JCC So, I just spent four days in an inpatient psyche ward . . .

I can tell you how he did it if you really wanna know.

Spoiler

He basically did what's called a double lift. So when he lifted the top card on the deck, he actually lifted the top two cards. The Jack was the actual top card, and the eight was the second. So when he showed you the eight, I assumed he put the card backs on the top of the deck and took the actual top card (your Jack) and then gave it to you.

He then does another double lift, revealing the Five of Diamonds as the "top card" when again it's really the second from the top. Again I will assume he puts the card back on the top of the deck before taking it to rub on your hands.* So this time he takes the actual top card, which is the eight, and boom it's there.

*I hope I'm not confusing you with this because the key part of the double lift is that you lift the top two cards, put them back on the top of the deck, and then take the actual top card to use however they see fit.

Edit: This is more or less the same trick:

 

What ophelia said... invite, and if he declines, don't make a big deal out of it.

 

It's funny. I would say that he didn't put either of the cards back on the deck before he either put the one in my hand or rubbed the other on the back of my hand. It was certainly not my impression that he did so. But the whole point of those tricks is that they distract you from the key moments so you don't notice what they've actually done. I'm sure that's how he did it, now that I hear what you're saying. But he was incredibly smooth.

 

Is it weird to up this thread? I've been meaning to but hadn't had the time. It was a little over one year ago that I had the worst day of my life; it was so bad that it saved my life. 12/19/2012 I went emotionally and mentally so far into depression that I gave up completely and had myself admitted into an inpatient psyche ward. That was the turning point on my nine month depression and I came out five days later on my way to recovery. It's hard to believe that I'm only a year and change removed from the man who walked into that ward that day.

Yeah, I still get ticked off sometimes; I still lose my temper.. I still get down sometimes and don't feel that great. But this year has been amazing. I'll always, every day, have to be vigilant against depression; it comes for no reason at all, I've learned, but if you see it in time, there are steps you can take. I just have to thank my mother that stood by me the whole time as best as she could and my friends and church family that held out hope for me when I had lost all hope. And I have to thank God for bringing me out (if you want to debate this, atheists, go do it somewhere else; not being rude, but I don't want this thread devolving into an argument). And to the doctors and therapists and nurses and patients who helped me as well. Thanks to everyone, I made it out.

I don't know if anyone reading this is struggling with emotional and mental illnesses right now. If so, I'm just going to ask you to seek help if you haven't and to keep seeking help if you already have. It took nine months of seeking help before I found the help I needed. If you've been trying with no results, your answer could still be right around the corner. Please keep trying, please keep fighting. About a year ago, I would never have believed that I could survive or that I would ever be happy again. But I did and I am. That can be you too, if you don't give up. You can get better. You will get better. If you just don't give up.

Belated Merry Christmas; early Happy New Year. May everyone be the best person they can be. Love you all.

 

Yes it's weird. The initial posting of this thread is what triggered my spiral of life downwards into an abysmal pit of despair in humanity.



edit: Oh. And happy holidays to you too.

 

I'm glad for you, rogue1.5. Merry Christmas and God bless us every one.

 

17 years for me. You stop counting after a while and just look at your life and what you are doing. Sure it has its ups and downs but as Dory the fish said, Just Keep Swimming. That is all you can do. And always take the time to reach out before it is too late.

 

beezel what was the worst day of your life?

 

yeah, we were all hazeldon hopeful until beez effed it up.

 

So mental illness isn't a myth?

 

No.

 

give me your address and i'll provide you some empirical data to play with.

 

IS IT BECAUSE I'M ASIAN THAT YOU POSTED THAT, YOU RACIST?????

 

I think you've confused me with The2ndQuest again.

 

Well played.

 

I spent about two nights in a psyche ward about 11 years ago. It wasn't voluntary though. When I got out, I wrote my experience down and shared it with a board member here to help her with a term paper.

I still have my file that has my arts and crafts snowman in it.

 

I still have a couple of things that I painted. One's an angel praying and the other one is a wolf howling at the moon. I don't know if I'll still have them in ten years. Just at the moment, I can't see ever getting rid of them.

 

Surprised I never saw this when it first came around. Or maybe I did and chose to avoid it. Oh, well; it doesn't matter.

This hits rather close to home. I tend to avoid the subject, but I voluntarily went into an inpatient ward for a week myself in the spring of 2008, for clinical depression. The routine you described is pretty much whAt I remember. Especially the bonding with the other patients. I daresay the results were much different, though. In the end I never really felt like it helped... still deal with depression. Never actually been suicidal (having the crazy thoughts about death and immortality tends to put one off of such things, in my experience, though I don't know if I would be if I didn't have those ideals/thoughts... have briefly, never seriously, pondered the thought), but I haven't really been enjoying my life for, well, a good while now. Especially for the past year or two. It's hard when you feel like your default mood is "melancholy". It doesn't help when it's only one of several issues, and those others contribute to the depression...

Anyway, I'm glad you're doing well. I'm guessing you won't take up the offer, but if you ever want to talk about your experiences to someone who can at least semi-relate (no one ever experiences this thing the same way) then I'm always willing to listen.

 

I kind of enjoy arts and crafts. I'll have to see if my local psyche ward is offering classes too.

 

I painted a painting at a local place called paint and sip. It is a place run by artists and you sit down and they show you how to paint a painting. Nothing fancy like a Monet, something simple. It helps they serve wine and liquor there.

 

i go to a place called paint and piss. you paint a painting and wizz your dipes at the same time. when you're done, everyone comes over to applaud your work and sniff your crotch.