Recovery

“Hope is to the soul what oxygen is to the body.” – Larry Fricks

While there is no definitive definition for recovery regarding mental health, it is a concept or rather an ideal that has come to light as a very real possibility and is giving millions of people the hope that was previously stripped from them upon being given a psychiatric diagnosis.

Recovery means different things to different people. For some it is being able to live a meaningful and productive life without the need for psychiatric drugs, while for others it is having to rely on less drugs than previously needed or simply being on the path towards a drug free life.  Still others, not believing in the mental ‘illness’ paradigm, do not use the term ‘recovery’ as it pre-supposes a prior mental ‘illness’.

The Recovery movement is often called the ‘user / consumer / survivor’ movement as many people feel they have suffered emotional trauma and even abuse in the hands of the psychiatric system; thus further traumatizing them.

Many people in the recovery movement see trauma as the cause of mental or emotional distress as opposed to biological causes. Separating biological cause thus opens the doorway to healing from the trauma and alleviates the need for a lifelong diagnosis. Medication is therefore used sparingly, only if absolutely necessary, and most importantly only with the consent of the person requiring it.

The Recovery Model

The Recovery Model is based on HOPE…

The underlying message is one of hope – millions of people have gone from trauma to transformation, giving others the hope and belief that recovery is a very real possibility.

There is no one size fits all approach, recovery is a unique and individual journey which includes approaches that are meaningful to the individual. All approaches are empowering and strengths based with a view to help people develop and achieve their dreams, as well as rebuild their sense of self which is often diminished after being given a psychiatric label.

Most importantly, the person seeking help is seen as the expert on their own experiences and is included in all decisions about their treatment as well as their future goals. Some hospital diversion programs are using Advanced Directives whereby a person can express their choice of treatment in the event of a crisis situation.

Extreme experiences, or uncommon states of consciousness are seen as meaningful and voices and or visions are purposefully engaged with instead of seen simply as symptoms that need to be suppressed and ignored.