1. August, 2002 Developed by Mary Ellen Copeland PO Box 301, West Dummerston, VT 05357-0301 www.mentalhealthrecovery.com Do you feel that a traumatic experience or traumatic experiences are causing some or all of your psychiatric symptoms? Many people feel this way.

2. August, 2002 Developed by Mary Ellen Copeland PO Box 301, West Dummerston, VT 05357-0301 www.mentalhealthrecovery.com What symptoms do you have that might be caused by trauma ?  I nsomnia, agitation, irritability or rage  Flashbacks, intrusive memories, or unrest  Numbing of emotions, reduced interest  Hyper-arousal, hyper-alertness  Anxiety  Passivity  Substance abuse and other compulsive behaviors  Dissociation  Depression

3. August, 2002 Developed by Mary Ellen Copeland PO Box 301, West Dummerston, VT 05357-0301 www.mentalhealthrecovery.com Are these the same or different from symptoms you have considered to be caused by a “ mental illness? ” The cause is not as important as what you do to help yourself feel better and to help yourself heal.

4. August, 2002 Developed by Mary Ellen Copeland PO Box 301, West Dummerston, VT 05357-0301 www.mentalhealthrecovery.com A good program to help you heal from either trauma or “mental illness” is: Empowering Empowering You must be in charge of your healing in every way. This counteracts the effects of the trauma, where control was taken away from you by someone or something. Validating Connecting Validating You need others to listen to you, to validate the significance and importance of what happened to you, to bear witness, and to understand the role of this trauma in your life. Connecting Trauma makes you feel very alone. To heal you need to reconnect with others who treat you well and are supportive of you.

5. August, 2002 Developed by Mary Ellen Copeland PO Box 301, West Dummerston, VT 05357-0301 www.mentalhealthrecovery.com It can be very helpful if you are in a good program to support your recovery and healing. Often programs are not available. There are many things you can do to help yourself. Decide for yourself what you want to do and when you want to do it.

6. August, 2002 Developed by Mary Ellen Copeland PO Box 301, West Dummerston, VT 05357-0301 www.mentalhealthrecovery.com You may want to begin by thinking and writing about how you would like to feel. You may want to think about the symptoms and behaviors that keep you from feeling the way you want to feel. Then you can begin to explore ways you can help yourself feel the way you want to feel, decide what you want to do and when you want to do it.

7. August, 2002 Developed by Mary Ellen Copeland PO Box 301, West Dummerston, VT 05357-0301 www.mentalhealthrecovery.com Perhaps you want to begin by:  Working on an addiction you have, like an addiction to food, smoking, alcohol or street drugs  Letting go of fears, phobias or obsessions  Making and keeping friends Other things you may want to work on might be:  Learning to know and appreciate your body  Learning to set boundaries and limits  Practicing self- advocacy  Building your self-esteem  Developing a list of tools that help you feel better Continued

8. August, 2002 Developed by Mary Ellen Copeland PO Box 301, West Dummerston, VT 05357-0301 www.mentalhealthrecovery.com  Understanding and changing family stories that are not true  Building a harmonious family life  Making good decisions  Learning to communicate well  Changing your negative self-talk to positive self-talk  Developing a Wellness Recovery Action Plan  Setting up regular peer counseling  Attending support groups  Developing skills so you support yourself  Getting a job You may be able to think of other places you want to start and/or things you want to do to recover from the effects of trauma.

9. August, 2002 Developed by Mary Ellen Copeland PO Box 301, West Dummerston, VT 05357-0301 www.mentalhealthrecovery.com You can learn more You can learn more about ways to help yourself feel better in resource books like Healing the Trauma of Abuse, Winning Against Relapse and The Depression Workbook. There is free information and listings of resources the website: www.mentalhealthrecovery.com

10. August, 2002 Developed by Mary Ellen Copeland PO Box 301, West Dummerston, VT 05357-0301 www.mentalhealthrecovery.com You must be in charge of your recovery in every way. Programs that allow others to make decisions for you and insist you do things that feel uncomfortable to you are not acceptable.