Marja Bergen

author, mental health advocate, follower of Christ

Category: Day by Day (page 3 of 25)

Psychosis – Part 19

IN THE NAME OF JESUS A long time ago—before modern medications existed: One person’s experiences: I suspected there had been something strange going on with my mind for months—thoughts and experiences I wasn’t able to understand. I was confused, couldn’t make sense of what was happening around me or within me. Found myself doing bizarre […]

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Overcoming injustice with love – Part 18

IN THE NAME OF JESUS The radical changes Jesus brought into the world could only have been possible through his great love. In fact, generally speaking, probably the greater the love, the greater will be the justice that can be brought about. Is creating a just society even possible without love? A key part of […]

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Feeling rejected – Part 17

IN THE NAME OF JESUS In the words of someone who has been there: I’ve told many about how stigma has affected me. My story. My pain. But I realize everyone has a story. Everyone has experienced some form of rejection. It must be one of the worst sources of emotional pain. For many of […]

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The problem with advice – Part 16

IN THE NAME OF JESUS We had an important rule at the support group I led for many years. It came from the Quaker writer Parker J. Parker: “No fixing, no saving, no advising, no setting each other straight.” That must have been the single most important rule we had, and we kept ourselves to […]

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Can we forgive stigma? Part 15

IN THE NAME OF JESUS Few people realize the extent of the pain caused by stigma. Please hear what this lady experiences. What can you and I do to bring healing to her? My struggles are no longer so much about my illness as I have learned to handle that now, especially with the medicines […]

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Tell them of his love – Part 14

IN THE NAME OF JESUS There are those who have never felt real love before. They don’t know what real joy is. Could we help them feel what God’s love is like—the love they truly need? The Bible tells us that everything is possible with God. Friends might wonder what this love we speak of […]

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All because of a label – Part 13

IN THE NAME OF JESUS Have you ever felt the pain of being disbelieved? If you have, you’ll know how helpless it makes you feel. Many of us living with mental illness know such pain. It’s true. There may be times when people with mental illness have delusions that cause them to believe things that […]

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Not for ourselves alone – Part 12

IN THE NAME OF JESUS As you’ve been reading through this series, I hope you remember that everyone with a caring heart can support troubled individuals, especially peers. The Bible says, Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all […]

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A visit with the suicide loss group – Part 11

IN THE NAME OF JESUS In September 2009 I gave a talk to a group whose members had lost loved ones to suicide. It was an emotionally charged time with twenty-one of us sitting in a circle for three hours. One by one they shared their stories of pain with me. There were many tears. […]

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When least is expected – Part 10

IN THE NAME OF JESUS As we’ve noted earlier, prejudice is rampant in our world today, as it was during Jesus’ time. We think that good only comes from those with power, those who are economically well off, those with higher education. We tend to think that only bad news comes from the poor, from […]

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