Some services include:
- Meditation classes/groups(includes deep breathing,stretching,relaxing music)
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Recovery Inc,EA,DBT,CBT classes/groups
* - Sharing on self-help techniques from Recovery Inc. and E.A. based on 12 steps of recovery.(email,$5/email) Books available. Google Recovery Inc. Book is Mental Health Through Will Training by Dr. Abraham Low. and Emotions Anonomys
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-Teaching cognitive therapy(CBT) skills such as writing down most common worry,negative,angry,fearful,thoughts and flipping them around to secure thoughts so feel more comfortable. Book available. Feeling Good by Dr.Robert Burns.
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-Teaching Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills such as mindfulness which is observing,describing,dropping judgement or interpreting event so don't work self up or down and get angry,fearful and keep self respect.
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- Faith-based healing ex. reading bible and clinging to scripture if feel fear,anger,encounter a difficult or person scared of.
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art classes,groups(healing)
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-a blog sharing alternative healing techniques that can be used with medication,doctor,therapist visits such as affirmations,aromatherapy,
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And more!
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I find the medical field can only do but so much and that we get a lot out of sharing our stories of recovery,management,improving,making small strides,successes with others(peers) who have been there or are living with these challenges too. If ask for advice from someone who doesn't go through this,they can say what they would do but they aren't us. They also don't know or understand what we go through.. If we compare ourselves to them and visa versa,will will always come up short and feel oppressed. They could read a book,go to a therapy session with you and even be around others such as us but even then they would be educated on this,even know how to speak to us so as to not make us feel worse. Is called mirroring and empathy. Doctors trained in trauma which I have been through can help me as have seen many who have been through what I have,ex.been a crime,domestic violence,child abuse,neglect,bullying victim. It is common for us to gravitate to home where safe and to have social problems with others as they can't relate to us and visa versa.
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Suggestions are ok but advice isn't as is asking for it. What may be good for you is not for another. It leads to enablement,manipulation,self pity instead of compassion,experience+,strength,courage,hope and independence. Experience says I have done this before and it was ok like I walked to post office,see others going there and I came home ok. As survivors of violence,abuse,neglect,we need to firstly take the medicine,secondly keep ourselves safe,not accept anyone's garbage or judgements or comparisons of us to them but also not compare,judge them as well as our situation now,lower our expectations of self,others, situation,accept(Last stage of book Death and Dying). These stages one goes through with any catastrophic injury,event or illness. It takes awhile for the mind to process it all.
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If someone says something mean about us,in ear shot or to us, we can chew on it and spit it out.If any truth to it we can work on it but if not we can let it and person go as is their problem not ours. We don't have to absorb that like a sponge and feel hurt.
Next we need to stop complaining,moping but keep busy,feeling sorry for self but have compassion for have been through,worrying.
After we see why the way are we can do something about it. Other wise are just feeling our way around in the dark without a flash light. A good therapist will be with you on as much of your journey as possible,sometimes holding your hand as you open the doors where you don't know what lies behind them. If we keep going and moving beyond our comfort zones and facing our fears and rejection from others as they don't understand(is why we keep talking to them about what are going through. ex. feeling,here at,what happened. Others say just do this you moron. It is so obvious,easy even. It is for them as don't have a gorilla on their back saying 'No!' They are not at here are so don't act like us. Doesn't make them better. It just explains why it has been hard to fly through life like them as one of or wings have been broken and we have been clueless as to how to mend it,can we mend it,do we even want to mend it as have lived this way for so long in pain,incredible pain and unbearable loneliness and fear and often anger as others can react to us cruelly out of exasperation. Why is best when asked how we are say ok and not speak of this but to a few supportive people.)
We often feel conflicted and have to just do the next sane,sober thing when in doubt or do nothing until the answers come. Often we feel incredible fear as don't know what to do. Sometimes are detached and feel nothing at all. Other times are right back in the past with flashbacks of our trauma like it is happening right no. Yes we can let go of the past No we don't forget it but it is a release so we get some perspective on it and can keep going as not there anymore. we sometimes fear though if put in same situation again it will repeat to which I say. 'The outer environment,people don't have maximum thrust and we have minimum resistance'. (quote from Recovery Inc. book). Is a balancing act with us as we can be overwhemed,overstimulated by too much information from media,being with people too long. We can distance selves and go home hen need quiet or shut off radio for a cd instead to quiet our mind. We really can control our minds quite a bit by little changes. Also if we do these things home, it is easier to cope with stress when with others and have a lot to do quickly and so on.
As in book I Hate you,don't leave me ,we can send out mixed messages as our moods fluctuate to being mature and strong to childlike and scared. Is because our thoughts are all over the place. May be hard to gage who one is talking to at any given day. No we are not split personalities. The goal is to integrate one personality with all these eclectic therapies and techniques. The work can be exhausting on patient and doctor which is why many don't take us on. I think it is because when childlike it is hard to do what is necessary as are dealing with a child,seeing the world through the eyes of a child. Then a doctor doing 'tough love' is unbearable and can send a person with borderline(my diagnosis) running. On the flip side,if one treats a person with borderline(notice I don't say a borderline just as I don't say sick,mentally ill as are stigmatizing,negative,degrading labels) as a sick child all the time even hen they are feeling capable and well,the person with BPD as it is called ill get angry and feel is being pitied and no progress is being made.
We can't handle overgeneralization like'she knows the coping tools but has trouble using them' as if didn't use them wouldn't be here still as this is a battle that goes on within the person. Knowing how to treat,talk to based on experience with many with this disorder,successfully is essential and not just a social worker who treats many illnesses as we are challenging. Due to the social difficulties, people with this illness have a high suicide rate. It is treatable though. ) Being kind is best approach to person with this and to calmly assuage her/his allegations of one not caring and alleged wrong doing.
I personally find my relationship with God and Jesus and relying on the Holy Spirit within me, most satisfying. By this I mean relying on ourselves with the strength,courage and guidance we get from God when we speak to him and read the word and apply it to our lives.
'Set your affection on things above,not on things on the earth'' Col 3:2
Again, services can be done in person or online through email and directing you to information online.
'Recovery from trauma is a journey similar to life. It is not a destination'.
If you have found anything interesting,helpful to you or a loved one with this,or an emotional illness, please make a donation to Recovery Inc.,Emotions Anonomous(non profits) or to me through my P O Box 1102 Cairo,NY 12413 c/o Ann Reilly. I am a financially struggling artist,designer,writer. My web site,blogs are here to help the public and share my story with you. I live on disability(notice don't say disabled as have many abilities and I believe in being proactive) and the art ,jewelry I sell is sporadic and supplements my income. Thanks. I wish you all the best on your journey to wellness or your loved one's and I thank you for visiting my page and ,for educating yourself about mental illness,it's causes,treatments so can share this with others to erase stigma,shame(we didn't cause this) and encourage inclusion of those afflicted into society and not exclusion so they can enjoy the same rights as you do. We too are human with feelings,in fact we feel so much more than you that it becomes hard to function normally.
I also thank you for supporting programs,groups,online mental health chat and learning coping tools, that work to help one cope with this and improve one's functioning, so one doesn't commit suicide(support out of the darkness walks. One in Catskill,NY on October 1st,2011)-
Donor Drive to support suicide prevention programs.
'Every life is precious in the eyes of the Lord and all of us are here for a unique divine purpose in his order of things'.
'Lean not to thy own understanding but trust in the Lord and He will direct thy path and make the crooked ways straight.' -The Bible, Proverbs 3:5-6
Many blessings,
Ann :)
Survivor's Art Foundation
SAMHA Substance Abuse Mental Health Association
DBSA Depression Bipolar Support Association
NAMI National Association for the Mentally Ill
BIANYS Brain Injury Association of NY state
Body,Mind,Spirit Directory
