Recovery Book for Ceredigion

The Ceredigion Recovery Book is a self-help guide originally published by Norwich Mind in 2005. It has been completely revised for Ceredigion with a new section for local organisations and contacts and a preface by Gwyneth Lewis, Wales’ National Poet for 2005-6. It is being published here by Mind Your Heart, a local partnership organisation. The book’s author Jim Green from Norwich Mind said:

“The Recovery Book is a practical resource: an offer of companionship for those on the difficult, but ultimately life-affirming journey of recovery. It is based on the key discoveries of those who have made the journey. We are delighted that Mind Your Heart is bringing the Recovery Book to a whole new audience.”

The Ceredigion Recovery Book is available through existing organisations working for mental health and in local libraries. You can buy a copy for £5 (inclusive of postage and packing) by contacting Mind Your Heart.

A Message from Gwyneth Lewis

If your life has ever fallen to pieces, you’ll know from experience how hard it is to put it back together again.

Many of the things well-meaning people tell you to do can appear to be baffling. For example, I was told once that I should “let go” of something that was troubling me. It sounded easy but nobody told me how to let go. Until, one day, a wise friend explained that it meant not thinking about the subject for a couple of minutes at a time. Then, with practice, that could extend to hours and then days without getting on the mental roundabout which had been torturing me.

This handbook is for anybody who wants to know exactly how to recover from any kind of breakdown or crisis. Generalities are no good when you’re desperate to act in order to feel better. What should be done is often unclear.

Here are specific suggestions for actions which will set you on the path to recovery. It’s a resource I wish had been available to me in the past. Keep it next to your First Aid Box and, most importantly, do not be discouraged. There is a way back to a rich and rewarding life.

Gwyneth Lewis