This was a nice man. Very committed to the movement. But obviously, at his deepest core, he doesn't yet get it. If you truly understand recovery, you don't presume that we, as consumers, cannot speak for ourselves.
Scenario 3: I was meeting with a couple of researchers. These particular guys are "rock stars" in the research community. And they're using the word "recovery" right and left. But, looking back, I realize that what they were actually doing was replacing the word "treatment" with the word "recovery." So, instead of a treatment plan, they have a "recovery plan." Instead of a medication regimen, they have a "recovery regimen."
Nice, smart, gifted people. They've dedicated their whole lives to making our lives better. And these guys—the rock stars of the research world—actually have done things that do indeed make our lives better. But their focus seems still to be on process, on symptoms, and not on my whole life. They still don't truly understand recovery.
So, we have a ways to go. But I'm not despairing about this. Any big change has to start with baby steps. And I think each of us has a role to play in listening carefully and watching for these more subtle signs that recovery isn't fully understood ... and then helping people deepen and advance their understanding ... gently and patiently. Our providers, after all, are on their own recovery journey.
Do you have any other examples of how you've helped people move forward in understanding the true meaning of recovery?
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