Depression Forum - How I Beat Suicidal Thoughts And Depression.

The importance of feeling great via euphoric cleansing

endorphins and my story

let me begin with explaining why I found myself learning about massage and
endorphin release, I found myself going through a variety of problems,
stress, depression, poor diet, to name but a few, generally I felt trapped.

I was not happy with my current situation in life and I felt powerless to
change it. I needed to feel great desperately. Plus I wanted a new sense of
purpose, one which I could believe in. So I randomly searched the internet
and stumbled on brandon raynor’s school of natural therapies
(http://www.Brandonraynor.Com). They explained the
health benefits of
massage and also how most other techniques do not fully understand the
power of good deep tissue therapeutic massage.

My endorphin release can only be described as a feeling of total calm and
euphoria, it felt like a tide of bliss caressing my aching mind.

I believe the endorphin rush was released due to the massage freeing up the
tension in my body, and by stimulating my pain receptors, thus allowing my
energy to flow with more efficiency and to create a sense of euphoria. This
feeling is not to be compared with the so called “runners high”,
experienced by long distance runners; this was a very powerful feeling of
total ecstasy… an endorphin rush of a strong concentration. I also believe
that this rush of endorphins may have very important healing properties; i
hope that further research is conducted on this fascinating subject.

Feelings of doom and gloom, pessimism, lack of purpose, paranoia and other
dark negative emotions are becoming more and more common these days
especially with young men, not surprising really as we all live in a very
turbulent emotional world. Having experienced these emotions my self rather
deeply I might add, I can relate to people who are going through these
traumatic feelings. I believe that deep negative emotions are on the
increase, and do contribute towards suicide, schizophrenia, clinical
depression, psychosis and other serious mental disorders. Even more so if
combined with physical ailments, resulting from poor diet, lack of
exercise, tension in the muscles (due to lack of massage), addiction, and
societal pressures.

I have read that the world statistic is around 1.5 billion people who
suffer from some sort of mental disorder, with varying degrees of
complexity. And that healthy, fit, mentally stable people could be
described as elitist or few and far between!!

So not only are we facing a possible epidemic of mental problems but also
serious detrimental physical conditions both being on the increase.

“healthy body healthy mind, healthy mind healthy body”

if you are suffering from emotional and physical ailments for long periods
of time without mental bliss to help ease the pain, then what you are
dealing with is a pressure cooker waiting to blow, usually resulting in the
fight or flight syndrome, which can’t be carried out in modern day living.

The effects of this suppression on the individual’s emotions, character,
psyche and physical whole over long durations of time, would probably be
seriously detrimental and in some cases the damage may be irreparable.

And of course it is not just the individual who suffers; the person becomes
a serious burden to his/hers family members sometimes resulting in the
destruction of the family bond due to severe stress applied from the
individual suffering from the mental condition.

The state bears the brunt of this economically, due to the complexity of
the individual’s mental state and the time and resources required dealing
with such complex mental cases. The individual becomes counter productive
and a burden to us all because identification of the route causes of any
mental problem is very difficult. We all know that the system is at
breaking point. It becomes a snow ball effect. So what ever we can do to
help people feel great must be considered. Endorphins make you feel great,
so more research must be done.

Below I have listed my general mental and physical condition prior to my
endorphin release, you will see that I was in a deep state of mental
depression; I can only thank god for my discovery, and my relief.

These are the negative mental emotions I was experiencing prior to my
endorphin release gained through the massage technique and various
stretching out techniques. Towards the end of this report I have included
an equation which brings all the relevant elements together.

• overwhelming anxiety
• clinical depression (although not diagnosed)
• paranoia
• conspiracy theories
• feelings of doom and gloom
• fear
• powerlessness
• stress
• anger
• social anxiety disorder
• rage
• worthlessness
• with out purpose
• addiction (smoker)
• lethargic/lazy
• pessimistic
• suicidal (two attempts)
• constant thought processes, unable to stop thinking
• insomnia
• energy levels and reserves seriously depleted
• delusions of grandeur
• thinking I was god
• feelings of mistrust towards everyone, including family members
• lack of respect for financial obligations
• becoming extreme in my religious views
• jealousy and envy towards others with more material wealth

below describes my physical condition prior to my endorphin release gained
through massage and various stretching out techniques.

• poor joints specifically the knee joints
• generally feeling weak
• headaches
• muscles feeling stiff due to years of tension and poor body posture
• poor physical condition (smoker)
• poor diet

the mental ailments intensified from the period of 2000-2003. I felt very
lethargic due to the energy lost during intense thought loops, which is
obviously not good for the physical whole.

As you can see from the points below, the massage itself helps the physical
condition; however the endorphin release in my view is responsible for
providing tremendous mental relief from the negative emotions. This of
course is of paramount importance for any person in need of healing. If you
free the mind from the dark negative emotions, the person has a greater
chance of making a full recovery both mentally and physically. As we all
know the body is linked to the mind, and visa versa.

“healthy body healthy mind, healthy mind healthy body”

after the massage/endorphin release I felt the following positive mental
emotions

• clarity of mind (relief!!!)
• overwhelming sense of energy
• state of mental bliss which lasted for about 3-4 days (not drug induced)
• new sense of purpose
• a great sense of personal satisfaction and achievement
• new hope to carry on living
• extremely relaxed
• cool, calm and collected
• more conscious of the environment
• |gained more self respect

after the massage/endorphin release I felt the following positive physical
changes

• joint problems had cleared up temporarily
• warm glow surrounding my joints, I felt younger!!

• anxiety/butterflies in the stomach had gone
• stamina had improved
• i felt supple and loose all over

everyone is aware of the benefits of massage, but I am not sure to what
extent people realise its potential, yes the above feelings where gained
through massage but I believe the power is in the endorphin release,
stimulated by deep tissue massage and various stretching out techniques.

And it is this endorphin release which I would like you the reader of this
report to seriously consider as a means of providing relief from the darker
emotions mentioned earlier, and as a serious therapy to make people feel
great!!!.

As you can see from my experience the endorphin release has proved to be
100% positive in all areas of my negativity.

The overall effects of my endorphin release have gradually phased, however,
a year on I am still feeling positive.

Other factors to consider

i believe the average person should experience an endorphin release at
least twice a year, people with complex mental disorders would have to be
assessed on an individual basis. Let’s think of some factors which may
influence endorphin production.

As we know all humans have the capacity to produce endorphins, however
there are multiple factors which could influence the amount of endorphins
released. Let’s take two subjects both experiencing clinical depression,
subject a has a typical unhealthy diet, consisting of all the major junk
foods, and take’s little exercise, drinks heavily and smokes. Subject b has
a lifestyle which provides all the balanced vitamins and minerals required
to maintain a healthy body, takes exercise, and does not smoke.

Now it is my view that subject b is more likely to have a higher endorphin
stock waiting to be released than subject a.

If we were to provide a deep tissue stimulation massage to both subjects, i
believe that subject b would have a higher feeling of euphoria than subject
a. Simply because subject b has more vitamins and minerals present in the
body. Subject a would probably still have an endorphin release, but the
experience might not be sufficiently powerful enough to help treat the
clinical depression.

We know that the endorphins are released constantly to help maintain a
normal way of thinking in all people, but in cases of extremity, such as
clinical depression, schizophrenia or psychosis an endorphin rush of a
higher concentration maybe required.

How we increase this concentration is of great interest to me, I have
written to the british nutrition foundation asking them for information on
food groups which have the ability to:

a. Increase endorphin stock
b. Decrease endorphin stock

for some reason our brains will not release the endorphins without
catalysts providing assistance such as prescribed medication or illegal
drugs, even in extreme cases of mental depression of physical pain suffered
during horrendous accidents our natural pain killers remain blocked. The
problem with using catalysts such as medication or illegal drugs, are the
side effects.

Some people would argue that our endorphins are released during physical
pain, but they are certainly not released during intense mental disorders
such as psychosis, clinical depression and schizophrenia.

Ask yourself these questions.

1. Why are the endorphins (natural pain killers) present in the brain?
2. Why won’t our brains release the endorphins when we are in pain, or
feeling depressed?

Now some people will argue that painkillers should not be considered as a
means of treating illness, now let’s not get carried away here, endorphins
are not to be branded solely as painkillers, there are there to make you
feel great, and as I mentioned earlier, do not underestimate the importance
of feeling great.

If you have a patient suffering from advanced stages of cancer for example,
they usually undergo intense sessions of chemotherapy, which make the
patient feel week, both physically and mentally. This would obviously make
the patient feel very negative.

If you are in need of healing for whatever reason, it would make sense to
feel great about yourself during whichever treatment you have been
prescribed.

“she lost the will to live”

how many times have you heard the above comment, if you are feeling
positive and happy, then surely your immune system will be stronger and
your recover rate will be quicker?

If endorphins make you feel great and are 100% natural resulting in no
known side effects then I would prescribe them to anyone who is undergoing
any intense treatment. Definitely as a complementary treatment and after
more research a primary means of treatment.

“give your body a chance”

people who take drugs for example just want to feel great, and they take
drugs as a means of escapism, unfortunately the drugs they take come at a
price, the price being ill health and a shorter life.

Now what if there was a way to help people feel euphoric, which came at no
price, in which you did not need to steal to pay for your habit, visit drug
dealers, or indulge in legal means of escapism such as tobacco and alcohol
how excellent would that be. Rejoice there is a way; it is called an
endorphin rush.

How I believe my endorphins where released

i believe my endorphins where released due to the intensity of the deep
tissue stimulation massage, and the follow up stretching routine which
seemed to come naturally to me once the endorphins where released.

This is where the link between tai chi and endorphin release comes into the
equation, as I said, once I began experiencing the endorphin release i
began to naturally move my arms and body in a way which helped maximise the
release, so the feeling started to surround my body.

It felt like a warm glow from seventh heaven. At this point I began to feel
euphoric, my breathing became deeper and my nasal passage and airways
dilated and breathing became much easier. A deep sense of clarity was
achieved.

However there may be other reasons as to why I experienced such a powerful
endorphin rush. Prior to enrolling on the course I was going through deep
intense negativity, with depression combined with constant thought loops.

One could say that this negative mind set had primed the production of
endorphins, ready to be released and that the massage/stretching was all
that was needed to release the endorphins.

It is an interesting theory that maybe our brains do prime the endorphin
stock ready for deployment, but as I mentioned earlier it seems that our
brains our incapable of releasing them on their own, thus requiring some
sort of catalyst whether it be drug induced or through massage/stretching.

Ok so we have a few ideas, here, but we will have problems with
implementation of this technique. Endorphin stock capacity, intensity and
duration of experience could all depend on various factors, such as age,
build, state of health, dietary habits, gender, genetic makeup (race), and
mental state. Touching on the mental state, if a person is of average
health, and not suffering from any particular mental condition, then maybe
the endorphins would not be in a primed state?

Also there is the problem of time, these days we all seem to live fast
paced lives, on the go constantly, assuming I am of an average build and
genetic makeup, it took me a full 40 hr week of massage and 1 hour per
night for 5 days of meditation before I achieved my release of endorphins.

There is also the problem of cost.

If for example, the stock capacity and intensity is standard amongst all
people, and that a standard amount of physical pressure (massage) is
required for each sex, to release the stock, then assuming this to be so,
you would require at least 5 days treatment, 4-5 hours per day, with daily
stretching routines with deep controlled meditation. Basing this on my own
personal experience of course.

However if we could combine all the major factors which influence endorphin
stock capacity, and release intensity, and come up with some sort of
benchmark for application purposes to determine the required length of time
per treatment, then implementation of the technique would be easier.

This may be impossible, and the treatment time is likely to be unique per
individual, and that the time per treatment will have to be specific to the
individuals needs, focusing on the endorphin rush as the primary goal of
the therapist and the patient.

If an endorphin rush is not achieved, then the patient will still benefit
greatly from the massage technique. However whether this will be sufficient
enough to help psychosis or other deep routed mental problems is yet to be
seen I personally doubt this, and I feel regular endorphin release is the
only solution for deep routed mental illness. (from a complimentary
perspective).

Other problems would be the amount of trained professionals who can carry
out such a technique, if this particular treatment is to be considered as a
major means of combating deep routed mental disorders.

Although the massage technique is of high quality, I would like help in
formulating a new course to be taught combining the following elements. The
primary purpose of this new course would be to release an individual’s
natural endorphins, not a steady flow, but a strong endorphin rush of a
high concentration. Using, revised consultations to assess all possible
contra-indications.

Equation

stretching-stress positions (yoga/pilates) /deep tissue stimulation
massage/stretching-stress positions (yoga/pilates) -endorphin release-tai
chi or similar movement based meditation technique.

(deep tissue massage stimulates the pain receptors, endorphins are then
released to cancel out pain, and however, the endorphins create a feeling
of total bliss which in my case lasted for around 4 days, euphoric, very
very very nice!!!!)

i hope that this report is considered and you use your weight as an
organisation to push for more research on endorphins and the healing
properties they may hold.

Endorphins are not just for the sick; they are there for us all to embrace.

The human race has suffered enough it is time for the pleasure.

“the name is not important, just the message!”