Hear Me O Lord: A Message of Spiritual Inspiration for Withdrawal Healing

Do you ever have moments when your entire being feels overwhelmed by troubling thoughts, emotions, or circumstances?

Do you ever feel overwhelmed and troubled by guilt, grief, or worries about the future?

A spiritual life can give us unique hope and perspective during the prescription drug withdrawal process. I believe that there are many “tools and strategies” that we can use to help us move through the antidepressant withdrawal and benzodiazepine withdrawal process, but then there is also something else, a valuable "something else" that really isn’t a tool or a strategy; rather, it is an irreplaceable and crucial idea: the idea that we must find a power greater than ourselves in order to find true emotional and mental relief.

In order to find the inner peace that we all so desperately crave during “otherworldly” troubles like SSRI withdrawal or benzo withdrawal, we must look outside of our world, outside of ourselves. 

In addition to whatever else we are doing to get healthy, we must hand our anxieties and heart pains over to God, because we simply can’t find a foolproof remedy for our most troubling low moods and worries elsewhere.

Do you know anything about “heart sickness” right now?

Do you know anything about emotional or mental pains? If so, then you might find relief in the following devotion I wrote about withdrawal and healing.

"HEAL ME, LORD, BECAUSE I AM WEAK AND SICK AT HEART"

Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak. Heal me, Lord, for my body is in agony. I am sick at heart. Psalm 6: 2–3 NLT

Fatigue and body pains are common symptoms of benzodiazepine and antidepressant withdrawal. And oftentimes, too, are hopelessness, guilt, and depression (some might call these things “heart sickness”).

When I was still in the relatively early stages of my Paxil withdrawal (and in the middle of a challenging Xanax taper), I can distinctly remember the otherworldly fatigue that overtook my entire being. I can starkly remember being fatigued from trying to sit up straight in an office chair.

I remember thinking, “What in the world is wrong with me? Here I am, a grown man, an athlete for much of my life, and I’m fatigued from SITTING?"

Getting moving was certainly a challenge for me during my withdrawal and healing process, but not only because of the fatigue and body pains. Finding daily motivation was also difficult for me because of the emotional storms and troubling thoughts that weighed heavily upon my spirit during that time. Something about the withdrawal process can dredge up painful memories and thoughts of past mistakes (either real or perceived). We might overanalyze everything and feel guilty or depressed much of the time during certain stages of withdrawal. I know that was the case with me for a while.

Maybe you’re weighed down by such troubles today. Are you feeling regretful, guilty, worried, or just plain TIRED? If so, take some of that weight off your mind and off your shoulders by giving it over to God. Let Him carry your concerns and guilt away, and let Him carry you on His powerful shoulders until the fatigue and worry dissipate and you regain your strength.

Today, release your concerns to God. Cry out to Him. Ask Him to heal your body, your heart, your mind, and your soul. He will answer your prayers.

Prayer: Dear God, I feel weak and troubled at times in this process, so please allow me to fall into Your loving arms right now. Please comfort me and carry me through any anxieties, pains, or challenges the day might bring. Thank You for loving me.