Michael Ligtenberg
At the Crossroads
I have been living with Bipolar Disorder for about the last 7 years. Well that’s not really true…I have been living with Bipolar Disorder all my life but I only learned of my condition 7 years ago. Since… Continue reading
School: The Bipolar Way
In this blog, I would like to share my experience in schools over the last 44 years. It traces how bipolarity affected my progress in school and my social life.
I always hated school, from the very first day…and indeed,… Continue reading
Michael Ligtenberg: Photography
Columnist Michael Ligtenberg is also a photographer, and has generously shared a new gallery with us at Bipolar Village. -Daniel
It was only about 15 months ago that I picked up the camera again. The reason…I wanted to provide my… Continue reading
Michael Ligtenberg: A Sunset Saviour
This is a story that I both wanted and needed to share with the readers. The event slapped me in the face as it dawned on me how extremely profound it was to me spiritually. It also took… Continue reading
Michael Ligtenberg: My Bipolar Medicine Wheel
In this blog I would like to talk about the Native symbol known as the Medicine Wheel, the concept of the Seven Directions and how I use them to make daily adjustments.
Do you see things? I do. Seemingly incoherent and random shapes become images. I can sit outside for an hour and watch the clouds drift by seeing dozens of animals…but only animals. When I look for rocks on the Arctic Ocean shoreline, I keep the ones that have faces…and again, I only find faces. Driftwood can also be fascinating, the curving forms molding themselves into strange beasts, some pleasant and some scary. Nobody else sees them, until I point them out. Continue reading
Michael Ligtenberg: The Bipolar Boomerang
After the very positive feedback I have received here at Bipolar Today, I have decided to continue to share my experiences dealing with my recent diagnosis late in life. This is obviously a personal experience, and how I am coping with Bipolar Disorder as an individual. Today I am writing about a bad moment I have recently been through and am still going through as I write.
Have you ever thrown a rock into the water, or a stick in a park just for the sheer pleasure of throwing something and watching it as it sails through the air and then as it comes back down to earth, as the properties of gravity must dictate? Continue reading
Michael Ligtenberg: Bipolar at 47, Part Two – After
This is the second part of a blog relating my struggle with Bipolar Disorder. Part 1 discussed its affects on my life before diagnosis. Part 2 follows my path of acceptance and the proactive steps I am taking to understand who I am and what I can do to temper the tempest.
Part 2: After
Last autumn saw me fall into my deepest depression ever. Continue reading
Michael Ligtenberg: Bipolar At 47, Part One – Before
After reading many blogs here at Bipolar Today, I have been inspired to relate my own experience with my mental illness. It is a 2-part blog centering on how this disease has affected my life before diagnosis and how I have dealt with it since diagnosis. Just as I found so many anecdotes here both helpful and reassuring, I hope that you, the reader, will be able to see a reflection of your own experience with Bipolar Disorder. I have also discovered that writing has proven to be a very therapeutic activity for me. Continue reading