Safety Plan – Steps to Follow to Live – Purity 680
Purity
680 03/16/2022 Purity 680 Podcast
Good
morning,
Today’s photo a natural tunnel,
or arch, formed by a dusty outcropping of rock underneath a cumulus cloud
filled sky of blue comes to us from a friend who recently headed to the southwest
where they captured this sight at the Valley of Fire State Park in Las Vegas
Nevada a few days ago.
Well, It’s Wednesday and if I am ever at a
loss to find photos that can represent the midweek summit of “hump day” remind me to revisit this friend’s FB page
from March of 2022 as their southwest hiking adventures highlight a plethora of
rocky peaks and valleys. Peaks and
Valleys can be an appropriate metaphor to employ to describe the changing
nature of our journey in life, with its various ups and downs in all the
different aspects of our lives.
As beautiful as mountain ranges can be, we
would rather avoid radical ups and downs in our emotional lives. While we certainly can enjoy the heights of
joy, the resultant coming back to earth could be a considered to be a let down
and even though we haven’t strayed from the base line of normalcy, the shift
can make it seem like we have entered into the depths of depression.
If we aren’t careful to recognize our true “altitude”
of our current state, and make the proper adjustments to our attitude that may
be necessary, circumstantial disappointments can drag us down and keep us down
in negative states of mind.
Yesterday, in my hands-on-training as a psychiatric
technician for the Mobile Crisis Assessment Team of Columbia Greene County, I witnessed
first hand how a simple disappointment in one’s day could quickly turn into a
problem of global proportions in one’s mind and can cause us to become
discontented with every aspect of our lives and push us to thoughts of self-destruction.
Our team was called out to assess an
individual who has reportedly been depressed and who has repeatedly attempted
suicide in the last few weeks. With the
reported symptoms, it was a wonder to me how this person had seemingly fell
through the cracks of the mental health system and had not been hospitalized
already. So our team was quickly
dispatched to this person’s location to do a mental health assessment, which I
expected would lead to this person’s admittance to a psychiatric facility.
However, as mental health professionals we
don’t just take things at face value and have to not only see if the reality of
the situation matches what is being reported, we also have to attempt to
explore all the possibilities for a person’s individual treatment. People are unique individuals so when we make
an assessment we need to take in account all the factors of their individual situations
to offer the best care. There are no “cookie
cutter” solutions that work for everyone when it to comes to mental health and
we need to assist the individual to develop a plan that will work for
them.
When a client has thoughts of suicide, or
even has attempted suicide, we don’t just immediately lock them up in an institution. Mental health professionals have to assess
the risks to the client’s safety and make the best determination based on the
client’s unique circumstances.
Yesterday, although the reports indicated a
dire situation, I learned that it was best to not make any assumptions in the
future because we discovered that a hospital admission wasn’t necessary in this
case. My co-workers and I discovered
that this latest episode of suicidal intent stemmed from a disappointment in
the client’s day and after they dialoged with my colleague for a few minutes it
was clear that the client was not currently wanting to commit suicide and was able
to develop and to commit to a “safety plan” that they could implement if
thoughts of suicide recurred. The client
also had a support network in place where they lived that could help them to
implement their safety plan if the need should arise.
The intent of a safety plan is to help clients
to lower their imminent risk of suicidal behavior. It provides people with a
specific and prioritized set of coping strategies which can be used in the
event of a suicidal crisis, or should suicidal thoughts emerge. The safety plan is based on the client’s individual
situation and their ability to implement the plan. The safety plan gives people alternatives to the
negative thoughts of suicide and guides them into thoughts and behaviors that
give them peace.
I was able to observe that our job at
Mobile Crisis was to help people to recognize when they are in crisis and to
get them the help they need that is appropriate for their individual situation.
We develop a plan for each person with compassion that they can utilize to
avoid crisis and keep them safe.
As mental health workers, we meet people
where they are and develop a plan for them that works to give them peace. We try to help people to think of things
they can do or things they can think about instead of dwelling on thoughts of
harming themselves. Because of our
fickle nature, somethings that give us peace one day may fail to bring us peace
the next day, so we usually develop a list of things they can do or think about
in those moments of crisis because their first option may not work. Our purpose is to give them lots of alternatives
so they can understand that suicide is not their only option and they can find
more than one way to find peace.
Before going out on our call I discovered
yesterday that one of the options we can offer to clients, if welcomed and appropriate,
“If they are into that” is the option of
their faith.
Even in this day and age, mental health
agencies can still recognize that faith in God and spiritual practices like
prayer can give people a measure of peace. We have to be wise and discerning of course
but if we determine that “faith in God” will bring someone peace we should incorporate
it in their safety plan.
As a Christian this was a big relief for
me, while I understand my role is to bring peace to everyone I encounter in my
job at Mobile Crisis regardless of their beliefs, in whatever way I can, I
thankful that, if appropriate, I could encourage people to pursue their faith
and find peace with God.
Today’s March 16th, - 3/16, and
in some circles today is called “John 3:16 Day”. I’m not sure where I stand
with these “fun with number days” like “Pie day” or even with historical
observances like “the ides of March”, but I can definitely get behind days
where we point to the good news of Jesus Christ.
John 3:16 (NLT2)
16 “For
God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone
who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
If
you need “the safety plan” that accounts for the crisis of life and death, I
offer you the safety and peace that comes to all who put their faith in Jesus
Christ. Christ came to earth to let us
know that there is a God who loves us. Jesus came to die for our sins to give
us peace with God and He was raised to
life to show us that Jesus is God and that when we put our faith in Him we are
given eternal life through Him, in Him, and with Him.
Christ
said
John 14:27 (NKJV)
27 Peace
I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to
you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
So
accept the peace that Christ offers you, every day. Let not your heart be troubled and don’t be afraid.
Christ not only gives us the way to eternal
life. He also taught us to live according to His ways that would give us peace
here and now.
So trust
in Jesus always as your Lord and Savior and keep walking and talking with God. Jesus gave us His peace forever but in order
to experience it we have to keep remembering Him and who we are in Christ a
part of our “safety plan”. When the
circumstances of life might threaten to bring us into fear, anger, or sadness, remember
the peace the Lord has given you and live.
______________________________________________________________________
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27
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Today’s Bible verse come to us from “The NLT Bible Promise Book
for Men”.
This morning’s meditation verse is :
1 Thessalonians 3:8 (NLT2)
8 It gives us new life to
know that you are standing firm in the Lord.
Today’s Bible verse speaks of the regenerative powers that come from our identity in Christ and the certainty of living a life of faith.
When we put our faith in Christ we are immediately given a new and eternal spiritual life as the Holy Spirit comes to live in and with us.
But even though we put our faith in Christ, we are still left in this world broken by sin and it is very easy to doubt that anything has changed. The enemy whispers in our ears that nothing happened and that we are still the same miserable hopeless sinner that we have always been. Our own feelings and even our friends and neighbors may deny that anything new has happened to us.
But if we stand on the word of God we can agree with the truth of scripture to confirm our new lives and identity in Christ.
Romans 10:9
(NLT2)
9 If you confess with your
mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the
dead, you will be saved.
Verses like Romans 10:9 and others like it affirm the truth of our new life and who we are in Christ. The who I am in Christ list (https://www.ficm.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/who-i-am-in-christ05.pdf) developed by Dr. Neil Anderson is based on the word of God and can be used to remind us of some of the great and precious promises we have received when we put our faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
When we remember who we are in Christ and actually decide to live as a Christian in this world, we can experience the reality of the new life we have been given.
As today’s verse tells us when we stand firm in the Lord and know it, in our minds, in our hearts, and in our experience, that knowledge of the fact of who we are in Christ and the assurance of our salvation and our entrance into God’s royal family, it gives us a realization of the new life that we already have. When we stand firm in the Lord, we come alive.
So live out the new life you have been given by standing firm in the Lord and in the power of His might.
As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from June Hunt’s Overeating: Freedom from Food Fixation.
As always, I share this
information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase June Hunt’s books for your own private study and to
support his work. This resource is
available on many websites for less than $5.00.
D. What Is Night Eating Disorder?
The clock strikes 8:00 p.m. … and the
feeding frenzy begins.
Multitudes
of people around the globe, including 6 million Americans, struggle with Night Eating Disorder. Strugglers find
themselves agitated, restless, bored … and before they know it they’ve consumed
massive amounts of high-carb, high-calorie “comfort food.” And for many, when
the clock strikes midnight, they’re back at it again … raiding the refrigerator
into the wee hours of the morning … craving comfort food to fill the hole in
their hearts. At times we all need comfort, but when no one is near to provide
comfort, we can look to food to be that friend. However, God never intended
food to fill our hearts. We crave the comfort of friends, but when our
relationship hole stays empty, we can find ourselves lamenting …
“This
is why I weep and my eyes overflow with tears. No one is near to comfort me, no
one to restore my spirit.”
(Lamentations
1:16)
• Night
Eating Disorder (Night Eating Syndrome) is a condition characterized by
huge caloric intake during the after-dinner hours.
• Night
Eating Syndrome (NES) is a disorder that affects more than 33% of “morbidly
obese” people—those 100 pounds or more overweight.
• Night
Eating Syndrome often involves insomnia because feelings of guilt, anxiety,
and disgust can also hinder sleep.
But … what is one step in the recovery
process? Rather than focusing at night on gorging, the Psalms speak of
meditating on the promises of God.…
“My
eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your
promises.”
(Psalm
119:148)
E. What Is Bulimia?
In the Greco-Roman era, lifestyles of
the opulent included lavish feasts, unabashed indulgences, and orgies. One
common practice was vomiting after overindulging in food and alcohol. Today the
practice of “bingeing and purging” still occurs—a pattern characteristic of bulimia.
Bulimics
binge on tangible food to fill their emotional emptiness and then purge to rid
themselves of guilt, while God invites them to “feast” on intangible food that
produces life and light.…
“They
feast on the abundance of your [the Lord’s] house; you [God] give them
drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in
your light we see light.”
(Psalm
36:8–9)
• Bulimia
comes from a Greek word meaning “great hunger.” The constant and abnormal
appetite of a bulimic is an emotional hunger that no amount of food can fill.
They binge in an effort to fill their inner needs and then purge to get rid of
the guilt for eating too much, as well as to maintain or lose more weight.11
— Bulimia
is a psychological eating disorder characterized by repeated or sporadic “binge
and purge” episodes.
— Bingeing
is an unrestrained consumption of large amounts of food in any setting in a
short amount of time.
— Purging
may be done by the intentional vomiting of food or by the use of laxatives and
diuretics.
— Rumination
or rumination syndrome is sometimes a
part of bulimia and is the unforced regurgitation, chewing, and re-swallowing
of food, like a cow chews its cud.
Tragically, unless the downward spiral
of their disorder is reversed and the lies they believe are replaced with
truth, those suffering with bulimia fit the description of the ungodly given in
Scripture.…
“Their
destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their
shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.”
(Philippians
3:19)
Overeating vs. Bulimia
Question:
“What’s the difference between overeating and bulimia?”
Answer: While both eat food to excess, an overeater
may have little concern about being overweight, while the bulimic is consumed
with body image and self-loathing.
Just as Job began to despise himself, bulimics despise
their bodies and are frequently filled with bitterness.…
“I
loathe my very life; therefore I will give free rein to my complaint and speak
out in the bitterness of my soul.”
(Job 10:1)[1]
---------------------------more
tomorrow------------------------
Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”,
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(https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)
Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship
[1]
June Hunt, Biblical Counseling Keys on Overeating:
Freedom from Food Fixation (Dallas, TX: Hope For The Heart, 2008), 4–6.
