Rethinking Rock Bottom

Treatment providers spend significant amounts of time having vulnerable conversations with people but rarely share their own stories. On this final episode of the first season of “Rethinking Rock Bottom”, hosts Dr. Carrie Wilkens and Reverend Jan M. Brown take the opportunity to share their own experiences and some of the personal reasons that they are so passionate about helping families heal. They each navigated very different paths that led to their work of helping people heal, and their deeply personal reasons keep them both motivated to do this important work. Together they each share their journey to CMC:Foundation for Change, the struggles and realizations they encountered along the way, and how hope has led them to serving and supporting others as they navigate their own paths toward healing. “We are hopeful every day and are rewarded by seeing the people we work with make small daily changes and over time, deeply meaningful life changes.” Additional Resources: CMC: Foundation For ChangeBeyond Addiction Workbook: https://beyondaddictionworkbook.com/ Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People Change Tweetables:

“When we start attending to our wounds, our need to self-medicate the pain lessens, and the healing can finally begin.” On this episode, we talk with Dr. Felecia Pullen, the founder, President, and CEO of Pillars and Let’s Talk SAFETY, Inc. In her life and work, Felecia encourages a view of substance use that acknowledges its complex realities, with overlapping lenses of race, class, culture, and systemic injustice. This conversation highlights the challenges people of color face in treatment and brings to light the very real and painful impact of systemic racism and generational trauma. Race continues to be a blind spot in the treatment community, but acknowledging these issues is essential for effectively treating communities of color. Additional Resources: Dr. Pullen CMC: Foundation For ChangeSpiritWorks Foundation Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People Change Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hersey; Tweetables: stop

This episode we speak with Dave and Tina, parents whose son, Craig, struggled with his mental health from a young age. As he got older, substances entered the picture as well. When Dave and Tina tried to help, they found themselves ping-ponging between worlds. Addiction providers told them that their son needed mental health support, while the mental health programs said he needed to treat his substance use issues first. All of this left Dave and Tina floundering as they desperately tried to help their son.Dave and Tina eventually found a different approach (a combination of CRAFT and the ITC) which helped them learn communication skills and positive reinforcement strategies to help their son and keep their family connected. “We can't climb inside their heads and take over the controls and steer them away from their drugs, but we can be the reason they choose recovery.” Additional Resources: Dave and Tina’s Support Groups: https://www.alternat-i-ves.org/index.htmlCMC: Foundation For ChangeBeyond Addiction Workbook Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People ChangeInvitation to Change: A Short GuideSpiritWorks Foundation National Autistic SocietySupport for Families with Autistic Child Tweetables:

Warning: This episodes discusses the loss of a child due to a substance related death. When Becky’s daughter Katie began struggling with substances, Becky was repeatedly told by friends, family and professionals to disconnect and let her hit rock bottom. Scared and confused, Becky reluctantly agreed, despite how painful and unnatural it felt. She eventually changed tactics and began rebuilding a relationship with Katie. And though Katie ultimately lost her life to substances, Becky’s choice gave them both a chance to reconnect. On this episode of “Rethinking Rock Bottom,” Becky shares with us how being connected to others allowed her to persist in connecting with her daughter, how she allowed herself to love herself and her daughter in spite of so much heartache, and how her connection with Katie lives on even through Katie’s passing. “Nothing may take away one’s grief, as it is hoped nothing can take away one’s love.” Additional Resources: CMC: Foundation For ChangeSpiritWorks FoundationBeyond Addiction Workbook: Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People ChangeGrief Recovery After Substance Passing (GRASP) A healing community offering understanding compassion and support to those who have lost a loved one to substance use. Tweetables:

Watching a loved one struggle with substances is always confusing and painful, but from the perspective of a sibling, it can be particularly hard to understand. Even though siblings often notice the substance use before the rest of the family, as peers, they lack the tools and perspective to fully recognize what’s happening, and including parents can feel like a betrayal. On this episode of “Rethinking Rock Bottom”, hosts Dr. Carrie Wilkens and Reverend Jan M. Brown welcome Meg and Stephen, siblings who were very close and then grew apart as substance use played an increasingly complicated role in their relationship. Together they highlight the struggles of Stephen’s substance misuse, the secrets and burdens that Meg felt that she had to carry alone, and why she, as a sibling, did not fully understand or appreciate her role in Stephen’s healing journey. Sibling dynamics are complicated, to begin with, and substance use disorder tends to amplify underlying tensions. The damage can take years to repair, long after the substances are gone, but together Stephen and Meg share the hope they have found in their relationship as they have each healed. “Sibling relationships are so important within a family, especially during a crisis. Together we heal.” Additional Resources: CMC: Foundation For Changehttps://beyondaddictionworkbook.com/ Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People ChangeMassachusetts Overdose Prevention Helpline Tweetables: years

Far more effective than shaming and blaming, a willingness to remain open and supportive has the power to strengthen relationships with loved ones who are on the road to recovery from substances. But that is only possible when you are willing to create a space for your own transformation as you support others. On this episode of “Rethinking Rock Bottom”, hosts psychologist Carrie Wilkens and Reverend Jan M. Brown learn from Julie, a mother who learned that her son’s anxiety, shame, and pain were hidden motivators that she was unknowingly contributing to. After discovering the Invitation To Change, Julie learned how to create a space for her own increased self-awareness. She was then able to improve communication by asking open-ended questions that encouraged connection instead of conflict. In turn, he was able to be more open about his struggles which allowed her to help him while experiencing her own transformation on their journey to positive change. “Make friends with all of the feelings of this long journey.” Additional Resources: The Opposite of Addiction by Julie MerbergCMC: Foundation For ChangeSpiritWorks Foundation The Beyond Addition Workboo Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People Change Tweetables:

Welcome To Rethinking Rock Bottom