Becoming Your Own Emotional Support System

Creating a Community of One

Linda L. Simmons

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9780789032218
• eBook ISBN: 9781136867651
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: History & Theory in Psychology
• Index: Psychology

Develop resources to overcome the obstacles preventing recovery

Not everyone facing difficult life situations has the resources to recover. Many times, we must deal with these problems alone or without a wide base of support. Becoming Your Own Emotional Support System provides practical ideas and encouragement to help people alienated from the consolation of others to become a community of one. This unique book guides individuals through the step-by-step process of developing the self-support system vital to the early stages of successful recovery.

Both comprehensive and easy to read, Becoming Your Own Emotional Support System is designed as a how-to manual for those who are coping with life's challenging circumstances but lack the necessary emotional support. It is an important tool that empowers while it educates. Through three easy-to-understand sections, this book presents a useable method for coping with tumultuous situations and making meaningful progress toward healing. The first section presents nine in-depth realistic case studies that dismantle familiar difficulties and explore successful responses to each. Section two tackles the various barriers that can arise in the process and considers how they affect a positive life perspective. The final section incorporates this useable knowledge into the specific steps that will help you to create a community of one. These realistic and easy-to-follow instructions form the sturdy foundation for a build toward real recovery.

Becoming Your Own Emotional Support System looks at topics such as:

• divorce and what happens when new identities are forced upon us
• chronic illness and ways of discovering our lost selves in the changes it brings
• spiritual crisis and accessing the hidden treasure of our spiritual resources
• sexual abuse and understanding some of the challenges stigmas pose
• ADHD and the importance of identifying the unnecessary and letting it go
• mental illness and expectations of real world goals
• obesity and recapturing a worthiness of self
• alcoholism and taking necessary risks to affect change
• domestic violence and daring to make a leap of faith
• barriers to recovery and what to expect when they arise
• facing fear and moving on
• correcting thought distortions
• and many more!

With this process, Becoming Your Own Emotional Support System positions the reader in a community of one so that joining a community of many is again possible. It helps those working through life's difficulties engage in their own healing and apply the necessary skills so they can once more enjoy satisfying and mutually supportive relationships.

Both accessible and enlightening, Becoming Your Own Emotional Support System is an essential resource for anyone facing difficult situations alone as well as to mental health professionals, counselors, and anyone looking to find or offer understanding, comfort, and hope in times of suffering.

Index

Abandoned, 68, 89

Abandonment, 9, 90

Abuse, 43, 45, 100–101

Abuser, 42, 102

Abusive behavior, 101

Abusive relationship(s), 100

Abusive religious system, 34

Abusive situation, 101

Abusive spouse, 100

Abusive treatment, 104

Acceptance, 19, 69

Adams, Carol, 102

ADD, 55, 59

Addiction(s), 87, 91, 93–94, 138, 166

Addictive beliefs, 91

ADHD, 49–51, 56, 58–59, 132

Adolescent psychologist, 63

Adversity, 53

Affection, 43

Agoraphobia, 115

AIDS, 148

Alcohol, 40–42, 50, 66, 117, 130, 172

Sue's experiences with, 87–90, 92, 94, 111, 120, 127

Alcoholic, 90

Alcoholic home, 101

Alcoholics Anonymous, 127

Alcoholism, 85, 93, 137–139

Alienation, 67

Allender, Dan, 42–43, 47

Alone, 77–78, 89–90, 92, 163, 169

Ambivalent, 47

Amends, 96, 121–123, 126–127

Anger, 133–134, 146–147, 161

April, 67

Joan, 17–19

Maggie, 45

Maryanne, 9

Terry, 52–53

Angry, 54, 68, 99, 107

Anonymity, 86

Anorexia, 82

Antidepressant medication, 11, 55, 64, 172

Antisocial personality disorder, 124, 162

Anxiety, 51–52, 65, 91, 125, 134, 158

Apathy, 157

Appearance, 73, 76, 79, 138–139, 141, 169

Appearances, 85, 88–89, 92

Appro...

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Half Title
• HAWORTH Practical Practice in Mental Health
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• ABOUT THE AUTHOR
• CONTENTS
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• SECTION I: THOSE IN NEED OF A COMMUNITY OF ONE—THEIR STORIES
• SECTION II: BARRIERS TO CREATING A COMMUNITY OF ONE
• SECTION III: CREATING A COMMUNITY OF ONE
• Epilogue. A Final Word
• References
• Index