Table of Contents
“Write Pray Recover: A Journey to Wellness Through Spiritual Solutions and Self Care,” is the story of my lifelong substance use disorder to prescription drugs, and co-occurring mental health disorders. It is also the story of my inspirational recovery, now in my 10th year, through a program that I created, “An Integrative Approach to Recovery” where I have successfully used spiritual solutions and self-care/wellness practices to thrive in my recovery.
I spent a great deal of time over the years exploring and exercising new wellness practices in order to create a new trajectory for my life, and that of my children and granddaughters. And it has rippled out into our global community with eagerness and excitement in both the recovery and wellness communities.
When I began this journey at age 54, after forty years of living with multi-occurring mental health disorders which began at the age of 14, I was ill-equipped to actually take an active role in my life. I had no coping skills or life strategies to guide me. I was like a newborn baby with nobody to care for me, or to teach me.
Yes, I experienced a “re-birth.” I was discharged from treatment after 30 days in two separate rehabilitation facilities, with absolutely no aftercare, (insurance would not cover aftercare) and so I was left to figure it all out for myself as I went along.
To figure out life, how to live, how to become aware of my emotions and feelings that spoke to me in physical manifestations of feeling unwell, and how to appropriately act, react, interact, and how to self-regulate through the use of healthy practices that would provide me with wellness, joy, peace, and abundance. I began to explore a holistic lifestyle so that I may heal on a cellular level. My entire toolbox is filled with a variety of actionable holistic wellness tools and strategies for daily challenges and/or adversity. These tools promote daily wellness. Each person’s tools will be different as they assess what they need specific to their recovery.
Most of my family banished me from their lives, and many friends did as well. My children did rally around me, however, there was a definite uneasiness and awkwardness between us when I returned home from treatment. Slowly and purposefully, we have rebuilt our relationships.
It was a slow and steady process of rebuilding trust through living transparently, and with great integrity, humility, and patience, and being willing to meet them where they were.
It was my son, Matthew, who suggested that I write a book. So, in 2013, my son set up a blog for me to begin writing my thoughts and feelings. That blog, (no longer available online), was entitled The Rx Diaries.
The subsequent blogs that I still write on today, which represent the content of my book, www.writeprayrecover.com, as well as my additional blog, www.harmonioushealth4life.com, are reflective of the work that I do in the field of mental health and wellness and substance use disorder in our global community.
“Write Pray Recover: A Journey To Wellness Through Spiritual Solutions and Self Care,” offers the reader a look at my childhood trauma including domestic and sexual abuse, and young adult trauma also including domestic, physical, mental, and sexual abuse.
My book offers a variety of suggestions for wellness, ones that I have used throughout my recovery journey, grounded in my most important practice, my spirituality. God/Spirit/Universe answered my prayer nine years ago to “show me the way out of this (addiction to drugs and mental illnesses), and I will follow any path that you put before me.”
My life was saved, and I continue to keep my promise to Him in serving others through my book, workshops, training, and speaking engagements. Through my book, and through my work, I teach those living with mental health disorders, holistically, by treating the “whole person,” body, mind, and spirit.
I also teach and support loved ones of those living with mental health disorders. I offer integrative skills and strategies in order to practice self-awareness through the body/ mind connection and to understand how our mental and physical health is connected.
I also explore how to practice and how to implement and choose healthy practices in order to self-regulate in any given moment through my S.P.E.A.R. and S.W.I.M. INTO WELLNESS program (Chapter 6 of Write Pray Recover). I teach how our gut/brain connection works: how choices that we make from food that we eat; to our sleep schedule to the relationships we choose; to the experience of daily joy; impact our mental and physical health. Daily self-care is our best tool in staying ahead of daily stress that may cause us to feel unwell on the continuum on any given day for any given reason.
All of my tools are actionable and simple to implement. As I write in my book, “Self-care is the actions that we take to achieve wellness, and wellness is where we stand in our power.” Write Pray Recover also offers, at the end of each chapter, self-reflection questions with space to write about what you may connect to in my story.
In addition, at the end of the book, Chapter 15, ‘Daily Reflections and Self-Assessment,’ offers the reader a daily guide to work through their emotions, feelings, and an opportunity to assess their daily experiences. I encourage the reader to “forgive yourself for any perceived shortcomings, without any judgment of your actions or thoughts.
Begin again with the new day that greets you and use yesterday’s experience to create your desired outcome just for today. There is always another opportunity to choose again tomorrow. It doesn’t matter how many mistakes we make; it is about being mindful of the lessons and opportunities we are blessed with which allow us to grow and evolve.”
“Write Pray Recover: A Journey to Wellness Through Spiritual Solutions and Self Care,” has met with outstanding reviews, and I am contacted daily by readers to let me know how much my program and story have supported them in their recovery, or that of a loved one, and many times readers share that they have recommended my book to someone who needs the tools that I provide in the book.
In addition, my book is selling worldwide, in Germany, the UK, Canada, Australia, and the US, and the feedback is always the same. Readers are grateful for this self-help guide to wellness through spiritual solutions and self-care. The most important tool that I teach, for anyone, living in recovery, or not living in recovery, is to “Speak your truth.” This is where your freedom begins.
Wendy Blanchard, M.S., INHC, NYCPS is an Integrative Nutrition Holistic Health coach/practitioner, and mental health consultant/educator. Wendy is a survivor of lifelong addiction and co-occurring disorders and thrives in her recovery through implementing an integrative approach. Wendy’s book, “Write Pray Recover: A Journey to Wellness Through Spiritual Solutions and Self Care,” was released in January 2022! Wendy is a trained mental health educator by the National Council for Behavioral Health in Mental Health First Aid, and Youth Mental Health First Aid, and by the Suicide Prevention Center of N.Y. in Suicide Safety for Schools. In addition, she is certified by the New York Peer Certification Board as a Certified Peer Specialist.
Further, Wendy is trained in “How to Implement Social and Emotional Learning using Conflict Resolution and Restorative Practices-A CRC Model”, “SEL as a Lever for Equity and Social Justice”, “Emotional Literacy”, “Mental Health Education Law”, “Trauma-Informed Approach”, “Spiritual Wellness”, “SafeTalk”, “De-Escalation” and “Motivational Interviewing.” She is trained in Narcan administration and CPR. Wendy teaches globally on mental health and wellness, and she works with clients in her private practice who are seeking to implement sustainable lifestyle changes through natural and organic solutions using an Integrative Approach to Recovery.
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