Started about the same time as AA, Recovery, Inc. is a self-help organization for nervous people and former mental patients. It is not a Twelve Step meeting. Like AA it is not led by psychologists or psychiatrists, rather it is lead by people who themselves have suffered from conditions like anxiety, depression, or bipolar disorder.
Recovery, Inc., was founded by the late psychiatrist Doctor Abraham A. Low because he was concerned about the high relapse rate for people leaving mental hospitals. Most of Recover's principles are similar to those of Twelve Step organizations, but the language differs. In Recovery, Inc. much emphasis is placed on reading and studying the works of Dr. Low. There are no prayers or any references to a God or Higher Power. So individuals not liking all the God stuff of 12-step meetings will be able to listen with a more open mind. Recovery is not for or against the use of medication; it believes the use of medication is between you and your doctor. Most members attend one meeting per week. Many participate for a few years, get their nervousness under control, and then stop attending. However, they still use the tools they learned in Recovery meetings. So unlike AA, Recovery, inc. meetings are not for life.
Although both programs have a complicated language, the main reason for their success may be in instilling hope--faith that recovery is possible. At meetings one will see and hear from people who survived and made it to the other side; they are contented with life. One does not just hear theories. Until I saw people who voiced the same fears that I had, I could not believe that any sort of life was ever going to happen for me. AA probably has more people giving testimonials than Recovery; the focal point of Recovery, Inc. is learning certain tools to help with anxiety or mood swings. Another important, but maybe unspoken, reason for the effectiveness of both programs is that when people attend their first meeting they have already decided that they have a problem and are willing to work on a solution. They have given up blaming people and the world for all of their unhappiness. Most of us have wrestled for years with blame, denial, and rationalization before accepting help.
Recovery, Inc. meetings last about two hours and are highly structured. At meetings many specific terms are used. Words have power. Thinking and speaking negative words will slowly but surely pull you down. For example, since depressed carries the implication of having a permanent cross to bear "lowered feelings" is used.
Throughout the United States, meetings follow the following agenda:
1. Read from the book Mental Health through Will Training or listen to a tape by Dr. Low.
2. Give or listen to examples of how Recovery works. Examples show us how to live with stress. These examples are given according to an outline to help organize the persons thoughts. The outline directs the person to tell Who, What, When, Where the nervous event occurred. Then the person tells what symptoms he/she experienced and then what Recovery principles were used (this is called "spotting"). At the end the person describes how they would have acted before having had Recovery training (this encourages them to see progress). The rest of the group then does more "spotting" on the example. A person can always give a "Help Example" where the group does most of the "spotting."
3. Make comments on the examples.
4. Participate in "Mutual Aid." "Mutual Aid" is talking in small groups, it is a good time to ask questions and to get to know others. Usually, light refreshments are served; i.e. coffee, tea, cocoa.
What do you have to do? You may read, comment on the examples, ask questions, or pass. In fact, as a new person, you would not be expected to comment on examples until you had a chance to learn some recovery principles by attending some meetings and studying the book. A basket is passed around for a donation. Many give between one and two dollars. Recovery is self-supporting. Next, I will compare the main beliefs of AA and Recovery, Inc. These are outlined in Table I.
| AA language: | Recovery, Inc. language: |
|---|---|
| Serenity Prayer | Inner and Outer Environment |
| Humility | Averageness |
| Anger, Fear, Resentment | Angry and Fearful Temper |
| Easy Does It | Be the patient patient |
| Help Others | Help Others |
| Use the Phone | Use the Phone |
In contrast Recovery, Inc. talks about Inner and Outer Environment. You can not control your outer environment (other people are part of outer environment). You can only control your inner environment which is mostly your attitudes and your actions. Recovery, Inc. encourages members to have the courage to make mistakes. As I see it, these two concepts are identical.
Recovery, Inc. tells members to aim at being average instead of romanto-intellectualists (big term for a know-it-all). Recovery says "try not to be exceptional"--meaning always right, always perfect. The term average also includes the idea that we will get average treatment from people, and the world. Some people will treat us in a rude, crude, indifferent fashion. They do not do things to us, that is just the way they happen to be today. Recovery reminds us to endorse ourselves or pat ourselves on the back for every bit of effort we make for our mental health. We learn to depend on ourselves instead of others for praise. Sometimes others have too many problems of their own to take time to stroke our egos.
Anger--When we do not get our way
Fear--When we think of a time in the future when we may not get our way
Resentment--When we remember a time in the past when we did not get our way
Managing fear and anger is a cornerstone to controlling mental illness in Recovery, Inc. Dr. Low has many ideas and tools concerning these emotions. These feelings usually are associated with our expectations and disappointments. In other words when we do not get our way (what we expected), we often develop elaborate expectations by thinking and thinking--in Recovery language "we process." (AA members might call this projection). Anger is intellectual blindness to the other person's point of view. We think we are totally right and the other person totally wrong. Sometimes we are angry at someone, Recovery calls that anger temper. Fearful temper is when we are angry at ourselves for making a mistake or for being imperfect. Our fears are often of the unknown--what is going to happen or of our social reputation--what will people think. We are taught to excuse rather than accuse--give ourselves and others the benefit of the doubt. We are told to know is to know you do not know. That is we really do not know the future, what people are thinking, or why they did or did not do something. My anger often rises because "my self-importance was being stepped on." We are taught to expect rude, crude, or indifferent from people at times. My AA friends have explained this Recovery principle in more blunt terms, "Jim what makes you think you are so special" when my feelings had been hurt by what someone did to me. I really believed that everyone should treat me nice all the time.
Recovery, Inc. says: "It is not how you feel, it is how you function." "Comfort is a want and not a need." "Belief is the last to come." "Move your muscles." "Be the patient patient," in other words, recovery takes time. To help us continue, Recovery, Inc. reminds us to pat ourselves on the back for every effort we make. I think both programs are saying that recovery takes time. We have to just keep trying.
Extensive studies since the 1980's have shown that cognitive therapy is at least as good as using antidepressants. Research has also shown that the relapse rate is much higher for people taking medication. It seems that depression comes back with a vengeance after getting off of antidepressants. So, once one starts taking pills to feel better, one just might have to take some kind of medication for the rest of their life. On the other hand a brief ) 12-16 weeks) of cognitive therapy may be all a person needs to get better and stay better permanently.
A good, short, easy-to-understand book that describes most Recovery, Inc. tools and techniques is Peace of Body Peace of Mind by Rose VanSickle. 1996. PLJ Unlimited, Inc. P.O. Box 98441, Raleigh, NC 27624-8441
ISBN 0-9649506-1-8
A comprehensive book that is read and studied at Recovery, Inc. meetings is Mental Health Through Will Training by Dr. Abraham A. Low. 1984. Willett Publishers
ISBN: 0915005018
In my book, which is available free on my web site, I explain how I have used Recovery tools to help me with my tendency to violent mood swings. The sections, "How to cope with nervousness and mood swings" and "Old ideas I had to give up" contain many examples of how Recovery helped save my life.
How to cope with nervousness and mood swings