Rockford Center Overall Treatment Summary & Recommendation

8/13/2024

Day 1 summary at Rockford at the Orchards:

Challenges getting there

• Got lost and arrived late on the first day
• Upon arrival entered the wrong door.
• Day 9 No one at the desk to buzz me in so I have to wait a few seconds at the inside door.
• Day 11 locked myself out of the house after walking the dogs.
• Forgot to take my medication on day 12 and day 13.

Successes

• Overcame my fear of speaking in groups.
• Learned the importance of breathing cadence as it applies to anxiety.
• On day 3 I was able to fend off being triggered by an electronic message by using my "wise brain" to recognize the content of the message was logical and accurate. I was able to comprehend the content & able to process the message without any type of irrational emotion.
• Day 5 significant drop in level of anxiety and feel more emotionally balanced. Became more engaging with the group as the week progressed.
• Studies content of each day's program at least 1 hour every night.
• Listed the people in my life to whom I'm the closest and state why you trust those individuals.

• Difference between healthy and unhealthy relationship as defined by me.  Paraphrasing--fictional relationships like Ozzie & Harriet, Mike & Carol Brady, and Ward and June Cleaver that are often used by my generation when defining the perfect relationship.  When you use fiction to measure reality your success in your relationship may not necessarily be recognized as such.  When we focus on defects we get deflated and when we get deflated we quit.  What two people in a relationship sometimes fail to see are the mutual sacrifices, compromises, unselfish decision making that have allowed them to overcome challenges together to be the best people they can be.  The message from me was twofold 
• Don't measure yourself against something that is not real. 
• Being committed takes work so if you're not willing to work hard don't commit.

• Relationship mapping

• Examples provided to the class on day 15 of what I've learned.  

• Stay in the moment
• Do not create false narratives based on a little bit of evidence.
• Behaviors can be changed by changing how to think and feel.
• It is healthy to set boundaries.  They allow us to feel secure in our relationships at work and home.  An example of a healthy boundary is being able to say no or accept when someone else says no.  
• The participants in the program were inspiring, som

Coping Mechanisms

• Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) Thoughts & feelings generate behaviors
• TIPP. It stands for temperature (splash cold water in your face), intense exercise (drop down and do 10 pushups), paced breathing (longer exhale than inhale), and progressive muscle relaxation (make a fist, squeeze hard, hold 5-seconds, release). TIPP skills are a set of distress tolerance techniques that can help people regulate their emotions and manage difficult situations.
• Reasonable mind, emotional mind, wise mind.
• 5 love languages to self-love: how to love yourself. 1. Words of affirmation-talk positively about yourself. 2. Acts of service-health checkups, grooming, nutrition. 3. Receiving gifts-buy things you love. 4. Quality time meditation. 5. Physical touch--stretch your muscles.
• Learned methods to ground oneself using the 5 senses.
• Acknowledge 5 things that you can see around you.
• Acknowledge 4 things that you can touch around you.
• Acknowledge 3 things that you can hear around you.
• Acknowledge 2 things that you can smell around you.
• Acknowledge 1 thing that you can taste around you.
• How to challenge anxious thoughts
•  Be honest
• Ask yourself--what's the evidence to support this thought
• Ask yourself--what are the chances of such and such happening
• What would you say to your best friend if they came out with such thoughts
• Tell yourself that you can cope and you can handle it.  

• Coping mechanisms to use when in hyperaroused state.

·      Slow deep breaths.

·      Shaking or stomping out excess energy

·      Do pushups or heavy work.

·      Exercise

·      Play a team sport

·      Drink from a straw

·      Meditate

 

• Coping mechanisms to use when in hypoaroused state.

·      Physical movement

·      Describe 3 things you see in your surroundings in full detail.

·      Smell essential oils or other artistic activities

·      Paint, draw

·      Mindfully eating crunchy food

·      Stretching, yoga

·      Use heavy weighted blanket

·      Do activity that fully engages the senses.

 

• How to broaden the window of tolerance 

·      Breath work

·      Guided imagery

·      Positive containment imagery. Place intrusive thoughts into a chest and lock it until ready to process.

·      Safe place imagery imagine yourself in a real or imaginary place where you feel calm and content.

• Learned why setting boundaries is so challenging.
• Attachment style-your behaviors as an adult are based in how your primary caregivers responded to you as an infant.  

• Modelling from primary caregivers-if the people who raised you didn't know how to det good boundaries, likely you don't know how either. 
• Psychological development and personal identity-we all progress through standard stages of psychological development, learning to see ourselves as autonomous.
• Your unique personality-traits, thoughts, patterns and behaviors that are unique to you.  
• culture-family, religious, national. 

Key takeaways

• Do not expect other people to be me. Expect them to be themselves and be proud of who they are for being who they are.
• Making up stories in my head as a result of something that happens to trigger emotions must be fended off by a coping mechanism to introduce logical thinking.
• Can't believe everything the anxious mind tells you.
• Need to focus on self-love before I can love someone else.
• You are not broken. You've adapted to your environment.
• You cannot have courage without vulnerability.
• "Problems can arise        when the threat is in our minds rather than a real physical behavior and when our thoughts and      behaviors reinforce our anxiety instead of helping it melt away."
• Find a positive thought to replace every anxious thought and make an effort to believe it!
• No fortune telling, stay in the moment.
• Stay on top of my medication and therapy sessions.  
• Setting boundaries is a healthy practice.
• Be fully engaged in the present moment, embrace your thoughts and feelings without becoming overwhelmed by them. When anxiety hits, grounding yourself in the present can act like an anchor, keeping your mind from worries and fear.
• When in a conflict with another person I need to patiently wait for the other person to be in his or her window of tolerance before pursuing a non-emotional, meaningful discuss. Just because I'm in my window does not mean the other person is.
• We're wired for struggle but still worthy of connection.
• Have patience, stop overthinking and keep watering your seeds.

• We are not required to take care of our future maybes.

  • What if I lost my job?
  • What if my partner doesn't love me anymore?
  • What if we hate our new neighborhood?  

   Disconnect from the what ifs and tune into the what now.  

Goals

• Breathing exercise. Exhale longer than I inhale to prevent shallow breathing.
• Study STOPP method: stop, take a breath, observe, put into perspective, and proceed.
• Develop a plan that focuses on mitigating the current stressor.
• Schedule time on the calendar for a daily affirmation.
• Fill out answers to the questions on the understanding of your past form. This is valuable for me because to heal from trauma, I have to understand my past. Some have painful past that even thinking about them can be overwhelming. Need to learn from the past to correct the present.
• Maintain emotional stability. Keep routine but also step outside the comfort zone and do things that make me feel vulnerable.
• List the people in my life to whom I'm the closest and state why you trust those individuals. Bring completed worksheet to class tomorrow.  
• Be patient, stay engaged but not overbearing.
• Stay engaged, recognize triggers, and respond appropriately.
• Work on positive affirmations
• Stay in the moment.
• Recognize triggers, use coping mechanisms to manage them, and do not overthink. 

Continuous improvement

• Work life/balance.
• Sustained aftercare.
• Balanced diet and exercise.

Recommendation

5 Stars *****

I had a great experience at Rockford Center at the Orchards. When I started day 1 I was at my lowest point but the team at the Orchards quickly got me engaged in the group sessions and I started to feel better immediately. Always prepared with a daily agenda and willing to be flexible Steph was a major factor in my recovery. Combined with group therapy led by Steph another important factor in my recovery was the evaluation performed by the nurse practitioner, Marc. The very first day he was able to Identify & prescribe the correct medication. Over the period of my stay at the Orchards Marc routinely met with me to ask questions to be sure the medication prescribed was working and the side effects were minimum. As someone who attended 15 days of the Partial Hospitalization Program I highly recommend the facility & program to anyone in need of help with mental health challenges. Steph and Marc are the best!