A Beautiful Mind, A Courageous Heart
Last week we all heard the news of the passing on of John Nash and his wife following a car crash in New Jersey . This made Zoe and I get out the movie ” A Beautiful Mind”.
Words that stuck with me from the movie were “Schizophrenia is degenerative” from the psychiatrist that diagnosed John Nash, and “You have got to keep feeding your dreams or nightmares to keep them alive.” ” You have to chose not to indulge in certain appetites” from John Nash.
The issues I identified with were:
- his stopping medication as it affected his ability to work
- weight gain
- loss of attachment to people
- stress triggering delusions
The insulin shock therapy scenes in a Beautiful Mind affected me deeply.
Can you change your way of thinking even though it has been corrupted through illness? John Nash as represented in this film proved you can. He observed the characters he saw never grew older with time. His conclusion? They could not be real. His response was to start ignoring them. He gave one final goodbye to them. Even though he still saw them he changed his way of thinking and didn’t interact with them again.
This must have given rise to his statements “You have got to keep feeding your dreams or nightmares to keep them alive. You have to chose not to indulge in certain appetites“.
I believe changing the way you think and perceive things received by your senses is key to recovery from schizophrenia and other forms of mental illness that affect normal perception.
When John Nash succeeded in changing his way of thinking in relation to the characters that never grew old he was able to deal with schizophrenia. He did not take medication for the last 45 years of his life.
Do you know anyone affected by schizophrenia? Are you blessed by this post? Share this post on any of your social media.
About The Author
