Reaching Out for Recovery

By Tia Abell

Peace Arch News

For some people, the thought of a cramped elevator ride or the idea of going into a public building makes them break out into a cold sweat. Hearts palpitate, stomachs churn, and the temptation is to bolt for the nearest exit. Even home may not be a sanctuary for those suffering phobias, anxiety, depression, panic attacks and other nervous symptoms or fears.

Roseanne Pragnell remembers the day when she could no longer cope with her life. All morning she struggled with suffocating anxiety while trying to conceal it from her family. "I was ironing a pair of pants for my son, and as soon as he set off, I sat on the floor and cried," Pragnell recalled. "Then I called my husband and asked him to take me to the doctor. I was scared I was losing my mind."

Pragnell had waited three months to be treated for depression and anxiety. She could wait no more, and her doctor sent her to a psychiatric ward for a week. It was devastating - the stigma of mental illness - and I have a good family." But it was the first step to wellness.

After she returned home, Pragnell joined Recovery, Inc. in White Rock, a support group for people who suffer from a range of nervous fears. The non-profit, self-help group was developed by Chicago psychiatrist Dr. Abraham Low in 1937 to support former mental patients. Today, more than 700 Recovery groups meet worldwide, and the program evolved to include people who wrestle with anger management, depression, obsessive-compulsive behavior or panic attacks.

"(Low) saw patients going into the hospital, going out and then being rehospitalized again," she explained. "So he devised a method of tools and techniques for people to cope better and enjoy life. A lot of these people have suffered for years before getting help."

Pragnell is area leader for Western Canada's Recovery, Inc. and often speaks on mental health issues - occasionally to groups larger than 100. It's a volunteer job, like the group leaders; "they're not professionals so they don't counsel or diagnose," Pragnell notes.

Public speaking is considered the greatest fear lurking in most hearts, so how can a person once overwrought with fear stand before a crowd and speak? The answer is simple, Pragnell said. It's all about using one's will and learning to transform negative thought patterns into positive ones. "The first time I did it (public speaking) I didn't know how I did it because I had so many nervous symptoms," Pragnell said.

"But there are three things we can control: our thoughts, our muscles, and our impulses. We choose what we want to think; do you think insecurities or do you think secure?"

Low outlined this process in his book Mental Health Through Will Training, the basis for all Recovery meetings. The process follows four steps that center on developing self-awareness and personal responsibility. Members learn to spot their reactions to common but upsetting events - like being treated rudely by another driver - which trigger nervous symptoms.

The symptoms may result from fear of closed or open spaces or fear of making mistakes. And anticipation of an event - like an appointment requiring someone suffering from claustrophobia to take an elevator - can often be worse than the experience. Symptoms can include dizziness, sweats, numbness, fatigue, headaches, depression, chest pressure and tremors.

Members learn to acknowledge their symptoms as distressing but not dangerous, try to accept that these things happen in daily life, and work to control their reaction rather than letting it control them. "Because for us there are frustrations everyday - the first thing that happens gets us worked up, then the second and the third, and by the end of the day because we haven't coped with the first thing we'll become very upset, " Pragnell said.

"It is important to deal with trivialities, because we're not professionals, and if we learn the tools to cope with those we also have the tools to cope with more serious problems." Changing one's way of thinking isn't easy, but the effort is worth it. "It's brought peace, order and balance to my life - that's what it's given me."

Posted with permission from Peace Arch News.

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