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| Meaning in the Growth Stage: Living a Meaningful Life |
Meaning in the Growth Stage: Living a Meaningful Life
While finding a purpose in life is an important aspect of recovery, those in the Growth stage exhibit a deeper sense of meaning. People often describe achieving a sense of serenity and peacefulness (Young and Ensing, 1999). Some find meaning in the experience of illness itself, and for some it takes the form of a spiritual awakening:
I do not think [God] could have given me a more gracious gift, especially gracious since I am in no way worthy of it. I might have opted for the gift of ‘no pain’ but somehow I now feel a difficult journey shared is better than a solitary one that is painless. (Watson, 1994, p. 70)
While finding a purpose in life is an important aspect of recovery, those in the Growth stage exhibit a deeper sense of meaning. People often describe achieving a sense of serenity and peacefulness (Young and Ensing, 1999). Some find meaning in the experience of illness itself, and for some it takes the form of a spiritual awakening:
I do not think [God] could have given me a more gracious gift, especially gracious since I am in no way worthy of it. I might have opted for the gift of ‘no pain’ but somehow I now feel a difficult journey shared is better than a solitary one that is painless. (Watson, 1994, p. 70)
I have a great respect for life and for the deadliness of my illness, yet I embrace life fully and am thankful for each day of health of mind. I live a simple life, but a good life; and I am very grateful for my second chance to enjoy my family and pursue my dreams. (Fox, 2002, p. 365)
I live on the edge of the sea and walk on the beach. That’s how I find my strength. Some say it’s when the universe is talking. Others, it’s about being close to God. (Leibrich, 1997, p. 44)
Watson (1994) describes how the almost obligatory reassessment of values can lead to finding a deeper meaning in life: In a very real way we are blessed we don’t have to spend a lifetime finding out what’s really important. Most of us know. In this way our pain has been a good teacher.
Somehow we just know that a kind heart is worth more than a Mercedes, that learning, loving and growing touches our deepest longing much more than status, power or TV-style ‘success’ ever could. (p. 74)
In the Growth stage, as suggested in the passages on Identity above, occupational activities do more than provide a purpose in life; they can reflect a meaning in life (Young and Ensing, 1999). According to Singer (1996) we create meaning in our lives by identifying those things that we see as valuable and work towards some ideal. Some consumers have used the experience of illness and recovery to find new, more deeply meaningful occupations, often in a peer-support, advocacy or educational role: Experience with mental illness ‘from the inside’ is not necessarily a liability; it can also be an asset. More and more, the professional world is coming to realize the potential that recovering people have to bring their skills and understanding, healing, empowering and advocacy to the lives of recovering peers. (Koehler, 1994, p. 23)
Consumers who perform a professional role find themselves in a uniquely powerful position to educate consumers and other professionals about the experience of mental illness and recovery:
I now see my experience as valuable, if very painful, and will try to use it, along with my professional and educational experience, to help other such disabled individuals.
(Anonymous, 1994a, p. 17) The questionbecomes:Why be employed in a toxic systemtaking toxic drugs tomaintain myself in that system? It doesn’tmake a lot of sense except that it is an opportunity tohave some effect in promoting empowerment of mental health consumers . . ..What kind of opportunity is this? A risky one. (Wentworth, 1994, p. 88) There is mutual benefit in these roles as mental health workers, educators and advocates, as they provide opportunities for growth and a meaning in the illness:
I live on the edge of the sea and walk on the beach. That’s how I find my strength. Some say it’s when the universe is talking. Others, it’s about being close to God. (Leibrich, 1997, p. 44)
Watson (1994) describes how the almost obligatory reassessment of values can lead to finding a deeper meaning in life: In a very real way we are blessed we don’t have to spend a lifetime finding out what’s really important. Most of us know. In this way our pain has been a good teacher.
Somehow we just know that a kind heart is worth more than a Mercedes, that learning, loving and growing touches our deepest longing much more than status, power or TV-style ‘success’ ever could. (p. 74)
In the Growth stage, as suggested in the passages on Identity above, occupational activities do more than provide a purpose in life; they can reflect a meaning in life (Young and Ensing, 1999). According to Singer (1996) we create meaning in our lives by identifying those things that we see as valuable and work towards some ideal. Some consumers have used the experience of illness and recovery to find new, more deeply meaningful occupations, often in a peer-support, advocacy or educational role: Experience with mental illness ‘from the inside’ is not necessarily a liability; it can also be an asset. More and more, the professional world is coming to realize the potential that recovering people have to bring their skills and understanding, healing, empowering and advocacy to the lives of recovering peers. (Koehler, 1994, p. 23)
Consumers who perform a professional role find themselves in a uniquely powerful position to educate consumers and other professionals about the experience of mental illness and recovery:
I now see my experience as valuable, if very painful, and will try to use it, along with my professional and educational experience, to help other such disabled individuals.
(Anonymous, 1994a, p. 17) The questionbecomes:Why be employed in a toxic systemtaking toxic drugs tomaintain myself in that system? It doesn’tmake a lot of sense except that it is an opportunity tohave some effect in promoting empowerment of mental health consumers . . ..What kind of opportunity is this? A risky one. (Wentworth, 1994, p. 88) There is mutual benefit in these roles as mental health workers, educators and advocates, as they provide opportunities for growth and a meaning in the illness:
Finding my role as an advocate was like being in the dark, wintry North and finding my way to the Interstate where I hitched a ride with a big semi-trailer headed for the sunny South. That truck carried me where I wanted to go, and with my health much improved, I am still hitching rides. (Weingarten, 1994, p. 78)
We ourselves are finding surprising depths of compassion and heights of inspiration in helping our peers. Demonstrating solidarity with others’ suffering redeems our own suffering and turns it to good purpose. (Koehler, 1994, p. 23)
It is worthy of note that so many recovered consumers mentioned goals that were either helping others, or transcending the self in a spiritual or philosophical way, and these types of goals have been found to be related to self-reported recovery from loss (Emmons, Colby and Kaiser, 1998) and adjustment in ageing (Lapierre, Bouffard and Bastin, 1997). Self-transcendent goals provide one with a meaning for the illness and, in so doing, represent a form of benefit-finding (Davis, Nolen-Hoeksema and Larson, 1998). Benefit-finding has been associated with adjustment to loss of a loved one (Calhoun and Tedeschi, 2001) and other forms of trauma such as amputation (Dunn, 1996) and breast cancer (Taylor, 1983), in which people reported that some good had come of the experience, and that they considered themselves better adjusted than before.
We ourselves are finding surprising depths of compassion and heights of inspiration in helping our peers. Demonstrating solidarity with others’ suffering redeems our own suffering and turns it to good purpose. (Koehler, 1994, p. 23)
It is worthy of note that so many recovered consumers mentioned goals that were either helping others, or transcending the self in a spiritual or philosophical way, and these types of goals have been found to be related to self-reported recovery from loss (Emmons, Colby and Kaiser, 1998) and adjustment in ageing (Lapierre, Bouffard and Bastin, 1997). Self-transcendent goals provide one with a meaning for the illness and, in so doing, represent a form of benefit-finding (Davis, Nolen-Hoeksema and Larson, 1998). Benefit-finding has been associated with adjustment to loss of a loved one (Calhoun and Tedeschi, 2001) and other forms of trauma such as amputation (Dunn, 1996) and breast cancer (Taylor, 1983), in which people reported that some good had come of the experience, and that they considered themselves better adjusted than before.
