Tweedy in the NY Times...

[John Smith]

http://migraine.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/...-off/index.html

 

March 5, 2008, 4:34 pm

Shaking It Off

By Jeff Tweedy

 

Jeff Tweedy is primarily known as the lyricist, lead singer and guitarist of Wilco, one of America

[Sir Stewart]

I read that first line as:

Jeff Tweedy is primarily known as the racist lead singer and guitarist of Wilco

[Melissa]

Great article! I was pleasantly surprised to see the headline at the bottom of the New York Times' homepage this morning. Let me just say that after a sleepless, stress-filled night, this was actually a very heartening article - Jeff is a resilient person and a great writer. I can only hope that with strength and support like his, he will continue to improve. Thanks for posting the article!

[jakobnicholas]

Thanks for posting.

 

 

That's some serious shit he's talking of. Anyone who's gone through anything to make them anxious/depressed/panicked for a long period of time will be able to relate.

 

Sounds like Jeff has gotten off the meds, which is a good thing. I know firsthand how certain medicines can help short-term, but are not the answer long-term. The mind/brain is very intiricate and playing around with its chemical makeup can be scary and challenging to deal with. There's much better ways of dealing with problems naturally, whether it be diet or exercise or cutting back on commitments or just spending time with family and friends.

 

 

Doctors, in most cases, want the patient to feel better very quickly, so rely on anxiety and anti-depressive medicines to cure the patient. Most of the time, the problems can be treated without resorting to the quick fix. But once a person starts down the road of an anti-depressive, getting off of them can be hell.

 

 

 

I feel for Jeff and hope he's past the crappy times for good.

[So Long]

that was an amazing article. Loved it!

[quosh]

a fantastic insight into that 'murky' period...

 

Many thanks for that,

alex

[watch me fall]

Really great article. As a sufferer of both migraines and panic attacks, I can totally relate to what he's saying.

[lamradio]

Jeff Tweedy is primarily known as the racist lead singer and guitarist of Wilco

 

huh?

[aricandover]

I read that first line as:

Jeff Tweedy is primarily known as the racist lead singer and guitarist of Wilco

 

well, after his "Obama as Kingfish" impression, at one of the residency shows, I can see why you might make that mistake.

[bleedorange]

Thanks for posting that. My dad has been a longtime sufferer of cluster headaches, which pop up every 12-18 months for him, and I've always dreaded the possibility of inheriting those. They are devastating.

[oceanman]

That article alone was better than "Learning How To Die". My Doc once asked me what I would do if these feelings never went away? And you know what, they don't, you learn to deal and cope. I will admit that I have relapsed in the last several years, but not as frequent and every day is getting better. This article made me feel really good. And congrats to our brother man Jeff! Your one strong trooper!

[bobbob1313]

Really great article. As a sufferer of both migraines and panic attacks, I can totally relate to what he's saying.

 

I used to have them alot, but they've subsided for me in the last year or so, which is a very good thing.

[Dude]

[fatheadfred]

A psychiatrist will use medications to alleviate short term, alter chemical imbalance, and provide example behavior. Some of us have used drugs and we understand how it makes us feel, pot for instance, is a sensitizer for me. I can use the example of how I felt when I was using it and implement the behavior, if I choose, while not using it. It is cognitive restructure.

 

Some conditions require long term medication, some don't. It is scary to note that the abrupt discontinuation of anti depressant sends individuals into chaos. Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe this was evident in the Virginia Tech and N. Illinois campus shootings?

[Sunken mountain]

I

[konev1]

I noticed Jeff talks a lot in the article about self-observations and a lot of what he figured out about his issues came from his own reasoning, and also how less-than-competent doctors can sometimes make matters worse by misdiagnoses or medicating when maybe medication isn't quite correct. Does anyone know of a public forum anywhere online where people can share their observations and their issues and maybe seek help from others with similar conditions? I feel like this is a really positive way to deal with things. Just having a way to relate to others and learn from people with similar problems sounds really helpful.

[Edie]

I loved this article. Thanks Jeff for being courageous enough to talk about stuff that is often kept inside.

[Dreamin']

Unfortunately, the shame and secrecy surrounding mental illness and addiction often prevents people from getting the help they need. I think Jeff is helping to fight that stigma by being so honest and open about his own experiences and offering hope to people who are in pain. I'm sorry that he had to suffer for so long before he found the right kind of help (horror stories about unethical therapists always make me angry). I'm glad that the healthy part of him was able to create such amazing music during this time and continues to flourish. I've always been fascinated by the therapeutic effects of music and art, especially as a way to express powerful emotions that are beyond words.

 

Gabor Mate's new book on addiction looks really interesting and this article has inspired me to pick it up.

[mpolak21]

This was a really good read, thanks for posting.

 

--Mike

[Good Old Neon]

Great article

[embiggen]

here we go...

[Gobias Industries]

That was an impressive article.

[RaspberryJam]

I've been reading this ongoing series in the NYTimes about migraines. They've been describing and showing a lot of visual arts done by migraine sufferers, but this is the first they've done on music. I've been wanting to suggest in the comments section that people listen to Jeff Tweedy's music to experience some aural creativity brought on by migraines. Great article today, so glad they read my mind.

[jc4prez]

Thanks for sharing Jeff.

[MattZ]

As someone who used to suffer from (thankfully rare, but) debilitating migraines, and as someone who knows very well the vicious cycle of actively trying to avoid them but bringing them on by doing so, that article hit home pretty hard. Not sure why, but I got choked up at the end. And now all I can think about is:

 

This world of words and meanings makes you feel

outside

Something that you feel already

deep inside

You