Grow Meetings

[amamas]

Hey All

I'm thinking of trying out a Grow meeting tomorrow.  Have any of you tried them?  I'm freaked out about it!!  I don't trust people and the thought of sitting in a room with a whole lot of them sounds far from pleasant to me.  But then I think they will be people like you guys on here and you are all totally awesome!

Love to hear if any of you have tried it and of your experiences - good and bad.

Cheers thanks amamas

[The_Real_David_Charles]

Hey Amamas,

GROW are a valid organisation and I believe Beyondblue recommend them.

But.........being a big admin base can be fragmental.   One GROW counsellor that visited my psych hospital gave the most wonderful presentation and history.  People seemed to line up for the pamphlets and get into it.  For me, I was left thinking why the guy was 50 mins late and we'd just been forced to sit and wait.   So, maybe giving a historical account wasn't the right thing to slot in to the remaining 10 mins.   It was like the opportunity to mingle and exchange ideas was constricted by his lateness. Maybe I even experienced De-Grow instead of experiencing Da Grow. (Sorry, too much Indian food for lunch).

Sadly, human beings are quick to judge on a first look.   So, even if I'd gone back to much better ran meetings after that my mind would always have gone back to the botched first time.   Which basically means you have to find the right facilitator, the right group, the right time and the right place.  It seems a bit hit and miss.

But, more important than all that drivel about logistics, is your decision to participate in group therapy.   But it won't be like this as on BB where you can only see my fingers.  Good Luck.     Other groups I've done have been fantastic.

Adios, David.

PS  We were in sync today.   That's rare for BB.  The mods should be applauded.

[amamas]

Hey David

Sweet as with the being in sync!

Have you started writing that book yet?  I'm already hanging out to read it!

What groups did you enjoy?

I tried CODA earlier this year.  Totally not my style with all the rules and regulations, not to mention the joint reading of all the bits and pieces. I was thinking are you guys human or robots?  Then at the end I was sharing with one of the well meaning robots about a book I'd found very helpful, she informed me that we were only allowed to discuss CODA literature at group.  What the hell??? I didn't go back. I know some people feel more comfortable with set procedures and stuff but I can't help but think why are you doing this?  Aren't you bored with reading from these same sheets week in and week out?  Each to their own I guess.

So, I'm probably going to give grow a try tomorrow, hopefully better than your de-grow experience.  I'll let you know.

Cheers amamas

[Chris_B]

Generally beyondblue provides links to national organisations, hence why GROW has been mentioned, but there will be loads of others, so for anyone reading it'd be great to hear your experiences/recommendations for other peer support groups too.

Hope it goes well for you amamas.

best
CB

___________________________________________________________________

Online Community Manager

[geoff]

dear Amamas, I haven't been involved in any GROW meetings, but where I was put after my suicide attempt no. 1 was a clinic in Melbourne, and I have mentioned this in the old BB, but it was where the 'mentally sick' were put upstairs and those with an addition were downstairs, and their usual comments were 'those mental patients are gar gar'.

Anyway we used to have group meetings everyday and I remember one day someone had to imagine a situation and start talking, but after 30 min. or so we were all laughing ourselves stupid, as the conversation became so surreal, as non of us had laughed so much in a long time.

When the meeting ended we fell into a heap of exhaustion, but more so felt as low as you could get and back into depression.

So there were good points to this but also low points.

I did find it very interesting when someone was talking about their own experience, the look on their faces, their eyes and how comfortable they felt in disclosing their personal traumas, and always thinking that these people have had it worse than I had.

I will see if there are any GROW meetings close by.

Amamas, just take it slowly, and just remember that your contribution here on this site will give you strength, and by the way you are doing it shows that you are becoming a great person, still struggling, but that's understandable. L Geoff. x

[amamas]

Not good today.  Possibly relating to the painful anniversary coming up this weekend.  Not going to try out the meeting this week.  Perhaps next time?

Such is life amamas

[Ponder]

If religion triggers you, best of looking elsewhere.

I found it a rather welcoming experience, however was triggered at the end, when we all got up, held hands and started Praying.

Religion has played a large roll in the truma of my families past ... I was totally un prepared for it. Had I known, I would not of put myself in that situation.

Dave.
http://photographyformentalillness.blogspot.com.au/

[The_Real_David_Charles]

Dear amamas,

Sorry to hear you weren't up to the meeting. Good to keep on the back burner.  Sometimes when you are feeling shit that is the right time to go.  If you can get over the lack of motivation.  Because someone at the meeting will say "Last week I had to cancel my birthday because my neighbour called me a Dole Bludger and doesn't understand why depression would keep me away from work more than a month".  And then you would laugh and connect and the meeting would be sooo worth it.

I assisted with some trials in England back in the late 80's.   The purpose was to discover if senile dementia patients would benefit from occupational therapy and music therapy in a combined setting.   My mentor duly completed her Masters on this research.  They confirmed that moods and physical gross motor skills were vastly improved during the intense session (2 therapists and me, student).

But the most amazing thing they discovered was that the increased awareness lasted for an extra 4 - 6 hours.  So, my point is, it's not just attending the group that is valid, it's the after glow, the positive thoughts and remembering that, with a little help and support, you can possibly get back into first gear.  (Just don't take the "Highway to Hell".  Lol).

Adios, David.

[The_Real_David_Charles]

Dear Ponder,

How is the walking going ? Are you up to 20 mins yet ?

It's a bit curious that you were "totally unprepared" for a religious situation to include praying.  Or do you mean "totally unprepared" for the trigger back to you families past trauma (which involved religion) ?    It seems we can't do anything in the community without something having the potential to make us more anxious.  But the plus is that you tried.

I remember being dragged to a well known Healing Service once and when they asked me if I wanted to be healed (and give myself to the Lord kind of thing), which would have involved much praying and hands on my head, etc, I surprised everyone by saying "No".   Looking back, I think I was saying "No" to the way it was being done rather than "No" to "Do you want to get better".

Plus, Ponder on this:   About 2 years ago I put up a thread asking "If you could be cured 100% would you want to be ?".    It was roughly 60% YES and 40% NO.  Kind of tells you that human nature is way more complex than we understand.  Some people have developed entire careers due to the handicap of their mental illness. 

For me, I written over 400 big band charts simply because multiple bipolar admissions caused too many Medical Retirements so I ended up doing something for myself.  Being crazy is not always a bad thing.  Look at Mad Max, Willy Wonka, Harry Potter, Mary Poppins, the Gallagher brothers, Chris Brown, Dr Seuss, Forrest Gump, Einstein, Edison, the Wright brothers and so many more.  Every adventurer's main quote is "I did it because everyone told me it couldn't be done".   We eat and drink too much.  We drive fast. Crazy stuff endures and makes us feel normal !

Adios, David.

[amamas]

Hey Ponder

Thanks heaps for that info.  Yes religion a big trigger for me.  I didn't realise they were religious, I'll still give it a go next week but now I'll be prepared when my religion button starts going ding! ding! ding!

Thanks amamas