The great William White states in Recovery Support and Connection to Community, that “Recovery is not durable until it is firmly nested in the community.” Let this serve as a call to action. The Native American Wellbriety Movement speaks of the Healing Forest Model. The parable used is that of an attempt to save a sick and dying tree. We dig it up, we plant it temporarily in rich soil and fertilizers, we provide it ample sunshine and water. We give it love and attention, and even though the television show, MythBusters, debunked the theory that talking to your plants does not make them healthier, we do that too regardless. The tree doesn’t just survive; it thrives in the new conditions. It grows tall and strong; it’s leaves return green and full. The time comes to place the tree back in its forest and though it stays strong for some time it eventually falls ill again, for after all, the entire forest is malnourished. It is not just the other nearby trees in the forest that effect our tree’s well-being, it is also the soil that influences the entire forest’s well-being. They are all intertwined down to their root systems and we see that we cannot heal the tree individually, for the root systems are effected by seen and unseen factors. This is so with the addict/alcoholic; we see that we must heal the individual or “tree”, the family and support system or “forest”, and the community or “soil” all simultaneously. Let this metaphor give hope because not only is it possible but also beyond powerful to practice a recovery community based approach to an epidemic; I witness it every day in our centers and I see it first hand in our communities. We do not treat the individual in a vacuum, we involve and treat primary support systems in adjunct. We see amazing results when there is family and/or other primary support involvement in the treatment process and a Family Systems Model is utilized. But even with family involvement, as we see in the Healing Forest Model, it’s not just the nearby trees; it’s the entire “forest” and “soil”, the greater community.
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In order to address the need for a “collective healing” in a community, we must understand community. Often we find ourselves misinterpreting what community really means; the concept of community is much larger and deeper than a group of people living in the same space. Community is not defined by a physical location but by a sense of fellowship, acceptance, belonging; a group of people with shared experiences, beliefs and goals. In active addiction we isolate, we believe that we are not worthy of acceptance or belonging, so it is no surprise that in early recovery the idea of joining and participating in a community, specifically a Recovery community, is foreign and likely terrifying. We know the apprehension and the hurdles involved as well as we understand the multidimensional benefits that are critical for success. To discharge a patient and simply advise them to go out and find or establish their support system and community is inefficient, so we instead proactively commit to bridging that gap by their side. How do we support an individual in finding and engaging in a healthy community and then onward in becoming an advocate in other communities to create a larger shift? We, as a treatment center, respond to this need through continued Recovery Support Services; continuing to support and treat the individual long past discharge with real tangible services. This is, as a whole, a topic for several related conversations, but one of the most important facets being that of professional and peer support in creating belonging, ownership and membership in a strong Recovery community. By creating and fostering a platform for our Alumni to connect with each other, we then witness those individuals find a community, a home, a family among their fellow Alumni. I have watch as they flourish with the support of their peers; when a newcomer arrives, the community welcomes them with open arms out of a common bond. We then expand, as an Alumni Community and care provider, we welcome, support, contribute and advocate for our local recovery communities and advocacy programs. We grow stronger and stronger and as individuals of the larger recovery communities. As we go out and interact with those outside of recovery we serve as advocates and create change by being examples of wellness and new possibilities. Extended families, friends, neighborhoods are all influenced and impacted by the miracles that occur with healing and recovery. The shift continues to occur and the recovery movement and recovery advocacy initiatives are alive and well. Together we CAN heal the entire forest. It will not happen overnight, but it is already happening around you. A cultural shift is occurring but it requires further investment. We commit to continuing to be a voice in the recovery movement and stand as an advocate for healing, will you?
