Because improper benzodiazepine withdrawal often leads to prolonged and severe debility and suffering, these tapers have developed a reputation for being extremely difficult. However, over the course of my practice, I have seen some patients taper off their benzodiazepines with ease.
Today's example is of a 19 y.o. young man, diagnosed with bipolar disorder, who was taking Lithium Carbonate, Latuda, and Klonopin. He has been gradually tapering off his medications since May 2020 successfully and smoothly. He tells his mother that it's the energy work that makes it possible for him to heal. Read on for more details!
Note: The patient's name has been changed to protect privacy.
A Holistic Approach to Benzodiazepine Withdrawal
Example of a 19-year-old tapering off Klonopin
I began Alan's session by asking, "How did you do with stopping Klonopin last week?"
Alan had been on Klonopin 1 mg at bedtime since February 2020. Last week, he was asked to stop taking a 1/4 tablet of 0.5 mg Klonopin (0.125 mg).
"Oh, fine," he said.
"Any problems with sleep or anxiety?" I asked.
"No. I'm sleeping fine. Last night I slept from 12 midnight to 12 noon," he replied.
"Any problems with intrusive thoughts?" I dug around.
"No, they're not bothering me anymore," he said calmly.
And that was the extent of Alan's journey tapering off Klonopin: like water off a duck's back.
Not only has he completely tapered off 1350 mg of Lithium Carbonate safely since May, but he has also tapered his Latuda (an antipsychotic medication) from 60 mg to 10 mg. Over the next three weeks, we intend to taper Alan off Latuda entirely.
How are we able to do this?
From a functional perspective, he is taking additional nutritional support in eight different categories: vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, amino acids, GI support, antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and detoxification. He is also drinking an 8 oz. smoothie daily.
From an energy medicine perspective, he is doing Energy Breathsonce per day, Minimizing Withdrawal Problems guided visualization recording once per week, EET + Logosynthesis, and Ask and Receive technique on medication withdrawal once per week. In addition, I meet with Alan once per week, using energy testing to assess his condition, applying energy techniques to reduce stress, and updating his regimen to balance his biochemistry.
Here is his most recent regimen:
(M) means that he can mix the supplements together and drink it over the course of the day, or divide it up into two separate dosages.
The tablets and capsules are separated into three different times during the day.
He's not even taking any GABA supplements. Yet, he's weathering his benzodiazepine withdrawal with incredible ease.
How is this possible?
Alan believes that it's because of the energy work we do. Unlike some withdrawal processes where the energy healing work is provided by someone with no medical training, the energy work we do is focused on supporting Alan's goal to withdraw from his medications. Of course, we also deal with psychotherapeutic issues using energy techniques, but that is a necessary part of building stress resilience and stability for the patient.
The problems that we insert into the EET + Logosynthesis technique and the Ask and Receive techniques are directed towards the specific phase of Alan's withdrawal process. Here is the problem that he will be working on this week:
"the co-dependent reactions of my body that keep the 15 mg of Latuda at a homeostatic dose which interfere with my ability to completely, smoothly, and gradually heal and resolve any remaining dependency on Latuda by Thursday, October 22, 2020."
Another patient faced with lowering four different medications in one week used this statement to help with her ability to adapt to her taper schedule:
"any remaining co-dependent reactions of my body that keep my medications at a homeostatic dose which interfere with my ability to safely, easily, and properly adapt to the scheduled tapering of my medications on my regimen this week."
You can think of energy medicine as directing the withdrawal process like a store manager telling the employees (biological processes in the body) what to do. The supplements are the tools provided to the body to accomplish the anticipated tasks. We give the body a reasonable amount of time to do this preparatory work by setting the intentions a week or two beforehand.
When Alan and I do EET + Logosynthesis and the Ask and Receive techniques together, we tend to yawn at each of the paragraphs. It's a little funny to hear him say his phrases while yawning. We think that the yawning is a sign of clearing blockages along energy pathways. Alan can feel the energy shift in his body and can feel the benefits almost immediately. I hope this information is helpful to you and that you'll give this approach a try if you want to lower your medications and don't have anyone to help you through the process.
Have a great week!