When Dayne Kamela was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, he was told it would be a lifelong battle. Doctors said medication would be his only option if he wanted to avoid spiraling into another manic episode. But what happened next defied their expectations—and transformed his life forever.
In a recent episode of Deep Believer, Kamela sat down with host Jennifer Bagnaschi to share how his struggle with mental illness opened his eyes to spiritual warfare and how Jesus Christ set him free.
A Christian Upbringing, But No Real Relationship
Kamela grew up in a Christian home, led by a devoted mother who faithfully brought her children to church.
“My mom was a really strong believer,” he said. “She gave her life to Christ I think at like 13 at a church camp where the fire of the Lord hit her.”
Though Kamela believed in God, he said he didn’t know Jesus personally until much later.
“Up until I was 18 years old I didn’t really have a relationship with the Lord,” he said. “I believed I was saved and I believed in Jesus, I just didn’t know Him.”
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That changed after a severe biking accident—caused by drinking—that left scars on his face and soul. Broken and searching, he attended church with his mom and rededicated his life to God.
“I was like, ‘I want to know You, Lord. I want to follow You. I want to get to know who I’ve chosen to believe in ever since I can remember,’” he recalled.
A Manic Spiral
Though his faith began to grow, Kamela’s life took a drastic turn. He started experiencing a manic episode that lasted for months. His thinking became erratic, and his behavior spiraled out of control.
“I stole my sister’s car and ran down the highway,” he said. “I was obviously a danger to myself as well as the people around me.”
Eventually, he was admitted to a behavioral health facility. The doctors acted fast.
“The doctor even told my mom at the time, ‘Your son was so far gone that we had to give him such a strong cocktail,’” he said.
They prescribed him a combination of medications and warned that he would need to remain on them permanently to avoid another episode.
A Mother’s Faith and a Sudden Breakthrough
Despite the grim prognosis, Kamela’s mother refused to give up.
“I had a mom who had such strong faith who said, ‘Son, like, you’re going to be okay. I believe you’re going to be healed,’” he said.
He remembered attending a healing event where people laid hands on him and prayed. “After they got done praying, I felt a spirit lift off my body, and I knew that I was healed right then and there,” he said.
What followed was a revelation that changed everything: “Everything that happened previously—all the darkness that I went through, all the fear that like God had abandoned me—reminded me that it was like, ‘Son, I was with you the whole time.’”
When Self-Help Becomes a Snare
Kamela believes his breakdown wasn’t just a result of biology—but of bad theology and spiritual doors opened unknowingly.
“I started reading a lot of personal development books,” he said. “Yes, they’re good to help you develop skills and stuff, but I believe the enemy came in during that time to twist what I was learning.”
Though the self-help industry often promotes growth and confidence, Kamela warned it can easily turn inward and become a trap. “It’s all about you,” he said. “And I think the enemy can use that to not only make it an idol in people’s lives but also use—in my case—a way to get into someone’s life that he knows God’s doing some things in.”
Delusion, Darkness and Divine Intervention
His time in Los Angeles marked the peak of his delusions. Kamela recalled being argumentative and fast-thinking, signs he now knows pointed to mania. He also described a chilling moment while listening to instrumental music.
“My eyes were closed and there was just a black figure across me on the other side,” he said.
But God didn’t leave him there. One powerful moment came when someone handed him a Bible during his hospitalization. “They opened it up to Psalm 23, and they were like, ‘I just want you to read and pray this over your life,’” Kamela said. “I remember praying that and feeling this darkness of the room just start to leave.”
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A Decade of Freedom
Kamela says it’s been over 10 years since that moment, and he’s never experienced another manic episode. He gradually tapered off medication and leaned fully into his faith.
“I saw too much,” he said. “I knew that I was healed.”
Today, Kamela encourages others to dig into the Word of God and renew their minds daily. He believes one of the biggest breakthroughs is refusing to let your diagnosis define you.
“I never identified with that thing,” he said. “I think we get in bondage based on what we believe about what’s happened to us. And our identity is that thing—we attach a part of our identity to things that happen to us in our life.”
From Breakdown to Breakthrough
Kamela’s journey is more than a testimony of healing—it’s a wake-up call for believers to take spiritual warfare seriously and to press into prayer and the truth of God’s Word.
“We have the ability to pray to God by what we’ve been given the moment we received Christ as Lord,” he said. “We have Christ living on the inside of us.”
We live in a culture that quickly turns to medication and labels, and Kamela’s story is a reminder of something far greater available to the world: “Whatever you’re going through, that’s what Jesus died for.”
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James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
