I first learned of Christian Science about fifteen years ago. There were, however, many wrestlings in my own thought before I began to embrace this teaching for myself. For a long time my grasp was more of the letter than of the spirit and was clouded by years of having felt inferior and unworthy.
In my family a parent and grandparent had suffered from mental illness in the form of what is called manic depression, and for years I had believed this was my lot as well. Prescription drugs and weekly psychiatric visits were the treatment my mother chose in her attempt to manage this problem. Never was there any hope offered for a complete healing, only for some degree of managed control.
When my dad passed on suddenly during my senior year in high school, my mom became immobilized by depression and fear. I found myself having to take care of her, even as I too was trying to cope with the loss. I was also having serious challenges with my own mental health.
