the parts of your life that were wrecked by this illness, one day 🙏
I wish you and I could talk...I'm alone too ..54 yrs of severe mental illness robbed my of my life. My husband left due to my illness when our daughter was 8 ..So Im.alone and unable to navigate the keto diet on my own without hands on help . I do my best but it's so hard ...😢
This is concerning. You work in health care. You are hiding a diagnosis that could impact your ability to do your job. That is not okay.
If you had had this experience much earlier in life, you would not have this platform which is helping so many people.
That's a beautiful reframe!
I wanted to comment the same ! ❤
Seeing people fight for their lives and improve with such severe mental illness as schizophrenia makes me hopeful about overcoming my own issues which are much less severe.
3 obvious things:
1. Human knowledge has advanced during that time, no point regretting what you didn't know.
2. Even in an ideal world, teenage and twenties are difficult. Hormones and growing up. Diagnosis takes time, let alone figuring out best treatment. There are few shortcuts.
3. Your emotional maturity and contribution to others, wouldn't have happened if you'd somehow taken a shorter path.
Great points!
stopping coping. the truth is that it sucks and she lost a major portion of her life unnecessarily. i know exactly what she's talking about and it's fucking horrifying. i don't understand why people have to come up with some kind of saccharine cope every time something bad happens. just look into reality and call it evil because that's exactly what it is.
@@conantheseptuagenarian3824 I'm not sure how 'unnecessarily' it was, for the reasons I mentioned.
As someone who lost 15 years to depression, another 18 months to psychosis and it's after effects (medication side effects), and the last 6+ to ME/CFS, which has no treatment (code for 'rest of my life), I don't think I'm offering trite comments tbh.
Frustration with the reality of The Fall, gets us nowhere unfortunately.
@@louisehogg8472 i've lost fifteen years to this shit. just call a spade a spade.
@@conantheseptuagenarian3824 so what, just wallow in misery? Someone needs to take your phone away. No one needs a Negative Nancy.
If you had found metabolic therapy early in life. If you had not suffered as much as you have you would not have this platform. You are helping thousands of people right now. How many young medical professionals are going to watch this channel in the future and begin to explore this therapy. You have been placed in exactly the place that you need to be to help millions of suffering young people have hope of a good life in the future. Thank you for your suffering and what you are doing now because of it
Keep on telling us about your experiences. One thing is clear, these therapies are not available in mental health care now and privately would be hard to find and expensive. That leaves many treatment-resistant schizophrenics in the position of being left behind. As the parent of one of these, the grief is a steady companion, but the uncertainties of her life have changed how we live in one good way: we celebrate the good days in a way that acknowledges the uncertainty of life, and in the midst of her struggles, she is the lovely much-loved child who is still here, We try not to dwell on the what-ifs, and when you visit those memories, remember how you have endured, and how the love between you and your husband and your children is stronger than it would be without the mental health difficulties you have shared. In your life, this health struggle has built you, and the person you are now and this channel has been a wonderful present help for more people than you know...
I am fifty years old and now I have regained the ability to focus on my life and I understand that I have rights, I'm studying English and this is my third year in college 🫣so do not think too much and enjoy the blessings. You still young , smart, beautiful.
I’m not someone who usually comments on videos but I wanted to say how brave you are. I think most people with a mental illness have to mourn the life in which they didn’t have to endure mental illness. And with your case having to navigate through it for a decade +. That’s hard, it’s okay to to be emotional about it. Every thought, feeling and experience about it all is valid. You are Valid, Lauren. The work you’ve been putting in hasn’t only benefited you but EVERYONE who has seen one of your videos. With your keto journey, you are opening up that opportunity for your viewers and others to say “hey, maybe this could work for you/me too”. They can talk with their own team and see if it’s a good fit for them. You opened the doors of diet/lifestyle changes as a treatment for whatever it may be. You have impacted so many people and because of your trial and errors. You are a true hero. I hope these changes you’ve made keep working for you. And of course wishing you good health! You’ve not only inspired me but soooo many others. Stay Golden 💛💛
I like the term "mourn....this hit home...it is absolutely the truth we have had "huge aspirations" that we wanted to achieve. Mine was to be a psychiatrist. I did graduate with a 4 degree but have had to alter my life because of my illness. And that's ok. You have brought into light what I was doing... I had to let go of the possibilities/goals that I created for my future. In saying that, I am content and taking good care of myself. The term mourning just hit home.
Amen!!! Thanks for taking a risk and writing this comment. My thoughts exactly.
I wasn't diagnosed bipolar until I was 25 and getting on mood stabilizers changed my whole life! I did a total 180 mentally after years of being in and out of the hospital. Now I'm 27, stable as I've ever been, and I'm enrolled to start college in the fall. I catch myself wondering what my 20s would have looked like had I been diagnosed properly and put on the right meds sooner. I could've avoided a lot of suffering, but I am super strong and resilient now after going white-knuckled for so many years. I thank you for sharing your story and experiences, girl. You inspire me to keep sharing my experiences as well. Mental health is so important.
So true about mood stabilizers. Life savers. I too wish I could get the right diagnosis and mood stabilizers prescription sooner.
The meds only help me partially. I have only gone off them once in the late 1990's. I have been hospitalized 40+ times. I have a complicated case.
Dear, sweet, young woman, I cry with you and hold space for you. Go ahead and weep for what wasn't and could have been. Weep for all the time lost to pain, being unwell and unhappy, frightened and feeling alone. Then look around as you do, to see all that stand with you. To those on a similar journey and to those that stand with, grieve and love those on this journey as well.
We are also indignant for time and experiences lost! Look in the mirror. You are HERE! I am thankful for that. I am fortunate to have found you on your channel and to be able to follow along in your journey. You always offer food for thought. Those that are in your inner circle must cherish you so much! You are just so lovely. All the best as you walk on in life. No one's life would be the same without you. Grandma of a struggling young man. He also has a piece of my heart.
This video couldnt come at a better time. Im going through some similar thoughts, but revolving around anxiety and depression. My therapist recently told me that im experiencing a series of trauma responses after yrs of trauma that i compartmentalized while going to college. I finished college in December, so this is the longest stretch ive gone without a distraction from the trauma ive endured. Lately, ive been really sad thinking about how i wish certain things never happened to me to make me the way i am full of fear. I just want to feel better, bc i feel like ive been suffering my entire adulthood. Thank you for your vulnerability to make me feel like im not alone.
My schizoaffective disorder has held me back in a lot of ways. But I'm a lot stronger because of it. I had given up on a "cure" a long time ago. Once I discovered keto through your UA-cam channel, I felt like I had been given a second chance.
Has it been working well for you? The keto diet?
@@lilygarden89 Yes, it's helped me in so many ways. Mentally and physically. It's just all around good.
@catherinel2020 That's so great!! And so exciting!! Imagine what a positive effect this will have, for so many people!!
How do you get arround the keto flu? I have ADHD so it's a bit difficult keeping on having good habits like drinking water😅@@catherinej2020
@DanielaSantos-dv4fz I used LMNT...a drink mix with electrolytes. Lauren mentioned using them.
It's perfectly valid to grieve everything this illness took away from you over the years. It's okay to grieve over everything you lost. Mental illness is as much a disability as any other physical illness or disease. I think back at how many opportunities I couldn't take due to my GAD. It screwed with my academic career, my relationships, my jobs ... Just be so compassionate and loving to yourself over everything you've gone through. Thank you for being so brave and generous with us. 🙏🏼💓🙏🏼
I second that wholeheartedly… self compassion is essential!
People really underestimate gad it's destroyed my life
You’re doing much better than most. My son was not even able to finish high school but he passed the GED in 10th grade. He is an extremely talented athlete. He also has wanted to travel and wants to be a police officer. He has been abused in hospitals and his meds were so horribly mismanaged- he is now labeled and very sedated. They injected him with so much haldol in 2018 that he was dying. I had to argue with staff for medical intervention. It is so wrong what they have done to him. Taken years from him. He is now 29 years old and lives at home and has yet a chance to live an adult life. It breaks my heart. It’s been 10 years of tragedies for him in different horrible hospitals that only abuse and make things much worse for him. Please. Count your blessings. My son is 29 and now he is very sedated and I can’t afford or even find anyone to help him other than God. Nothing is impossible with God. It’s very hard to make it in the states, especially as a young man that they want to keep down. It’s very sad. You have accomplished so much! It’s amazing!
Im going through this with my 32 year old son. There is so much stigma. I m praying he gets help soon but he says no,it’s breaking my heart. 🙏🏻🙏🏻
just keep consulting God and strengthening your bond with Him (as well then continue to support your son)
I'm 36 and live with my parents. You should get together with other people in similar situation. Lots of love mom. ❤
Keto and carnivore could be life changing. Repairing the brain barrier and decreasing the inflammation is key. Amino acids and fat are the key. But also eliminating foods that interfere with this process. Several doctors have confirmed this and one lady who suffered schizophrenia over 40 years reversed over a year with carnivore diet. If want the links I’ll find for you.
Wow that's terrible I'm so sorry that happened to your son I hope you sued those hospitals and got a hold of his medical records.
Keep spreading the word about your success with ketogenic and metabolic therapy so they become more and more typical interventions for people with mental illnesses ❤ Astronaut or not, you are a trailblazer - BE PROUD of who you are today!
I've experienced this realization and grief about the decades I lost to my mental illness. I too got better and my world opened up so many opportunities that I was cut off from. I too thought about how my life was just starting again and the "what if"s began flooding in. I grieved the time I lost because of how effortless it is now to grow in comparison. It felt like I time traveled in a way where I started my life over in a 39 year old body but with my 19 year old self. Remembering all the opportunities I missed, all the people I hurt, all the people I let down, all those that didn't believe in me. The grieving does get better over time. I got to a point where my focus shifted and I grew so much into my new life that I didn't have time think about it anymore. It's hard to imagine now that I went through what I went through. The biggest take away for me is that most people have always been privileged enough not to have an experience like that, and I think I have a much greater appreciation for this life I am now living than before that experience. Thank you for sharing, Lauren!
Lauren the diet can absolutely be quite emotional. Many recurrent memories pop into our heads almost playing over and over. It’s powerful that way. I’m glad you are having such drastic success with such a head clearing and anxiety reducing diet. I’m amazed that so many people are so outrageously upset. These serious life illnesses require serious treatments. Many people are very disabled by conditions like longCOVID, intense ADHD, bipolar and depression related issues. You are a shining start for how powerful and emotionally relevant this diet can be
OMG, you watch Soft white underbelly of all the homeless schizophrenic people who end up on the streets doing drugs on skid row…you are thriving in life! you’ve created channel to help people who experience what you experience. You have a husband and child. I dont have schizophrenia but you are definitely doing way better than me😅 you are amazing and inspirational🤘
Love SWU
I know you mean well with this comment but comes across a little invalidating. Just because people appear to have their lives together doesn't mean they haven't been through as much as someone "on the street". As people with mental illnesses, we spend so much time trying to learn not to compare ourselves to others and minimize our own traumas or struggles. Let's not do that to her
These feelings are very, very REAL. Thanks for sharing yours with us, Lauren. It can be so hard to be vulnerable like this, but I also know that comparison is the thief of joy, even it's comparison to a hypothetical alternative timeline of your life. You are doing amazing, helpful work.
Hi Lauren, I understand the "what if" questions, but I truly hope you realise that you have brought so much to so many people by sharing your journey. I wrote to you recently, mentioning that my husband has been diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour. He read that medical keto could help, but in our country, alternative treatments are not even offered as options. But watching your videos have given us both food for thought, as well as some valuable info about ways to handle aspects of the keto diet ( for example, because of your video, we knew about the Keto Mojo monitor, which we bought) and has given us a hope about the future that was not there before. So your journey, while causing you such distress at times, has brought you to a place where you can and do help others. Thank you so much for that! Sending love to you and your family.
When I was 16 I was on a medication that was stabilizing my epilepsy, but I had every side effect and one of them were hallucinations; it happened out of nowhere- all of a sudden, I became aware that there was a man in a fitted trenchcoat jacket with a hat tilted forward, so I couldn’t see most of his face following me every everywhere I went. I understand and empathize with that experience feels like because they are 100% real in your mind and trying to talk myself out of the hallucination all while my eyes literally are seeing the man staring at me through a window was just almost comical; I was caught in between literal reality and then my reality. it was crazy. I’m so blessed to have my seizures under control for decades now, but during that time of my life, it was really intense! Thank you for your video and for being vulnerable with your audience!
Everything you've gone through has been preparing you for this moment
It is always hard to think about what “woulda, coulda, shoulda”. I am so sorry that you had to go through all those struggles. Please know that your suffering has not gone in vain. Your struggles, your stories have helped SO many people. You are exactly where you need to be. I am so happy that you have found something that is helping you live your life to the fullest. You have an amazing partner (which is hard to find regardless of mental health). He seems to be a great support and you have a beautiful family. Those are the things we all strive for. Everything else, (ie: good job, etc.) is just icing on the cake. As always, I appreciate you being so open with your journey. It has personally helped me so much in my journey knowing that I am not alone. Plus you’re a fellow Canadian, so you get bonus points for that! lol! Much love from Calgary, Alberta. ❤
Thank you Lauren, I am so proud of your courage to be completely raw with your audience. I tried to get my 24 year old son on keto but he didn’t do it at a therapeutic level. He did do a low carb and no sugar diet. He, however, rushed a taper and abruptly stopped his medication due to the physical side effects. He is now in the psych hospital and is in extreme anguish as he, along with most psych patients, is being caged. He is also being poly-drugged. Doctors don’t believe us when we tell them about the keto diet. We can present them with facts or ask them to research some of the trials, they don’t care to look into it to expand their knowledge. Some think it’s a joke. I worry, this go around, being in the psych hospital for a lengthy period, will cause more psychological and/or physical damage. Our system is outdated and beyond broken.
I think it's a placebo.....enjoy the results but be careful
Your are an absolutely amazing person and I hope you realize how much you have impacted the health of thousands, if not millions of people with everything you have done on your channel.
It takes time to grieve and heal but if you didn't go through the process exactly as you have done and documented it along the way, you would not have had the impact that you have achieved and the level of awareness you have conveyed to your listeners. Many times in society, the value of achievement looks different because of the life experiences we have.
I'm am so sorry for your pain. Please know that you have given so many gifts to so many and you continue to do so! I thank you from the bottom of my ❤
Your amazing! Can you tell me where I can find reading on medical keto?
Lauren......POWERFUL video. One thought.....as a Catholic, I've learned that all suffering is redemptive. I'm 72 and have regrets going back 60 years. Every time I remember, and feel bad, I offer up that suffering to help someone else's pain, wherever that person may be.
According to Padre Pio the more we suffer in this life the more God rewards us in the next.
Hopefully he is right
Amen
Yes! Suffering never needs to be wasted. EVERY moment is providential ❤ every past moment brought you to where you are this very day! Catholicism gives my chronic/severe mental suffering such meaning… without it I’d know not what to do.
That someone is you, reclaim yourself
I appreciate your vulnerability. I struggle with so many relationships and haven’t been able to complete grad programs… thank you for validating this. It means so much. I just sympathize so much. I shared your tears today. It was cathartic. Thank you.
I was sectioned six months after having my only child. I've had 25 years of mental illness. I'm very excited for my future, but also sad at the 25 years of dealing with mental illness. This is such a breakthrough, the day I never thought I would live to see.
Happy for you. My son doesn't seek treatment any more, he didn't like how medication made him feel although he suffers without realizing how bad it is sometimes. He is a good person.
Don’t look back we can only move forward!
Grief is a part of moving forward ❤️
Hindsight is 20/20. My daughter who has schizoaffective is 32 and hers started in high school as well. She has lost her entire young adult life to this disease. She is currently in the same mental healthcare facility for the 5th time and has been there longer than any previous time. If you add ll of those times together she has lived there longer than any other place in the last 14 years and that breaks my heart. But you offer hope with the ketogenic diet and I've told her about it. In this last year there she has gained 80 pounds which is unhealthy as well, but she is not showing enough signs to be discharged to a group home and there don't seem to be any available. I can't think of all that's happened and is happening with her now without crying.
I'm so sorry to hear that... 💔 I hope she'll get stable enough to be let out & she'll give this metabolic diet a try 🙏
Don't give up now that you know there's an answer. Fight with all you've got for the sake of your daughter and yours yoo.
😢💔 I get it. My life feels over myself because my heart is so broken for my son’s suffering. Much of which has been unnecessary. He has been abused and overmedicated and more in these psych hospitals. They are awful.
@@gracegrace1896 Same with me and there is nothing I can do because, once the system gets a hold of our loved ones, they push the parents aside and keep us in the dark. In terms of abuse, no knows what is truly happening behind closed doors. they don’t allow visitors. Patients, whether they are in a psych hospital or in a nursing home, cannot defend themselves. It's easy for the hospitals to blame the patient and to cover-up the truth.
🙏🙏🙏 yes. Sending love from South Africa. @@gracegrace1896
We are so celebrating with you! This is coming from a person whose siblings and mother has suffered from schizophrenia. I worry about the future of my children. Through your process, discovery and dedication. I have an inkling of hope that if my children do suffer from schizophrenia. There is an alternative to living the disaster that my mother experienced. Thank you for providing an alternative to the limitations of medication only.
Let’s celebrate what you have accomplished in four months! You’re a courageous soul. Life is now. The past is the past, it is no longer here, but how you choose to show up now is what matters. Keep going. We are all cheering you on!!
I think the biggest thing and what brings me the most peace through my struggles and the suffering I’ve encountered in life is knowing that if I hadn’t went through all the things I had I wouldn’t be the person I am and wouldn’t have affected the lives of others the way I’ve been fortunate to. If it hadn’t been for your struggles I wouldn’t have been able to be such a big support my friend throughout his experience with schizophrenia. You’ve given me the ability to help him through his struggles by educating me through your experiences. So, I thank you and I am grateful for you.
You found something that works for you and you’re feeling whole again. I’m happy for you and the loved one around you, enjoy this feeling.
Keep spreading the word. It’s obvious that metabolic therapy isn’t being explored as the big industry players know they won’t be incentivised to find an alternative treatment… don’t mourn what you have lost, be thankful for what you have gained and the gift of knowledge you giving us.
You have that light in your eyes 💫 im happy for you Lauren ❤
Darling girl, you could not have encountered this solution and your insight and especially your strength before now. Rob is key in this. You can't fully move forward in your life darling if you look back in regret ❤ you are an inspiration and a source of unimaginable hope to so very very many 🌸🍀⚘️
I used to struggle with these thoughts all the time. The reason I dont anymore is because I've realized I'm grateful for having gone through my difficult mental health issues. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have the empathy and patience I have for others going through the same thing. I'd probably be another person holding on to stereotypes and judgments towards mental health. If I hadn't gone through that, I wouldn't be able to appreciate just having a clear calm mind. I'd probably be filling my mind with unimportant, shallow worries. If I hadn't gone through that I wouldn't be able to bond with others through shared experience. And that leads me to the biggest thing that broke me out of that thought cycle which is, everyone is going through things and everyone looks back at there lives with regrets. No one is perfect and if you find someone who hasn't gone through hardships they're probably not the easiest person to be around. Hardships are how we develop genuine personality and without them we would never be able to appreciate times without them. I think everyone that comes out on the other side has to go through the phase you're going through but I think eventually the lost time and mistakes stop hurting as much and you're able to see the real positive effects and having gone through it all.
You're amazing. Recently I asked my son if he struggles with any memories because he's the one who found me when I did something stupid. I know my illness played a role in my wife's redeveloping cancer because the burden of our household fell upon her shoulders. The stress had to be unbearable at times. She always visited the doctors with me. She was always there during treatments. She's the one who insisted they stop ECT because it was ineffective and it was destroying me. The what could have beens. I'm not sure if things will ever change because it'll require them to admit they were wrong. You did something remarkable because you healed yourself in front of 10's of 1000's. Your healing now was a blessing. This is how it had to be. This is part of the plan involving you.
I used to want to be a writer. It was THE career I saw myself in. But at a certain point (early twenties), I stopped being able to write about anything except the agony that I was experiencing, and that continues to this day. Would I have outgrown the idea of writing as a career? Maybe, but I have never even gotten the chance to see what it would have been like.
Later (mid to late twenties), I wanted to do some kind of work where I would have gone to different countries and experienced various cultures. But I shied away from that option eventually because I had a major breakdown while I was going to university in Hawaii, thousands of miles away from home. Every few years or so since my mid-teens I've had major mental health crises. It's hard to plan long-term when you don't know if you can trust yourself to be stable.
All to say, this video really resonated with me. I'm glad you've found something that is starting to open doors for you again.
❤ thank you for sharing your experience. It’s really tough to watch our goals and dreams evolve when our mental health becomes a deciding factor in what paths we feel able to embark upon.
I have a different chronic illness but share many of the same reflections as you.
I'm also grappling with the injustice of it all. You had such honest hopes and dreams, the best of intentions and aspirations. But then so many of those hopes and dreams were replaced with nearly intolerable fears and suffering, years of it. I'm sure self-blame and self-doubt were thrown in there, along with guilt for affecting those you love. So many desperate, then well informed and educated attempts to control the uncontrollable.
You've had to be hyper-vigilant for so long, Lauren.
You're sharing such vulnerable parts of yourself with the world, and while many of us absolutely love what you're doing, others are criticizing you. It's hard to see.
I've also opened up as an advocate for my illness in clinical and professional settings a few times, and it was shockingly difficult. So much so, I probably wouldn't do it again.
What I didn't initially expect is that other patients would push their viewpoint on me, indicating that if they could push through it, so should others with the same disease. Misguided advice hit painfully hard and led me to feel isolated within my own community, even though most people were supportive.
You've made a real positive difference in my life. After reading Christopher Palmer's book and then watching you undergo new metabolic therapies with success, I was so inspired that I had to try!
I signed up for Nicole's course because of you.
Whether or not this lifestyle works for me (too early to tell)I am happy to go into it with an open mind and try.
I am working with my medical providers, practicing critical thinking, researching and taking action.
The criticism stings, it lasts. But I, and thousands of others take inspiration from yourself and Rob. I am cheering you on, I am delighted in your success and I am not far behind.
But if you hadn’t gone through all that- you never would have touched all of us!! And you and Rob make a huge difference, you make that difference because of where you’ve been and how far you’ve come.❤
I have been following your channel for a few years and I am utterly shocked at how much medical keto has helped you and how quickly. Truly groundbreaking. Please keep using your platform to spread awareness. I'm so happy that you've found something that works for you.
Thank you for this video. My son has recently been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. Treatment in South Africa 🇿🇦, is few and far between. There has been SO much gaslighting, putting him as a badly brought-up teen, and me as an overprotective mom. Im a single mom, so that makes it almost 'believable'. Certainly, it made me feel SO MUCH guilt.
Its taken us both a long time (and its not gone yet) to refute this, and begin to wotk towards healing.
Bless you, Lauren ❣ 🙏 You're a beam of light for us.
Your journey is helping of millions of people, for the first time, I feel there's hope for one of my family member who's been fighting with this disorder for more than 20 years. Thank you
Thank you! Very well explained. I have tried Keto 2x. Unfortunately, I have had no success in this lifestyle. However, I am managing very well. I wanted to let the audience know that the navigation of education/work in the realm of mental health is very much real. I have accepted this reality. Although well educated, I often blamed myself personally for failure professionally. I often would push harder and harder because, in my circles, MHI was not real. Through watching these videos, mental illness is no different than any other delibitating illness. And in all reality, it should be given as much grace as any other delibitating illness.
Why didn't it work for you?
Thank you so much for sharing your journey, going through a similar journey of acceptance and grief as someone who had an undiagnosed autism for most of my life
In 2021-2023 I had finally gotten to a place where I was so healthy that I was confronting this thought experiment also. It was extremely painful to think about how things could be different in my life had I been well. My life was so secure and beautiful. This year I've had a major backslide and I'm back in survival mode with declining mental health. I am finding it difficult to believe that I will ever get back to where I was... Your videos give me hope though. I've been following you for a long time and you are so inspiring and I'm so proud of you. I appreciate this video so much, it reminds me of when I felt good enough to consider such things and that it's possible to get there again even if it doesn't feel like it at the moment.
Hang in there, you have been well for several years, this is a bump in the road. When we have a decline in our mental health again, when we are in it, it is so hard to see we will be well again. But you will. Our minds are not a reliable source of seeing positively into the future when we are unwell. While you are in survival mode, be kind to yourself, get the help you need to support you getting better. Wishing all the best. “This too shall pass”
Past can not be changed ,but now you can help a lot of people
I'm so pleased that you've had success with Keto style consumption! I'm in awe of the number of diseases and disabilities that have fallen away through removing edibles that cause electrical disturbances in our complex physical systems. Your grief for what could have been is natural, yet the being you are now would be diminished in understanding the rest of us. Keto rules! So do you!
You Are helping others - you are brave and kind and compassionate and intelligent and you should feel so proud of yourself - watching you really helps - and thank you so so much xxx
Wow, Lauren, it looks like you have overcome a really significant challenge. What an inspiration. Chris is on to something, I hope. “One giant leap for mankind”. You can be proud of the price you have paid for your success. Thank Rob too.
Anyone who has hard times especially mental illness should be proud of themselves that they have survived and been through so much. You are a warrior.
I’m so happy for you, Lauren. I’m sure the rest of your life will be amazing 🎉🎉🎉
It is a time of grief as well as joy when we finally find an answer we've been seeking.
In the last 2 years, as my mental health struggles have been the most overwhelming that they have been, I was diagnosed with ADHD, Bipolar, and pDID. I needed, and still sometimes do, need time to grieve for what my life was when I didn't know this information about us. There's always room for those feelings, Lauren, even when "everything is going well."
You have every right to feel a lot of grief about this and I would like to encourage you not to be afraid to let the feelings out. It is scary but transformative in the end. Thank you for being vulnerable, you have helped me a lot throughout the years.
I'm crying with you,Lauren.THANK YOU for this honest and vulnerable talk! I wish you'll never experience all that pain again.🧡🧡🧡
Yes, that is a grief to go just like anybody of us when we have some trauma to heal, I am so proud of you, thank you
Lauren, you are a young woman with so many years ahead of you. It is wounderful you have found this life change. You and your family really deserve It ❤ I can see you doing a master yet
Lauren,
It means a lot for you to share this with others. Few people understand how heroic a person must be to navigate life with a serious mental illness, but I do. My adult daughter has experienced many of the same struggles. However, it has given her a depth of understanding, few people have. I am sure that has happened to you as well. You can’t go back, but you can realize how strong and heroic you really are.
Thank you for sharing your life. You are inspirational to more people than you probably realize. All of us need to start our day with gratitude for the blessings we have. It gives perspective on the bigger picture. You have a really lovely family.💕
I wouldn't know anything about schizophrenia at all if you hadn't shared all your experiences on UA-cam.
I'm sorry your academic career took a longer start than you would have done otherwise, but you've done such incredible things beyond what anyone with just a degree in psychology could do.
I'm so sorry you've gone through all this suffering. But you've made so much good from it gor so many people to understand how to help those in need of it.
I hate how much I relate to this. I have watched you on and off for a long time. In fact, I was once a patron of yours for a few months in 2019. I started watching because I thought I had schizoaffective disorder and you were the only one who was making videos on it at the time. I clung to your videos during some really dark times in my life, and made me feel less alone navigating the mental health system by myself.
December 2023, after being on antipsychotics since 2013, I learned, or rather, realized, that my mental health journey was based on the wrong diagnosis. I didn't have psychosis; I didn't even hear voices. Rather, I had untreated ADHD. I was hospitalized February 14th, 2013 for a week and was diagnosed with "depression with psychosis," which tainted my mental health experiences for the next decade. I had thought for over a decade that I would have to take mental health medication to stay sane, to keep my job. Taking meds and dealing with the side effects was a chore every day.
January 2024, my psychiatrist took me off of the last antipsychotic, and I started to reframe "having to" take meds as "wanting to." That the medications I was still taking helped me. And in March of this year, I started taking ADHD medication for the first time, despite exhibiting symptoms since before I can remember.
The reasons I was diagnosed with psychosis are long and convoluted, mainly caused by trauma and abuse, and I keep thinking...what if I hadn't been hospitalized? What if my mom hadn't forced me to view the world this way? What if I hadn't been gaslit by her and other mental health professionals that I had to take medications at high dosages that I didn't even need?
When I started college, my major was environmental science with a specialization in wildlife and natural resources. When I graduated, my degree was in English. I keep thinking, "What if I had ended up working for GE like I'd always dreamed of as a kid?"
All this to say, I completely and utterly relate to the grief you are experiencing.
I just wanted to say I resonated deeply with your comment. It is unfortunate how complex trauma is still so disregarded in the mental health system that “professionals” cannot discern a reasonable response to abuse/acute stressors from psychosis. What’s worse, the medical gaslighting can mirror the parental gaslighting, creating a horrific experience where the patient is crying out to be heard and no one can hear the truth. I am so sorry this happened to you and am so happy you have a diagnosis that better suits your wise inner knowing. Thank you for sharing your story. ❤
Whenever you finally start to overcome a huge obstacle there is inevitably grief about all the time and years that you’ve lost dealing with hard stuff. It just sucks that you can’t get that time back. Allow yourself to grieve, be angry, however you feel about it is ok and normal. You will get through this to the other side. I’m so glad that you’re doing better, and thank you for sharing your journey.
Hi Lauren, thank you for sharing your thoughts. I had a problem of looking back and grieving over past failures. I realized that it was causing me to become off balance and stumble many times. Now, I keep my focus, or gaze, at the now present and near future of things. I learned to let go and that part helped me greatly over those things. Just wanted to share my experience. Hope you have much brighter and pleasant days ahead of you. Peace for you and your family.
You have no idea how excited I became just to read the name of the channel, let alone listen to your experiences. I've been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type since the age of 26-27 but haven't truly accepted my illness until very recently. I'm 34 now and am only just now starting to properly handle my illness by consistently taking medication (before I was taking medication but would often miss days and despised taking medication at the time) and largely cutting back on alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine, and the like and eating better. My biggest issue is motivation. It's very difficult for me to find motivation most days and when I do it's short lived. I resonate a lot with your past social difficulties as I've recently and embarrassingly committed social suicide in a sense via social media (sadly this isn't the first time my illness has caused me to ruin friendships/relationships either, even to the point of straining relationships with my own family). I've since opened up on social media about my illness and have been surprised to get quite the response I wasn't expecting from others who are also going through similar experiences. I think the population is finally starting to truly wake up and is more willing to openly talk about mental illness and as a result we're starting to see that schizoaffective and schizophrenia are actually much more common than many of us were previously aware of. The combination of people opening up on social media and seeing someone such as yourself truly open up and divulge your experiences on UA-cam just might be enough to motivate me to write about my experiences or maybe start a channel like yours in hopes of motivating others to open up and pull away from the stigma of hiding or denying our illnesses. The grandiose delusions I've experienced due to my illness are by far the most terrifying experiences of my life and yet for once I feel like there's finally a real purpose for it all and my life as a whole and that maybe people like you and I were meant to share our experiences to help others pull away from the stigma of hiding/denying our illnesses and help others heal from their experiences. I can't thank you enough for being a true inspiration! I'll certainly be watching more of your videos in the future and maybe in the meantime I'll make a channel of my own to share my own experiences. The struggle in your voice and in your face when you're sharing your experiences really hits home and I can feel strongly what you go through when you do because I know just how it feels to have those strong feelings myself. Some nights I can't help but fall into a strong depression and episode of tears thinking back to the embarrassing moments, difficult situations I've caused myself, and friendships/relationships I've destroyed with schizoaffective disorder. Seeing your struggle gives me hope because at least I now know that I'm not alone in this battle. ❤❤❤ Keep charging forward and please don't stop making videos.
no regrets, only lessons.
I am sending you nothing but positive, healthy energy. I want to share that I had my life completely stop due to different mental health issues that caused me great depression and ultimately addiction issues. I lost all my relationships, my career, and family. My life is completely different and very full today. We cannot change the past, we can only move forward. You are moving forward. I hope you are able to let go of regret in exchange for the joy of new experiences and all the happiness that is awaiting you. ❤
Thanks! For your videos and sharing the bad as well as good about your illnesse.Your a special special person to me!
Thank you for letting us into your life so we can understand better those who suffer with this particular illness. This is important information for the world.
Please give yourself the grace you would give anyone else in your circumstances...peace to you and yours.
Lauren this sense of loss will pass. Working with your therapist should help ❤. Who cares about NASA etc family, my husband and son and the simple pleasures in life are my achievements. Sending you so much love and support ❤ xx
This video is heartbreaking but hopeful. I believe you are exactly where you are meant to be. Hopefully one day you will look back and see the impact you have had and know you are one who walked so others could run.
I really needed to hear this! I've also recovered significantly from mental health issues, in a way I never thought was possible. It's a grieving process. Changing my diet was also what changed my life. There's a question of what could have been... and a feeling of infinite possibilities, for the future... but despite the relief, there's a complicated sense of sadness and loss.
Thank you so much for sharing your journey, and the unexpected side effects that happen when things finally go well. Love your channel! 💖
This is incredible. You are incredible! Thank you for sharing your experience and journey with us. I have been following you and your journey for quite some time and seeing that you found what works for you brings some joy to me. I know, I feel like one day I'll get to a point where I'll also take on this treatment path if it ever comes to that. But thank you for showing us your side and story to all of this. You are incredible and loved in so many ways!
I feel you and hear you. My son is doing great as well! I’m so thankful that you are sharing this to the world!! I will become a Psyq Nurse Practitioner to help more people!
I was off for four years and no one understood what happened to me. It was all because of my mental illness . We will do it better I believe because "what we do in life echoes in eternity". Take care darling.. you belong to good people.
Another very important and so special sharing your experience with others. Thank you for your courage and being so so effing amazing!!!
I won't say "I understand you", as I have never been where you have.
But this video speaks deep to my soul. Thanks for all the emotions you showed. They make your words even more moving. Love from Poland❤
You are so brave thank you for all you've done, it has been amazing! Love to your family.
Thank you. I believe most people look back and regret. ...mental illness or not. It's called Life.
you're incredible Lauren, so grateful for your content. This world is lucky to have you!
Give yourself many deep breaths of relief on leaving this though behind. What ifs are very unhealthy mentally for those that get hung up easily. I feel for you feeling this sadness but at the same time you look very alive through your eyes! You truly look different.
I’ve been suffering myself here and there with my mind. I feel like I’m never in control of it anymore causing my mental health to be bad. But I just keep moving forward and letting The Lord guide me ✝️🛐. The Lord is with us Amen 🙏
Thank you so much for opening your heart to the rest of us. I shed some tears with you. Thank you for sharing helpful information. My son, who has your diagnosis, feels so much better after taking the supplements that
you recommend. He is working full time and getting into a trade (plumbing). God bless you for what you have done for my son and THOUSANDS of other people. ❤
Lauren, I have been watching your videos for years. I am so happy for you!❤
"Deficits in my capacity"
I'm with ya
Dr. Chris Palmer also talked that people go through grief when they recovered from their mental illness by keto
I’m with you, it’s a eerie sad feeling, it feels like waking up and having realized life has past us by. Stay positive, the future is on the horizon and enjoy every moment
Lauren, I know exactly how you feel. You are so brave and special and helpful to others. Keep up the good work and never give up hope, bc you are a light to others who deal with schizophrenia
I think of what you mentioned in the video as my ghost life. Where I think about what would have happened if things had gone differently in certain pivotal points in my life. Thanks for being so open and vulnerable about the health journey you are on and for sharing the emotions it brings up.
As someone who has had intense struggles with anxiety and depression since 18 I have watched your videos for a long time and found them a comfort. After seeing your amazing results from metabolic therapy I manage to enrol myself on a ketogenic therapy for depression clinical trail where I was mostly in ketosis for 5 weeks, sadly though my mental health is worse than ever. Wish I could find something as helpful as you have to stop all this suffering and the effects it has on my husband and son. Wishing you well.
You can’t alter your past with information that you have now. Use the knowledge/information you have now & live your most beautiful and best life, Lauren.
I just stoped the video 5:36 to write down that you are verry brave and have much guts sharing it. I hope im using the right words much love from the Netherlands. And I wish all the people to stay strong and make something of it and try to enjoy every day adios amig s
Loren , I always remind myself that all my struggles were part of my personal life experience, and we’re all necessary to get me to the place I’m at. Try not to regret your past . It can’t be undone. You have worked so hard to get I. Your best possible place while generously sharing your experience with the rest of us. Many family’s are going through the struggle you are going through and your voice is a light in this darkness. Thank you for what you are doing on this channel . All the best to you
Thank you Lauren for your open, vulnerable, yet beautiful share. I really appreciate you and all that you do.
In terms of social relationships, if someone will leave me or judge me because I got abused so badly that I become ill, then they probably never truly cared about me to begin with. That’s how I make sense of it anyway. It’s usually people who aren’t massively harmed by your symptoms who judge most anyway. For every person I lost I’ve found friends ten times more valuable.
No one wants to wish hardship on themselves yet I totally agree that it can be what teaches us to be more humble and compassionate towards the difficulties others face. It saddens me that we didn’t know about these metabolic therapies and your channel was not available when my brother lived & suffered with schizophrenia but then I’m grateful that you have this opportunity and you are helping others through your journey. My brother was incredibly compassionate and I know his spirit is overjoyed that you are helping this community. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts and spirits! Thank you for your compassion and for your resolve for those who struggle with mental health disorders and those who love them! ❤
Thankyou for this. Very relatable.