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Psalm Isadora- tantric yoga teacher, sex and relationship expert, 1974-2017


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I caught the tail-end of Lisa Ling's show "This Is Life".  It was about sexual healing.  At the end, there was a dedication to a California-based sex and relationship expert- Psalm Isadora- who had been interviewed, 1974-2017 it said.  Simply curious why such a young and beautiful woman had died, I just did a google search and found this.  I wasn't even expecting this:

 

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/ladailynews/obituary.aspx?pid=185011033

 

http://news-and-events.com/psalm-isadora-struggled-most-of-her-life-with-bipolar-disorder/

 

"What she did not know is that one of the potential side effects of Xanax withdrawal is depression as well as suicidal ideation...

 

She did not comprehend the dangers inherent in stopping Xanax without medical supervision. She believed this bigger, darker voice was herself and did not understand it was a side effect she was being victimized by."

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So, so sad, benzohno! I'm crying as I write this. That feeling that she had, that she could transcend it, just didn't come to pass because the benzo is too powerful to overcome for those of us sensitive to it. Another casualty that didn't have to happen.

 

During this last struggle those around her tried to help in so many ways including trying to take her to rehab to help her transition off of Xanax but she thought she could get through it on her own. This is another fallacy and, sadly too little is still known about the detrimental effects of going to rehab for benzo withdrawal.

 

 

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I know Terry.  It upsets me so much.  There is no reason that that this should still be happening to people.  I don't know when it will end.  She and those around her did not fully understand the depths of suffering that benzo w/d could cause, especially c/t and detox.  If only they'd done a little more digging. 

 

"She made a series of decisions in a compromised state of diminished judgment without clear comprehension of what her circumstance really was. It is a tragedy. It is so sad."

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That's the problem. I don't think ANY of us comprehended how difficult this would be. I certainly have had diminished judgment. No one around Psalm seemed to understand, which is always a problem with benzo withdrawal. Yes, if only those people around her did a little more digging, although there's info all over the Internet. The usual answer is that it must be something else. It can't possibly be the drug that causes so much damage. After all, it was prescribed by a doctor and surely he or she would have said something. Therein lies the rub.

 

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I'm afraid that's not a credible source.  The posted link points to some random, anonymous blog out of Vietnam. ::)  Hardly trustworthy.  Hardly newsworthy. 

 

Where's the rest of her story?  Any other health issues?  What other meds may she have been taking?  What else was going on in her life?  I think it's too easy to get carried away with all this speculating which can cause unnecessary fear for newbies just beginning their tapers.  Let's remember that not everyone has a difficult time withdrawing from benzos.  I did it myself, full on CT, maybe four or five times, maybe more, without a hiccup. 

 

Unless a more authoritative reference can be produced, this thread needs to be taken with a grain of salt.

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[9e...]

Sadly.... there is a much bigger back story to this,

and only part of this applies here..... on Benzo buddies...

 

just because she was off Xanax....other things played into this including alcohol  caffeine

plus the deep depressive side of the bipolar cycles which are an even stronger reasons for her death.

 

Xanax was  not the only thing that lead to  her suicide...

and accentuating this here can create great fear in others often...especially newbies..

 

There probably are many other parts to this, many other things in the mix...

 

she was bi polar all her life and had an ongoing  imbalance highs and  deep lows...

with much abuse all through her childhood too...

 

Psalm survived a deeply traumatic and abusive childhood. Raised in a religious cult, she endured years of sexual abuse.

 

So many things to consider..as quoted by abcd.....not just one.... :tickedoff:

 

I'm afraid that's not a credible source.  The posted link points to some random, anonymous blog out of Vietnam. ::)  Hardly trustworthy.  Hardly newsworthy. 

 

Where's the rest of her story?

Any other health issues?

What other meds may she have been taking?

What else was going on in her life?

 

  I think it's too easy to get carried away with all this speculating

which can cause unnecessary fear for newbies just beginning their tapers.

 

this thread needs to be taken with a grain of salt.

 

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he did not comprehend the dangers inherent in stopping Xanax without medical supervision. She believed this bigger, darker voice was herself and did not understand it was a side effect she was being victimized by."

 

 

i wonder if she really did believe the bigger, darker voice was herself as is definitely a symptom. even if benzo's were not the actual cause, i'm sure it played a role along with everything else. we never know the full story with anyone.

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
I'm still not clear about bipolar disorder. How can a doctor really diagnose it? It seems as if it would be easy to make a wrong diagnosis. In both people I knew, there were roots in abuse, lots of drinking, and taking of drugs. Both were very close to me. One was my sister and the other was a really good friend. I didn't notice anything different about them prior to their heavy drinking and drug abuse. I know that they both went downhill fast once they started drinking a lot and using drugs. Maybe the memories of abuse and the feeling of loss of support and love in the earlier years fueled the drinking and drugs. I'm STILL pondering this. My sister died in 2005, and I lost contact with my friend. 
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My brother-in-law’s bipolar diagnosis, I understand from his siblings, was also pre-dated by recreational drug use.  He liked Gravol and cough/cold meds.  No one believes he is bipolar, if that even exists.  He only ever had normal ups and downs and liked to alter his consciousness.  My husband says he still does, with some of the prescribed meds which includes 2 benzos, a z-drug, a stimulant and others.  I’d be more convinced of bipolar disorder if I actually knew someone who had non-drug-induced, destructive and unmanageable highs and lows and then got better on psychotropics, but the people that I knew were already on the psychotropics and they didn’t seem at all “well” to me.  And b-i-l is no longer the brother my husband once knew, because of what the psych drugs have done to him over 3 decades.

 

Terry, I’m sorry you lost your sister, I’m thinking maybe too soon.

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Thank you, benzohno. My sister was 59, but she died from lung cancer.

 

I definitely agree with your statement here: I’d be more convinced of bipolar disorder if I actually knew someone who had non-drug-induced, destructive and unmanageable highs and lows and then got better on psychotropics. I don't know whether my sister was put on a psychotropic drug before or after her suicide attempt. She may have been put on an SSRI and then Valium when she went to her psychiatrist. That time is really murky to me because my brother was dying when she tried to commit suicide. I wish I knew all the facts, but it's useless. I'll never find out. My friend, however, was not on any psychotropic drugs during the time I knew her, but she got involved with cocaine pretty heavily and was drinking a lot. I couldn't handle it.

 

I know no one who hasn't taken any drugs or alcohol but was still diagnosed as bipolar. It makes me wonder if the diagnosis is truly valid. Maybe those people are out there somewhere, though.

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59, too young.  Your sister was suicidal and your brother was dying...that must have been a terrible time for you Terry.  Not knowing the details around that time with your sister is difficult.  Now, more that before, I find myself wracking my brains about things that I just don’t and can’t know and it's frustrating.

 

For us, this is so hard and taking far too long, but when we are healed, we have a much better chance now for health and longevity.

 

 

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59, too young.  Your sister was suicidal and your brother was dying...that must have been a terrible time for you Terry.  Not knowing the details around that time with your sister is difficult.  Now, more that before, I find myself wracking my brains about things that I just don’t and can’t know and it's frustrating.

 

For us, this is so hard and taking far too long, but when we are healed, we have a much better chance now for health and longevity.

 

YES!!!

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