Psychosis Rewired
My Blueprint for Recovery from Schizophrenia
Aidan Agerskov
Aidan Agerskov Rønsholdt
Copyright © 2024 Aidan Agerskov Rønsholdt
All rights reservedNo part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.ISBN-13: 978-87-975518-1-3Version 1.2
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Preface
Introduction
Disclaimers
A Starting Point of Acceptance
About Me
Mindset - The Engine Which Brought Me Here
The Blueprint
Step 1: Identifying - The Pattern Revealed
Step 2: Understanding - The True Diagnosis
Step 3: Solving - The Root Cause Treated
Step 4: Practicing - The Gradual Shift
Step 5: Living - The Final Stage
Parting Words
Acknowledgements
Where To Contact Me
About The Author
Preface
“I will do everything I possibly can to live the best possible life that I can” was what I vowed to myself at the end of my very last hospitalization in a psychiatric hospital. Since then, it has been my utmost commitment, a deep-seated motto that has driven my actions. On this quest, I’ve managed to discover a secret to life, a secret about humans: we do not control our lives; rather, we are controlled by what our lives have made our minds believe.
Carl G. Jung once famously said, and I quote:
“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”
This is the true basis of this ebook, and this is the knowledge I used to recover from my schizophrenia. The illness is unconscious; it is largely outside our conscious control. Therefore, it cannot be subjectively understood by others, only by ourselves.
"Preposterous! People with schizophrenia are too mentally ill to understand their own illness!” a feisty psychiatrist may have criticized. And yes, they may be right, at least at the onset of a patient’s illness. However, I will say that once I started trying to understand my illness as it was unique to me, rather than merely as it was described in the latest diagnostic manual for mental disorders—that’s when everything started to change for me.
That is also when I discovered that all my core symptoms—my delusions, thought distortions, ruminations, and so forth—were all stemming from the same exact place: within my belief system. I wondered at that point, would changing the core subconscious beliefs that manifested into my symptoms also make my symptoms disappear by removing their source?
Yes, it did. Today, I am living as a recovered schizophrenic who has maintained a stable life for more than three years. Throughout those years, my condition has only gotten better and better. I have gradually reprogrammed my mentally ill mind more and more into a sane, stable, and mentally healthy mind.
I have effectively uprooted the metaphorical weeds planted beneath the surface of my mind that contributed to my schizophrenia and replaced them with new and healthier roots of advantageous beliefs. These roots have now grown into the stable mental health of my mind’s garden, which both I and the people around me can see today.
This transformation has enabled me to give speeches about my recovery, speak at large governmental events, and return to school after a nine-year break due to illness and recovery. To top it off, I have done so with greater success and mental resources than anyone likely thought possible for me. I am a living example that this works; now let me show you how it does.
Introduction
As the title suggests, this ebook is a blueprint for recovering from schizophrenia. However, before diving into the blueprint, it is very important to address some fundamental aspects. First of all, there will be some disclaimers to help readers use this ebook responsibly and provide essential information.
Next, we will jump straight into the most important factor in recovery from schizophrenia and similar conditions: acceptance. This is to ensure that everyone reading this ebook understands what is needed to recover on the most fundamental level—before actually delving into the actions necessary for recovery.
Without this foundation of acceptance, true recovery would be impossible.
Lastly, before we explore the blueprint, I will share the two most empowering mindsets that helped me achieve my recovery by ensuring that I never gave up—followed by a guide for you to adopt your own.
I firmly believe that through this foundation of acceptance and hope, anyone, given the right resources, can recover. This ebook is merely one of your potential resources; however, it is my greatest hope that this resource can serve as a catalyst for you to discover your internal resources, which are ultimately what will enable you to recover.
Everyone is on their own path, and while some may find themselves in a better state than others, some may, like I once did, find themselves in the depths of despair. This is a challenging illness to manage, and I do not expect everyone suffering from this array of illnesses to be ready to read this ebook.
However, for those of you who are, this is what I have created for you. Why? Because I believe. I believe you can recover. And I believe this can actually help.
Disclaimers
Before we jump into the rest of the ebook, I need to make three important disclaimers. This is to ensure that this book has as little probability of causing harm as possible. As with any information, there is a potential for it to be misused. So please do your best to remember these disclaimers, and make sure not to use this book in a way that could cause you harm.
Also, in case you are currently reading this ebook as a relative of a person suffering from a psychotic illness or as a professional working with patients with these disorders, I hope that my perspective as a recovered schizophrenic will be useful to you in supporting your loved one or perhaps even gaining a broader perspective on the illness.
It is important to see it not merely as a diagnosis, but as a distinctive cluster of dysfunctional patterns within a patient's mind that, as I have proven, can be healed, changed, and overcome.
1.I am not a mental health professional:
It is very important for me to disclaim that I am not, in any way, shape, or form, a mental health professional. Should you decide to use the tips, tools, and strategies I’m going to present in this ebook, please keep that in mind so as not to take my advice "too" seriously. Ultimately, this ebook is meant to be an insider guide and is not intended to act as a substitute or replacement for an actual mental health professional's treatment or advice.
It is also crucial that you discuss the tools and strategies learned in this ebook with your current mental health care provider. They can help you either use them to the best of your ability or determine whether they apply to your specific situation.
2.There will be optional exercises provided:
The exercises I’m going to give you throughout the ebook have been designed to help you work through the ideas and strategies that have helped me the most. However, it is important to note that these exercises are optional, and if you do not want to engage with them, that’s completely alright. If this ebook is of value to you, I have no doubt that you’ll find your own way to implement the things you determine are of most benefit to you.
3.I am not suited to help people manage hallucination symptoms:
I am sad to say that this ebook will not be able to provide guidance on symptoms of hallucination. The reason for this is that I have never experienced that category of symptoms myself, and therefore it would be presumptuous of me to try to help people through something I have not experienced.
