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Healing • Hope • Growth |
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Samaritan Health & Living Center |
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Summer 2010 |
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The Tenants of Healing As a parent of three young (and very active) children, I have frequent opportunity to consider healing as “ouchies” abound. In fact, during the time I was writing this article I cared for a black eye, banged toe, and the pain of face meeting concrete driveway…and that was just the 2-year-old. In his book, Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis talks about the comfort that the Christian faith can bring. Lewis points out that in order to experience comfort from our faith we must first know pain. My first tenant of healing is that healing is a process that begins with pain. After the initial sting of emotional pain, it may be helpful to recognize the pain as an opportunity for growth and change. Merely thinking about pain differently is only the beginning of the journey toward healing.
My second tenant of healing is that we must go toward that which is uncomfortable, scary, and awkward (U-S-A). Moving toward our U-S-A requires us to tolerate our anxiety (and sometimes face more discomfort, at least initially) rather than reduce our anxiety. Going toward that which is U-S-A requires great courage. The journey toward healing is uncomfortable at times, requiring us to go against our grain and try something different that may even feel awkward. Without exception, the healing that I have witnessed in therapy rooms has occurred when brave people did the uncomfortable, scary, and awkward rather than the comfortable and familiar.
My third tenant of healing is God will meet us in our pain. I believe that the courage to move toward that which is U-S-A comes from God, who not only meets us in our pain, but sustains us in the process of healing. One of my favorite names of God is “Abba,” which translates “Daddy.” When we are weary in our journey toward healing, it is this Daddy that holds us. The first and second tenants (pain and U-S-A) find life in the third tenant. With God present with us in our pain we have the supernatural courage required to face the unimaginable. After my 2-year-old took a nasty fall on the driveway, I overheard her recount her experience to her older brother. “I fall and hurt myself. Daddy pick me up and hold me. I better now.” The next time you fall and hurt yourself, will you allow your Abba Father to pick you up and hold you as you move from pain to healing?
*I would like to recognize and thank my professors Drs. Tim and Jennifer Nelson who taught the concept and modeled the courage to move toward the uncomfortable, scary, and awkward.” A.A.
- Alison Andrews, MA Summer 2010 |
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Current Events: A Brief Report on K-2 (Fake Weed)
Since the first of the year, K-2 (called fake weed, “Mr. Smiley” or "Spice," Genie" and "Zohai"), a synthetic form of marijuana, has significantly gained the attention of a number of states and local communities. Being used as a substitute for marijuana by teens, it is causing widespread concern because of its dangerous side affects, that include headaches, increased agitation leading to angry outbursts, paranoia, and vomiting. K-2 is an herbal smoking blend sprayed with synthetic cannabinoids (notably JWH-018); the blend imitates the hallucinogenic effects of marijuana. It is mainly produced in China and Korea. Users roll it up in joints or inhale it from pipes, just like the real thing.
On May 18, 2010, Elkhart’s Mayor and the Chief of Police asked merchants to stop selling K-2. The concern is that teens, especially, have been using this as a substitute for marijuana. Typical drugs tests do not detect its presence. Other states are moving rapidly on the matter as well. Kansas and Kentucky have already banned its sale, with Missouri, Michigan, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Alabama also taking action. Lake Orion, Michigan Police Chief Jerry Narsh said, "In my opinion, it's a toxic and dangerous product. It is another vicious turn in the path of our kids who are already faced with enough challenges." Banning the substance from local stores is an important action. Nevertheless, K-2 is readily available on the internet. Cost ranges from $20.00 to $50.00 depending on the amount and the strength of the blend.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration first heard of K2 in 2008, when it started arriving in the U.S. from Europe. Since then, the agency has been getting reports of people going to emergency rooms across the United States after smoking K2. "This is a very dangerous deal. You're putting something in your body that you don't know what it is or where it came from and wasn't made in a controlled environment,” said David Ausiello, public affairs specialist with the DEA. As an addictions counselor, I urge the banning of this substance, and also it’s vital parents make their teens aware of the substance and its dangers. If you, as parents, notice any of the symptoms mentioned, contact your physician and get in contact with a drug addiction counselor. Chances are this is more than a one time event.
- Joseph R. Baunoch, Psy.D, D.Min. Summer 2010 |
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Change What’s the best way to help people change?
This question underlies the spirited conversations we have at our Thursday morning case conferences. It accompanies each of us as we interact with the clients we serve. It echoes in our heads as we reflect on the work we do.
Consider depression, the “common cold” of mental health, which affects feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. How do we best help someone recover? Is it best to work at changing depressive thoughts, in the hope that feelings and behaviors will fall in line? Or is it better to work at changing depressive feelings, so thoughts and behaviors fall in line? Or maybe change depressive behaviors, hoping that thoughts and feelings follow suit?
What about wider systems? Sometimes a depressed person is basically healthy, but struggling primarily because s/he is caught up in a dysfunctional system: a marriage, family, or work situation. Or sometimes a depressed person’s biggest stresses seem to come from society’s toxic messages, as can happen to adolescent girls struggling with body image.
What about faith? Sometimes what looks like depression is really a deeper crisis of meaning or belonging.
What about medication? Often a depressed person’s first reaction is to seek an antidepressant medication, though emerging research continues to undermine our confidence in this approach. What about medical conditions? Symptoms of some medical conditions (thyroid problems, for instance) mimic depression. If some doctors are too quick to offer a medication solution, some therapists are too quick to ignore the possibility of an underlying medical condition.
With depression, does the unconscious matter? Does the person’s past? How about the personal narrative the client constructs, the “story of my life” built to make sense of things? Is a shorter term approach best, or a longer term? Is it better to be directive or nondirective?
We consider all these questions, and more.
Back in the dim mists of time when I went through my clinical training, these questions led to shouting matches, as proponents for one of these emphases argued that their approach – and their approach alone – was correct. Now we live in a time that seems healthier, when all of these questions are considered important, and our challenge is to find the approach that best fits the client’s needs.
Of course, we clinicians have our individual favorites, and that’s what makes for the fascinating and powerful case conference discussions, as we brainstorm together on behalf of our clients’ healing. It is also what this issue of Pilgrimage highlights: each of our contributors talks about the kind of change he or she does best and finds most fulfilling.
My two cents: over the years, I’ve tried to learn about all of the approaches described above, and use them as seems appropriate. The one I find most meaningful – because I believe it is most transformative – is psycho-dynamically-oriented depth work. It takes a while, but the comprehensive results can be like new life. No, not like new life: new life.
- Gregory A. Hinkle, Ph.D., Executive Director Summer 2010 |
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The Mental Healing Process
I often wish I had magic dust that I could just sprinkle on clients and make them feel all better. Unfortunately I don’t, and I don’t know anyone who does. People come to me in such emotional pain and often they feel it’s unbearable. My job, then, is to help them heal. Sadly, I can’t hurry the process for them. Emotional healing is similar to physical healing in some ways: looking perfectly fine on the outside but having an interior “cancer” eating away inside - not sharing the extent of their pain and feeling alone with it. There isn’t a blood test or x-ray to pinpoint the issue; medication can sometimes make the pain more tolerable – but it doesn’t always fix the problem. We can learn new ways of dealing with situations, but real healing takes time and work, often with pain involved.
True healing might mean talking about things we would sometimes rather forget in order to gain insight. One must come to understand how past experiences impact us and how to let go of them. People become stuck in behavior or thought patterns that were effective at some point, but now create problems. For instance, there might be a child who grew up in a family where feelings were ignored and now has communication problems with their spouse. The now-adult person longs for connection but pushes others away to eliminate the risk of being hurt again.
A broken bone dealt with immediately can be set to heal with minimal discomfort or long term consequences. If ignored it could become infected, very painful or lost altogether. The bone might need to be re-broken, the infection cleaned out, and the part reset and protected in a cast to be restored to good working order. In many ways this is similar to therapy we provide. If we are talking about an old hurt, there will be repeated pain as the “wound” is cleaned (“talk therapy” to uncover the causes and discover new ways of looking at things) and given time to mend properly (time to try out new skills and make them habit).
Working with children allows them to deal with the issues before they become destructive or too buried. They don’t always have the verbal skills to talk about their issues, and can release them better through their play. (Next issue will contain an article about play therapy). Therapy can be helpful at any age and while there might be some unpleasant times, in the long run it can be very freeing. It is a journey worth taking. Physical, emotional and spiritual health is so intertwined that to affect one affects the others.
- Joyce Menchinger, MSW, LCSW Summer 2010 |
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The Healing Journey
As I sit contemplating what to write about, U93 radio is launching its 14th Annual Roof Sit campaign to raise funds to prevent child abuse. They air interviews with children and adults who tell their horrifying stories of childhood abuse. It is gut-wrenching to hear these stories, one after another, all week long. Even for professionals, these stories never become any easier to hear; they are nothing but tragic. Most of the people I see in therapy are adults, more specifically – parents. They come in with depression, serious health problems, and self-destructive behavior. It never surprises me to learn that nine times out of ten, these people are victims of childhood abuse.
Unfortunately, many victims of child abuse never receive the help they need to recover. Our defense mechanisms work well to protect us, keeping the memories buried and numbing the emotions. Adults who were abused as children often find themselves in abusive relationships as adults – perhaps even the perpetrator. Anger and rage seem to be the most common problems I encounter. Many times, victims can’t remember what actually happened because they’ve had to suppress it for so long . Every time a person is abused, it creates a new layer of pain that lives in the body. Facing this pain takes great courage and many people fear they aren’t strong enough. Once they get started, most find they are strong enough. Many victims minimize the effect the abuse had on them, saying, “Oh, it wasn’t that bad,” or “All kids get spanked.” Although physical abuse is what we hear the most about, emotional and verbal abuse is as damaging as physical and sexual abuse. If you are struggling with the pain of childhood abuse, I encourage you to give Samaritan Center a call and begin the healing. - Karen Maes, MSW Summer 2010 |
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