Barbara Bate’s new book offers inspiration

OCEAN PARK — In many ways, “Tsunami of the Mind” is a book of hope — hope that people struggling with brain issues, such as depression and bi-polar illness, will find the support, understanding and treatment they need to finally become healthy.

Author Barbara Bate interviewed 10 men and women who have experienced many types of trauma and mental illness, with some of them thinking suicide was the only answer. But they have become success stories who are not only dealing with past issues, but thriving in their lives.

From her home in Ocean Park, with a copy of the book on her dining room table, Bate read aloud a paragraph which details the audiences that this book will benefit:

“This book is intended for adults of all ages. In particular it is meant to reach three audiences: 1) individuals who may feel alone in their struggle to be healthy and live well in the midst of troubling brain issues; 2) friends, family, and others who want to understand the people they know who have lived through or are living through tsunamis of the mind; and 3) professionals in education, medicine, justice and faith communities who will benefit from deeper knowledge of their clients’ lives and struggles. I trust that “Tsunami of the Mind” will lead them to ask better questions and listen with greater intent, so as to encourage realistic hope for our own and others’ futures.”

Bate, herself, has experienced the seeming hopelessness that accompanies depression, bi-polar illness and the thoughts that suicide may be the only way out. Such thoughts are frightening and often surface when people aren’t properly diagnosed, aren’t understood and aren’t given effective treatment. She said that “part of the reason for this (book) is having met and known and cared about people who were suicides.”

Heavily involved for years in the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), she said that one of the principles of support at support group meetings, “is one that everybody says together. ‘We will never give up hope.’”

2 The title for this book, she said, was a marker point for her. “I was on retreat at the Benedictine Abbey in Lacey. I went up there in January, just for some quiet time.”

When she woke up one morning, the phrase, tsunami of the mind, came to her. She began seeing how an illness like depression, that builds and builds, parallels oceanic tsunamis. “Tsunamis start way out in the ocean where nobody can see what’s going on,” Bate explained.

Bate had watched videos of the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. “One of the things that struck me was that you can’t imagine how much water is coming over you. It can be up to a hundred feet. There’s no way to totally be away from it, but people sometimes do survive, if they get to higher ground and hold onto somebody else.”

Continuing to draw comparisons, Bate became sure that this phrase definitely fit what she would convey in her new book. Both tsunamis and mental health issues can be submerged for a long time, she concluded.

Common threads

3 Bate knew what that was like. She is certified in the Wellness Recovery Action Program (WRAP) as a state trainer. And her involvement in NAMI support groups has been tireless. But most all, she is a listener who knows that people do need other people and an attentive ear can make the big difference. She spoke of Lori, one of the 10 case histories in the book.

“Lori had experienced lots of hard things in her life,” Bate said, listing some of them as, “early abuse, divorce and alcoholism in the family.” Lori went to two hospitals for help, when she knew she was feeling suicidal. “She didn’t want to die, but she felt this real desperation,” Bate said, explaining that the first hospital Lori went to turned her away, because she was told she needed to go to a different county. The next roadblock was hospital underfunding. Bate doesn’t want to judge the mental health professionals, because she said she knows that, “There’s not enough money, not enough staff. If anything, I want people to recognize that you can’t do these professional things without money.”

Lori was increasingly desperate for help when she finally heard about NAMI Washington. At that time, Bate was president of this state organization and was known for being someone who would “talk to people.”

The two connected on the phone. Lori had finally struck gold, speaking to someone who truly understood. They talked for a long time and Lori’s situation improved by leaps and bounds. In another conversation, about a year later, Lori told Bate, “I couldn’t believe that this woman (Bate) would stay on the phone with me for an hour and that she had gone through some of the same things.”

Bate said Lori discovered she was not alone and that there was hope. Lori’s history and how she began thriving despite her brain illness and traumatic past, plus her treatment and steps to recovery, are an inspirational part of “Tsunami of the Mind.”

The other nine people who were interviewed have equally gripping stories and some are now counseling others who are experiencing that black hole that seems to trap the mind and offer no way out. But they are truly getting out, with the help and understanding of others and that’s what makes this new book such a compelling read.

Bate interviewed some of these 10 subjects over the phone and some in person. They shared their stories of war against brain issues. Mostly, they all found hope.

“I love these people,” Bate said, adding that a big reason to finish this book was because they became more than just interviewees or names in a publication. They have become Bate’s friends, “and I want other people to know my friends.”

SIDEBAR:

“Tsunami of the Mind” is available on Amazon.com.

Time Enough Books at the Port of Ilwaco will soon have copies available.

On Thursday, Sept. 15, from 3 to 5 pm, Barbara Bate will have a book signing at Adelaide’s on Bay Avenue in Ocean Park. Copies will be available for purchase and signing.