Recovery In Action | Fall 2019
Stepping Into The Light
By A. W.
Even from a young age, I struggled with mood swings and never felt safe. This was due to my parent’s choices with crime and drug addiction. School was never a priority only a place to get a meal. I was the primary care taker of all the other five children, all responsibility landed on me. My parents were always being arrested or too busy to be bothered with responsibility.
On one occasion when I was 10 they were both arrested the day before Thanksgiving. I remember spending that whole day on the phone calling bail bondsmen and churches to provide food for the holiday for my siblings. When my dad got out of jail he insisted that I accompany him in the crimes he committed stating, “If I have you there no one is going to kill me with my child present.” I can’t begin to express the fear I always had.
“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.”
– Lao Tzu
Affirmation Corner
I move forward in life with joy and ease.
It is safe to be who I am.
I have the strength, power and skill to digest
whatever comes my way.
I am centered and peacefull in life.
I am peacefully loving.
I hear with love.
Affirmations shared from Louise Hay, You Can Heal Your Life.
Book Recommendation By Noleta Golden
Helping a Child With Nonverbal Learning Disorder or Asperger’s Syndrome: A Parent’s Guide
By Kathryn Stewart, Ph.D.
In this book about Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NLD) and Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) you will learn how to help children with these disabilities. At the time the book was printed (2002), there were about 2.7 million Americans diagnosed with NLD. NLD causes:
- Social problems (difficulty making friends and relating to others)
- Rigid, black-and-white thinking
- Sudden meltdowns
- Trouble using language (although the child may have an extensive vocabulary, he or she cannot use language effectively to relate to others)
- Particular topics of interest in which the child becomes an ‘expert’
- Disorganization
- Trouble pretending
- Ultra-sensitivity such as being unable to tolerate the feeling of a tag in a shirt, or the sound of a ticking clock
- Difficulty with motor skills including writing, playing sports, or tying shoelaces
“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.”
– Alice Walker
Recovery Resources
- Get Hooked Into Local Support with National Alliance on Mental Illness – Western Slope or email at namiwesternslope@gmail.com.
- Colorado Health Partnership has a very informative website. The website is primarily for Medicaid members, but non Medicaid individuals can access a vast amount of information including over thousands of articles on health and mental health issues.
- The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance website is a great place to start. You can spend days browsing its wellness guides, support resources like Facing Us Clubhouse, a wellness toolbox, mood management tools, and even online support groups. Yes, you can talk to other peers via their website.
- SAMHSA’s National Center for Trauma-Informed Care (NCTIC) is a technical assistance center dedicated to building awareness of trauma-informed care and promoting the implementation of trauma-informed practices in programs and services.
- Recovery website with lots of information www.recoveryhope4all.com.
- Voices4Hope is a place for teenagers and young adults with mental health conditions to find resources and stigma busting information.
- A web site for those who hear voices www.hearingvoicesusa.org
- Free online training.
- Colorado Health Partnerships/Achieve solutions. Whether you need help finding services, a life event or want to assess your concerns, you will find this website very helpful.
