10 Stories for 10 Years
Experiencing life’s various emotions — especially the unexpected ones — can feel paralyzing. Developing the skills to recognize and manage those feelings as they come along can help you navigate any situation.
“Holly,” a 29-year-old Caucasian woman in the West, served in the Army for seven years. When she left the service, she moved in with her long-term partner. She could not have been happier to finally spend more time with the person she loved most. But everything changed when she came home one day and caught her partner having an affair.
In total shock and despair, Holly went into the room next door, pointed a loaded gun at her head, and pulled the trigger. Fortunately, the bullet jammed in the gun. The next day, she called the 9-8-8 Help Line and was referred to a CAMS Trained™clinician for outpatient suicide-focused therapy. Together, they went through the Suicide Status Form to determine her risk rating and collaboratively developed a CAMS stabilization plan and suicide-focused treatment plan.
It was clear that Holly suffered from PTSD and major depressive episodes. She resorted to drinking during life’s difficult moments. It was her way of escaping reality. Holly worked with her CAMS Trained™clinician to reduce access to guns and alcohol, and develop coping skills to handle life’s various moments. “Part of what we do in CAMS is slow things down,” her clinician shared. “Stabilization planning was everything. Building up and maintaining her outpatient stability was crucial to start to help her build a life she believed was worth living. Sometimes we feel like we want to target every problem a person has in therapy, but they need to be alive first to target these problems. Building up and maintaining her outpatient stability was crucial to start to help her build a life she believed was worth living.”
Holly and her clinician found ways to identify and label her feelings as she experienced them. Then, they came up with a plan to manage her feelings. Things like, “If I start feeling sad, I will go outside and take a walk in my neighborhood.”
When Holly became aware and in tune with herself, she could change the outcome. She felt prepared for tougher moments, handling whatever life threw her way. And, most importantly, she no longer relied on someone else for her happiness. Holly learned how to find that love within herself.
