This is the first of a four part series on my journey to recovery. There are 100’s of paths people take to experience relief and a new joy and peace in their lives. This is my journey. In my mid 20’s I was in individual therapy – weekly session for 2 years. It got me over a hump at that time. But unfortunately I never practiced what I'd learned and soon fell back into old patterns of “doomful” thinking. These persisted for the next 25 years. We pick up the story of my recovery as I turn 50. I realized that these intrusive worry and ruminating thoughts had begun to take over even the things I enjoyed. I’d be out in my vegetable garden, alone, quiet and I’d find myself raging internally about
The experience of emotional distress like anxiety or depression is not pleasant. The first thing most of us do is shut down, shut up, and withdraw because the feelings are so painful we are afraid that we will be overwhelmed by the pain if we think about it or talk about it. “Maybe it will just go away,” I say. But it doesn’t just go away. Even worse, our loved ones feel confused because of our silence and fuels their fear that talking will cause more hurt by “opening and reopening painful memories.” We fear that this pain will overwhelm everyone. Silence is the enemy. Because it is in sharing and telling the story of our pain that we actually become stronger and more resilient as we put wor
