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Recovery from Mental Illness is Possible
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...... It is a little scary for us and those who love us, when we begin to have hopes and dreams. Often, we have been through long periods of time where the only important goal we had was stabilization. Now, we want more. We want a full and complete life. A life with joy, sadness, dashed hopes and hopes achieved. We want the opportunity to make mistakes and learn from them. We are strong and amazing. We have endured many hardships. Often we have lived through terrible trauma. Sometimes we have lived on the streets, been cold and alone in the bushes at night. Some of us found if we became numb enough through substance abuse, we could get through another day. Others of us found that if we could give ourselves visible pain we could care for the injuries rather than be unable to comfort the terrible pain in our souls. Yet, with courage, we want to try again to re-enter our lives. It may seem a small thing to re-enter one’s life, but the simple act of daring to dream once more, or  have hope, or risk making a choice takes tremendous courage.
......So, when it comes time for us to change the dance, to step off the dance floor, or to put on tap shoes rather than do the waltz…help us. Help us by believing in us. Help us by stepping aside to let us do our own dance. Or, better yet, join in our new dance. Let us make mistakes, try new things, attempt what calls to our hearts.
......For many of us, one of the most important things that happens and helps us understand that we can dare to dream again is the experience of meeting a Peer Support Specialist. A peer is a person who has traveled a similar path. Through their ability to share their story, they create hope. No matter what title these individuals have in a particular system of care, they inspire us to hope and embrace possibilities. For people who have experienced challenges with substance abuse, many have known about peer support for decades in organizations like Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and SMART Recovery. Peer support is widely used in health care settings. Support groups for people with diabetes, multiple sclerosis, heart disease, and cancer are common and have been a source of hope for people challenged with these illnesses. In the same way that a person who has recovered from  cancer can support a person who has just been diagnosed, so it goes with Peer Support Specialists. Seeing someone who has walked a similar path and recovered creates the idea in us, “If he/she can do it, so can I!”
......For family members, this time of growth can be scary. It may have taken years to support your loved one long enough that they came back into a relationship with you. Now, you feel strongly that you just want them safe, with you and on their medications. Know that we can be safe, continue our relationship with you, take medication and still be recovering. Recovery does not mean we will never hit a bump, or that we will never take medications again. It means we will have the chance to experience our life in a BIG way and our illness will get to be something we manage. It may be that for years our illness has been our life and the things we enjoy, hope for, love, and that give our life meaning have been things we barely thought of if we did at all. As challenging as it is, as scary as it might feel, dare to dream with us. Hope that we find our whole life again. Support us to have our children back with us. Believe that we might find someone to love and share our life with. Trust that we have learned hard lessons about the things and people we need to stay away from.
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...MHSA PROP 63
