I’ve spent much time trying to write my Living Room history. There’s a lot I haven’t covered and, as I’ve said, I would like to move on. But I do want to leave this capsulated form of my history. It offers a clearer overall picture of how things went for me.
- 2005 or so – I joined an exciting new church, a place where I learned more than I ever had about the Bible and its application to my life.
- I educated the pastor and others about mental health and our need to be accepting.
- Through writings and speaking engagements I raised awareness about mental health in the church at large.
- 2006 – Founded the Living Room support group ministry, a pioneering venture that thrilled us. This could not have been possible without God’s help.
- Spread the Living Room concept through writing articles and blogging. Quite a few groups were formed.
- 2013 – As an adjunct to Living Room, I started emailing devotionals to those unable to attend groups. This is still going as my personal ministry, emails going to 270 every Monday.
- July 2014 – Starting new groups and supporting them became more than I could carry myself. The global Living Room ministry went into the care of Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries. I kept leadership of my own group.
- March 2015 – After nine years of leading my Living Room group I decided to retire, suspecting onset of dementia. It was later thought to be depression.
- Emotional abuse through most of 2015
- April 2015 – Excluded from the Sermon Life group. One reason: I was a member of Living Room and two others in the group were as well. It would be “unhealthy” for the group to have me there.
- October 2015 – Hospitalized with overwhelming feelings of rejection, pain and anger.
- Diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) now believed to be a misdiagnosis. Post traumatic stress (PTSD) is being looked at.
- March 2016 – I left the church, only one year after retiring from my group – a very different person. Forgotten as the innovative leader she was. No longer recognized as the person who had helped many find healing. I left feeling worthless, only vaguely remembering who I had been or what I had done. I left with my reputation destroyed.
- For the next two or three years traumatic memories came back causing daily suffering, often suicidal. I’ve been told traumatic memories are likely to be with me for life.
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