Dealing with Mental Illness and Subud Crisis
By Rosalind Priestley
The Problem:
Subud members and helpers don’t really understand how
to prevent, diagnose or treat a Subud crisis, and the same is true for mental
illness.
The Solution:
Ask Subud psychologists, psychiatrists and other
mental health professionals to form a committee to study the subject of crisis
and mental illness in Subud, with the aim of publishing an informative booklet
containing guidelines for the use of helpers, members and applicants.
The Details:
Falling into a ‘crisis’ or becoming mentally ill has
long been a recognized risk with religions and many spiritual practices,
including Subud. Medical studies have been made, and there are books and
websites devoted to this topic; yet Subud helpers and members are largely
ignorant about crisis and other forms of mental illness or instability. Here
are some of questions that need answering: Who is most at risk? What sort of
experience can trigger a crisis? What is the difference between crisis and
mental illness? How can you recognize a crisis, different kinds of mental
illness, or a vulnerability? How do you treat each one? When should a person
suffering from mental illness of any kind be referred to a mental health professional?
What should applicants be told about this risk before they are opened?
A committee of Subud mental health professionals could
consult the available literature and talk to specialists in this area; they
could also research cases of Subud crisis and mental illness in order to
identify common patterns and better understand the particular nature and causes
of mental problems in Subud. (See Hassanah Briedis’s, Subud Vision article ‘The
Latihan of Subud, Dissociation and the Neurology of Spiritual Experience’.)
It is irresponsible for our organization not to be
informed about a risk that could have a seriously damaging affect on the lives
of members. Whatever information we gain should not be in the keeping of the
helpers alone. We all have a responsibility to ourselves and our families to
keep ourselves in good health mentally as well as physically. Dealing with this
problem in a straightforward way will help Subud members have more confidence
in their organization.