Procovery Institute Blog

Part III - Procovery Evaluation

2011-12-21T17:32:00.000-08:00

"We have seen miracles realized as an expected outcome of our weekly Procovery Circles. It is difficult to believe that one program, working within the constraints of the current system, can offer and deliver so much." -Dr. Amanda Luckett Murphy, Amanda Luckett Murphy Hopewell Center, St. Louis, MO

We have been busy integrating the clips, video and feedback related to experiences and outcomes that have been provided to us by Procovery Circle Facilitators and other professionals and administrators for the final installment of our end-of-year reflections series. During this process we are finding ourselves in absolute awe of all of you and the extraordinary and unprecedented outcomes you have seen and are experiencing as a result of Procovery at your sites. We realized the the depth and breadth of material we have to share with you all is simply too much for an end of year communication (it's almost too much for a book!) and because of this, we are posting and sending an alternate Part III in this series. Please look for a compilation in the future!

Jean Campbell, Ph.D.

Summary of Findings in Missouri Procovery Demonstration Pilot - Click Here to Listen to Audio!

Procovery Fidelity - Click Here to Listen to Audio!
Quote from Focus Group Participant - Click Here to Listen to Audio!
Outcomes from Procovery in MO - Click Here to Listen to Audio!
Positive Improvement Resulting from Procovery - Click Here to Listen to Audio!
Evidence Based Practice - Click Here to Listen to Audio!
Surprised by Any Findings in Procovery Study? - Click Here to Listen to Audio!

Most important, it can be concluded from the evaluation of the Missouri Procovery Demonstration Program that Procovery is a promising catalyst of system transformation.
Dr. Jean Campbell, Principal Investigator, Missouri Procovery Demonstration Pilot, Missouri Institute of Mental Health, 2007

LaVonna Blair Lewis, Ph.D.
Specific findings:
1. Procovery Circles are effective across racial, ethnic, and gender boundaries
2. Procovery Circle participants exhibit improved coping, communications, and socialization skills and increased self-efficacy. 3. Procovery Circles are perceived by institutions, in widely different settings, as being valuable to their clients and also to their staff and to their organizational objectives.

4. Procovery Circles are cost-effectively sustainable.
Dr. LaVonna Blair Lewis, Principal Investigator, University of Southern California School of Policy, Planning and Development, 2005

Donald Linhorst, Ph.D. and Michael Mancini, Ph.D.
98% felt that the Procovery program positively impacted treatment participation
94% felt that the Procovery program positively impacted decision making
97% felt that the Procovery program positively impacted motivation
96% felt that the Procovery program positively impacted problem solving
92% felt the Procovery Model has had a positive influence on their professional practice
Dr. Donald Linhorst and Dr. Michael Mancini, Principal Investigators, Phase I & II Missouri Procovery Project Facilitator Evaluation, Saint Louis University School of Social Work, 2007

Joseph Parks, Ph.D.
"In the course of implementing a recovery model in the Missouri Comprehensive Psychiatric System, we have identified certain components essential in our own recovery implementation. The Missouri Department of Mental Health decided to adopt a specific recovery model as foundational to service delivery and ultimately to system transformation. In 2005, the department selected the Procovery program developed by Kathleen Crowley as the recovery model for an urban-rural demonstration program in the St. Louis and Southeast Missouri regions."

Please CLICK HERE to read the full article, Missouri's Recovery Experience by Dr. Joseph Parks. This article originally appeared in the November 2007 issue of Behavioral Healthcare Magazine.

REMINDER: Procovery Institute is closing end of day today. We will be closed for the holidays and for extensive internal planning and development. Once Procovery Institute 2012 planning and development has been completed, you will be hearing from us. Until then, please know that our planning and development are to ensure a wildly successful next expansion! Thank you for your interest in, and support of, Procovery! You all make our work possible, and we plan to make you proud.

Today, we would like to leave you with a Procovery Video Snippet featuring Francie Broderick, Executive Director*, Places for People, St. Louis, MO:

Procovery - Part of a Larger Movement - Click Here to Watch Video!

We hope you celebrate a beautiful and joyous new year and we look forward to connecting with you all in 2012!

Until next time...

Procovery Institute

*Indicates title at time of filming.

What Others Are Saying and Seeing - Part II Continued...

2011-12-19T17:20:00.000-08:00

We are continuing to revisit powerful words from individuals involved with Procovery - last week we brought you What Others Are Saying and Seeing Part II - feedback from Agency Administrators. Today, we invite you to please read on for Part II Continued... (more from Agency Administrators!)

"Of all the entertainment the NYAPRS Annual Conference has featured over the past 29 years, no group has so captured the hearts of our community as the Procovery & the Rise Up Revolution, a group of LA based musicians who shared their great sound, spirit and soul at last September’s annual conference. Several hundred conference attendees grooved and danced to every minute of the band’s terrific two hour show, moved especially by the personal message of hope and healing that comes through their performance."
-Harvey Rosenthal, Executive Director, NYAPRS, Albany, NY

-Sinikka Santala, Division Director (Retired), Wisconsin Department of Health, Madison, WI (Link below)

Procovery and Health Care Reform - Click Here to Listen to Audio!

"Procovery offers an integrated approach for dual diagnosis that also supports multi-cultural considerations, concurrent physical conditions, as well as the challenges of homelessness and legal histories."
-Marvin J. Southard, D.S.W., Director, County of Los Angeles Department of Mental Health, Los Angeles, CA

"BJC Behavioral Healthcare played both an integral role in bringing Procovery to MO, and in sustaining the program in MO, during very challenging fiscal times. I highly recommend the Procovery program along with their engaging, professional and inspirational MUSIC HEALS events to anyone looking for innovative programming that delivers unprecedented outcomes. Procovery saves lives and dollars, and should be an integral component of all healthcare reform efforts. "
-Mark Stansberry, Executive Director, BJC Behavioral Health, St. Louis, Missouri

"Procovery has been at the forefront of Missouri’s effort to transform its mental health services to a consumer centric system that lives its values of consumer empowerment and person centered, self-directed care. The Procovery Institute has been an invaluable partner, bringing a vision, commitment, and spectrum of tools and resources to that effort that speak to consumers’ wishes to reclaim and reestablish new and vital lives for themselves. MUSIC HEALS is the latest such tool and is eagerly awaited in Missouri."
-Felix Vincenz, Ph.D., Chief Operating Officer, Division of Psychiatric Services - Missouri Department of Health and Mental Health, Columbia, MO

-Cathy Warner, L.C.S.W., Deputy Director, Adult Systems of Care, County of Los Angeles Department of Mental Health, Los Angeles, CA (Link below)
Procovery at South Bay Mental Health Center in Hawthorne, CA

-Joe Yancey, Community Services Director*, MO DMH CPS Division, St. Louis, MO and Dora Cole, Director Community Service Operations*, MO DMH CPS Division, Poplar Bluff, MO (Links below)

Procovery Program Fidelity - Click Here to Watch Video!
Procovery: The Missing Piece - Click Here to Watch Video!

Please stay tuned for words from Staff Facilitators, coming soon!

Until next time...

Procovery Institute

* Indicates title at time of filming.

What Others Are Saying and Seeing - Part II

2011-12-15T21:48:00.000-08:00

As we indicated last week, we are revisiting powerful words from individuals involved with Procovery. Last week we brought you feedback from inspiring individuals with lived experience and expertise. This week we are pleased to bring you Part II with words from Agency Administrators:

“Procovery has been an integral component of Self Help Center programming since its beginning in Missouri. Procovery is a program that achieves real change through accountability, inspiration, and support. Procovery’s tools, technology, and collaborative opportunities allow for us to create meaningful change, together. Procovery Institute’s MUSIC HEALS events are a wonderful and inspiring addition to an already engaging, innovative, and comprehensive program that brings hope into the lives of individuals in need. “

- Nancy Bollinger, CMPS, Executive Director, Self Help Center, St. Louis, Missouri

“Healthcare reform needs to be about much more than an improvement in fiscal management -- we need to fundamentally change the way we do business. I have never seen a more effective or transformational program. Procovery's ability to engage and inspire, as well as to provide direction and tools to community agencies who are often working hard to remain cutting edge, while struggling simply to survive, is something the entire nation should stand up and pay attention to. Procovery has the power and the ability to transform not only lives, but agencies and organizations and Procovery Institute's MUSIC HEALS events lift people up, inspire and engage them AND remind them why they chose to do this work in the first place!”

-Dora Cole, Director Community Service Operations, MO DMH CPS Division (Retired), Poplar Bluff, MO

“Procovery Institute's implementation structure drives the building of communities, partnerships and collaborations more effectively than anything I have ever seen. I can not recommend Procovery or the newest program component, MUSIC HEALS, highly enough. “

-William Flynn, MD

“NAMI SW MO was an early, and remains an ongoing, supporter of Procovery in Missouri. We have had many cross-state trips to Procovery trainings, monthly meetings and events over the years and were able to see the program and the events evolve and grow. Procovery Institute's MUSIC HEALS events are like everything else related to Procovery -- inspiring, enjoyable, innovative, entertaining and professional. The Procovery program and MUSIC HEALS events are vital and powerful programs that can propel us forward, not just in our own healing or the healing of others, but in life!”

-Lisa Goin, Director of The Hope Center, NAMI SWMO, Springfield, MO

“Procovery provides a vehicle to lift not just the conversation about healthcare reform to the level it needs to be, but a proven and practical vehicle to lift the level of care we provide to where it should be."

-Lee Jones, MD, Director of Academic Services, UC Davis School of Medicine, Davis, CA

"Procovery Institute should be a guiding force in current health care reform efforts. As a direct result of Procovery at the Amanda Luckett Murphy Hopewell Center in St. Louis, we have seen miracles realized as an expected outcome of our weekly Procovery Circles. It is difficult to believe that one program, working within the constraints of the current system, can offer and deliver so much, yet a listing of some of the outcomes we have seen would include--

· Reduction in hospitalization

· Reduction in clinical mental health service use

· Reduction in substance use and abuse

· Increased access to care

· Improvement in coordination of care

· Improvement in customer satisfaction

· Improvement in integration of co-occuring diagnoses (i.e. mental, physical, addiction, trauma)

· Increase in personal motivation

· Increase in satisfaction with purpose/hope in personal life

· Improvement in quality of life

· Improvement in personal relationships

· Increase in movement to independent housing situation

· Increase in movement to employment

· Increase in movement to volunteer activity

· Increase in interest in leading ITP (Individual Treatment Plan)

· Increase in literacy

· Improvement in medication management

· Improvement in self care

· Improvement in problem solving skills

· Improvement in communication skills

· Improvement in self advocacy skills

· Reduction in internal stigma

Procovery is proven, innovative, sustainable and inspiring for those receiving care and those delivering it."

-Dr. Amanda Luckett Murphy, Amanda Luckett Murphy Hopewell Center, St. Louis, MO

“What strikes me about Procovery is it's steadfast focus on the future and how people need to take responsibility for their own wellness. As such, Procovery I think, has the potential to be a major force in the healthcare reform efforts of people with severe and persistent mental illnesses and the providers who serve them. We're all looking for a way to encourage people to make changes in their lives and I think Procovery is one of the best tools available to actually do that.”

-Dave Pilon, Ph.D., President and CEO, Mental Health America of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA

Please stay tuned for next week's Part III with words from Staff Facilitators! We hope you are all enjoying the week and staying warm!

Until next time...

Procovery Institute

Procovery - What Others Are Saying and Seeing

2011-12-07T20:30:00.000-08:00

As we begin to wind down 2011 and gear up for 2012, we thought we would take some time to revisit some of the feedback we have received over the last few years, as well as share with you some new feedback and some of the outcomes Procovery Circle Facilitators and participating agencies are experiencing. As such, over the next few weeks of December you will hear from some very powerful and inspiring individuals who have all dedicated their lives to making extraordinary things happen. Some are longtime Procovery Circle Facilitators experiencing profound outcomes with Procovery and some have seen what Procovery can do firsthand through personal experiences. We want their strong voices to be heard and therefore will be bringing them to you during the month of December.

This week we bring you a broad mix of individuals with profound lived experience and expertise:

Nancy Bollinger, Executive Director, Self Help Center, St. Louis, MO
Catherine Bond, Former Associate Director and Training Coordinator, Project Return Peer Support Network/Consultant, Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, Los Angeles, CA
Angelica Garcia, Director of Center Programs, El Centrito de Apoyo/Senior Program Manager, Project Return Peer Support Network, Los Angeles, CA
Lisa Goin, Hope Center Director, NAMI SWMO, Springfield, MO
Gary Gougis, Community Support Worker, South Bay Wellness, Gardena, CA
Fred Lee, Community Integration Program Manager, Project Return Peer Support Network, Los Angeles, CA
Mickie McDowell, Certified Missouri Peer Specialist, Certified Recovery Educator, Springfield, MO
Keris Myrick, Executive Director, Project Return Peer Support Network, Los Angeles, CA
Susan Scott, Procovery Circle Facilitator, Ozark Medical Center, West Plains, MO

Read on below or click on the individual names to listen to the audio clip!

Nancy Bollinger - Community Building Events

“Though I’ve worked in the consumer/mental health side of services for a decade now, it was not until I was involved with Procovery that I began to realize the effects of what we as consumers of mental health services can have on the systems. Those effects are just so profound. The Procovery Community Building Events helped me to realize that our voices are to be heard and respected. And as such, though it may have gotten me into trouble a time or two, I chose to stand up and have my voice heard with regard to the systems in place. Not only are these events community building but they are empowering. When the systems knock us down, we have a right to have our voices heard and stand back up. When our voices are ignored, we have a right to stand up and shout. We deserve representation to help to mold the system into a functional and compatible system that is well adjusted to our needs and sensitive to our dreams and aspirations of recovery. The Power of Procovery, each component of Procovery, the book, cards, music, people, it is all empowering. It is coming together as a community that has helped us to do more than ever expected.”

Catherine Bond - Role of Procovery in Mental Health Transformation

“I believe [Procovery] can play a very instrumental role. My perspective on this is that there’s a great value in Procovery offering things that family members and professionals can bring to the process. Because what I’ve learned from the early days in Los Angeles, is that when professionals have their own Procovery Circles, or are involved in Procovery Circles, their perspective on recovery helps them to understand how people like me can help heal themselves and can help one another heal. And it’s so enlightening for people who haven’t ever looked at that before. So I like the fact that she includes the family members and professionals and I also like the fact that the people that participate in Procovery Circles get better. And it’s as simple as that.”

Catherine Bond - Procovery in Los Angeles

“I would love to see the Department of Mental Health say, ‘We’re gonna fund it. That it’s a valuable tool and that it’s a wonderful model and that it can really work. This is something that leads people to greater empowerment, to greater wellness, to less shame. This is a wonderful way for people to heal and grow and we’re gonna fund the process of learning how to do Procovery Circles and help people learn how to become Procovery Circle Facilitators and go forth and spread the word!’”

Angelica Garcia - Procovery in Los Angeles

“I would like to see [Procovery] boom. And I would definitely love to see it be used in every aspect of the mental health system. Whether it be the clients, the providers, people using it at work. The material is so strong and uplifting, I think anybody can use it. You don’t have to be a consumer or identify yourself as a consumer. It can apply to anyone.”

Lisa Goin - Procovery's Impact on Your Life

“Procovery offers me validation. It helps me to believe in myself and personal empowerment. It seems like I’m constantly quoting something out of the book or one of the cards because they ring so true for me. Four years ago I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and it was during this time that Procovery was introduced to me. It seemed that from the first time I opened the book it was written for me to aid me in that difficult time. I just felt like it was just for me. I took the book with me everywhere. I read it repeatedly taking it into my chemo treatments where I would be for four hours at a time. I read it the whole time I was recouping from surgery. It was just there for me the whole time and it just rings so true. And that’s when my first impact with Procovery really began.”

Gary Gougis – Procovery Reduction in Hospitalization (video)

“The thing I enjoy, too, is the healing effect of it. It’s transformed into the community and to healthcare in particular because a lot of our members say that they haven’t been back to the emergency rooms, or to the hospitals. But they actually state that, ‘I haven’t had an emergency room visit in 2 years’ or ‘I haven’t since I’ve been coming to Procovery.’ And you know, that effect alone… right there. And you see, I can be a witness to that because I know they haven’t. On a weekly basis, the ones who come every two weeks instead of every week, their life is doing more. When you hear someone say, you know if we have 15 people in the room and one person says, ‘You know, I haven’t been back to the hospital,’ and then the hands start going up and, ‘And neither have I.’ , ‘And neither have I.’ That’s speaking to me in a very loud volume. It’s speaking to the effect that it has in a long term view. Especially with the cost of healthcare and everything and how this can directly impact the cost because of the way things are. When I look at that, I say, man that’s a real benefit of the bargain. They’re so confident about it. ‘Now I’ve got some stuff to work with. And the support, I know what to do now because I know where my support is. And I know I can make a phone call, to maybe even a Procovery Circle member that I know, because we’ve engaged in a social thing. And I may not have to go rush back to the emergency room.’ And just being that, it’s care taking in a different sense. It’s self care at it’s best.”

Gary Gougis - Impact on Circle Members

“More than anything it has given the consumers and the participants because I have not only just consumers I have family members, who are supporting someone in the family, they come also. I’ve seen hope come alive where there was none. I’ve seen heads that were down that were uplifted. And it also leads to people participating in life again along with their family and their friends. And from my Procovery Circle, the Procovery Circle at South Bay, it has extended into our community and it’s been a platform for an active life for a lot of people who were very inactive. It’s just ongoing. Procovery is just growing and growing and growing. People keep feeling better. Doing better and restarting a new life instead of trying to go back to the old life.”

Fred Lee - Role of Procovery in Mental Health Transformation

“Well a powerful role… For one thing it can shorten the length of recovery because of the things you learn. You learn you’re not your diagnosis. You learn to focus forward. And it really emphasizes being person centered. The quotes really help you think, too. All that kind of blends into the Program. It kind of opens up your mind, the quotes,and the ideas and the book and the ideas of Procovery really open you up to the freedom of a life moving forward. It helps you clarify where you’re at and where you want to go. It helps you expand on your dreams or even give dreams a birth… give them a place to start. Like it says in the literature, instead of looking backwards to recovery, you know, in my case, there’s nothing to look back to hardly except a lot of trauma and strife from a young age. So some people might have had more of a life and there’s more to look back to but in my case and a lot of other people’s cases, troubles started early. So there’s really no ‘stable’ place to look back to. There was never a level where I was functioning in a happy manner. There were periods of time in my life, but there wasn’t a holistic time in my life. Procovery helped develop that again through the different aspects of life. It helped me think about what was I doing… it helped me get back to school. It helped me have fun. It helped me focus on work in a more conscious way. It just opened me up. It just really opened me up. So that’s the role that it can take in mental health transformation. It certainly transformed me. “

Mickie McDowell - Difference Between Procovery and Other Groups
Procovery is very different. Procovery is about wellness. For the most part the other groups that I’ve facilitated have all focused on illness. You walk in a lot of the groups that I’ve facilitated do a wellness scale. You know, when you do introductions, ‘On a scale of 1 to 10, how are you doing today?’ A lot of times you can walk in an 8 and you can leave a 4 because there’s so much negativity and everyone talks about the negative stuff in their life. Procovery is just the opposite. In Procovery we don’t use that scale. People come to Procovery when they don’t want to leave their house because they know that they’re going to leave Procovery feeling better. And they do. You know every time they come, they get something positive out of it and it’s so uplifting it’s amazing.

Keris Myrick - Procovery and Health Care Reform Efforts

“Well definitely Procovery has a holistic approach, which I think health care reform is all about…. Is meeting people’s whole health needs. And I think it’s going to be really, really important that as people with lived experience of mental health issues, as peer providers, as peer program providers and developers we all have to be at this table of health care reform and integration of health and mental health. Because it feels to me as if a lot of the conversation is being led by sort of the primary care community and I’m not so sure sometimes that they understand or are there yet with the peer support and the peer programs and things like Procovery. I’d hate it to be an add-on. I’d rather those things be an inclusive from the very beginning. So, I definitely think that it [Procovery] fits within health care reform. It fits within the integration of health and mental health, but we all need to make sure that it gets there at the very beginning of these conversations rather than, ‘Oops! Let’s add it on later.’”

Susan Scott - Practical Everyday System

“I’m just such a cheerleader for Procovery because it works. It’s a practical system that works on a day to day basis for regular ordinary people that come to the circle. I see it work every day. I see people understanding things they didn’t understand before the circle started. And I’m one of these people who is kind of results oriented. I believe in things that actually give results. And that’s the thing I love so much about Procovery is, it works.”

We will bring you more words, more voices, more powerful messages over the course of the weeks of December 12th and 19th and Procovery Institute will then be closed for our annual internal program planning and development through Tuesday, January 17th, 2011.

If you're already a member of this beautiful Procovery community, THANK YOU for your love, support, hard work, patience and dedication. If you're new to the Procovery community - WELCOME!

In the following two weeks you will hear from staff Facilitators and agency administrators, so we hope you will stay tuned! We hope you're having a blessed and joyous holiday season!

Until next time...
Procovery Institute

Procovery and Healthcare Reform

2011-10-21T18:13:00.000-07:00

"What strikes me about Procovery is its steadfast focus on the future and how people need to take responsibility for their own wellness. As such, I think Procovery has the potential to be a major force in the healthcare reform efforts of people with severe and persistent mental illnesses and the providers who serve them. We're all looking for a way to encourage people to make changes in their lives and I think Procovery is one of the best tools available to actually do that." – Dave Pilon, Ph.D., President and CEO, Mental Health America of Los Angeles

Procovery Institute is honored to be able to serve as a change agent, not only for profoundly inspiring Procovery Circle participants who consistently create changes that they, and nearly everyone around them, never thought they would or could make, but we are equally honored to serve as a change agent for providers, agencies and communities, also struggling amidst an ever changing sea of devastating cutbacks, increased demand and diminishing resources.

Joseph Parks, MD, in Behavioral Healthcare magazine outlines MO's experience with an urban/rural implementation pilot of Procovery, and cites seven specific components essential to recovery programming - all of which he directly relates to Procovery components.*

The 7 essential components he identifies as essential to recovery programming.

· Specificity

· Application across diagnoses, including behavioral and physical

· Staff training

· Application across a spectrum of settings, cultures, and stakeholders

· Fidelity and accountability

· Complementary, not competitive, to existing services and programs.

· Change agent

Dr. Parks addresses the need for "recovery implementation to have both the substance and form to serve as a change agent to lead agencies, providers, and stakeholders to do business differently."

Dr. Parks attributes Procovery with the ability to serve as a change agent and quotes Peter M. Senge "[often] new insights fail to get put into practice because they conflict with deeply held internal images of how the world works, images that limit us to familiar ways of thinking and acting."

Procovery Institute has been studying change for over fifteen years and one of the things we observe time and again is how times of extreme challenge and crisis can serve as catalysts and, in essence, springboard individuals, agencies and communities to change.

Procovery Institute is currently finalizing planning and assessment for our next phased expansion.

Until next time…

Procovery Institute

*Click here to find this article on amazon!

What Is Your Path?

2011-10-11T15:34:00.000-07:00

There are as many paths to healing, as there are to illness. What is your path? It is surely different from anyone else’s in that you will start where you are, head in the direction of your choice, dreams and vision and you will make different choices and utilize different resources along the way…

Often, when faced with a serious challenge or difficulty, we can feel we are not strong enough to do what we need to do to get through the crisis. Many times it can feel especially challenging to try to determine how we can keep doing everything we were already doing AND add in the hard work of healing.

But that's just it - often challenges are "dangerous opportunities" and one of the real benefits can be to STOP doing everything we were doing, and begin doing something different. Below is an excerpt from Procovery Institute’s Certificate of Empowerment:

As bearer of this certificate you are no longer required to depend on the advice of experts. You may step back and view the entire world—not just your home, neighborhood or town, but the whole Earth—as a Procovery oriented learning experience, a laboratory containing medicines, therapies, strategies, sources of support, ways to heal and to grow, and ideas without end. Although collections of these treasures have been located in hospitals and clinics for your convenience, they are to be found in prayer, bubble baths, animals, sunsets, snowfall, romance, music, art, mathematics, physics, engineering, foods, and everywhere else, too.

Expanding our view of healing places, people and things can make all of the difference. You have incredible power and potential and must keep in mind that finding ways to continually inspire yourself for the very hard work of healing can be as critical to your healing process as anything else that you do.

Today we will leave you with an excerpt from Los Angeles-based musician Wes Poland's contribution to Procovery Institute's MUSIC HEALS video project:

About 3 years ago I got clean and sober from alcohol and drug addiction. Going through that in my own life and kind of hitting rock bottom and realizing “okay, what am I meant to do in this life…” and looking for some sort of purpose, I turn to music, immediately… As stuff comes up, rather than turn to drugs and alcohol to damper the feelings, I’m able to use music to express those feelings and get them out and deal with them in a good, healthy way.

To learn more about Procovery Institute’s ongoing MUSIC HEALS project, or to inquire about MUSIC HEALS events, please contact us at MusicHeals@Procovery.com.

A Profound Thank You from PI as We Gear Up to Resume Implementation in the Coming Months!

2011-06-16T17:30:00.000-07:00

The Procovery program has been in ongoing testing/revision/expansion mode for over fifteen years. Throughout this testing phase we studied wellness rather than illness, and we allowed the program to organically grow and evolve. We learned in the field, directly from people with lived experience and those who (professionally and personally) supported them. To date, we have turned down interest across the nation and over a dozen countries, because we didn't want to go a "mile wide and an inch deep". We had absolutely no idea that we would be met with the myriad barriers and complications that we were. Frankly, we thought it would be simpler. But we soon came to find that implementing a system of healing is, sadly, in our current system, just as frustrating, complicated and often just as "sickening" as it is to be a person who is attempting to heal in a system that often does not recognize, support or sustain a true healing process.

Along the way we were truly honored to work with the most absolutely amazing people. People with lived experience, who wanted nothing more than to share their knowledge, passion, expertise and insights on healing to all of those who could benefit. Professionals who often endured less pay, harsher work settings, and longer hours because they wanted to create systems change and help people heal. Family members (whether family of origin or family of choice) who often found themselves being asked to deliver 95% of the care needed, outside of traditional medical settings, and yet being left out of basic treatment information.

Sometimes it seemed as though our path to implementing Procovery looked a lot like the long line at the Department of Motor Vehicles. The kind of line where you believe that around every corner you are almost there, only to find that around that corner is an equally long line with another corner up ahead... And that instead of attempting to change the system, instead of building communities of hope, one Procovery Circle at a time, that we would just stop and instead write a book about lessons learned and all of the ways the system frustrates, and often traumatizes, hinders and ultimately prevents, healing.

But we didn't do that, for a very simple reason. Because of all of the people who had decided to believe one more time, all of the people who had been afraid to "get their hopes up" one more time, because of all of the people that were afraid Procovery would be the flavor of the time being and that it wouldn't be systemically sustained. And boy, are we glad we kept going!

We are now positioned to have real, meaningful impact on health care reform. We can now build hope, build communities of change and save lives and save money - and we are proud to say that is just some of what we can do.

We want to thank you all for your continued belief in, support of, and commitment to Procovery. We appreciate you, we are honored by you and we plan to make you proud as we resume implementation in the coming months.

To close, we would like to leave you with three Procovery Podcast interview clips:

Gary Gougis, Peer Advocate, Community Support Worker & Procovery Circle Facilitator - Los Angeles, CA
Stephanie Schmidt , Occupational Therapist & Procovery Circle Facilitator - St. Louis, MO
Sinikka Santala, Wisconsin Department of Health Division Director (Retired) - Madison, WI

Until next time...

Kathleen

Basic Procovery Brewing Steps by Honorable Mention Procovery Guest Blogger Mary Catherine Booth!

2011-05-13T13:37:00.000-07:00

As we recently mentioned, we found ourselves drawn to two additional entries in our Procovery Guest Blogger contest and while we were planning for just one winner, during the review process, we felt the need to create Honorable Mention spots on our blog to shine a spotlight on some inspiring individuals who shared so deeply with us. This week's Honorable Mention is Mary Catherine Booth of St. Louis, Missouri! Mary has dedicated the following poem to Procovery Circle Facilitator Millie Fortune-Gilpin, also of St. Louis, Missouri.

Basic Procovery Brewing Steps

1. Choose Procovery Just Start Anywhere

2. Add Hope

3. Measure Looking Forward

4. Show up and be a part of your Procovery Circle

A cup of Procovery shared with friends is….

Happiness and Hope… tasted!

Time well spent

If you'll excuse me I'm going to have another cup of Procovery

I have measured out my life with Procovery spoons

A cup of Procovery one sip at a time

Nothing like a good cup of Procovery in the morning

Makes me want to get up

Awakens me makes me feel good and ready

Hopeful for the day to come

Nothing can really be said after the first sip

but a quiet utter of "mmmmmm"

A cup of Procovery today

It’s awesome to smell the hope would yah?

Procovery it is a food group

My favorite kind of bean (being)

It’s not a beverage

It’s a moment of pleasure and looking forward

My Cup of PROCOVERY

An aroma that fills the room with warming

Brewing gently

Steady of hope

Love

And calm.

Friends to gather

Sharing

Soul

Heart

Life.

Hoping together

Bonded by each cup

The tenderness of solitude

With a good Procovery book

As I take the first sip

Of the first cup

I drink up

And share the hope of Procovery

Coming from a slurp of clarity

I realize again that I am blessed to share this cup with such a friend.

Best mixed with friendship and simple conversation

Warmed with compassion

A few drips of Procovery

It’s amazing what it can do

Smiling, laughing, relaxing, knowing, believing, remembering

And most important of all FEELING.

I went to perk a pot of Procovery and it perked up my life

Procovery much more than a flavor, roast, or aroma

It's a way of life.

To share this cup with such a friend…. is life itself.

I need my cup of Procovery to set me free

And awaken me once again.

-- Mary Catherine Booth*

*Mary Catherine Booth, with her Basic Procovery Brewing Steps blog submission, is one of two Honorable Mention winners of Procovery Institute's Procovery Guest Blogger contest! Mary will receive a Have a cup of Procovery today! mug as a prize for her Honorable Mention entry. Thank you Mary for inspiring us all with your creativity and your passion. Congratulations!

"The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate." -Oprah Winfrey

2011-05-09T15:40:00.000-07:00

Today is a special day to us all here at Procovery Institute, and within our families, as it marks the birth of the amazing Randy Stratt! Today is his 55th birthday and we are all remembering, missing and celebrating the wonder of Randy...

Randy A. Stratt
May 9, 1956-October 7, 2009

While it's sometimes very difficult to accept that Randy can't physically be here to celebrate with us, we also know that one of the most important things we can do for ourselves in our own lives, as well as for Randy's memory, and most certainly in his honor, is to continue celebrating. Randy was a wonderful example, teacher and mentor to so many of us – he taught us how to celebrate and value life.

In honor of Randy, as he was one of the most productive and visionary people we’ve known, we've dedicated today to making something happen!

Randy accomplished so much -- both in his personal life and his work life. He was a beautiful and powerful force, and he left an extraordinary foundation, both personally for his family, and professionally for the next, exciting stage and evolution of Procovery. We hope you might take a moment this week, in his honor and spirit, both to remember Randy, and also to truly recognize the potential and wonder of you and to make something happen, even something small… There's never been a better day, let's make something happen!

Just Start Anywhere. Today!

Until next time…

Procovery Institute

Another Cup of Procovery by Guest Blogger Nancy Bollinger

2011-05-05T16:01:00.000-07:00

As I sat at the table, looking around at those who regularly attend Procovery each Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. and those who were new to the table I realized that there is something that is so familiar. I reflected back to when I was a child visiting my grandparents in rural Southeast Missouri. This was not a rare occasion as they lived next door to us for many, many years, but to visit when family came from out of town was a special occasion. You could smell the Tasters Choice as grandma poured the boiling water over the teaspoons of instant coffee, cup after cup. I can’t say that there was ever anyone that could be considered a stranger visiting. It always seemed as though this was a cousin or niece or nephew from here or there, so even the strangers it seemed were family.

That’s how I feel when I sit at the table during our weekly Procovery Circle. We all sit around the table, some old friends and some strangers visiting for the first time; however, what makes it special is that by the end of the Circle, we are all family coming together to utilize the tools and share insights of moving forward in our lives via Procovery. Before leaving the majority shares that they will see me next week, same time, and same place. The warmth I feel is the same as I had as a child in my grandparents’ kitchen listening to the tales and smelling the Tasters Choice. Yes, I think I’ll have another cup of Procovery.

--Nancy Bollinger*, CMPS, Licensed Procovery Circle Facilitator

*Nancy Bollinger, with her Another Cup of Procovery blog submission, is the winner of Procovery Institute's Procovery Guest Blogger contest. Thank you for your inspiring and heartfelt blog entry, Nancy, and congratulations!

Procovery Guest Blogger Contest Winner Announcement!

2011-05-05T15:52:00.000-07:00

We are happy to announce the winner of our Procovery Guest Blogger Contest is Nancy Bollinger, Executive Director of Selp Help Center in Affton, MO with her blog entry, Another Cup of Procovery!

Click here to listen to Nancy speak about Procovery and the Self Help Center!

Click here to visit the Procovery iTunes channel - Free downloads of all Procovery Podcasts are available, including Nancy's!

Thank you all for your submissions! We are inspired and touched by what you wrote and have immensely enjoyed reading your entries. It's always difficult to make a decision like this.

We found ourselves drawn to 2 additional entries, for which we would like to extend honorable mentions. Both of these additional applicants will receive a Have a Cup of Procovery mug. Please check back for the honorable mention announcements and new blog entries!

Procovery Contest Prize!

For today, CONGRATULATIONS to Nancy -- Your prize is shipping out from our office in Los Angeles today, and your blog entry will be posted this afternoon!

-Procovery Institute

Learning From Each Other

2011-04-29T16:24:00.000-07:00

Along the path to where we are now, we were surprised (and sometimes overwhelmed) by all of the systemic considerations and challenges associated with systems change. There were the obvious and known barriers but there were also "hidden" and rarely discussed challenges that hindered moving forward and real change.

I have so many different experiences to share in this regard, and may, in fact, write a book about the amazing and complex process one day. In today's blog I will discuss just one such challenge.

Years ago, as part of a "test" of Procovery, I went to a meeting attended by myself and Randy Stratt (co-founder and creator of Procovery, and my amazing and very much missed, late husband) along with the owner/operator of a residential care facility, as well as some of the local DMH staff. The DMH designees were discussing the potential of us holding a Procovery Circle at this particular residential care facility, as part of an evaluation of Procovery efficacy.

Despite the real courtesy extended to us, it felt to me, that the owner/operator was both hesitant and uncomfortable with the idea of having a Procovery Circle operate at his site, although he did not express this.

Randy and I felt, from the very beginning, that while WE thought Procovery was the best and most amazing healing resource for some individuals, that absolutely nothing is right for everyone. The more options and resources and choices available the better - each person should be in a position to make this decision for him or her self.

After the meeting was over, concerned about the owner/operator's potential discomfort, I stopped back in, and asked the facility owner if I could speak with him for a moment. I shared that I felt that he was possibly a bit hesitant to hold a Procovery Circle at his site, and I wanted him to be assured that Procovery is a voluntary program. And that if, for any reason at all, he didn't want a Circle held at his site, that we would not move forward in that regard. We would very easily select another site with no problems and no questions.

He looked very uncomfortable, shifted around a bit, and finally said slowly and softly

"I am afraid that Procovery will help people heal."

My head began to spin, but I also respected his feelings and appreciated his genuine, blatant honesty.

He then shared, haltingly and thoughtfully, that he was trying very hard to make ends meet. That when someone first moved in to his site, they were extremely labor intensive, and therefore costly. He said that finding the right room-mate, was an often difficult and disruptive and trying process, but something critical to safety and quality of life. He said finding the right match of worker for each resident, appropriate activities for each resident, ensuring they continue to access their benefits, in part so that, quite simply, the facility got paid, could pay its bills, and so that the resident did not find him or her self, homeless. He said it was important to learn about any family involvement, and what that entailed. He shared that this took time and sensitivity to understand the often multi layer issues and hurt that were associated, and that all of this is labor intensive on the front end.

Furthermore, he said it took real focus and effort to best support any medication routine a new resident arrived with, and that in new surroundings often dosage, type and timing needed to be adjusted to best support a resident's healing process... And that they also had to find "work arounds" to effectively deal with the "side" effect of medications, learn what food or other restrictions or requirements might exist and often deal with the hugely problematic issues that arose when people went off of their medication, not due to ineffectiveness, but due to anger or frusration, and as a result , he felt, often the individuals did not follow requirements to continue to receive benefits and then were subsequently evicted and living on the street until such time that they began receiving benefits again and moved back - the majority of the time in crisis mode.

And then, he reasoned, if once all of that expensive and labor intensive work was undertaken....if then Procovery helped people heal and move forward... and potentially away...? Well, then, he would find himself on an expensive and reasonably constant merry-go-round of getting people settled only to see them move, and leave space for the next, labor and cost intensive resident, and then the next, and the next and so on. He shared that many of his residents had been there for over a decade and they were now very cost effective, not overly taxing his staff or his budget.

He seemed painfully embarrassed to share this with me.

The owner stated that he was committed to making his facility safe and comfortable and as inclusive and hopeful as possible, but that if Procovery did what he thought it could, he would not financially survive. And then no one would be better off, he reasoned...because he felt he was offering a truly safe, comfortable, caring residence, something that was often very hard to find.

This story is an example of just one of the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of barriers and challenges we faced during our extended testing and revision program development stage. After further consultation, the owner of this facility selected to move forward, albeit hesitantly, with a Procovery Circle at his site. That process and lessons learned is enough to fill its own book. But in short, the owner became a huge advocate for Procovery and selected to have staff receive training, supported the Procovery Circle hugely and supported new and exciting events at the facility. I am immensely appreciative of his willingness to honestly discuss his concerns, and his interest in trying a new way of doing things. As a result of his honesty, and the honesty of hundreds of other people, across the country, Procovery changed, evolved and became a powerful vehicle for health care reform and true, sustainable systems change.

Every person involved in the system has their own unique views, considerations, concerns, needs and requirements. The starting point, the path to healing, and the desired destination, will not be the same for any two people. Nor should it be. We are all different. And there is beauty and power and strength in our differences. Yet, while we are all different, we are all interdependent. Together we can make spectacular, unprecedented changes. But one thing we need to do, along the way, is meet everyone where they are, open the lines of communication, and inspire each and every person, agency, community to move forward... We cannot live and work with only our own agenda in mind. To create truly sustainable transformational change, we must learn from each other and work (and celebrate!) together.

"If everybody is thinking alike then somebody isn't thinking."

-General George S. Patton

"And I think both the left and the right should celebrate people who have different opinions, and disagree with them, and argue with them, and differ with them, but don't just try to shut them up."

-Roger Ebert

MHALA, Procovery and Transformation!

2011-04-25T13:31:00.000-07:00

We are honored to be supported by powerful and passionate and dedicated people across the country. We are truly inspired by organizations across LA that keep on working, to change lives, and systems, despite often devastating cutbacks and increasing red tape. Some days, it can seem, that people are required to spend more time documenting care, than delivering it. We are inspired by and honored to know so many amazing people, striving for change.

Today we would like to take a moment to shine the spotlight on Mental Health America of Los Angeles. MHALA is an extraordinary and visionary organization here in Los Angeles. They have long been doing the hard work, asking the difficult questions and raising the bar of expectations, so to speak. MHALA has been consistently committed to change, even in an environment in which change can seem nearly impossible.

Today we will share audio clips from four different Procovery podcasts. Each interviewee is discussing how they feel Procovery ties to health care reform or transformation, with the exception of Angelica, who talks about what initially attracted her to Procovery.

Please click on the individual names to hear each clip and be sure to visit our Procovery iTunes Channel to listen to the full interview podcasts, available for free download!

Catherine Bond, Former Assoc. Dir. & Training Coordinator at PRPSN, Current Vice Chair of the Los Angeles County Client Coalition

Angelica Garcia, Senior Program Manager, Project Return Peer Support Network

Fred Lee, Community Integration Program Manager, Project Return Peer Support Network

Dr. Dave Pilon, President and CEO, Mental Health America of Los Angeles

If you are not already familiar with MHALA, and the powerful work they do, please visit their website at www.mhala.org

"The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it."

--William James

Become a Procovery Guest Blogger!

2011-04-21T19:00:00.000-07:00

SUBMIT YOUR PROCOVERY GUEST BLOG ENTRY!

Please submit your Procovery Guest Blog Entry entry to win the Procovery mug and prizes below, inspired by the Procovery Snippet A Cup of Procovery!

The author of the selected Procovery Guest Blog Entry will receive:

"Have a cup of Procovery today!" Mug
Stuffed Animal Lamb with Just Start Anywhere Ribbon
"Believe" Bookmark
Candy!
4 Taster's Choice Instant Coffee Packets
Procovery Mini Wallet w/ $5 Starbucks Card
2 Bellagio Caffe Cioccolato Gourmet Mocha Mix (1 Coffee and 1 Dark Chocolate)

Procovery Guest Blog Contest Prize!

If you would like to enter, please send in your submission (can be very short, or up to 300 words) by email to support@procovery.com. The topic for your blog entry can be about anything you feel would be informative, interesting, inspiring or important to share. The winner will have the option of their name and/or location cited, or selecting an anonymous entry. Procovery Institute will need a name and mailing address information even for anonymous entries so as to ship out the prize!

Entry submissions will be accepted through end of day, Tuesday, May 3, 2011 and the winner will be announced on Thursday, May 5th, 2011. Please indicate GUEST BLOG SUBMISSION CONTEST in email subject line.

We so look forward to reading what you have to share and we know that others will too!!

What Change Will You Create Today?

2011-04-13T18:02:00.000-07:00

When we think of spring cleaning, we often think of our homes -- getting rid of what we no longer need or what doesn't work, and making room for what does. Procovery is all about activating change, moving forward and creating the life of our dreams. We can, in essence, spring clean our lives by getting rid of what doesn't work, and beginning, today, to make room for (and welcome!) what does.

Creating Change is one of twelve Procovery strategies and below is a Procovery Note found on Page 110 of The Power of Procovery in Healing.

Move forward in small ways or big ways. You decide how you want to begin the process of change. Remember that sometimes the smallest change is the biggest step.

"Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things, I am tempted to think there are no little things."

--Bruce Barton

What change will you create today?

Let's Begin to Measure What Matters

2011-04-04T16:38:00.000-07:00

There is a lot of talk about how we can no longer afford to keep doing the same thing – that individuals, counties, states, and the nation, are in debt. That we are living beyond our means, spending money we don't have, with no end in sight. But there can’t be an end in sight if we just keep doing the same thing and wishing for different results.

So...let's begin doing something differently - not just wishing, or hoping, for different results.

Let's begin CONTRACTING for different results. Let's begin DEMANDING outcomes, contractually, that are therapeutically AND economically a win.

For so long it seemed that people felt they couldn't measure what really mattered. So, what did they do?

Measure what didn't.

Let's begin measuring, expecting and contracting for healing outcomes.

And then?

Let's hold agencies and people ACCOUNTABLE.

We don't need to utilize a "tear down" or replacement approach to do this.

We can, in essence, retrain and rebuild and re-inspire current agencies and workforce. Remind them of what they set out to do in the first place. Remind them of the passion and vision that set them on their path and then provide the tools for them to do what they set out to do.

To quote Joseph Parks, MD.*

“In institutionalizing a program across diverse stakeholders, agencies, and settings, we must not just ask providers to implement programs. We must also provide tools to enable them to ensure fidelity and, ultimately, accountability to those they are seeking to serve.”

*Click here for the full Behavioral Healthcare Magazine article, available on amazon.com!

Wishing Backwards

2011-04-04T06:37:00.000-07:00

We recently wrote about regret (in the March 29th blog post What Can We Do About the Past?) and how so many feelings can be tied to regret. One thing that is often associated is an inability, or unwillingness, to forgive..........ourselves.

We might regret things we did do, and often equally or more so, we might regret things we didn't do. It's so easy to find ourselves looking back, not liking what we see and feeling uncomfortable - about ourselves, our lives, etc.

And yet, in the context of the Procovery program, regrets can be seen as "wishing backwards" which is passive rather than active, because we cannot change one thing that has ever happened in the past.

But... what we can change is how we view the past. And one path for doing this is forgiveness.

We can learn to look at our past, learn from our past, but not get stuck in, or live in, our past.

AND if we can begin to find a way to forgive ourselves, we can sometimes make room, and find a way, to begin forgiving others...
"My life is full of mistakes. They're like pebbles that make a good road."

--Beatrice Wood

What Can We Do About the Past?

2011-03-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

Recently one of the heartfelt comments on one of our blog entries inspired me to write about regret. Regret can weigh so heavily on us, nearly paralyze us at times, and can so negatively impact and color our lives, that, in essence, we get stuck in the past. And yet... there is not one thing we can do to change the past.

Click here to hear Stephanie Schmidt, an inspiring Procovery Circle Facilitator in St. Louis, MO speak about this.

In essence what we can do is to look at the past, learn from the past, but not LIVE in the past. Instead, live today, right now, this moment. And in doing so, we plant the much needed seeds for growth and change. By living in the moment and being truly present we can honor "mistakes" we have made by learning from them, by not repeating them and by being different now because of them.

Letting go of regret and getting unstuck can be so very difficult. It can feel overwhelmingly complicated at times, and very heavy and sad. But by learning to let go and by living today, we can honor yesterday and contribute to a brighter tomorrow.

"The best revenge is living well."

--The Talmud

Quote Unscramble Procovery Contest Winner Announcement!

2011-03-24T17:36:00.000-07:00

Procovery Prize Winner Alert!

We would like to congratulate Darrin Kissinger of Kansas City, MO as our Quote Unscramble Procovery Contest winner!

Darrin was the first to submit the correctly unscrambled quote by Helen De Rosis:

"When you put yourself wholeheartedly into something, energy grows. It seems inexhaustible."

It was brought to our attention, by a wonderful friend of Procovery Institute, that there was a small typo in one of the words of the unscramble. We apologize for the typo and appreciate that our friend so graciously pointed out that we, too, are human. The word wholeheartedly was missing an "L" and we applaud all who correctly submitted, despite our oversight!

The Procovery prize basket (below) will ship out from our office in Los Angeles, CA tomorrow!

Procovery Prize for Contest Winner Darrin Kissinger of Kansas City, MO!

Included in the Procovery prize basket:

A portable CD player (batteries included!)

6 Songs of Procovery CD

Procovery Podcast Sampler CD

Procovery Journal and Pen

Procovery Pup

Procovery Mug with Hot Chocolate Packets

Believe Bookmark

We look forward to all of you participating again in the next contest and hope to see you back around the blog often!

Congratulations again, Darrin!

-Procovery Institute

Day 21 - Making Hope a Priority!

2011-03-23T05:00:00.000-07:00

Today concludes our Rekindling Hope: Making Hope a Priority blog series, and during our 21 days of hope we have explored questions about hope that have run the gamut. Some have been "lighter" in topic while others a bit "heavier" and along the way we have vowed to stick with it, and we have been MORE than pleasantly surprised that you have as well! To stick with hope in our interactions, in our lives, to keep hope for someone else when they aren't in a place to do it for themselves. Sometimes it isn't so easy to stick with hope - to hold hope when we don't feel particularly hopeful. And that is why we need to create steps for ourselves to learn ways of MAKING THIS HAPPEN. Something that we have been discussing lately, that we felt would round out our 21 days of hope, and has potential to help transform our relationships, our work, our days... our lives... is our last question of the series:

What steps can you take to trade cynicism and paralysis, for hope and real change?

Whether it is that you make a vow to schedule time each day to restore and renew yourself, so you have the energy and focus to value hope...

Or you vow to take more chances, play a more active - rather than reactive - role in your life…

Or you vow to dream bigger…

What can you do, what will you do to hold more hope and create real change?

What steps will you take?

Let's break some of the silence today and get talking! Let's share, let's listen, let's disagree and let's learn from each other!

Day 20 - Making Hope a Priority!

2011-03-22T05:00:00.000-07:00

Is a sustainable health care reform fix likely?

Given the complexities of the current systemic challenges we face, a sustainable fix for health care reform isn't seeming likely anytime soon.

And partly because of this, and because in many ways it feels as though we are increasingly facing complicated, seemingly insurmountable crises and challenges these days, people often find themselves abandoning what matters most and escaping in to what doesn't.

“It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”

-- Albert Einstein

Sometimes the day to day drudgery of putting one foot in front of the other, and working hard in the direction of our dreams can seem both exhausting and unrewarding and ultimately, unachievable. But that is really one of the core issues with real health care reform. We need to take the long view to achieve real transformational health care reform.

“The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope.”

--Barbara Kingsolver

Happy Monday - Quote Unscramble!

2011-03-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday Everyone!

Unscramble the quote below and send an email to support@procovery.com with the subject line "Quote Unscramble" for a chance to be entered into a special Procovery Institute Drawing! The first correct unscramble sent to the email address above wins a Procovery prize!!

Unscramble the following quote:

"nhwe ouy upt lfreusoy yeereoaltdhhw noti gnhieotms, yenreg ogwrs. ti essem hseteainxuibl."

Good luck!

And remember, there are various ways to subscribe to our new blog!

When visiting www.procovery.blogspot.com:

- Look for the "Subscribe Here!" section to the right of your screen
- Click on "Posts" to receive blog posts to your daily Google, My Yahoo, netvibes, newsgator, and RSS feeds
- Click on "Comments" to receive comments submitted on blogs to your daily Google, My Yahoo, netvibes, newsgator, and RSS feeds

OR

To subscribe to comments posted on a specific blog post:

- Click on the blog post you are interested in
- Scroll down to the bottom of the post
- Click on "Subscribe by email"

We encourage you to subscribe to keep in touch with the exciting new things happening daily on www.procovery.blogspot.com!

Until next time...

Procovery Institute

Day 19 - Making Hope a Priority!

2011-03-20T05:00:00.000-07:00

What will you plant in your soul today?

Healing, like so much in life, is a non-linear process. Often that is because of the complexity of the healing process, but it can also be due to the simple fact that very little is only forward-moving! Below is an excerpt (paraphrased) from pages 12 & 13 from The Power of Procovery in Healing related to "backsliding."

The process of healing is often two steps forward and one backward—or sometimes one step forward and two back. If we don’t expect someone to make a perfect soufflé the first time, or win a marathon, or play a song on the piano, how can we expect an individual to heal without setbacks or relapses? Backsliding is to be expected in any really difficult matter; it can be an indication of the difficulty of the task. Society applauds a persistent person who succeeds after repeated failure, “against all odds,” but beats the heck out of people while they are “failing.”

Signs of "healing" are not always recognized as such, unfortunately. The "system" often does not recognize, support or sustain healing. Sometimes when people are working hard to heal, the "system" sees their actions as "trying to kick their illness under the rug", denial or delusions of grandeur. All along the way, healthy, positive actions can be seen as all kinds of things other than healing. But this is where listening to your heart, getting in touch with what YOU think and feel, talking with others who you trust will be honest with you, who see your potential and whose opinion you value, can pay off.

Remember, if you do what everybody else does, you will likely get what everybody else gets. The system, unfortunately, is not (yet!) successfully providing the care and services people need to heal and exit the system. But it can! Click here to hear Dr. Felix Vincenz discuss what attracted him to Procovery and his choice to bring hope to people who, so often, are systemically deprived of hope. Since we are all part of the system, our actions can impact it. As a plant reaches for light, we all reach for the same. And together, we move forward, but not without hope and focus and action… and each other.

To learn more about Missouri's experience with Procovery (by Dr. Joseph Parks), please click here.

"Every moment and every event of every man's life on earth plants something in his soul." --Thomas Merton

What will you plant in your soul today?

Procovery Circle Facilitator Featured on New Radio Show!

2011-03-19T05:00:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

We are very excited to have the opportunity to share with you about an informative new radio show which will feature a segment with Procovery Circle Facilitator Gary Gougis from Los Angeles County!

The “Free Your Mind Projects Radio Show” airs on Sunday mornings at 7:30AM PDT on KTLK AM1150. Tomorrow's segment will feature longtime Procovery Circle Facilitator and Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health Community Worker, Gary Gougis! The radio show can be streamed live at www.ktlkam1150.com or, If you miss the broadcast, you can also catch the podcast on the Free Your Mind Projects Web site, www.freeyourmindproject.com. Just click on the upper right and then on the latest show.

Also, we are so appreciative of the wonderful feedback we are getting on our blog, and will soon be expanding our topics. We will still write about hope, always. But we will also begin to write about many other topics as well. Thank you for your ongoing interest and support!

Have a wonderful Saturday and check back tomorrow for Day 19 of our Rekindling Hope: Making Hope a Priority blog series!

Until next time...

Procovery Institute

Day 18 - Making Hope a Priority!

2011-03-18T05:00:00.001-07:00

What will you do to celebrate you this weekend?

“Give fools their gold, and knaves their power; let fortune's bubbles rise and fall; who sows a field, or trains a flower, or plants a tree, is more than all.”

--John Greenleaf Whittier

So many of us find, or make sure we take, the time to do things for others, but we so often neglect ourselves. We "say" things to ourselves we would never say to others. We push ourselves in ways we wouldn't push others and we take ourselves for granted.

But you have the power to STOP right now and begin to do things differently. Even just five minutes a day can get the ball rolling!

What will you do to celebrate the wonder of you this weekend?

Day 17 - Making Hope a Priority!

2011-03-17T05:00:00.000-07:00

What do you do to positively impact your feelings?

Sometimes feelings have a bad reputation, like change. People sometimes feel a victim of their feelings and view them as they do the weather. They come, they go, sometimes they are bright, sometimes not. But feelings can be powerful fuel!

You can actively create feelings rather than only responding to them! The Procovery Note™ below, from page 158 of The Power of Procovery in Healing, talks about this:

Create moods. Start your own running list of mood enhancers - specific books, movies, music, people, places, hobbies or specific actions, such as exercising, straightening up your place, wearing your favorite hat or scarf or helping someone else.

“What is changed by my feelings is not what is out there but what I think I and others may be able to do about them.”

--John Holt

What will you do today to create feelings rather than only respond to them?

Day 16 - Making Hope a Priority!

2011-03-16T05:00:00.000-07:00

Where do the light and energy go sometimes? On the hard days, during the difficult times?

The light and energy are still here. They are always here, but so is the darkness. Some days we are more in tune with energy and life and possibilities than other days and we have or find or make more time to view and appreciate what is right with the world. Other days we may be drowning in day to day responsibilities and realities and be in more of a gray or dark place.

Even if you don't feel physically as though you can do something - maybe you can do something in your thoughts or in your dreams. Can you THINK of a time when things will be better and take a moment to visualize and feel and appreciate what that will feel like?

The secret is not to feel guilty that you are down or guilty that you are joyful. The secret is to understand where you are, and in what direction you want to move, and then do something - anything - to move in that direction.

"Change your thoughts and you change your world."

--Norman Vincent Peale

Day 15 - Making Hope a Priority!

2011-03-15T05:00:00.000-07:00

What would look different in your life if you had more hope?

How would you feel if you had more hope?

How would today feel different?

What would you do differently?

Would you go about the day, doing all of the same things but with more spring in your step? Or would you laugh more and feel more joy?

Would you go to bed earlier (to refuel for another promising day), would you accomplish more, spend more time doing what matters, spend more time with people you love, spend less time attempting to escape negative moods and feelings, take more chances, try harder, dream bigger?

If you can really get in touch with what would be different, you might take action to make it all happen.

What would be different, and what will you do?

Day 14 - Making Hope a Priority!

2011-03-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

What is your why for the day?

“He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how.”

- Friedrich Nietzsche

We are reminded with the above quote that once we can identify our why for the day, that hope can spring forth instantly... If we have a project we’re working on that is building momentum, or we know we may get to connect with a friend or maybe we’re halfway through a book we’re reading that is intriguing or inspiring to us... these things can unbound the energy within to get through all the things we MUST do, to get to the things we want to do with a hopeful attitude propelling us forward.

Allow Hope to Wash Over You!

2011-03-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

Allow hope to wash over you today... Let’s all take a moment to soak it in and allow for the feeling of hope to absorb and radiate. Today is a hopeful day. And today we can lay the foundation for a hopeful, productive and inspiring week--

“The only recognizable feature of hope is action!”

--Grace Paley

Laughter is Contagious!

2011-03-12T05:00:00.000-08:00

“Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.”

--Victor Borge

Laughter makes us feel good. Laughter is contagious. Let’s let it in today... even for just a moment.

Dr. Bernie Siegel notes in Love, Medicine and Miracles, “There are sound, scientific reasons why we call robust unrestrained laughter ‘hearty.” It produces complete, relaxed action of the diaphragm, exercising the lungs, increasing the blood’s oxygen level, and gently toning the entire cardiovascular system. Norman Cousins termed it ‘internal jogging,’ and others have likened it to a deep massage.”

What makes you laugh? Maybe a partner, friend, co-worker, child or pet? Maybe a stand up comedy show or a favorite memory? If we focus on what makes us laugh we will do so more and more until it becomes a frequent occurrence that lifts our moods and increases our energy and well-being.

What will you do to laugh today?

Day 13 - Making Hope a Priority!

2011-03-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

Where is hope when we don't feel it?

Hope is always present even if we are not currently aware of it, can't seem to see it or even feel it. It doesn’t need to be packaged in a particular way or even be constant, necessarily, for it to make an impact. It can be just a moment, a feeling of hope, and that feeling of hope can be brought forward into our lives to draw upon and use at our disposal. We can think of hope as money in the bank - store up on hope and use as necessary! When you are feeling down, do what you need to do to remind yourself that the "down" is just one of many feelings inside of you and that hope is also still inside of you. It is the same bright, beautiful world you felt it was the last time you were feeling hopeful.

“The voyage of discovery lies not in finding new landscapes but in having new eyes.”

-Marcel Proust

Day 12 – Making Hope a Priority!

2011-03-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

What is one thing you can often do, when it seems you really can’t do anything?

So often people feel they are not in a position to do anything for someone they love. And generally there is much they can do. One thing is to listen. If the person is verbal and wants to talk, there is real value here. It can be amazing what just talking about something can do, even talking about something that it does not seem there is anything that can be done about. We are talking about the kind of listening where you are not just waiting for the other person to stop talking so that you can say what you want to say. We are talking about real, active listening, where you are jot judging or waiting to tell the person what to do and when, but just listening.

Below is a Procovery Note from pages 161 & 162 of The Power of Procovery in Healing:

Listen. Particularly with the lessening availability of therapy, being a gentle listener can be of enormous benefit. Recognize that what may seem like an emotional overreaction may instead be a rational reaction to an overwhelming set of circumstances and resulting emotions. Productive venting of what seems like irrational feelings can lead to rational action.

“When we honestly ask ourselves which persons in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving much advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain, and touch our wounds with a gentle and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not-knowing, not-curing, not-healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is the friend who cares.”

–Henri J. M. Nouwen

Do you have a story that you would like to share, about the power of having had someone listen to you, or you listening to someone? We’d love to have you join the discussion!

Day 11 – Making Hope a Priority!

2011-03-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

What is your intention for today?

“There is no medicine like hope
No incentive so great
And no tonic so powerful
As the expectation
Of something better tomorrow.”

- Orison Swett Marden

This quote reminds us to keep hope in our hearts as we expand our awareness, activities and attitudes; the power of Procovery combined with a hopeful attitude can make all the difference for a better today and an even more hopeful tomorrow.

What is your intention for today? What will you do that will make a difference– difference in your day, that of someone you love or that of someone you do not even know! Often so much of what we do doesn’t even really need to be done or won’t really matter in the big picture. Sometimes we do things that don’t matter out of a misplaced sense of responsibility or obligation or expectation. Just think about it! You have the power, right now, today, to make a difference. What will you do? And we would like to invite you, if you would like to, to share your intention, here, with us. We are listening and would love for you to join the discussion!

Day 10 – Making Hope a Priority!

2011-03-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

What do you do that diminishes your hope?

Do you go places, spend time with people or do things that lessen, or even crush, your hope? Sometimes we have habits that don’t serve us well, but we don’t realize it or we downplay the impact or we feel we don’t have the energy to do anything differently. Routine conversations, interactions with neighbors or co-workers, watching the news before you go to bed rather than reading a book that may inspire a good night’s sleep… Can you think of things you can do differently to create and preserve your hope and energy?

It can help to remember that hope sends ripples and it builds and even the smallest action taken now can have an impact today, and plant seeds for tomorrow!

“Hope, like some basic force of nature, seems to live stubbornly, if barely perceptibly, inside even the most depressed of us, waiting like some sleeping beauty for the faintest glimmer of light, the slightest sympathetic touch, to awaken it. We should cherish hope. “

– James Gordon, M.D.

Day 9 – Making Hope a Priority!

2011-03-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

Do you tend to be very specific about what you are hoping for?

Being specific can be a really good thing as it can help you keep, front and center, what you would like to see come about. And to quote Reverend Michael Beckwith, “What you think about you bring about.” But there can also be a downside to being really specific. For one, being really specific can, at times, actually be very limiting. If you are not in a place to see your potential or what is really possible, you can set the bar very low. Additionally by envisioning and waiting and looking for one specific thing, you might not notice or appreciate OTHER good things that are coming your way.

“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.”

–Alexander Graham Bell

Day 8 – Making Hope a Priority!

2011-02-28T06:00:00.000-08:00

What do you do, or what can you do, to contribute to others feeling hopeful?

“When I walk with you, I feel as if I have a flower in my buttonhole.”

-William Makepeace Thackeray

Take advantage of the ripple effect to grow hope!

Most of us have had an experience where someone impacts our mood negatively. It might be that someone cuts you off in traffic, or bumps in to you with their grocery cart and doesn’t acknowledge it, or it might be any seemingly small experience or interaction or negative thought that sends your mood in to a downward spiral. So, just think about the power we all hold and imagine the profound impact we can make, if we intentionally set out to “plant seeds” and lift other’s spirits?

Whether it is a hopeful word or a positive attitude, a warm smile or holding the door for someone, offering a cup of coffee or tea to a friend or guest having a bad day or dropping a quarter into someone’s meter when it’s about to expire, you have the ability to positively impact others and help grow hope exponentially.

We leave you with two small words that we hope we can ALL start to put into practice!

“Scatter Joy.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 7 – Making Hope a Priority!

2011-02-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

Where do you feel most hopeful?

Is there a place, or type of place, that you find your spirits rise? Can you think of new places to go to see how you react and how you feel while you are there and after you leave?

Some people like going to a park, feeding the ducks and watching children laughing and running and playing. Some have (or find!) a religious or spiritual center that lifts them up. Some find that just being out and appreciating the beauty of nature in all of its beautiful forms, inspires them. Some people feel most hopeful while at home, alone, surrounded by their favorite books, art and personal treasures or collections. For some, the answer is being with other people, out in public or inspired by work and co-workers. Others find meditation or prayer takes them to the most high and hopeful places.

Where do you currently go, and what are some new places to try? Please take a moment to think on this and join the discussion!

“Great mother of big apples, it is a pretty world.”

-Kenneth Patcher

Day 6 – Making Hope a Priority!

2011-02-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

Today we have a few questions for you:

Are there specific things you do to feel hopeful?

How often do you do them?

Can you think of new things to try?

Whether it’s getting exercise, playing guitar, sending a letter, planting a garden, or organizing your schedule or ipod playlists, what kinds of things increase your hope?

Another way of thinking about this is, what gives you energy? Real energy, not caffeine induced, but energy from within, and how can you do more things to add to your energy bucket?

Today we leave you with some words from a Procovery Note from page 90 of The Power of Procovery in Healing:

Find out what pulls rather than pushes you. Go where the positive energy is.

“Don’t worry about what the world wants from you, worry about what makes you come more alive. Because what the world really needs are people who are more alive.”

-Lawrence LeShan

Day 5 – Making Hope a Priority!

2011-02-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

Is there a time of day that you feel most hopeful?

Please take a moment to really think about this question – it can really make a positive impact on your life when you determine what time of day you might feel most hopeful and what thoughts, actions or interactions are creating this sense of hope. You can work toward creating more and more hope in your day, each day, starting from a moment in the morning when the sun is shining bright, or your afternoon walk after lunch, a conversation with a loved one or a hopeful quote on your daily calendar page.

Please take a moment to share and discuss and help us to create and expand this online community of HOPE!

“Hope never abandons you; you abandon it.”

-George Weinberg

Day 4 – Making Hope a Priority!

2011-02-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

We hope you had a wonderful weekend and were able to take some time to think about all of the hope questions including what makes you feel hopeful!

We are back today with question #4 - Who gives you hope?

And please remember, if you do not, at this time, feel you have a personal relationship with anyone who gives you hope, you can select people you do not know. Gandhi, Martin Luther King, your favorite poet or author. List any one you can think of, who gives you hope, whether or not you personally know them!

We encourage you to take some time to reflect on this and really think about the answer, as our answers to these questions can often be an automatic response, but in reality, the answers often change over time and it can be important to really think about it.

We also encourage you to Click here and listen to a very powerful and inspiring response to this question from Procovery Circle Facilitator Stephanie Schmidt, in St. Louis MO.

Happy Tuesday everyone! See you tomorrow…

In Observance of Presidents Day…

2011-02-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!

In observance of Presidents Day, we will be resuming our blog series Making Hope a Priority tomorrow (Tuesday), with our Day 4 blog! We encourage you to take a bit of extra time today to reflect on Question #3 – What makes you feel hopeful?

We hope you are all having a lovely Monday and will see you back here tomorrow.

Until then…

“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”

-Abraham Lincoln

Day 3 – Making Hope a Priority!

2011-02-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

Question #3: What makes you feel hopeful?

Today we ask that you take a moment to click here and view our newest Procovery Snippet of Dr. LaVonna Blair Lewis, Clinical Associate Professor, USC School of Policy, Planning and Development, speaking about Procovery, the importance of igniting passion and sharing with others. We are hoping to ignite passion within this community of HOPE here with these blogs and we invite you to join us! We would love for you to participate, discuss, (respectfully) disagree, comment and share!

Today we leave you with a quote by Barbara Kingsolver – something we here at Procovery Institute really take to heart.

“Hope is a renewable option: If you run out of it at the end of the day, you get to start over in the morning.”

Day 2 – Making Hope a Priority!

2011-02-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

Question #2: What detracts from your hope?

While it may seem like a not very hopeful question and some may discount spending any time focusing on a question like this, it IS an important one. While we agree that focusing on the energizing aspects of hope in our lives is highly pertinent, we need to know what takes that valuable hope from us so that we can learn to walk around it, so that we can learn to avoid it, and so that we can learn to understand it, and understand ourselves.

Autobiography in Five Short Chapters by Portia Nelson*

Chapter One

I walk down the street

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk

I fall in.

I am lost . . . I am helpless.

It isn’t my fault.

It takes forever to ﬁnd a way out.

Chapter Two

I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk

I pretend I don’t see it.

I fall in again.

I can’t believe I am in this same place.

But, it isn’t my fault.

It still takes a long time to get out.

Chapter Three

I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I see it is there.

I still fall in . . . it’s a habit . . . but,

My eyes are open.

I know where I am.

It is my fault.

Chapter Four

I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I walk around it.

Chapter Five

I walk down another street.

We are committing, as an experiment of sorts, to see whether we can build an important community here, so we really hope you will join us and discuss! Even if you hate hope right now… We welcome all respectful comments related to the discussion!

*Copyright 1993 Portia Nelson from the book “There’s a Hole in my Sidewalk”, Beyond Words Publishing, Hillsboro, Oregon. Used with (grateful) permission by Portia Nelson’s family and Beyond Words Publishing.

Day 1 – Making Hope a Priority!

2011-02-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

Please take a moment (or an hour, or a day) to think deeply about question #1: What does hope mean to you?

Please reflect on, comment and join the discussion! The internet provides a powerful vehicle for us to connect, for us to lift each other up, for us to get outside and beyond of our own lives. We can explore what is possible, how we can be of service, find more joy, learn from each other, contribute and change, not only our lives, but our communities and the SYSTEM as well.

We hope to hear from you and we welcome (and desire!) differing opinions, including people who hate hope, right now. Let’s all get involved…Today!

We’ll be back tomorrow, but now we leave you with this quote by George Bernanos that reflects an interesting take on hope:

“Hope is a risk that must be run.”

Making Hope a Priority

2011-02-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

Imagine if for the next month, or week, or even day, you embarked on a hope scavenger hunt. Imagine if every time you ate anything at all, you took a moment and thought about hope. Every time you got in to bed, you thought about hope. Each morning when you wake up, you take an extra moment and you think about hope… Hope in the shower, hope while you are commuting, hope while drinking your coffee or during your morning run… hope, hope, hope. Imagine if you carried post-its with you so you could make note of things that come to mind, serving as a way of reminding you and of tracking your thoughts, feelings and observations about hope.

Imagine if you make a conscious effort to have at least one communication every day with someone who makes you feel hopeful. Imagine if you make it a point to eliminate or at least minimize communications with people who drain your hope.

Tomorrow we will begin posting one question per blog and we invite and encourage you to think about, discuss and comment in the hopes that we can all begin to understand what inspires hope within us and what can motivate us to take more hopeful actions on a daily basis. Remember, hope begets hope!

The Story of Sheldon – Hoping vs. Wishing

2011-02-14T17:41:00.000-08:00

Nearly any Procovery Circle* member can tell you the difference between hoping and wishing, in any number of ways, including by reciting a story, utilized in Procovery Circles, to highlight the difference. The story is about Sheldon and can be found on page 82 of the The Power of Procovery in Healing.

Now Sheldon really, really wants to win the lottery. And every single day he prays that he will. But despite faithfully praying every day, he never does win, and when Sheldon dies and finds himself at the Pearly Gates, he asks pleadingly “St. Peter, I have been waiting my whole life to ask you why you never, ever, ever let me win the lottery? Not even once? Not even for a dollar? I prayed every single day that I might win, and I can’t understand why you never helped me out?” And St. Peter looks at Sheldon and equally pleadingly asks, “Sheldon, I have been waiting all of your life to ask you something. Why did you never, ever, EVER, help me out, even one time, and BUY A LOTTERY TICKET?”

Click here to hear Gary Gougis a passionate Procovery Circle Facilitator at South Bay Mental Health Center share his take on this story about Sheldon.

Click here to hear Susan Scott in West Plains, MO responding to the same question.

So, there is a critical difference between hoping and wishing. Wishing is passive, hoping is active. Hope can fuel change.

To quote Andy Warhol, “They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.”

Moving beyond wishing, activating the power of hope, being able to really see how powerful change can take place, inspires us to do what we need to do, to get where we want to go…

Until next time…

Kathleen

*To learn more about Procovery Circles please click on the following link: http://www.procovery.com/procovery-circles/

Hoping and Wishing

2011-02-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

Hope has a bad reputation with some people. And one of the reasons for this, I think, is that many people seem to confuse hoping and wishing. And that distinction is critical.

Hope is active – it holds power. Wishing is passive. You can sit around all day long and wish you had a job, but without taking steps to find, and keep, a job, wishing won’t do much for you. But hope? Hope fuels you, it drives you. Because of hope people take action and make things happen. Hope is a powerful fuel for change.

Check back Monday for a story that illustrates the difference between hoping and wishing.

Until then…

Kathleen

Understanding What Hope Can Do for Us

2011-02-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

Some believe in the power of hope and they want it, maybe even desperately, but they can’t find it, it eludes them. Or maybe they are afraid to get their hopes up again. Their hope has been dashed too many times. And, they find it is harder, every time, to pick themselves up after they are let down and begin to hope…again.

Others are really, powerfully angry at hope. They don’t believe in it, they don’t want to hear about it, wish people would stop fooling themselves with it. What good is hope really? Where did it get us? They believe that not only doesn’t hope help, but it hurts. It lets us down, hard.

But the first thing to think about in discussing rekindling hope is, why does hope matter? Why should we take the time or energy to rekindle it? Because if we don’t really understand what hope can do for us, why work hard to rebuild it?

My personal opinion is that many people hold many misconceptions about hope. What hope is, what it isn’t, how to recognize and generate hope, how to sustain hope, and why it even matters.

I began studying hope over a decade ago because it became clear it was critical to my life’s work. So, I interviewed hundreds and hundreds of people, I attended myriad workshops and discussions, I read about hope and I was astounded how vague many people were when putting their thoughts about hope into words, even many of those people who valued it and utilized it in their own life’s work (including myself.)

When I began giving keynote presentations and both short and extended workshops on hope, it became increasingly clear to me that I needed to develop an “elevator pitch” for why hope matters. I knew hope was central to my work and I knew hope was often wildly misunderstood and undervalued by many people who could hugely benefit from a change in the way they thought about hope. I spent years studying hope and years working to identify a way to easily convey the criticality of it.

And after much work toward that end, I came up with an eight word explanation for why hope matters.

HOPE IS THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION WHY

Why get out of bed in the morning?

Why work harder than you have ever worked when you feel worse than you ever knew it was possible to feel?

Why keep getting up every day, and putting one foot in front of the other, even when things seem to just keep getting darker?

HOPE.

It has been asked, lately, how is hope working for you (meaning, us, systemically) now? And the answer is simple, it isn’t.

Hope isn’t working for us now because we have lost it. Hope and action aren’t in the driver’s seat anymore. But when we had it, when it was doing the driving, well, at that time things looked, and were, very different. And they can be again.

We can rekindle hope, together and begin to make change, together. And change begins with hope and moves forward with action. We are then in a position to reset (higher!) expectations with more hope, change and action, celebrating along the way. Hope can begin a cycle of change, action and celebration that ripples out and profoundly changes the way we “do business”, individually and nationally.

Why do we begin with hope? Because in the same way a car needs fuel, we do too. And hope is fuel for action. When we have real, genuine hope we have more energy, difficult tasks are more easily undertaken. We are less inclined to go for immediate gratification, less inclined to want it easy, fast and cheap, and more inclined to take a step back, see the long view and work hard to build meaningful and sustainable change. Hope is a profoundly powerful fuel and it is one of the few things in this world that is free for us all.

With hope, we plant the seeds today so that tomorrow will be different.

So, how do we begin rekindling hope? First, we decide that rekindling hope is a priority. Then we begin to take action. Together.

-Kathleen

Why Hope? Why Now?

2011-02-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

What happened? Wasn’t it just a couple of years ago, the nation was exhibiting a profound sense of hope that individually, and together, we could shift directions, make changes and strip ourselves of cynicism and the belief that we are too small and too powerless to make a difference?

A couple of years ago, across the country, we were all becoming inspired and beginning to feel that perhaps we could do something about the way things are. Many people felt there was reason to HOPE and that together we could achieve CHANGE.

And now, perhaps the most important first thing to consider about rekindling hope is why we should try. Why now?

For some people hope has a bad reputation, it’s seen as wavy and fluffy, hard to define or measure, not “scientific”. Or it’s seen as a tool used to “sell” something, for instance something politicians might use as a smokescreen, a way to manipulate voters, a way of ignoring the reality of the current times.

Some people feel hope is all well and good, but only to a certain point, and sure, it’s nice enough to have it but it isn’t all that critical. We have much bigger fish to fry, right? We hear that hope isn’t necessary and it won’t help to solve many of the issues we’re all facing.

Well, don’t be so quick to discount the value of hope. Tomorrow we’ll take a moment to take a closer look.

Until then…

Kathleen

Conversations We Should Be Having: Rekindling Hope!

2011-02-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

A couple of years ago we were a nation brimming with hope. There was an energy rippling across the country and you could almost feel it in the air. That energy came at the right time. We knew that we faced serious, complicated, overwhelming challenges. But despite this, there was a rippling sense of hope, a sense that maybe, just maybe, there was a way out for us.

It was as though cynicism and passivity were relegated to the back seat, while hope and action leaped in to the driver’s seat.

Flash forward to now – the beginning of a new year – 2011.

We still face serious, complicated and overwhelming challenges. And for many people nothing much feels any different, well nothing except that it appears that now cynicism and passivity may be back in the driver’s seat again. And people are wondering what we will do if things simply don’t change? And wondering if there is any chance they even still can?

Many people are really hurting and many people are really scared.

And there is a lot of talk about what to do. And there is a lot of finger pointing and assigning of blame.

Washington is to blame, the media is to blame, as is Wall Street, Republicans, Democrats, people who didn’t vote, people who did… There is a lot of blame circulating.

And now with our hope diminishing, we find ourselves with all of the same problems we were facing a couple of years ago, but we are a little older now and a lot more tired. But now, we are also really scared. Things aren’t changing or they aren’t changing fast enough. What do we do? Where do we place our belief? Is it even possible to get out of the hole we are in, personally and as a nation?

And the answer is, of course it is possible to get out of the hole we are in. The verdict is out as to whether we WILL take the steps needed to do so, but we certainly can.

We are resilient. We CAN do this.

It will take time and effort and focus and passion and commitment. But we CAN do it. And some of what we can do that will have impact is actually relatively simple. But simple should not be confused with three things many Americans have come to expect, or at times demand, in choice selection. Many Americans when making a choice prefer things are 1)easy, 2)quick and 3) cheap.

We can do this but it won’t be easy or quick or cheap. But it is relatively simple.

Having had the profound honor of personally witnessing amazing personal turn-arounds of nearly completely fractured lives, turn-arounds no one would have ever thought humanly possible, I know we can do this.

What do we do?

That depends on who we are, where we are and where we want to go. Healing and moving forward won’t look the same for any two of us, it won’t begin in the same place, require the same path, or look the same way when we get there. So what we do will look different for each of us.

We are all unique, all different. And there is beauty and strength and power in our differences. And we can employ the power of our differences and do what we need to do, to turn this country and ourselves, around.

In this time of popular “reality” shows, imagine if we all began being a player in a national “reality” show. Gandhi said, “The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.”

Please join us as we begin a discussion of what we can do.

Until next time…

Kathleen

Something We Should All Be Asking Ourselves

2011-02-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

In a recent podcast interview with Sinikka Santala of Madison, Wisconsin we asked if there is one question she felt we should all be asking ourselves – click here Sinikka Santala – Something We Should All Be Asking Ourselves to listen to her response or visit http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/procovery-institute-podcast/id394224317 to listen to the entire two-part interview on our Procovery Institute iTunes channel!

We found Sinikka’s question both timely and compelling. The current widespread perception seems to be that we are facing ever-mounting crises with ever diminishing resources – or that we are essentially going to hell in a handbasket.

An alternative view however, and a view that formed the strong foundation for everything we have done and continue to do at Procovery Institute, is that this is, most definitely, not the case. We hold the opposite view. We maintain that the most profound and sustainable transformation often comes about after it looks as though we are going to hell in a handbasket, and as a direct result of crises.

In essence, crises can serve as one kind of powerful fuel for change.

Sinikka’s thoughtful response has inspired us to begin a new blog series, Conversations We Should be Having.

We welcome you to join us, beginning tomorrow, and share this link or email with anyone you feel should be a part of the conversation, as we begin discussing Theodore Roosevelt’s (paraphrased advice), to “do what you can, with what you have, now.”

Until tomorrow…

Kathleen

New Procovery Song Announced in Honor of Randy Stratt!

2010-10-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

Randy A. Stratt
May 9, 1956 – October 7, 2009

To all of our much loved friends and supporters,

We have all so very much missed Randy, co-founder of Procovery Institute and co-creator of Procovery, in this last year. We have honored the amazing man he was (and still is to us all, despite his physical absence) in both small and large ways in the last year, and we will continue to find ways to honor him, always.

Next spring we will be holding a Celebration of Randy as it would have been his 55th birthday. Today, in his honor, we are releasing a Procovery song, A New Way Home.

A New Way Home is a song about Creating Change, the fifth strategy of Procovery, but more specifically it is a song about finding a new way of doing things, ending negative cycles, taking action and moving forward—all components that can support Creating Change!

Thank you all for your continued interest in and support of Procovery. And, very importantly, for your love and support during a very dark time. We are moving forward, together, with all of you and in Randy’s honor. We look forward to you all learning about (and seeing!) our next phased expansion of Procovery.

Let’s all take a moment to remember some of our favorite things about Randy and to thank him for his enormous contributions to our lives through his co-creation of Procovery, his brilliant mind, his unmatched dedication to productivity, and his genuine smile and laughter that were much cherished by all. Let’s all toast in his honor, together… TO RANDY!!!

With love,

Your friends at Procovery Institute

Click Link Below to Listen!

A New Way Home

Changes to website!

2010-09-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

You might notice some recent changes to the website. We are continuing to update it and look forward to sharing our new look with you!

Procovery Institute

Tara and Bella!

2010-08-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hi All! We wanted to share this video with you!

We hope you have a great day today!

Procovery Institute

Monday September 13th Weekly Podcasts Resume!

2010-08-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hello All!

We are excited to announce that in addition to uploading weekly podcasts again in September, we are also launching a NEW podcast series this fall!

We are so pleased with the incredible response to our Podcast series, and we hugely appreciate all of your interest and support and commitment to Procovery!

Please check back for more information soon!

Jessica the Hippo!

2010-08-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hi All!

What a heartwarming story! We hope you enjoy!

We hope you have a wonderful day!

Procovery Institute

Happy Monday!

2010-08-09T06:00:00.001-07:00

We wanted to share this video with you!
http://www.vbs.tv/watch/the-cute-show/sloths

New Missouri Procovery Podcast – Interview with Angela Ward

2010-08-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

We have posted a new Procovery Podcast as part of our Show-Me Procovery podcast series featuring Angela Ward, artist and licensed Procovery Circle Facilitator in Farmington, Missouri.

To listen and download (download will only be available for one week) please visit www.procovery.com/podcasts. Please feel free to copy and send this link on to friends, family and colleagues… Anyone you think may be interested in listening!

Hope you are having a wonderful week!

Your friends at Procovery Institute

New Spotlight on LA County Podcast- Interview with Cathy Warner!

2010-08-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hello All!

Today is the first podcast segment in a two-part interview with Cathy Warner, Deputy Director for Adult Systems of Care, LA County DMH!

To Listen and download (FREE download is available for the next week only), please visit www.procovery.com/podcasts. Please feel free to copy and send this link on to anyone you think may be interested in listening– friends, family and colleagues!

We hope you’re having a wonderful start to your week!

Your friends at Procovery Institute

New Podcast Series Launches Today with Interview of A. Kathryn Power!

2010-05-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hello All!

Today is the first in our new podcast series, Conversations Across the Nation, with our first interview featuring A. Kathryn Power, Director, CMHS, SAMHSA!

We currently have three ongoing podcast series available for listening at www.procovery.com/podcasts or by clicking the Audio tab on the Procovery website:

Show-Me Procovery
Interviews with Missouri Procovery Circle Facilitators!

Spotlight on LA County
Interviews with inspiring individuals across Los Angeles County!

Conversations Across the Nation
Interviews with individuals dedicating their lives to making inspiring and profound changes across the nation!

Stay tuned as a new podcast will be uploaded weekly (barring holiday observances, etc.) and once a series has been completed, a CD of all podcasts from the series will be created. Podcasts will soon be available from iTunes as well!

Have a great week everyone!

Until next time…

Acasia

New Procovery Youtube Channel!

2010-05-04T06:00:00.001-07:00

We hope you’re having a wonderful start to your week! So many of you have contacted us and asked us if we would make the video shown in Procovery Trainings available for your viewing. We love hearing from you and always try to accommodate your requests, if we possibly can... Because of this, we've posted video on our YouTube Channel! Scroll down and click the YouTube button on the navigation bar. We will be posting more videos soon. Please continue to check back!

Procovery Podcast with Dr. Phillip McClendon!

2010-05-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to announce that a podcast featuring Dr. Phillip McClendon’s inspiring and informative perspective on how Procovery applies to substance abuse is up on our website at www.procovery.com/podcasts! We welcome you to take a moment to listen to this and share with friends, family and colleagues!

Happy Monday!

Your Friends at Procovery Institute

New Procovery Podcast Uploaded!

2010-04-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

We posted a new Procovery Podcast as a part of our Missouri Procovery Podcast series! This compelling interview is with Procovery Circle Facilitator Stephanie Schmidt from Peter and Paul in St. Louis, Missouri. We greatly appreciate Stephanie taking the time to share her profound experience and insight with us.

Each podcast in our current series is highlighting a different setting and/or stakeholder group and this podcast is focused on HIV, serious addiction and homelessness and the powerful impact Procovery has across this spectrum.

We hope you will take a few moments to listen to prior podcasts in the Missouri series with other inspiring Procovery Circle Facilitators Dr. Amanda Murphy of the Amanda Luckett Murphy Hopewell Center in St. Louis, Mark Sunde of ReDiscover Mental Health in Kansas City, Susan Scott of Ozarks Medical Center in West Plains and Karleen Blake of St. Luke’s Northland in Smithville. Please remember to pass the link below along to friends, family and colleagues.

www.procovery.com/podcasts

We love hearing from you all and are looking forward to bringing you more exciting, inspirational and informative content! Thanks for your amazing feedback!

Until next time…

-Acasia

Updated Video Player!

2010-04-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Per your feedback and suggestions, we have updated our video player on the video page of the website! There are now thumbnails of the videos along with links to each of the 3 Procovery videos.

We hope you enjoy watching and please continue to send your feedback… we’re listening!

Until next time…

-Acasia

Update – Procovery Video Uploaded!

2010-04-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

We have posted our first video to the website’s video page today! Here is the link to take a look: http://www.procovery.com/videos

We are testing out a different video player format than we have used in the past and want your feedback! All 3 videos are housed in one video screen and you click on the small 1, 2 or 3 on the bottom toolbar (move your cursor over the bottom of the video screen and the toolbar will appear!) to watch the videos. Let us know what you think!

Video 1 is of Procovery Circle Facilitators in a discussion regarding focusing forward. This video runs 3 minutes and 53 seconds.

Video 2 is of Procovery Circle Facilitators in a discussion regarding Procovery and engagement, specific to the homeless population. This video runs 4 minutes and 31 seconds.

Video 3 is of Procovery Circle Facilitators discussing Procovery and literacy. This video runs 4 minutes and 1 second.

We hope you take a moment to watch, tell us what you think of the new video player, and pass the link along to a friend, family member or colleague!

Happy Spring and happy Friday to all!

-Acasia

The Fun Theory!

2010-04-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hi All! We came across this short video and wanted to share it with you! Hope you enjoy!

New Procovery Podcast!

2010-03-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

We welcome you to take a moment to listen to the brand new Procovery Podcast, available as of today, for listening and downloading at http://www.procovery.com/podcasts! This Podcast is an interview with Mark Sunde of ReDiscover Mental Health in Kansas City, MO!

Have a listen and please remember to pass the link on to your friends, family and colleagues!

Until next time–

Procovery Institute

Footprints…

2010-03-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

Where do they lead?

Let us all get inspired and join together in our global community to support the 3rd Annual Earth Hour on March 27th 2010! For more info visit: http://www.myearthhour.org

First Procovery Podcast of 2010!

2010-03-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

We uploaded our first Procovery podcast of 2010 to the website yesterday! It’s an interview with Dr. Amanda Murphy of the Amanda Luckett Murphy Hopewell Center in St. Louis, Missouri. We appreciate Dr. Murphy taking the time out of her schedule to share her insight and her plans for Procovery at Hopewell!

We hope you will take a few moments to listen and pass the link along to friends, family and colleagues.
Happy Spring to you all!

-Acasia

Procovery Moving Forward – Spring 2010!

2010-03-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

The last several months have been such a very dark time for all of us here at PI. Not having Randy physically present has been hellishly painful, hugely challenging and simply so very, very sad, for us all. In this time, we are living Procovery every single day.

Please know that we remain, as always, hugely committed to all of you, and to Procovery, and despite our very profound sadness, we have been working very hard to continue moving forward during this very dark time and to ensure that we will continue to serve all of you and bring you new materials, new inspiration and new direction.

We would like to sincerely thank all of you who made such a difficult time, just a little bit easier. We appreciate you sharing your many memories of Randy with us–so many of you mentioned his smile, his laugh, how he served as a mentor to you or your organization… and how he inspired, and still does inspire, you. He continues, even in his absence, to do the same for us.

We thank you for taking the time to let us know how much Procovery means to you, as well. Your beautiful letters, cards, paintings and thoughtful gifts have been so much more than appreciated. You provided so much support, gave so much love and sent so many concrete and poetic reminders of why we do what we do.

We are again moving forward at PI and more blogs, materials and updates are in the works and on the way…

In some ways it has seemed like these past months have gone in a flash and in some ways it feels like forever, but here we are in Spring of 2010.

Thank you all for helping us through this time and thank you all for helping us get here. And now, from here we move forward, together.

Kathleen

With Profound Love, Respect and Admiration

2009-11-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

With tremendous sadness we must announce the passing of the most amazing human being we have ever known, Randy Stratt on October 7^th, 2009. He was an extraordinary husband, father, son, brother, businessman, mentor and friend. He was also co-creator of the Procovery program and co-founder and Managing Director of Procovery Institute.

The hole Randy has left, in our hearts and our lives, is a huge, dark one and it will take time for all of us to heal. Randy had an extraordinary lifelong commitment to contributing to society and an unfailingly beautiful energy, focus and brilliance. I, Kathleen, will be spending the rest of my life seeking to honor his memory and his legacy, which will live on through his children, their spectacular partners, and through the Procovery program.

A private cremation, with immediate family, was held in October, and a private family service is planned for later this year. There will be a public celebration of Randy’s beautiful life in the Fall of 2010. Randy accomplished an extraordinary amount in his life. He never stopped moving forward, setting his sights on the next place and doing whatever it took to get there. He was a father strongly committed to raising two happy, healthy and independent daughters and he took great pride in realizing this. He was an attorney who knew how to create win-win scenarios and was strongly committed to always doing so. He was the father of Procovery and laid a broad foundation and strategic plan for its wide expansion. And as my husband, he was the love of my universe… I will spend the rest of my days building his legacy and honoring his life. If you would like to help, I welcome you.

We all look forward to honoring Randy, through Procovery and our lives, every single day. He went through living hell, and yet he remained committed to moving forward, both personally, and with the Procovery program. He inspired us, he taught us more than we could have ever imagined. And he loved us with a fierce heart.

“May you live all the days of your life.” – Jonathan Swift

And he most certainly did.

With profound love, respect and admiration for my sweetheart,

Kathleen Crowley Stratt

k_crowley_stratt@procovery.com

New and Coming Soon

2009-11-24T05:00:00.000-08:00

With so much happening these days for all of us, with the profound personal and professional loss we are all feeling with the passing of the wonderful Randy Stratt, it is sometimes difficult to recognize the ways in which we are all moving forward… But we do continue to do this everyday, to Just Start Anywhere® every morning and to live Procovery® throughout every day.

We are always very happy when we get to talk to you about Procovery® music and it is no exception for us to announce that the Procovery® song Something You Said is up on the Music page of the website for your listening pleasure!

You will also notice a new button on the homepage of the website that will help you stay connected with Procovery Institute by following us on Twitter!

Lastly, in response to your generous offers and inquiries, we are in the process of adding a new How You Can Help page to the website. If you are interested in volunteering your time, your expertise, donating funds, artwork or poetry, we appreciate your desire to help and will be glad tell you how!

With new publications going to press soon, trainings resuming and meetings and events being planned, we are very excited about what 2010 has to offer!

As always, we appreciate all of you and we welcome your comments, questions and suggestions.

Our commitment to the Procovery program and to all of you remains strong and continues to grow with each step we take and we invite you to join us on this journey!

Until next time…

Acasia

Procovery Program Manager

Procovery: Through My Eyes / Community by Mickie McDowell

2009-06-02T14:20:00.000-07:00

I’ve been trying to find a definition for the word “community” that truly describes what I have seen develop across the state. I found one that states:

“In human communities, intent, belief, resources, preferences, needs, risks, and a number of other conditions may be present and common, affecting the identity of the participants and their degree of cohesiveness.”

I found an anonymous quote that I think explains my feelings of what I see as a community much better. It is:

“Our inner strengths, experiences, and truths cannot be lost, destroyed, or taken away. Every person has an inborn worth and can contribute to the human community. We all can treat one another with dignity and respect, provide opportunities to grow toward our fullest lives and help one another discover and develop our unique gifts. We each deserve this and we all can extend it to others.”

This is what I see every time I observe a Procovery Circle. I see a community of individuals, treating each other with respect and dignity, helping each other discover, develop and grow using the inner strength, experiences and truths that each posses. I don’t just see the 6, 13 or 22 individuals in that Circle. I see the thousands of individuals in Circles all across the state. I see how we have come together for a common purpose, to move forward. I see how we are all more alike than we are different and the same hopes and dreams are alive in Hayti and Kansas City. We may have all come from a different past, be at a different present and hope to go to a different future, but we all need the same thing to get there. We need HOPE! We have found that Hope within ourselves through Procovery® and each other. We have shared, laughed, cried and celebrated together. A community we are indeed and each of us is an important part. I ask you to find your own definition of community and really think about what it means to belong to something.

I leave you with one final quote:

“We are all longing to go home to some place we have never been — a place half-remembered and half-envisioned we can only catch glimpses of from time to time. Community. Somewhere, there are people to whom we can speak with passion without having the words catch in our throats. Somewhere a circle of hands will open to receive us, eyes will light up as we enter, voices will celebrate with us whenever we come into our own power. Community means strength that joins our strength to do the work that needs to be done. Arms to hold us when we falter. A circle of healing. A circle of friends. Someplace where we can be free.” –Starhawk

-Mickie McDowell, Procovery Forum Facilitator, Missouri

This blog was written by Mickie McDowell, guest blogger, as part of our Procovery: Through My Eyes blog series.

Personalized Hope

2009-05-11T06:00:00.000-07:00

Randy received his first vaccine nearly two weeks ago, and receives his second one this week!

We can’t imagine a better fit for Randy, a cancer treatment that is personalized, individual, innovative and hopeful—a treatment that banks on the wonder and the individuality of the body!

“I suspect that the body’s immune system is more intelligent than anything we could configure to recognize foreign cells or agents, and more effective than traditional treatments at leaving healthy cells alone.” – Dr. Linda Liau

“It’s not just personalized medicine – it’s also personalized hope.” – Hank Zavaleta

In addition to this vaccine, Randy began a new additional treatment! We may just post a video or some photos so that you can see where we are now, on this path and walk along with us, if you want to!

During this time, we have really been reminded, not just daily, but oh, maybe… every second of every day, of the power and beauty of Procovery.

As always, we appreciate every wonderful wish and prayer and card and thought sent this way. We marvel, often, that we are amazed and in awe of how complex and challenging and painful this path is………………and yet, we have so much going for us, including work that makes our hearts sing, a family that is spectacular, health insurance that is a blessing, and so on.

And yet, it can be hard just to get through the day. Imagine how challenging this path can be for people who don’t have these particular resources. THAT, we all agree, is one of the primary reasons we do (and live!) Procovery.

Until next time…

-Kathleen

Ups and Downs

2009-05-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

I can’t quite remember what time Randy and I pulled up to UCLA on the morning of March 3, but what I do know is that it was very early—and it seemed that no one was around but the two of us. As we pulled up to the hospital, though, we saw four people standing together in the dark, and soon realized it was our four children (our two daughters and their sweethearts, who have become our additional two!) Seeing the four of them there, we felt less alone and maybe less scared.

Now we were a unit of six!

Once out of the car, and after hugs all around, Randy led the way and ran up the stairs to the hospital, reaching the top before any of us. He was ready for this surgery, appreciative of the opportunity, and eager for it to be over, with him home, and moving forward.

This brain surgery would be performed by a brilliant surgeon, Dr. Linda Liau. Dr. Liau is, we believe, EXACTLY the kind of person most people wish would go in to her line of work. In a field of darkness she brings so very much light. She brings light because of her skill, light because of her manner of interacting, light because of her dedication and extraordinary research and yes, light because of her hope.

If things went according to the plan, Randy would be eligible, weeks down the road, for a cutting-edge clinical trial. A clinical trial of which, Dr. Liau is the principal investigator, and a clinical trial that in many ways, seems to have the name Procovery written all over it.

We understood that Randy’s speech and right side functionality would likely be negatively impacted by the surgery in the weeks just following the surgery, but that then both would likely improve, even beyond his current status. In preparation for this, the night before the surgery, he and I prepared index cards with words we felt would most likely help us target words and communications over the next several days.

However, we soon learned that what was to be a four or five day hospitalization with Randy walking out of the hospital became a five week, exhausting and challenging ordeal, with Randy leaving the hospital in a wheelchair.

This hospitalization really, often, seemed to be one step forward and five back. “Backsliding” never feels great, I would guess, but in this instance (as in many) there was an added level of anxiety on all of our behalves, as we were shooting for Randy to be enrolled in this particular clinical trial and timing and functionality were both factors.

One night, after Randy had spent the week moving from surgery to ICU to the regular hospital, to neuro rehab, then, very quickly transferred back to the regular hospital due to an accumulation of fluid, when Randy and I were both feeling the pressure of “backsliding” we received the following words in an email from one of our amazing, four children—

“One of the rules of Procovery is to accept backsliding. Randy’s will is not what is backsliding but his body’s rhythms are just that; swings of energy and natural flows of healing, rest, and recovery. There will be ups and downs, and he can continue to stay positive and more forward no matter what!”

Hubba hubba, ding ding DING. It is amazing what the right words, at the right time, can do. And time and time again, our kids had them for us. Time and time again, they said just the right thing, they brought in just the right thing, they did just the right thing. Time and time again.

But now, here we are nearly 10 weeks later, and while Randy is still working round-the-clock on his healing path– he is home, with us, where he belongs!

AND, as much as we were afraid it might not work out for Randy vis a vis the clinical trial, he is now enrolled!

More to follow…

-Kathleen

2nd Procovery Song is Now Up!

2009-05-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hello!

If you have taken a few minutes to listen to our Procovery Podcasts to date (if not, please follow this link http://www.procovery.com/podcasts/) you probably know that we say every time that we at Procovery Institute learn from the field, we learn from experience and… we learn from you! And as a result the Procovery program is always growing… and this includes our website!

I’m happy to share with you today that we have a new Procovery song up on the Music page! As you know, Just Start Anywhere was added to the website recently and we are pleased to now include the Procovery song, I Am Rising!

I Am Rising is a powerful song of hope… so please visit the music page, sit back, relax and have a listen!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week and stay tuned for the next Procovery song to be added!

-Acasia

Procovery Program Manager

Through My Eyes Interview Submissions!

2009-04-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

We have appreciated hearing from you all! If you would like to suggest yourself or someone else to be interviewed for an upcoming Procovery: Through My Eyes podcast, I would like to remind you to include your experiences with Procovery and how you are currently involved…

The brand new Through My Eyes series will consist of interviews with individuals who have real life experience with Procovery. It will be a snapshot into Procovery, seen through their eyes.

While we greatly appreciate all of your submissions, we do regret that we will be unable to interview all suggested guests, but we will certainly do our best!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful spring day!

-Acasia

What's New on the Site!

2009-04-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

I wanted to let you know that we have a couple of new additions to the website today and we wanted to share them with you:

-Our MP3 player is up and running! Please visit the Music page to listen to our first of currently EIGHT Procovery songs, Just Start Anywhere! To learn more about the Procovery song, Just Start Anywhere, please visit the Podcasts page and listen to Procovery Podcasts #1 and 2!

-We have started a new Podcast series! Please visit the Podcasts page to listen to the 1^st in our new series – Procovery: Through My Eyes. This series will be an ongoing, but occasional, addition to the current Procovery podcasts. The Through My Eyes series will consist of interviews with individuals who have real life experience with Procovery. It will be a snapshot into Procovery, seen through their eyes. This Podcast features Mickie McDowell, Procovery Circle Facilitator and Forum Facilitator currently working in the state of Missouri.

As always, please stay tuned for new updates and additions to the site, including new songs, podcasts, quotes and blogs… all are coming soon! We greatly value your feedback and very much appreciate hearing from all of you and regret if we are unable to send a response. We are hoping that more and more of your questions will be answered on the FAQs page… As always, feel free to contact us by visiting the Contact Us page… and have a wonderful day!

-Acasia, Procovery Program Manager

Empathy and Bedside Manner

2009-03-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

I still want to write about hoops and chemistry, but I’m not sure how soon I will get to this… The last couple of weeks have been an exhausting roller coaster. More about that later! In the meantime, please consider checking out our new podcast! It is about 7 minutes long and is about empathy and bedside manner.

One of the exciting things about where we are at with the Procovery program, to date, is that we will soon be resuming training! For several years now the lion’s share of our work has been final stage testing of systemic implementation of the Procovery program. We have now completed this process (hubba hubba ding ding!) and we can return to many of the other important aspects of Procovery, including training!

"You Gotta Live Your Program"

2009-03-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

May 31, 2008, we waited as patiently as we could to hear from Randy’s surgical team at UCLA that he had successfully made it out of emergency brain surgery and that we could go and see him.

Any surgery carries risks and brain surgery certainly scared us. Different doctors had come up with different suggestions as to what might be going on, and we were anxious to hear that Randy was in the recovery room.

Randy went in to surgery very early in the AM and by early afternoon I was growing over-the-top anxious. Randy went in to this emergency surgery with his characteristic strength, focus, determination and gentleness. I couldn’t wait to get back in the same room with him, and hold his hand, and tell him I love him.

Mid afternoon the surgeon came to see us in the waiting area at UCLA. Randy and I had shared some Procovery program materials with him the prior evening. We had explained that Randy had always found it amazing that there is an entire industy devoted to improving outcomes of our educational system, and Randy always reasoned that there should be a comparable industry devoted to improving outcomes in our much more complex healthcare system. (That is one of the things the Procovery program was created to do.) When the surgeon came to see us I wasn’t prepared, and really couldn’t have been, for what he said. He said that Randy had a brain tumor in the left parietal region of his brain and that they had sent part of the tumor to the lab, and that Randy had a glioblastoma multiforme (grade 4 brain tumor). That it was incurable, highly deadly, and that there were no statistics to support his healing. Additionally, he said that Randy was experiencing a “bleed” and would need to go back in for emergency surgery, immediately. His second brain surgery that day.

I remember standing there in the waiting area, and a stream of thoughts began to run through my mind, The loudest thoughts were admittedly selfish ones, initially. I remember standing there thinking I might never hear Randy tell me that he loves me again and I might never feel him hold my hand again………I remember feeling that I might melt to the floor, and I remember this tremendous feeling of “I don’t know how to do this.” I remember thinking that when I wake up, Randy is the first person I see, and when I go to sleep Randy is the last person I see. I remember thinking that we spend all of our time together, and have for years. And when people inevitably ask us how we can spend so much time together, we both always said that, in truth, we never felt it was enough. We have always just wanted MORE time together. And I just remember thinking, very clearly, “I don’t know how to do this………….”

Which is just what I said to the surgeon as he was heading back to surgery. And I remember as he continued walking quickly away, he turned his head back in my direction, and he matter-of-factly said, “Sure you do, you gotta live your program.”

I remember thinking, What the f#&# does that mean?

Later that night I remember his words coming back to me, “You gotta live your program.” And I remember pulling out a Procovery primer and my eyes skimmed the principles. And I remember thinking just pick a principle, just pick one. And I chose hope.

I remember all of the things we have long shared in trainings, that there is always reason to hope, that there is a difference between hoping and wishing, that hope is active and it is always present, even if you can’t see it, hear it or feel it. I remember sharing in trainings that in the same way that a plant reaches for the light, people reach for hope. Not because hope is passive or fluffy but because it is a life force, hope is a fuel. Hope is different than wishing and hope can translate in to action. I remember I chose hope.

What I didn’t know at the time, was that Randy, who was unable to speak as a result of the surgery, and unable to move the right side of his body, had not only chosen a principle, he chose 2. He chose Focus on Strengths and Just Start Anywhere. He later said that all he kept hearing was what he couldn’t do, and would never be able to do again. That he would likely be paralyzed on his right side for life, that he had likely lost his ability to both comprehend and to speak. As he laid there, unable to move his right side, unable to speak, unable to get across to hospital staff that YES he was comprehending………….He focused on his strengths and just starting anywhere.

And what neither of us knew at the time was that we were, in fact, living the program.

Initally, when this happened, very early on, I was “mad” at Procovery. I resented all of the years, and all of the money and all of the time that we had spent on Procovery. I wanted our time back, I wanted our life savings and all of our retirement back, I wanted to take Procovery, and bury it at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. I blamed Procovery.

Lucky for me, our little team at Procovery, and my amazing family, wouldn’t allow me to stay in that place for long. And without any idea Randy was living the program, I was too. And now, ten months later, here we are again, with Randy working so hard to heal from his third brain surgery, with most of the medical community never, ever, ever letting us forget the statistics that are not in our favor. Never letting us forget how bleak the outcomes usually are and how hard this path is and how complicated. As though we don’t know that. As though this amazing, brilliant man in the hospital bed, with stitches from the front of his head to the back, unable to speak, unable to move the right side of his body, needs a clear understanding of how grave the situation is. We do get it. We really do. But what we also get is that there is always reason to hope, that love heals and that miracles happen every day. And in the area of medicine, a miracle is often simply a healing that takes place, that cannot be replicated or understood or explained. Something that cannot be backed by science, YET. But aren’t the most beautiful things in life often those that cannot be easily replicated, understood or explained?
So, here we are “living our program,” with more commitment, belief, passion and awe for Procovery than we ever had in the first place. And for anyone who knows us or Procovery, we already were pretty over-the-top in that department.

Next… I want to talk about hoops and chemistry.

-Kathleen

Moving Forward – One Week Since Randy's Surgery

2009-03-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

Randy was moved out of the ICU late in the day on Sunday. It has been a very hard week, all around. The surgery and swelling left Randy mostly unable to speak or move the right side of his body. Anyone who knows Randy can only imagine how challenging this is for him but anyone who knows Randy will also know that he is one of the most determined, hard working and inspiring people any of us have ever met.He is finding many ways to communicate his feelings and things he would like to say and we are all in awe.

He will be moved to an acute rehabilitation unit soon, maybe even later today.
We listened to the new Procovery podcast (number 2!) and we loved it. It made us cry, but happy tears. Together we communicated a little bit about how beautiful it is that Procovery will now be able to travel, even lighter and easier, in to dark, dreary, sad places and spread some light. We know this, because the podcast did this for us. If you haven’t heard it, and you are interested, check out the podcast section of the website. And please stay tuned for more…

More updates will follow, more blogs and podcasts will be posted, more thoughts will be shared… Next I want to tell you about “You gotta live your program.”

-Kathleen

A Quote to Share

2009-03-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I came across a quote that I wanted to share–

There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward.

-Kahlil Gabran

I think it’s wonderful, I hope you do too!

-Acasia

P.S. Is there a quote that resonates with you? Would you like to share it with Procovery Institute? Please submit it to us on our Contact Us page. We’d love to hear from you!

Update on Randy

2009-03-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow, March 3, Randy will check into UCLA for “awake” brain surgery, scheduled for 7:30 AM (PST). Click on this link for an article about the brain and this specific type of brain surgery:

He (and we) has been personally living the absolute Power of Procovery over the last ten months, after Randy’s two successive, unexpected, emergency brain surgeries last May 31. We have found ourselves living both the complex and difficult healing path AND deriving strength from a small healing community and the reciprocity of the healing process (more about this in a future blog!). It has been truly hellish, exhausting, and mind-numbing and at the same time simply amazing, beautiful and a tremendous source of personal transformation.

If you find a quiet moment, and would like to send a ripple of positive energy or a blessing or prayer out to the universe on Randy’s behalf, please know that he, and we, would both welcome and very much appreciate it.

So many of you have asked (and keep asking…) about Randy over these last ten months, and we can’t tell you how much we appreciate your ongoing thoughtfulness, caring and consideration. He has appreciated, with all of his heart, every single caring expression.

Randy is the father of Procovery. He not only hugely financially funded the Procovery program from day one, but he developed the program from day one (while working long, long hours in “big business” SO that he could hugely fund the program), he co-created the extensive materials and was at every training, in every location, doing absolutely anything that needed to be done, to get the job done, right!

Procovery is what it is, because Randy is who he is. And because of who he is, down to his core, he has continued to teach us and inspire us and keep us focused and lead us forward, even during this challenging time. Randy has, in many ways, been living a sheer hell for much of the last ten months. But even in the midst of this, he has been ………. Randy. Gentle, focused, creative, brilliant, and moving forward, always, moving forward, both himself and Procovery. He has, daily, continued to inspired us with how much more he has learned about the healing process, how much more he has to share, and along the way he has been very clear that he feels truly blessed to have had Procovery to accompany him through this process.

So many of these things he, and we, will be talking about in blogs to come. In the meantime we hope that you might join us, if you so choose, and be inspired to begin your own Procovery path forward. And that you might consider, if you want to, that you can begin, right now, here, today, at this moment, to move forward, in the direction of your dreams. You can start right now. You can start by taking a seemingly small step, or you can start big, and take a giant leap. You can………… Just Start Anywhere. Today.

-Kathleen

Hello and welcome to the new Procovery blog!

2009-02-27T06:00:00.000-08:00

We have decided to do something new and different for Procovery Institute… something that we hope will serve to both reach out to all of you and to serve as an informal connection for all of us. Some days we may post a blog entry from one of us here at Procovery Institute, some
days it will be a quote, a thought of the day or even a photo that we find inspiring or hopeful and would like to share with you all. This blog will be an experience unlike our tested program materials – the books, cards, music, etc. This will be more spontaneous, informal and immediate. We are happy to be able to connect with you all in a real and informal way and look forward to many blog posts to come! We may not post an entry every day, it may be once a week, on occasion even once a month… but please know, we always appreciate your input, your comments and your thoughts and we hope you enjoy and appreciate ours!

-Acasia

Procovery Program Manager and Amateur Blogger!