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Tuesday, August 19, 2008
8:35 AM
posted by Aric Thorpe, MHR
Keep the Faith
Faith is an important ingredient in the recipe of renewal. Celeste lived for years with anxiety, panic attacks and depression that unfortunately went undiagnosed. Growing up she had been raised to believe that all people live with those kinds of problems, keeping her from the help she needed. In the end, it was faith that helped sustain Celeste throughout her many years of struggle. The following is an inspirational story about the importance of keeping faith:
Throughout my teen years I lived with undiagnosed anxiety, panic attacks, and depression. My mother and many in her family were also stricken with these sorts of problems, and she personally suffered from depression, panic attacks, and agoraphobia. She had been raised to believe that everyone experienced life this way, and that people simply learned to tolerate it in different ways.
My mother leaned heavily upon the Sisters of the Precious Blood, a cloistered monastery in New Hampshire. She often went to see them and wrote to them and continues to do so.
In 1973, nearing my high school graduation, I was working in a mill and still battling anxiety and depression. My mother requested prayers for me, and the sisters kindly sent me a letter with some prayer cards, which I had opened but not yet read.
On one particular day, while at work, I was in the midst of another dark period of deep depression, and, without fear of being seen or heard, cried out to God to please help me. I asked Him to please tell me what to do and how to stop the torturous pain.
Bending down to grab another spool from my cart, I noticed something had fallen out of my purse. It was a 3x5 card, sent by the sisters, with the word "Faith" peeking out. I stopped and read that card. Standing there on that factory floor, I was suddenly comforted with a sense of total peace.
Click here to read the rest of this story from the Seattle Post
Click here for information on anxiety disorders
link to this post 
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Stephen Harnish, MD is the Medical Director of Brookhaven Hospital. He is board certified in psychiatry, and is a graduate of Dartmouth Medical School. Dr. Harnish is a member of the American Psychiatric Association and is well known in Oklahoma for his informative radio and television appearances.
Rev Robert Wester is
Senior Chaplain at Brookhaven Hospital and the RENEWAL programs. Chaplain
Wester conducts daily devotional services and offers pastoral counseling
to clients in the RENEWAL program.
Aric Thorpe, MHR, is Brookhaven Hospital's
Pastoral Liaison Representative. He conducts the quarterly Minister's
Lifeline series and provides mental health information to pastors
and clergy.
Sarah McGee, BA, serves as the Community
Education Provider for Brookhaven Hospital. She provides information
on mental health and drug and alcohol treatment to healthcare professionals
in Oklahoma and surrounding states. |
