Kitt O’Malley

NAMI Week Three

in , , ,
Sun Over Trees
Hope Breaking Through Clouds of Doubt

Yesterday afternoon I attended NAMI‘s third week Peer-to-Peer class. The curriculum we covered was:

  • Mental illnesses are no-blame disorders
  • Brain biology and research about mental illness
  • Challenges and benefits of medications
  • Relapse prevention
  • Creative visualization
  • Mindfulness

I feel I need to learn far more about relapse prevention. No doubt we will continue to cover that topic. As someone with bipolar disorder, I believe that I can only reduce relapses with proper self-care, but cannot entirely prevent them. I came away from the class feeling hopeful, though, so that is a good sign. I needed an ego boost and got it by participating in the class.

Comments

22 responses to “NAMI Week Three”

  1. Kitt O'Malley Avatar
    Kitt O’Malley

    Thank you for linking to my blog pages. Though I live in Orange County now, I grew up in Hermosa Beach.

  2. Directing Change Program: PSA Submission Deadline is February 1, 2015 | NAMI South Bay

    […] NAMI Week Three (kittomalley.com) […]

  3. glenn2point0 Avatar
    glenn2point0

    Absolutely James. We need to work on reducing the stigma. But that is no small task.

  4. Kitt O'Malley Avatar
    Kitt O’Malley

    I am so glad that mindfulness and meditative practices have enabled you to reduce medication. Awesome!

  5. wendy Avatar
    wendy

    Very interesting topics. I love the no blame. So true, and not talked about enough!
    I have gotten so much out of mindfulness practice. Both with my mental state and my physical issues. My psych doc is reducing some of my medications due to the progress I’m making with my mindfulness and meditation practice.
    I’d love to hear your thoughts on it sometime. Whenever.

    I’m so glad you are able to attend these classes and you left feeling hopeful.

  6. Kitt O'Malley Avatar
    Kitt O’Malley

    Thank you. Perhaps mental health advocates in your country (and others) can use this and other models to create psychoeducational and peer support networks.

  7. Kitt O'Malley Avatar
    Kitt O’Malley

    Yes!

  8. N. Eleanore S. Avatar
    N. Eleanore S.

    Dear Kitt, if there is one thing that I envy about foreign countries is that they create opportunities like this for sufferers to gain more knowledge and understanding. My country lacks that so much. Thank you for sharing the things you learn.

  9. Dog & Hydrant Avatar
    Dog & Hydrant

    Too true about a no-blame illness. Society likes to treat us as though it’s our fault all the time though. All the more reason to fight against stigma 🙂

  10. Dog & Hydrant Avatar
    Dog & Hydrant

    At least you can blame the dog!

  11. Kitt O'Malley Avatar
    Kitt O’Malley

    Thank you.

  12. jalal michael sabbagh.http://gravatar.com/jmsabbagh86@gmail.com Avatar
    jalal michael sabbagh.http://gravatar.com/jmsabbagh86@gmail.com

    Hopefully science will find a cure soon for every with this heartbreaking disorder.I wish you success with learning more ,the course sound very useful. Thank you for visiting my blog.JMS

  13. Kitt O'Malley Avatar
    Kitt O’Malley

    I didn’t want to share too much copyrighted material, and I’m still tired and not up for writing a detailed post. Perhaps I will revisit those topics in the future. Thanks for your continued support and interest.

  14. Kitt O'Malley Avatar
    Kitt O’Malley

    I believe that every class ends with a mindfulness exercise.

  15. Kitt O'Malley Avatar
    Kitt O’Malley

    Our large dog, Thumper, farts whenever he sits and then looks behind himself in wonder. It’s hilarious. “What was that?”

  16. Kitt O'Malley Avatar
    Kitt O’Malley

    Thank you, Ellen. Now I’ve got to motivate myself to do some work around the house.

  17. mihrank Avatar
    mihrank

    You bring very important and valuable topics to share with. On every topic there is something to learn and than achieve. Great!!

  18. glenn2point0 Avatar
    glenn2point0

    Great that you got an ego boost Kitt. The course sounds great. I think I too would be very much interested in relapse prevention. And the brain biology and research would also be of particular interest to me. To know what is going on in our grey matter that causes us to perceive ourselves and the world around us so differently from others would be amazing. And the first topic of “mental illness are no-blame disorders” sounds very interesting. I would be curious to have you expand on their thoughts on that.
    cheers, Glenn

  19. philsblog01 Avatar
    philsblog01

    I have heard of mindfulness. I hope you get more into that subject. Phil.

  20. dyane Avatar
    dyane

    I’m seriously considering hopping on a Southwest flight and joining you @ the next NAMI class….I wish! (can you imagine that, Kitt, if I crashed your class? At least I’d have the thoughtfulness to bring take-out sushi and dark chocolate….but no sake wine! No no no!)

    Twenty years ago, when plane fare from San Jose to LA was cheap, I would have done it.
    Now it costs so much just for a forty-five minute hippity hop that my bank account/credit cards would squeal in protest.

    I’m so happy to hear that this class went well and I LOVE what was covered. It’s so practical – every one of those points you included are extremely relevant as well as up-to-date.

    Hope and ego boosts are the major icing on the NAMI (chocolate) cake. I’d write more but I’m about to pass out. Lady Lucy puppy just had a major, um, cloud emanate from her adorable furry self.

    And on that fragrant note, I bid you adieu!

  21. stockdalewolfe Avatar
    stockdalewolfe

    So glad you are feeling better and NAMI helped you. The visualization exercises and mindfulness interest me as avenues of recovery. I am studying meditation with Yogananda but any meditation or Qi Gong or Reiki or things of that nature help. I do Reiki daily for my husband and a brief one for me. Maybe I should spend more time on myself. I do it for others, too. I am working on visualization in therapy with my social worker I talk to very sporadically. Pdoc too busy regulating meds. Going to try adding a homeopathic Lithium (non-prescription) to my med cocktail– maybe as soon as next week. Have had it for a year I think– just scared. So that’s my two cents. Good for you for going to these meetings!! Really, that in itself is impressive.

  22. Rosh Avatar
    Rosh

    Interesting to hear about the topics you covered in your classes. I will check the links out to learn more.

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