i have to say, i admire your spirit! with my TOS arms, i still have not managed to even read half-way through the 2 (not that long!) books the energy healer recommended to me. (the other one is "the journey to the sacred garden," by hank wesselman, Ph.D.)

but i did want to mention one thing. i also have suffered for years from tx-resistant depression. no A/D ever touched it, that i could see, anyway...

my PM doc put me on some samples of Namenda earlier this year, as an off-label use in the hope that it would be effective against some of the nerve pain associated with my TOS, CRPS/RSD, brachial plexitiis, ulnar neuropathy etc. (take your pick!) - anyway, it's been shown to target the NMDA receptors in the brain - which receptors people who have been in pain for a long time have waaaaaay too many of. originally, this med was developed to treat alzheimers disease, as you may know.

well, Namenda did diddly squat for my nerve pain, broken wings. but i have to say... this one rx has done more for my depression than any SSRI has EVER done. took about 4-6 weeks to start working. and i've tried them all, i mean including Cymbalta and you name it. since the early 90's i would say, i've been on one form or another of an A/D, constanly...

as i think i posted earlier i have PTSD, major depressive disorder from early trauma and then of course, as do most people who suffer intractable pain disorders - lovely as they are! - i have the depression that goes along with that, PLUS the med-induced depression that i believe the opioids brings as a side effect.

sorry i am so long-winded. all i really mean to suggest is that you might want to ask your doc about putting you on an NMDA inhibitor - i gather there are several in that class - Namenda is the one dr. jordan gave to me and i gotta tell ya, i feel like rip F'ing van winkle over here, you guys!

it has not only helped to lift some VERY long term depression, but i can think more clearly for the first time in years. as they are now discovering, chronic pain causes BRAIN DAMAGE over time... so it makes sense. i've been in it for most of my adult life, so finding a med like Namenda which even begins to give me some of my cognitive abilities back has been a wonderful, wonderful gift.

OK, that's enough out of this iconoclast on one cup of coffee. i hope this helps someone else. i have to go see my physical terrorist right now, or i would go on endlessly on this topic. it is just so interesting to me and i thank you all for participating on this thread.

i am just finding it highly ironic that it is necessary to drain your bank account in order to energize your soul, under the current [pun intended] system...

but i do think enrolling in a legitimate school, doing the reading and becoming a healer yourself sounds like an interesting option. i would like to talk more about that - also how to find healers who provide care under the "system" - for they are out there, kidz! i got a bead on one just yesterday...

alison
"Be Brave"