For those of us who have watched family members struggle with addiction, eating disorders and/or mental health issues, we know all too well just how serious these diseases can be. Our loved ones appear to get taken away from us right in front of our eyes and there is nothing we can do about it. When on this path we might try to engage them in some form of treatment, we might give them ultimatums, we take away their financial resources…yet nothing works! Especially when it is our child who is sick, helplessly watching the disease progress is incredibly painful.
For those of us who have witnessed the miracle of recovery, on the other hand, I think we would all say there is nothing more wonderful. Sometimes when we least expect it, an intervention actually has a positive effect. Often the result of several attempts of treatment, there is an unexpected break in behavior. We see it, we don’t believe it at first and yet we want so badly for it to be true. On the good days, which become increasingly more consistent, we have to remind ourselves not to get too excited! Slowly we watch our loved one “come back” as they heal their wounds with themselves and others, and build the strength and resilience to give life another try.
Each day along this path of recovery brings with it another challenge, another reminder to take the process one day at a time and when we are witnessing the miracle, another moment when we say to them something along the lines of, “Thank god you are back!…We missed YOU!”.
There is nothing more heartbreaking than watching a loved one fall victim to the disease of addiction or mental health. And there is nothing more than powerful witnessing the journey back to recovery, for those of us fortunate enough to experience it.
We know many things about recovery from the literature and from our experience in treating many patients. We know that recovery can work, and is usually the result of a combination of interventions including medication and therapy. We know that recovery looks different for each person. We know that the path might not be a straight line up, but that is ok. The long term trajectory is what really matters. We know our loves ones need a combination of compassion, empathy and proper boundaries from us. And we know this isn’t easy! We know that for many it will take a life long commitment to staying connected to themselves and to others and to continuing to get ongoing support.
The diseases we treat are diseases of isolation. Our patients come to us feeling disconnected both from themselves and from others. Whether recovering from an addiction, an eating disorder or a mental health disease, it often takes a healthy connection to others to achieve a sustainable path of true recovery. At SunCloud, we know this. We know this professionally, and we know this personally.
One very, very important sign that recovery might actually be happening is when we see people connect with others in a healthy way. At the very least this is a sign that trust worthy progress is being made, and most of the time it means the miracle has begun.
