Outside of the world of mental health treatment, recovery means something temporary. After an injury, you spend time in recovery working with a physical therapist. Post-Surgery is often called recovery. Doctors tell the families of their patients, “They are recovering well.” Following an intensive workout, people need “recovery” to help their muscles bounce back from being pushed to the limits. After the body has regained the status it needs to, the recovery period is over.
Mental health recovery is a little different because the recovery period isn’t exactly temporary. Many regard recovery as a lifestyle, a way of living, a lifetime of therapeutic work which leads to ongoing healing, evolution, growth, and development. Often, there is a misconception that living in recovery and thereby always recovering means never being “healed” or “fixed”. Where as medical, physical recovery leads to a restored state of health, mental recovery might imply that a restored state of health isn’t achievable. Mental health issues have no cure, which means the brain is vulnerable to relapse. Medical recovery falls short by keeping this little fact out of the way the term is used. The body is still vulnerable to harm even after a recovery period, however, it is significantly less vulnerable to relapse and harm because of the recovery period. For mental health recovery, the recovery is ongoing because of the ongoing need to lessen the likelihood of relapse or any further harm. Living in recovery essentially means living against relapse.
Recovery isn’t a temporary thing we do once in our lives after we have hit one of our “rock bottom” points of pain and desperation. We live in recovery so that we can live life to the fullest, including all of the ups and downs, and maintain as much stasis in our mental health as possible throughout the process. People who live with a heart condition put their health at risk when they eat unhealthy diets and lack in exercise. Their ‘recovery’ from their heart condition includes a new way of living to keep their heart healthy in order to experience life fully. As men and women recovering from the mental health manifestations of trauma, all we earnestly seek is to live life fully and healthily. Living in recovery allows us to do so. In fact, it encourages us to.
At The Guest House Ocala, we welcome everyone who has experienced trauma and, as a result, is suffering from addictions, mental health disorders, or other manifestations. Our programs are custom tailored to the specific experiences and needs of each client. Everyone has a story. Change yours today. Call us at Call 1-855-483-7800.