What do you do when someone you love is diagnosed with a debilitating mental illness? You can ask Emeline Bates, whose favorite aunt was taken from her home in France in the 1890’s. Or Clemens Bates, her son, whose brother Truman was sent to the Vermont Asylum for the Insane in 1932. Truman Bates was heading for a career in the Vermont granite industry until he began to hear, feel, and see things that no one else could. He was eventually treated for a newly labeled illness: schizophrenia. Decades later, his nephew Pat Bates was a typical senior of the Class of 1984. It was then that Pat’s unlikely best friend, Dante Zuckerman, began to seriously worry that the depression Pat fell into that year would lead him to a life like Uncle Tru’s. While there is no one way for a family to navigate their way through the complexities of mental illness, how they do so is greatly influenced by both the time and place in which it occurs. Equally significant are the friends and community who provide the support needed for a transition to a new normal.
Meet JJ Holbert
Why Big Flame and Little Buck? JJ Holbert worked in the mental health field in the 1990’s. It was her first real job and she loved her position title, Psychosocial Rehabilitation Counselor, because it had so many syllables. She worked in a day treatment program in which she supported job development and training for adults with mental illness. She could be found more often than not driving the agency van around with clients on their way to pick up recycling, mow lawns, or staff a soup kitchen. In the way that only working side-by-side can, there developed a camaraderie and mutual respect that helped her grow as a person. She can only hope she had as positive an influence on her clients as they had on her. This novel is written in honor of them.
There is no denying that the Corona Virus pandemic had a far-reaching effect on humanity. One could potentially argue that the death toll was the least of the problems. Between crushing the economy, closing small businesses, laying people off, quarantining, closing schools, and not being able to visit family, our lives were turned upside down overnight. Children were no longer able to see their friends and were forced to wear masks all the time. No matter what political side of the fence you came from, there is no denying that this pandemic had a crippling effect on mental health. Suicide rates have increased in adults and children since the pandemic started. Depression and anxiety are worse than ever. If that is not bad enough, we have a major shortage of mental health care providers to help with this issue and long waiting lists to get into the ones we do have. In The Real Pandemic, alternative mental health options are discussed that allow you to not only heal during these tough times, but to thrive!
Examine your thought life and live in His glory with this guidebook on converting negative thought patterns into positive thinking — win the battle in your mind using the word of God. It’s time you stop falling victim to the devil’s deception and start the journey to reclaiming your identity as a child of God. All you need is to revisit your Christian values, be patient with your progress, and always remember that God absolutely loves you and wants you to put an end to your struggles. It’s not going to be an easy path, but you have an effective guide to accompany you every step of the process. Inside this transformative Christian guidebook, you will discover: How chronic complaining entails toxicity that traps you in a life of struggles and suffering — and how your body takes a toll every time you complain
The importance of recognizing your thoughts — and why you must learn of the patterns keeping you from moving forward and defeating the invisible enemy within you
How to cultivate self-awareness by acknowledging and identifying your thought patterns to redefine your perception of reality
Steps to conquering negative thoughts the Christian way to allow you to renew your mind by integrating the word of God into your day-to-day life
The importance of practicing Christian mindfulness and developing self-compassion to bring you closer to Him and transform what you say in His way
The role of emotions in your journey to reconnect with the Lord, including appropriate verses to help you fight against depression, inferiority, loneliness, and other negative emotions
The power of gratitude and how to incorporate it into your character — nurture contentment, develop a stronger faith, and realign your spirituality And much more. Christ is the epitome of love and proof that God has always wanted us to live in His victory. You may have temporarily drifted, but you can always go back to Him. God is always waiting for you to run back to him. Discover how to remove yourself from the toxicity of negative thinking and return to God’s embrace.
Meet Mia Farrah
Mia Farrah is a devout Christian and the author of Sis, Complaining Is Remaining in Toxic
Thinking.
Her work takes a Christian angle on self-help, resulting in a truly inspirational approach to
personal growth and healing.
Mia grew up as a regular churchgoer and taught Sunday school for many years. This gave her a
unique perspective on the problems faced by young people and the ways in which their faith
and the teachings of Christ can help them.
Mia has firsthand experience of the power of the word of God to help you transform your life.
She struggled with negative thought patterns for years, attempting to get rid of them on her own.
It was only when she turned to God for help that she realized the solution lay with Him. She is of
the firm belief that the Word of God can be applied to change our thought patterns, resulting in a
positive shift across our whole lives. She is passionate about helping others access practical
applications of the scriptures in order to improve their circumstances and live a happy and
fulfilling life under the watchful eyes of God.
The oldest of 11 children, Mia grew up in a small country town, and church life was central to
her upbringing. She is now a mother to an 18-year-old daughter and is thrilled to be in a position
to teach her the lessons she missed out on herself,
If you want to become the master of your own life, then keep reading. Are you tired of repeating the same mistake? Are you tired of being confused about how negative situations seem to appear in your life, time and time again? It’s time to put an end to that. Imagine having the ability to always make calculated decisions in your life, uninfluenced by impulse, and are best for you. Imagine being able to traverse, contemplate and respond appropriately to your own thoughts, with simple and easy techniques. Welcome to the exclusive world of journaling. Journal keeping is an art somewhat lost in time, however, its relevance is at its pinnacle in this modern era. Countless icons throughout time have partaken in this craft, ranging from Albert Einstein, Marie Currie, Leonardo DeVinci and Anne Frank. Discover how to befriend stress, anxiety, depression, and many other inhibitions, and reduce their presence in your life. Achieve your goals with confidence and ease. Effortlessly track your progress on becoming the best and most true version of yourself. “People who keep journals have life twice.” —Jessamyn West (1902-1984), highly accomplished novelist and writer. In this book, you will be introduced to the special truths about journaling. You will then have everything you need to become the authority of your own reality. Whatever improvements you wish to see, health, wealth, cognitive behaviour, more fruitful relationships, you are guaranteed to make some serious and enlightening headway. You just need a pen, paper, and these proven strategies. Here’s just a taste of what you’ll discover in this book: • How journaling can help you reach advanced levels of consciousness
• All the benefits you can experience from journaling
• How and why these benefits occur
• How to start journaling today, even if you have no idea how
• The blueprint on how you can tailor this practice to any area of your life
• 14 journaling techniques, with full step by step guidance
• How to transform journal writing into a habit that sticks
• The secret to never running out of things to write
• 10 mental inhibitions journaling has an astounding applicability to and exactly how to apply it
• How to create order in your life and run it like clockwork
• The essential tricks to express yourself and allow your words to flow freely onto the page
• The most common problems people face when journaling and how to overcome them
• The untold power of accountability
• How you can evolve journaling to supremely benefit your mental health “In general, people diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder reported significantly lower depression scores after three days of expressive writing, 20 minutes per day.” – Journal of Affective Disorders, Volume 150, Issue 3. Expression really is the opposite of depression. The guidelines for journaling have been made so easy to follow that you will have success with it, even if you currently lack dedication or motivation in your life. No matter who you are, what you do or where you are in life, you can benefit greatly from this book. Attaining heightened awareness of oneself will always be invaluable. There is so much you can do with it, and if you don’t know how, you will. That’s why this book is for you!
Meet Michael Stack
Michael Stack is a former personal trainer and currently works in the profession of counselling. Throughout the duration of both these contrasting careers, he has always been a journal advocate. Not only would he prescribe this art to both his clients, but he avidly journals and has perfected his craft over the years utilizing a myriad of different techniques. His mission is to share the power and benefits that lie within journaling, so we can all become our best selves.
Four angels woke me from barbiturate oblivion urging me to “Wake up! Call for help!”
The angels’ voices pushed me forward as I dragged my body off the couch and crawled across the floor to my phone. The operator picked up and my mind collapsed into emptiness.
I left my body that night. My disembodied spirit floated weightlessly through hospital corridors. I watched from the ceiling as medics pounded on the chest of my body below me before my soul blasted back into it.
This began my tangled passage from brokenness, drug addiction, demonic oppression and death into healing and spiritual awakening. Today I am completely drug and depression free. In the two decades since my suicide attempt, Jesus has guided me into true healing from depression, and taught me to enjoy a deeply victorious life with Him as my companion.
~
In the summer of 2019, I read a book about meditation and decided to try it. I incorporated my Christian faith into the steps and used this new technique to seek the presence of God through silence. Meditative prayer has become part of my daily routine and has drawn me even more deeply into relationship with Jesus as I still my thoughts and rest in His beautiful presence.
Then I started having strange vision experiences in which my spirit was transported to a heavenly place full of God’s glory where I prayed for our world along with millions of other saints. The visions took me by surprise. I wasn’t seeking them. I had never even heard of anything similar happening to any other modern day Christian. I was disturbed and suspicious at first.
Over time, through months of testing and praying and searching, God slowly convinced me in the quiet, loving way He does, that I wasn’t going insane. The visions were really from Him. I learned that many other Biblically sound Christians also have visions today.
~ God loves and cares deeply about us. ~
The visions continued. They were varied, included multiple locations and introductions to various characters from Biblical history and loved ones from my own life. Were the visions really happening or purely spiritual, like waking dreams? I cannot answer that. They are so vivid, often involving all my senses. They seem very real to me. But whatever the answer, one defining message clearly threads throughout all of them. God loves and cares deeply about us. He wants us to know Him and delights to teach us about His character. I was being called to join with the saints in praying for our world, for a great awakening that would draw all people to God.
One of God’s charges was that I write everything down, every vision in detail. As I did this I realized that there was a connection between the visions and my own life journey, from my early experiences of demonic oppression and suicide to eventual miraculous healing through the love of Christ. I began to understand that my visions about God’s love for us were also a message to others struggling with depression. My own story of God’s healing could be used to help others learn how to seek God’s healing presence through meditative prayer.
So I told it all, from a demonically oppressed disturbed child who also fell in love with Jesus and prayed to become a Christian at six years old, to a suicidally depressed young adult who overdosed on sleeping pills and was brought back from death in the hospital, to years addicted to prescription drugs, to miraculous healing, victorious life and divine visions.~
My healing was miraculous. But it was not instantaneous. It was a process of learning how to think in a healthy way, how to shift my thoughts and spirit life from defeat to victory. My prayer is that my journey will help others climb their way out of the trap of poisonous thought patterns and prescribed drug addictions. There are so many of us out there fighting this battle…
Meet Blue Tapp
Blue Tapp is a writer, artist, photographer, musician, and homesteader. She has an A.A. in Fine Arts, B.A. in English, M.A. in English Literature, and completed Ph.D. coursework in Rhetoric & Composition. She has run her own website development company, Blue’s ArtHouse Graphics & Web Design, since 1997.
Blue writes inspirational nonfiction and speaks about seeking God through meditative prayer, healing from depression, and deliverance from demonic oppression. She is available for speaking engagements and podcast interviews. Email inquiries to [email protected]
Blue and her husband, Craig Scheffer, live and homestead in Blue Eye, Missouri, where they raise chickens, ducks, rabbits, and goats and grow their own food. Follow their homesteading adventures at hermitsway.com.
This is the age of the brain, and way too many of us have let it rule our lives in very dangerous ways. Here’s how to change that: Do you lie awake obsessing about your day? What you did or said that might have been wrong, or what you might be facing tomorrow? Do you believe you can think your way out of any problem if you just apply your mind hard enough? How many random, worrying thoughts do you think you have every day, about stuff that never happens, or isn’t even real? No wonder you are stuck in a stress spiral. It only takes a few of these thoughts to tie your gut in knots, send your heart racing, and put a complete stop to any sleep. Over 75% of 25 to 55-year-olds struggle with overthinking, and about 52% of those above 55. That’s a lot of people spending a lot of time and energy on something that is not only unhelpful… but downright bad for them.
It can lead to major depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and other serious health issues like heart problems, high blood pressure, digestive upsets, and more. Too many of us spend way too much time in our heads obsessing about stuff we don’t need to. Are you ready to finally break free from this torment? In this supportive and practical book, you will discover: -The benchmark for overthinking – Do you have a problem, or is this just normal?
-How to put a stop to a racing brain
-How the brain can mislead and confound even the smartest of people
-The upside to overthinking – if you can’t stop it, you may as well point it in the right direction
-The easiest way to get out of the dwell well, and how to avoid falling into it in the first place
-The secret Jedi mind tricks to calm yourself instantly
-What you need to do to get rid of your negative inner critic and that pesky imposter syndrome for good
-The easiest ways to make tough decisions
-How to set up workable support systems to help you keep overthinking at bay
-Healthy habit hacks that will help you easily apply and use these practical tools and methods
-How to focus your mind, no matter what is going on around you
-How to never feel socially anxious, no matter what the event or situation And much more. You may have tried a bunch of things already. You may have been told that your mind is beyond your control, but that is simply not true. The mental mastery tricks, tools, and tips in this book explode the myth that we are at the mercy of our minds. In fact, with the right approach, you never need to spend another sleepless night worrying about things you have no control over. Maybe more thinking is not the answer to overthinking! Sometimes you just can’t think your way out of a problem that you spent most of your life behaving your way into. But there is another way to solve the overthinking dilemma – and this book has the answers. Discover the secrets to mastering your mind and make overthinking a thing of the past.
Meet Helen Corbyn
Raised by a single mom, Helen grew up in the Great Smoky Mountains. She traded the mountains for the beach when she married her husband and moved to the coast. After the loss of her special needs three-year-old daughter, Helen spent many hours in counseling, researching, and putting into practice strategies to help cope with stress, loss, anxiety, and overthinking. She knows what it feels like to be paralyzed by her thoughts, so she is passionate about sharing her knowledge and experiences to help others.
My mental health was threatened struggling alone in an uncertain world where love was absent 2yrs ago. I had given in and up to depression. My letters had been written and assets moved as I inched closer to the line between worlds. I told myself a story that was self-destructive with the repeat button on and prayed for the music to stop. My Anger ran it course and sadness ensued.
My victim role established my identity and so I kept feeding it. Asking for help has always been hard for me and even when I did, I didn’t feel heard. Isolation was my companion down the rabbit hole and even though it was unwelcoming, I found more truth through self; alone, realizing I was the one hearing my thoughts.
To be quite frank, I feel a little like a fraud because even though I haven’t rescinded back into my personal Hell, completely conquering depression hasn’t been achieved. But when I find myself off course I can consult the words in these pages for a guide back to purpose and mission. Because conquering depression is all about winning the thought battle that yields emotional intelligence and a strong vibration, one that lights up the room.
This collection of poetry is a combination of the ups and downs of my anxiety and depression while battling heartache. It reflects my limited belief in myself and my codependence on another human who damaged me. My heartache was very painful and unforeseen. I fell in love hard and hurt hard. Through the pain I found life changing healing. If you have ever had your heart ripped out then this book is for you!
Meet Dacia Collins
Dacia Collins was born and raise in the enchanted state of New Mexico. Dacia considers her family and life experiences to be most important to her. Dacia loves being a lifelong learner. When she isn’t working or tending to her two beautiful children, you can almost always find her adventuring and creating new memories!
This personal and motivating guide for battling depression follows one survivor’s intimate journey through the illness while imparting the essential steps readers can take to start feeling better. As the narrative of this first person account unfolds, it compels, educates, and guides readers towards forming the necessary habits for overcoming depression. Its holistic approach uncovers many keys, practices, and secrets that can lead to a healthier and happier life. One Survivor’s Guide for Beating Depression and Thriving Thereafter is an inspirational story of struggle and perseverance that will prove that anyone can fight their way through their darkest hour, and even dare to begin to forge their way to thriving thereafter.
Meet Nima Fard
Nima Fard is a motivator, presenter, coach and corporate manager who has extensive experience researching, writing and presenting business seminars for a diverse group of private and public companies. One Survivors Guide for Beating Depression and Thriving Thereafter is based on Nima’s struggle with the disease of major depression. The author’s hope is for others to benefit from his work as well as to shed light on the disease of depression in an effort to raise the public consciousness about mental illness. Nima currently lives in Calgary, Canada.
This guide makes a serious and compelling case for exploring different ways to measure depression and how a sense of humor can and should be used to enhancement treatments of mental illness. This unique guide not only includes invaluable measurement tools for exploring new ways to measure depression, it is seriously funny.
Meet David M Jacobson
David Jacobson, LCSW, CHP is the Director of Behavioral Health Case Management at Banner University Medical Center South as well as a professional speaker. Prior to this he served as Chief of Social Work for the Veterans Administration supervising 18 programs and over 200 clinicians and other staff. Jacobson is a former board member of the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor (AATH) and graduated in the first class of the AATH Humor Academy as a Certified Humor Professional. He is author of “The 7 1/2 Habits of Highly Humorous People” which discussed using humor to cope with chronic pain, arthritis and other conditions. A second edition to this book is in process.
