Detour from Normal Quotes

“Soulless eyes watched me as countless seconds ticked away, increasing the potential of my suffering with each tick.”
― Ken Dickson, Detour from Normal

“In general, substance-induced mania will subside within four weeks.”
― Ken Dickson, Detour from Normal

“life of anticipating the future with joy instead of rehashing the past”
― Ken Dickson, Detour from Normal

“Belief is unprovable, but it is a stepping-stone to truth.
Faith is unshakable. It is neither belief nor truth but lights the way between them.
Truth is undeniable. It is both the intention and the end of belief, and the reward of faith.”
― Ken Dickson, Detour from Normal

“During roll call, he asked Carlos his name, Carlos replied, “Fred.”
― Ken Dickson, Detour from Normal

“If I forgot something he said, there was no point worrying: we’d repeat the same conversation again in a few minutes.”
― Ken Dickson, Detour from Normal

“What? That’s a sissy way for a man to pee, but I’ll give you a break. Go Ken, go Ken, you can do it, yes you can,” Dr. Bonjani chanted, clapping in time.”
― Ken Dickson, Detour from Normal

“Mania is a psychological state that can be brought about by medical procedures, adverse reactions to medications (notably steroids and SSRIs), drug abuse (such as cocaine and methamphetamines), trauma (physical or psychological), or persistent mental illness such as bipolar disorder. Once experienced, it is something that will never be forgotten.”
― Ken Dickson, Detour from Normal

“All that baggage has one thing in common: it all involves the past or the future.”
― Ken Dickson, Detour from Normal

“Manic people’s minds work very quickly, and they may have increased creative capacity. They will have complex ideas that they’ve never had before.”
― Ken Dickson, Detour from Normal

“Apparently, my collapse of ego had lasting effects. What does that mean exactly? It means that it was perfectly natural for me not to worry about things like money, dying, or what happens after death. It means that I didn’t feel a need to hold grudges or feel guilty over something from the past.”
― Ken Dickson, Detour from Normal

“Anyone will prefer being manic to being normal because it is such a perfect ruse.”
― Ken Dickson, Detour from Normal

“Mania took away my ability to recognize all that I sacrificed in order to feel good about a few things. It both stole my life from me and convinced me that my life was the best it had ever been at the same time.”
― Ken Dickson, Detour from Normal

“When I was manic, I had passion and enthusiasm by the truckload. Things I had trouble with in normal life were a breeze for me. I felt perfect, better than at any time in my life.”
― Ken Dickson, Detour from Normal

“The brain becomes over stimulated when GABA levels are too low, resulting in rapid speech, insomnia, hyper sexuality, excessive spending, reckless decisions, risk-taking behavior, and grandiose ideas.”
― Ken Dickson, Detour from Normal

“Here is the most eye-opening revelation of all: Ativan proved beneficial repeatedly during my ordeal.”
― Ken Dickson, Detour from Normal

“Serotonin, a neurotransmitter produced in the bowels, is another likely culprit.”
― Ken Dickson, Detour from Normal

“One drug, Levaquin, a powerful antibiotic, is in the top three of all drugs that cause adverse psychiatric effects. It is the focus of multiple lawsuits.”
― Ken Dickson, Detour from Normal

“She eventually found it: the corticosteroid Decadron, which was given to me during surgery to prevent inflammation.”
― Ken Dickson, Detour from Normal

“On that day, I went in for a colonoscopy to evaluate the general health of my repaired bowels. While in prep, awaiting anesthesia, I asked the nurse if she ever heard of anyone going manic after a surgery.”
― Ken Dickson, Detour from Normal

“It’s clear that, even though love is strong, in a crisis, what your mind perceives will save your life is more important than emotions.”
― Ken Dickson, Detour from Normal

“I later learned of the term “confirmation bias.” That is the tendency to selectively favor information that confirms a hypothesis, while ignoring everything else. It was a favorite practice by Dr. Davis and one of the reasons I disliked him so much.”
― Ken Dickson, Detour from Normal

“Doubling my Seroquel at Pinecrest single-handedly knocked me to the next level of mania.”
― Ken Dickson, Detour from Normal

“Most of the time I feel like a regular person, but at times of heightened emotions, I feel as if I’m two people: one experiencing the emotion and the other weighing its validity. Having this newfound ability to detach from emotional situations not only allows me to retain a low level of negative emotions, it also helps me to dampen anger, block fear, and remain keenly alert in chaotic and frightening situations.”
― Ken Dickson, Detour from Normal

“My collapse also resulted in a heightened awareness referred to in psychological texts as a “watcher” or “witness.”
― Ken Dickson, Detour from Normal

“What about love? What about joy?” they asked. I still had those emotions, and that puzzled me. Then I realized that I hadn’t lost all of my emotions, just the negative ones. Without them, I saw life in a totally new and euphoric light.”
― Ken Dickson, Detour from Normal

“Byron Katie found herself at the lowest point of her life, abandoned at a halfway house by a family who lost all hope for her.”
― Ken Dickson, Detour from Normal

“After years of near suicidal depression, Eckhart Tolle experienced a collapse of ego that permanently ended his depression. He then abandoned his secure life and lived simply and anonymously on the streets of London for several years.”
― Ken Dickson, Detour from Normal

“There are seven different micro-emotions: happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, disgust, contempt, and fear.”
― Ken Dickson, Detour from Normal

“Hypnagogic dreams are not uncommon in situations of trauma or substance abuse.”
― Ken Dickson, Detour from Normal