8/6 - Maybe Day Program; Embrace Mystery

Chelsey's holding steady and had one of her best grounded days on Monday. She spent most of it with Beth at the hotel or running errands related to arranging her care. She also helped me sand some wood and had some yummy mac and cheese. Updates on care and next steps:

• She's still not eating enough, and she'll see a regular doc about that today (Tuesday). 
• We're hoping for approval today on the first plan (the one for day program). As soon as that happens, she can enter a day program immediately while we seek approval for an amended plan with a group home. Beth may be able to study and take a nap on her own schedule as early as this afternoon.
• Wednesday is Chelsey's first appointment with her new post-hospital psychiatrist.

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Reflection. I watched the quirky movie Griff The Invisible on Sunday, and it made me think more about embracing the fun and adventure of Chelsey's wildest ideas. Here are four related vignettes.

• Chelsey gets animated talking about her delusions and make-believe stories. She loves explaining them and seems to come alive when someone's willing to play along. In contrast, she's a bit somber when we draw attention to the line between reality and delusion, or when we shift conversation to the real world. She knows dealing with reality is important for her mental health, but it's almost like it bores her. She engages in mundane reality out of duty, like eating her spinach.

• In "Griff The Invisible," the main character starts out as a superhero with an office drone alter ego. The superhero part turns out to be delusion - he was just dressing up in goofy costumes and creeping out people. His love interest is borderline delusional and gets caught up in making him an invisibility suit. She comes alive because of his ability to engage in her world. When he starts to leave his delusions behind, she's heartbroken. She begs him to get inside her bubble, saying "I can talk to other people, but I can only really communicate with you. I would love you forever." He stays delusion-free, but he decides to play along for her sake. The movie ends with them in love, excitedly dressing up for a secret mission and obviously having a blast.

• In "What Dreams May Come," Robin Williams's wife is trapped in a self-imposed hell. He goes into hell to save her, and his guide warns him that Robin shouldn't stay in the room with her very long or else he'll get trapped as well. Robin comes out after a few minutes to tell his guide to leave him behind. Even though he's strong enough to leave, Robin decides to go back in, choosing to be trapped together in hell rather than living without his wife. His choice shows his wife how much he loves her. It saves his wife, and they both get out. 

• In The Boy Detective Fails, a boy with OCD winds up in a mental institution because he thinks he's a master detective who failed in his biggest case. Whereas his life had been full of wonder and mystery solving crimes with almost super-human genius, it becomes drab and gray. The meaning he created in crime-solving adventures had also made life exciting for his sister and friend, and their lives are damaged when he gives up his detective identity. By the end, he gets his mojo back and finds an exciting life with his boyhood friend when he again becomes a detective. The secret decoder ring at the back of the book helps the reader decipher a closing message about embracing mystery.

Does healing have to mean dragging Chelsey into a drabber, duller world? Where's the greatest happiness?