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Free mental health help
Hometown News: Port Orange, South Daytona, Ponce Inlet, Daytona Beach Shores (FL) - 1/2/2016
The holidays are a stressful time for everyone, but people with mental health conditions, such as clinical depression or anxiety, may be affected even more.
Free help is available year-round through Recovery International.
"Recovery International offers meetings to men and women of all ages that ease the suffering from mental health issues by gaining skills to lead more peaceful and productive lives," according to the website. "In the last 76 years RI has equipped over 1 million people with tools to control behavior and change attitudes. The mission of Recovery International is to use the cognitive-behavioral, peer-to-peer, self-help training system developed by Abraham Low, M.D., to help individuals gain skills to lead more peaceful and productive lives."
Specifically the program deals with unwanted thoughts and feelings of depression produced by anxiety, guilt, temper, anger and grief. The program does not deal with specific issues but rather trivialities. The idea is that if you can deal with trivialities you are better prepared to handle bigger things. Participants learn to "spot" negative thoughts, for example, and substitute them for positive ones using various program tools.
Jack, speaking on condition of anonymity, leads the Daytona Beach group. The Ormond Beach resident suffers from depression and has been involved with Recovery International for 8.5 years.
"You learn to help yourself with mental health issues," he said. "We think ourselves sick. Trivialities build up into temper or anger."
He described how many people get bothered or annoyed by something temporarily and then let it go, but people like him hold on to the anger.
"Through Recovery International we learn to replace insecure thoughts with secure thoughts," he said. "A firm decision always steadies us. "
Bob, a South Daytona participant for 45 years, suffers from PTSD and serves as assistant group leader.
"The program saved my life," he said.
"Recovery International helps people deal with unwanted thoughts and feelings," Bob explained. "The idea of recovery is to give an example of a triviality in life that happens to everyone but nervous people work themselves up to where it is out of control. We have the tools to teach you how to control behavior. "
"Feelings are not facts," he added. "We can't control feelings or sensations but we can control subsequent thoughts and muscles. Your mind is always telling you stories that never have good endings. We focus not on positive thoughts but positive words. If you want to do it you can. Don't tell me how you feel-tell me how you function. Act ?as if' and endure the discomfort and the comfort will come."
Both men were quick to point out these meetings are not intended to replace doctors, medication or psychotherapy, for example, but they did feel passionate about the majority of the time you are living your life without doctors being present so day to day strategies and tools are needed.
The meetings are open to anyone over 18 and no mental health diagnosis is needed, although typically attendees have been diagnosed with depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder. It also is common for attendees to have substance abuse issues they are working on, although that is not the focus.
Bert from Daytona Beach, an admitted alcoholic, also stated Recovery International saved his life.
Sheila leads a Cocoa Beach group, but for a while was the Central Florida contact. She stressed how these groups are not professional but are led by peers. She said the meetings are more structured than 12 Step meetings but they are mental health based.
"The tools learned are for everyday use. Everyone is welcome and you can come especially to your first meeting with a friend or family member," she said.
Like many peer group meetings, readings are done at the start of the meeting from one of founder Low's books such as "Manage Your Fears Manage Your Anger" or "Mental Health Through Will Training."
Then the leader gives an example of a triviality that occurred during the week and it gets analyzed via specific questions. Other attendees are then welcome to share their experiences. The general mantra of the program is "decide-plan-act."
Meetings are facilitated by volunteer leaders trained to demonstrate the Recovery International Method. All personal information disclosed during meetings is kept in strict confidence and all meetings follow a standard format. Written information is available at all meetings.
There is a meeting is 1 p.m. every Thursday at Daytona Beach Regional Library, 105 E. Magnolia Ave. For more information, call (386) 872-6443. A meeting in DeLand is held every Wednesday. For more information, call Angela (386) 734-0268.
For more information about the organization, visit recoveryinternational.org.