Anne's Testimonial
The Workshop really gave me the opportunity to tell my story and to know that I was being heard by people who really understood. My friends and even my family - bless them - with the best will in the world, had no idea what I was going through. They said things like – ‘He just needs to get into a good routine’ and even ‘It’s all in his mind. He just needs to get on with life and forget about hearing voices.’ They simply had no way to comprehend what my son was going through and consequently what I was struggling to deal with. I felt isolated, alienated, shamed by an illness that was not my fault, nor my son’s. And perhaps worst of all, was trying to cope with all this AND a mental health system that seemed to exclude me, that would not or could not listen when I tried to alert them to my son’s deteriorating condition.
Surely there must be a better way to deal with someone who has ‘lost their mind’, who is no longer capable of making rational decisions? Why can ‘the system’ only step into action when my son reaches a crisis point?
The workshops and the continuing support groups helped me to feel part of a community who shared the same or similar experiences. I was not ALONE. Others had been there before me. And it was not just tea and sympathy. I made real progress in dealing with my own guilt, fears, anxiety, panic attacks and slowly it seemed to me that in dealing with my own issues my son’s condition seemed to stabilize. He too, was less anxious, less panic struck by the voices. He too began to fight back.
I just want to thank everyone in my group for the support they gave me and continue to give me. And Janet, whose gentle compassion and understanding led us steadily out of the wilderness.
Thank you,
Anne
