Hello again my friends. It's been a little while since I've posted a new blog. I've been incredibly busy as of late, working with many clients from around the world, filming and editing a feature film on benzodiazepine withdrawal and recovery, and finally, building a recovery program and online benzo recovery school & support group.
I don't plan on stopping there. Oh, no. We are just getting started!
My team is also in pre-production for a benzo dependence and epidemic awareness documentary. So, keep an eye out for details on that in the coming months, as you may be able to help.
I will be posting some interesting content on the feature film very soon, as that is nearly completed. Things like behind the scenes, interviews with cast and the directors, etc. For people that donated, they will also receive some rewards, such as a script from the film signed by the artists.
Now, about The Benzo Recovery School!
I'm so excited for this launch, as we just opened the doors last Monday. We are trying out a space called Mighty Networks, but I may move the school to my website in the near future. We will see how things go. The idea is to make things as simple and awesome for everyone as possible!
If you know my story then you know I praise my recovery resting largely upon a different approach. Yes, different than the "lay and pray" model you see in most of the forums. You know the ones, "you just need to rest! Lay in bed, live on the forums. Eat green! Avoid almost everything! Rest. Rest. Fear. Fear. And some more fear!
Well, my friends, I too, tried all of that. And you know what? It almost killed med. I got sicker!
Several months later following that method and I had gained 40 pounds, was bed bound, and wanted to die. I couldn't leave my house, I couldn't drive my car, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, and I was beginning to lose my damn mind.
It was my work in my master's program in clinical psychology that alerted me first that I had a bad system in place, that everything I had been doing was a recipe for sickness!
Long story short, I began implementing the good advice of psychology, of peer reviewed scholarly researched methods, and you know what.... it got harder... at first, but THEN... it got easier... and easier... and easier.
I felt like a madman, locked up sick in his dungeon tower, trying to figure a way out of this sickness. And so I did, largely, as much as I believe is humanly possible anyway.
The Benzo Recovery School launched with Module One (13 video recovery course) on Monday, June 26th, 2023. There will be at least four Modules to be fully launched in the coming months with a collective 40+ video lessons on literally ALL THINGS BENZOS.
I leave no stone unturned.
Perhaps my most cherished accomplishment in all of this was in creating a road map.
The road map is the four stages of benzo recovery. These are developmental stages, not just the obvious linear stages. The linear stages being of course: pre-taper, the taper, and post taper.
That doesn't really tell us much in terms of how you're doing or where you are at, as you can be cold turkeyed but that doesn't mean you're closer to the finish line necessarily. You can slowly taper over the period of one or two years and be in a much better place than if you had been ripped off the med on day one! Most of us already are well aware of this.
For this reason, I look at developmental stages, because I believe to really truly beat benzos we need to develop, we need a lifestyle change. We need to grow, become resilient, and learn to change for the better.
My recovery school has 4 stages, with each stage consisting of 3 key learning goals, and 3 key road blocks.
This is critical, as it is these elements that create the bridge to the next stage.
I've done this work long enough now and with enough people that just talking with someone I can already gain a sense of where they are and what stage they may fall into, and with it, what key challenges or roadblocks they are likely currently facing.... and likely will face in the near future.
It's all there.
In addition to being an all encompassing recovery school, the platform is also a welcome community of support where people can have much more of my time. I answer questions, interact with people, and even do LIVE Q&A weekly.
So, if you haven't already, perhaps give it a look.
And please, keep an eye out for the upcoming feature film, and the benzo documentary soon to come!
Alright, my friends. That's enough from me for now. I hope you're having a better day or week. Remember, you ARE healing and you WILL make a full recovery. I promise you. Keep your heads up.
-dp
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