Geraldine Burns // The Matriarch of the Benzo Recovery Movement
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- čas přidán 7. 08. 2024
- #benzowithdrawal #healing #deprescribing
To learn more about Angie Peacock, MSW or to book a consultation or coaching session, visit: www.angiepeacock.com
Geraldine Burns has been a pioneer in helping to get the word out about the potential dangers of benzodiazepines. In 1999 she started the first Internet support group for people wishing to withdraw from tranquilizers or already off and having problems. She is dedicated to the responsible and informed use of this class of prescription drugs.
She was instrumental in having Professor C. Heather Ashton, Professor Emeritus from the University of Newcastle write her manual “Benzodiazepines: How They Work and How to Withdraw” also known as The Ashton Manual. This manual has now been translated into 13 other languages.
In 2006, she launched the website BenzoBookReview.com. It was started after she was given the rights by eleven internationally known authors of books that had been written on the subject of tranquilizers of which some were no longer being published. She worked to have some of them revised and updated so we could bring the most up-to-date information on tranquilizers and sleeping pills to the public.
She has done a number radio shows including Prescription Addiction Radio, The Frankie Boyer Show, Dr. Gloria Gilbere’s Your Health Matters Show, and Blog Talk Radio as well as being a guest on different CZcams channels with other benzo advocates.
Her advocacy work has been filmed from 2014 to 2020 for the documentary “As Prescribed”. You can learn more about the documentary at www.asprescribedfilm.com. It is a documentary film project about benzodiazepine dependency and discontinuation syndrome.
On February 24, 2016, the first bill was filed in Massachusetts titled An Act Relative to Benzodiazepines and Non-Benzodiazepine Hypnotics. She worked closely with Representative Paul McMurtry to have this first of a kind bill filed in the United States. Over the next few years she and other Massachusetts benzo survivors testified in front of the Joint Committee on Mental Health and Substance Use and Recovery. After the third session, the bill was received favorably, but because of Covid, the bill did not go forward. The 4th bill for the year 2021 was heard on November 8th which again did not go forward. A 5th bill has been filed and we are awaiting a testimony date.
On January 13, 2018 she testified in front of the Joint Committee on Mental Health and Substance Use and Recovery for Governor Baker’s Opioid Bill.
In 2018 she and her son Attorney Garrett Burns launched her Podcast “Benzodiazepine Awareness with Geraldine Burns” which is also available on CZcams.
In 2023 she joined cohealme.com as a coach.
Im 6 years and 7 months in protracted antipsychotic withdrawal. Withing the last month my akatasia have lessen quite abit. I sat at a restaurant with my family and ate the food. I sat still for 45-60 min and didnt feel the urge to pace around. I have days where I experince very little anxiety. Every year i feel better and better. Thanks angie and geraldine, hang on everyone it will get better eventually.
it will end! You are closer than you think!
Yay🎉👏 So happy for you ! Great Job ! So proud of you !
The Velveeta story cracked me up.
I appreciate the interview and all of the work you both are doing. I wanted to add to the comment on akathesia. It’s the feeling of being trapped in your body and mind, with nonstop, looping violent thoughts and images (at a very rapid pace), and an indescribable state of sheer terror. Time moves unbelievably slow, making an hour feel like eternity. This creates the needs to move, walk, pace, writhe. The filter between conscious and subconscious is non-existent and one is stuck in the most gruesome scenes imaginable (intrusive thoughts of death- including homicide and suicide- are overwhelming). Everything becomes inexplicably scary. I once tried watching one of my kid’s cartoons (Kung Fu Panda) to distract and I found it terrifying. As others have said, and I think it’s a great description although I’ve never taken LSD, it’s like being stuck in a bad acid trip.
Good description… it’s pure torture.
This description is excellent. Could not have written it better.
Thank you for all of your videos Angie. They mean so much to me. Every time I log on I hope to see a new video from you. When I new one pops up I get so very excited. Please keep doing what your doing.
That means a lot to me. Thank you
I feel the same. I hold onto your voice like a lifeline
Amazing interview with two amazing human beings. Thank you both for being our champions and defenders. You are incredible lighthouses that help so many of us navigate the rough sea of benzo and withdrawals to bring us home. Thank you for all that you do
Wonderful interview. You both are amazing women! ❤
Great interview. I learned so much as a protracted person. Just some little tidbits I didn’t know. Thank you both!!
Excellent interview, thank You. Just wanted to add my experience of mental akathisia.. it was quite different to the mono phobia and claustrophobia.. it was a feeling of insanity, evil and demonic, aggressive and violent, intolerable feeling of exploding out of your own brain and going insane. I still have akathisia now, every day I have to walk over 20kms with air hunger and intrusive thoughts every second. Still have that explosive feeling from the chest and the surges from the abdomen. I’ve been like this for a very, very long time. Still have anadonia, terror, Dr and DP. I missed out on raising my only child so I totally understand why the children are mentioned. It’s still a minute to minute existence..I have to add that the akathisia started after coming off Mirtazapine, 2 years after a benzo CT. Thank you for raising awareness for us that still are too sick to have a voice. Xx
@birdie How long have you been suffering from your AKA? How long ago did you come off the Mirt?
I was athletic and ate fairly well before/during taper and things are STILL AWFUL. Everyone is different. So grateful for Geraldine’s and Angie’s work.
Thankyou both😊
Brilliant interview both .
I’ve given up hope. Sick of my life being controlled by anxiety benzos and fear
Love both of you ❤️
Do you do international video consultations?
I don’t know how to contact you.
5 months withdrawals, Cymb.
Mind in chaos.
My mind counts every time someone talks, and I see no way out 😢
Feels like I’m stuck like this!!
Yes I do. Www.Angiepeacock.com
God work 🙏🏽
Hi 5 months benzo ativan was given...
l had symptoms for 8 months.
Private hosbital for me,,
Antideprasans gave by force 😭💔.
Risperdal
Lekapro
Dideral
Zyprexa. 1 week 😭
Severe symptoms at home 3 weeks..hosbital 2 weeks.
3 rexsabin
2 lyroxsil. Medicine per day 5.
l cut fast symptoms.😭💔.
2028 years symptoms.2023 symptoms.💔eyes are blurry .
Head lethargic
Weight a ton. i can't stand.
l can not go outside,,,,
Antideprasans Benzo 😭💔💯/💯 bad.
İt's been 6 years😭
Won't the weight go away on my head 😭😭
I take it Geraldine is back at 100% these days
Thanks
Ezekiel bread has no flour but it’s really delicious!!!! And very healthy!!!!!
L What kind of doctor would I contact to verify that I was abruptly stopped by my psychiatrist and that that psychiatrist did harm to me by doing that
I have yet to find one who validated my suffering in real life. The only doctors who seem to understand this are the ones who help our community, and there are only a few.
There are only a few doctors who know this but they are few and they are private so very very expensive.
Hey Angie you are a great person !
I still have feeling of pressure and pain in ears after 13 months from my AD withdrawal ( i still have other symptoms but they are getting better )
So did you hear about that symptom ? Will to go away or is it like damage to ear ?
Ear pressure is very common. I always tell people to go get checked out if they are worried and if the doctor doesn’t find anything, it has to still be withdrawal.
@@AngiePeacockMSW what about muscle tension ? I feel like this symptom take so long to go away or can it take just 2 years? Because i barely find good stories about it
I’m 6 yrs with muscle issues. It takes as long as it takes. I’m sorry
❤❤❤
Geraldine said something about "stored benzo's "
How long can they stay in the body once we jump?
Great video !!
I don’t think anyone knows that. Please watch my recent video with Mark Horowitz.
@@AngiePeacockMSW thanks Ang. Watching it now xx
How does drinking alcohol make people sick? Talking about those having tapered from benzodiazepines. Thanks in advance.
Alcohol hits the same receptor system that benzos do. It's better to leave that system alone while tapering and healing.
@@AngiePeacockMSW Thanks, really appreciate it!
Great Interview. Quick Question: I am vegan with some fish. What meat did Geraldine include into her diet to heal? Knowing this could really help me. I’m just beginning to taper off 1mg Alprazolam that I have taken for over 30 years and I’m age 61. I’m really finding your videos extremely helpful.
I'm finding protein intake (especially for women) is very instrumental in this healing process for most. I am not a fan of low-protein or vegetarian diets. I read too much about nutrition. We need the bioavailable amino acids and protein for healing from these drugs. Most have gut issues from years of med use.
@@AngiePeacockMSW Thanks Angie. I am wondering, Amino Acids, is this only from animal protein? Like would you get it from beans? Would you get it from eggs, cheese or fish? I really try eating vegan just because I am such an animal lover, no other reason. But I need to heal, so I must think outside the box. I really appreciate your input.
@@reneeraw6927I’m in the same boat! I really like being a vegetarian and don’t like eating animals but think I do struggle to get adequate protein I think and worry it is hindering my progress:(
@@emmaj.4838 I think you need to really do what you must do to stay healthy. That may include having some animal products. Pray over your food. Thank the animal for saving your life. 🙏
Thanks! I really trust Angie’s guidance and I know how cautious she is to say if something can help, so if she says higher protein and meat can be supportive than thats what I’m gonna try! Just will try to source it ethically to the extent possible
Can someone please give me Geraldine’s contact details to book in for a session. Thank you.
You can find her on Facebook. Coheal is no longer in business. I’m not sure if she’s seeing people anymore or not, separately from Coheal.
Where can I stream As Prescribed?
asprescribedfilm.com
That’s just the trailer
Um I'm dying from this. I have yet to find anyone like me, and I don't look ok either
There’s no one exactly like you! We all have our own experiences. All heal. Some take longer than others.
🌷🌷💖💖💎💎🥰🥰🇨🇦🙋🏻♀️
''skeleton with skin ''yes this is thr description of me now and my ass wheres my ass holy shit sigh imsiiting on my bone no cushy ass buttucks and feel my bones fracturing
Why is the guest so obsessed with children? Some people don't care about that. And she is overly obsessed with diets, naturopaths, etc. Otherwise, a great talk. It's important to show that people heal after those meds.
I don't even remember her talking about children at all.
This is a bizarre comment.
She literally only talks about children when she briefly mentions having two children herself.
The vast majority of us turn to functional medicine and diet since conventional medicine failed us. Also, they both warn viewers to do our due diligence when given advice from nutritionists, naturopaths and docs.
The reason is for those of us that had children and then were too sick to raise them is just more insult to the injury. There are some whose children don’t speak to them anymore because of how ill they were. Then there are the women whose menstrual cycle was effected and aged out of having children. You’d have to be at a hearing to see the suffering. As for diet, not everyone has to eat right and will heal but for those who did develop gut issues it makes a big difference in their healing.
i am a single mom without much family around, during acute i was so severely harmed i was scared id have to give my then 6 year old up to foster care cause i could not even write the word "Canada" or feed the cats... while less than a year before i was traveling the world with my kid...
@@ilonathewissen3006 I’m so sorry this has happened to you. I did a podcast with Jennifer in North Carolina who thought she was doing the right thing putting her daughter with a place to take care of her while she recovered a the suggestion of her church. It ruined their relationship. The church should have sent people to help her to raise her daughter instead of sending her away to a place. Where is the help we all need? It is so wrong the suffering we go through and trying to raise a family.