Mental Health Treatment

Hello,

I want to express my gratitude to you first, for taking the time to read this. I am looking for financial assistance to attend a year long residential mental health treatment program and community called Inner Fire in Vermont, USA.

It is now nearly three years since I started struggling intensely just to make it through each day. Some say I had a psychotic break; some say I had an emotional crisis. I believe it was a culmination of years of trauma that finally got me down. Whatever it was, three years ago I went from being a happy and successful social worker to not being able to work or take care of myself at all.

Since that time, I have been fighting mightily to get back on my feet. I’ve tried an endless amount of therapy to heal, feel whole, and feel like myself again. I notice myself getting somewhat stronger over time, so I know it’s possible to get better. Yet, it sometimes seems like I am making no progress at all and am just falling down each time I try to get up again.

A year ago, in total despair, I seriously considered taking my own life. That landed me involuntarily in a psychiatric hospital. From there I was sent to four different treatment programs, one after the other. I was made to take medications against my will and severely abused in some of these facilities. I am writing to you from one of these places right now. I have to say that I now feel emotionally numb and like I’m in a dream. My memory has gotten worse. I feel cut off from myself, from others, and from life. I wonder if the medications are causing me to feel this way. I try to do what I can towards feeling better every day, but I continue to struggle.

That brings me to Inner Fire. This program is different from all the programs I’ve been in so far. They offer a comprehensive and wholesome program that combines physical activities like cooking, chopping wood, and gardening, along with various therapies like movement, art, breathwork, psychosynthesis and narrative therapies.

I visited Inner Fire about a year ago and it was the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had. The staff was so unbelievably loving, caring and respectful of each individual. Every tiny detail, from the ritual of lighting a candle at every meeting, to the beautiful decor in all the rooms, was developed to contribute to a full mind body healing experience. When I returned home from my visit, friends commented that that I seemed more grounded and alive.

I yearn deeply for relief, peace, and healing. I do not want to struggle like I have been anymore. I read Inner Fire’s newsletter, and I remember my visit. These make me hope. They make me dream that one day I will tell a story of healing and hope just like those who experienced Inner Fire before me. I wonder about the changes that will come from a year immersed in nature-based activities while working to build up my internal strength. What gifts will come from complete immersion in a loving community with wholesome food while being surrounded by beautiful nature? I wonder who I can be on the other side of this.

I am reaching out to you, as I do not currently work. I lost my job when I was hospitalized. My family also does not have the means and is not willing to help in this way. I dream of being an artist and a teacher one day and of being happy and healthy, too. I pray that with your financial help, Inner Fire can help me get there.

You can read more about Inner Fire on their website at http://innerfire.us/ The full cost for the program is $210,000 for the year plus about $5000 for additional costs like seeing the psychiatrist bimonthly and personal expenses like clothes and hygiene products.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to read this and for your consideration.