The Mental Illness Education Project, Inc.

The articles, book chapters and excerpts listed below
are examples of the varied experiences
of mental illness and recovery. They have been reprinted with author permission.

Healing From Within: Sprituality and Mental Health
A principle of the spiritual approach to healthcare is that while adversity befalls everyone, it is possible to grow through it. People often become stronger emotionally, more resilient and more mature.

Royal College Of Psychiatrists Mental Health Information
Spirituality involves a dimension of human experience that psychiatrists are increasingly interested in, because of its potential benefits to mental health. This leaflet outlines the relevance of spirituality to mental health and mental healthcare, and explains some of these benefits.

Working Through the Heart:
A Transpersonal Approach to Family Support and Education
By Sheila Shulman Le Gacy (reprinted with permission)
Published by Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal
Sheila Shulman Le Gacy, MA, the creator of Supportive Family Training, is the Director of the Family Support & Education Center at a not-for-profit rehabilitation and residential agency in Syracuse, New York. She served for 8 years on the board of NAMI New York State, and presently coordinates NAMI curriculum and training for upstate New York.

"Everyone can learn from each other's experience. Spirit of Recovery gives us an engaging conversation between a person with a psychiatric disability, a parent and a therapist. Viewers will be helped to understand both the challenges and the possibilities of recovery from a severe mental illness. This video can facilitate wide ranging and much needed discussion on the reality that people recover from severe mental illlnesses."

William. A. Anthony, Ph.D.
Executive Director and Professor
Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation
Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
Boston University

"Speaking from the experience of Ed, Sheila, and Nancy makes this a lively and refreshing witness of the recovery process rather than the usual non-personal approach. I am impressed by every aspect of this video.

I felt Spirit of Recovery and Concentration Exercises was a breath of fresh air when one examines recovery concepts. The truth and the fact that the participants speak from their experience is the approach that is missing from so much material on the aspects of recovering from a mental illness.

I like the fact that all aspects were addressed - from the perspective of the individual that uses mental health services, the aspect of the family members and friends of individuals that use mental health services, as well as the perspective of an individual that provides mental health services - demonstrates the completeness of this work."

Peter C. Ashenden
Executive Director
Mental Health Empowerment Project, Inc.
Albany, NY

"Faith is a critical part of recovery for many consumers with serious mental illness. However, clinicians and families often have relatively little understanding of this area, and are unprepared to support consumers in this domain.

Spirit of Recovery is an outstanding introduction to the topic, told from the perspective of three individuals with extensive, first-hand experience. There is excellent discussion of the role of faith, and how it interacts with mental illness. There is useful, practical advice for clinicians and family members that can help them support a consumer in their recovery.

This will be very useful viewing for clinicians working with people with severe, persistent mental illness, and especially clinicians who would like to learn more about the recovery process. Family members will also find this DVD quite useful as they deal with mental illness in their relative."

Alexander S. Young, MD MSHS
Director, Health Services Unit
West Los Angeles Veterans HealthCare Center
Associate Professor, UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute
Los Angeles, CA

"Recovery has surely gained center stage among efforts to enhance mental health and psychiatric rehabilitation services. In the process, it has stirred consumers, family members, and providers into a progressive and positive mission towards overcoming the challenges of mental illness.

In this light, Spirit of Recovery stokes the coals that light the fire of recovery. Knight, LeGacy, and Kehoe advance the idea of recovery through their comprehensive discussion of the many facets of recovery. Spirit of Recovery provides meaning and voice to the vast array of recovery experiences. Their discussion comes alive by recounting the personal stories that represent their journey with recovery.

Nothing more clearly educates the viewer about mental health and recovery than listening to the trails and travails of peers. Obtaining Spirit of Recovery is an essential resource for people with mental illness, their family, and their treatment providers."

"Viewers interested in the critical connections between spirituality and mental health recovery will find much that is novel and useful in this thoughtful and informative DVD.

Spirit of Recovery gives careful attention to the potential risks and many benefits experienced by people who have made spirituality and meditation a part of their recovery from serious mental heath difficulties. It offers the unique and complementary perspectives of consumers, family members, and members of religious orders in appreciating the central role of spirituality in mental health recovery for a vast number of individuals."

Judith Cook, Ph. D.
Director, Mental Health Service Research Program
Professor of Sociology in Psychiatry
Chicago, IL

"The Spirit of Recovery DVD is profound. The dialogue is intensely engaging and a great professional AND personal growth experience in exploring the pathways for recovery."

Sandra L. Forquer, PhD
Vice President Market Development
Comprehensive NeuroScience, Inc.
Colorado Springs, CO

"There is great wisdom on these tapes. These are words which should be heard by everyone working or living with mental illness."

Ken Byalin, Ph.D.
Soto Zen Buddhist Priest and Dharma Holder
President, The Verrazano Foundation
Staten Island, NY

The following text presents a model of recovery that is featured in a new videotape series with Mary Ellen Copeland and co-produced with The Mental Illness Education Project. "The Creating Wellness Series" describes attitudes, strategies and tools for relieving psychiatric symptoms including a symptom monitoring and response system. The videos are based on the on-going research of Mary Ellen Copeland and the recovery model she has developed from her findings.

Wellness Recovery Action Plan
A system for monitoring, reducing and eliminating uncomfortable or dangerous physical symptoms and emotional feelings
By Mary Ellen Copeland, MS, MA (reprinted with permission)
Published by Peach Press © 1997
Mary Ellen Copeland is a distinguished teacher, writer, and lecturer from Brattleboro, Vermont. She is the author of numerous books including The Depression Workbook: A Guide to Living with Depression and Manic Depression, The Worry Control Workbook and Winning Against Relapse: A Workbook of Action Plans for Recurring Health and Emotional Problems.

Recovery as a Journey of the Heart
By Patricia Deegan, Ph.D. (excerpted with permission)
Published by Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal
Pat Deegan is Director of Training and Education at The National Empowerment Center. She has lectured, published and consulted on recovery and the empowerment of people with psychiatric disabilities throughout the world. She is the author of an innovative training program called "Hearing Voices That Are Distressing: A Training Simulation And Self Help Strategies".

Grieving Mental Illness:
A Guide for Patients and Their Caregivers
By Virginia Lafond (reprinted with permission)
Published by The University of Toronto Press © 1994
Virginia Lafond is a social worker in Schizophrenia Service of the Royal Ottawa Hoapital.

PRISM:
A Public Psychiatric Hospital Model for the 1990's
By David Starkey, Ph.D., Clinical Director, Medfield State Hospital and Barbara Leadholm, Green Spring Health Services, Boston, Mass.

The abstract and excerpt following are from an article published in the journal Administration and Policy in Mental Health. The article describes the model rehabilitation program featured in the recent Mental Illness Education Project videotape, Catching up with the World: Participation and Autonomy in Recovery from Mental Illness.

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