The Recovering Mind:
Planting the Seeds of Success in Recovery
As we stand at the precipice of a new journey, we have a grand view of both what lay before us and what lay beyond us. Behind us is our history. STEPS was established in 1964 by the Westchester Kiwanis Club in 1964 as a nonprofit organization to increase safety in our community and offer Driving under the Influence (DUI) classes to those in need. In 2015, STEPS started offering a substance use disorder (SUD) program utilizing outpatient and intensive outpatient services to meet the needs of individuals suffering with substance use complications and co-occurring disorders. What lies beyond is now coming into fruition. Under new leadership, with a new direction, and a new impassioned drive to better serve the community, STEPS is here to carry the torch of recovery into a new generation. As with all journeys of discovery, nothing occurs until the heroic first step is placed, and what follows is a change in narrative and trajectory for those who come on this journey with us.
How does someone start and then stay vigilant on the path that they choose when they enter treatment for a substance use disorder and cooccurring disorders? Also, how does one not sabotage themselves by setting the landmines of cognitive distortions (irrational or exaggerated thoughts that impede forward progress and trigger negative emotions) and self-fulfilling prophecies (predicting something can occur and then bringing it to fruition through your own action or inaction)? Nothing is guaranteed, but the best defense for self-sabotaging is mindfulness, intentionality, positive thinking, and consistency. Author Victoria Erickson once wrote, “Consistency is an underappreciated form of intentional magic disguised as a mundane doing.” Nothing is achieved when consistency is not an integral part of the plan. As we start a journey of recovery, this too is imperative. The link between success and failure, sadly, is all in our heads. What we think, we manifest or move towards. The power of positive thinking is often overlooked in recovery, but it is at the foundation of recovery for both substance use disorders and mental health issues.
What we plant in our gray matter, our thoughts, are then nurtured and nourished by the thoughts that come next. Imagine every thought as a seed, and what grows from each seed is equal to the intention that is planted. If you plant an apple seed, the only thing you can grow from it is an apple tree, therefor our thoughts determine the outcome. I read a poem one time that stated, “Your mind is a garden, your thoughts are the seeds. You can grow flowers, or you can grow weeds.” So, as our journey is unfolding here at STEPS, let us help nurture those initial seeds of recovery that are growing within the minds of those who are seeking our assistance. Let us bring the sunshine of positivity, the water of clinical support, and the compost of evidenced-based systems to help bolster your chances of finding and maintaining your path of recovery. The Recovering Mind will be a monthly Blog that explores the part STEPS has played and is playing currently in the world of Outpatient services to our community. Come back and visit us every month and see what is new with STEPS, get helpful tips on managing substance use, mental health concerns, and trauma (which are often all interconnected), and share your own stories of recovery, strength, and positivity. Austrian Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke, was noted for saying, “The only journey is the journey within,” so come on this journey with us, and let us discover the possibilities together.
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