Donate to Complete Life-Saving Therapy for DV Survivor

Hello friends!

I'd like to tell you a little bit about my story and why I'm currently attending Thira Health Adult Residential Therapy Program in Bellevue. The following contains descriptions of mental illness and domestic violence, so if you're sensitive to such topics, I appreciate your support but you don't have to continue reading if that's too triggering for you. I want everyone to be safe <3

A few years ago, I was in a severely abusive relationship, which subjected me to extreme (sometimes deadly) violence, total isolation from my friends and family, and emotional torment resulting in a diagnosis of PTSD and episodes of dissociation that left me disconnected from my sense of self. I couldn't effectively deal with it, I stopped making art, and nothing - I mean nothing - made sense. It was so scary. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that years of this abuse completely rewired my brain and left me feeling helpless, incapable of healing that trauma in a healthy and effective way. I wasn't able to work for a period of time, but I was always doing everything in my power to get back to myself.

I went through 3 separate hospitalizations, none of which were capable of helping me in the way I needed. The last one actually somehow made it worse (luckily that place has since been shut down for medical malpractice). I felt so terrified that I would be stuck with this and started to consider if I even belonged on this earth anymore. Nevertheless, I never gave up on myself.

Finally, I was able to purchase insurance that gave me a few more options, and I found the miracle that is Thira Health. It's a residential adult treatment facility that specifically addresses severe mood disorders, PTSD, and trauma through Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, art therapy, and teaches skills to help you rewire your brain so that you can heal from your trauma and develop skills to manage emotions, build meaningful relationships, set goals, and ultimately create a more fulfilling life.

Thira Health was founded by the research partner of the woman who created Dialectical Behavioral Therapy back in the 1990s. Marsha Linehan, a psychologist from the University of Washington, developed DBT as a treatment for those suffering from the types of severe emotion dysregulation and suicidal ideation that accompanied diagnosis like PTSD and BPD. In DBT, mindfulness is broken down into specific skills that can be learned, even by people in emotional turmoil. These concrete skills can help severely dysregulated patients take control of their attention so that they can focus on making better choices.

Thira Health emphasizes the importance of completing the program as directed, first attending residential treatment to help stabilize you, then moving to partial hospitalization to start working on the activities of daily living so you can maintain that stabilization as well as continuing to teach you the DBT skills, and finally intensive outpatient where you return to your home environment to practice the skills and work through any kinks. Those who complete the program show a very high success rate. When I say this program has literally saved my life, I'm not exaggerating. In just 2.5 weeks, I have made a complete 180 - from desperately holding onto life, severely depressed and existing in a permanent state of survival mode, to regulating my emotions, using skills, and making art again for the first time in 3 YEARS.

Here's where it gets a little difficult for me: asking for help hasn't always been my strong suit. But to be completely honest, I do need help. I am determined to complete this program no matter what it takes, because for the first time in more than half a decade, I can see a future for myself - helping people (like myself) access treatment to recover from domestic violence and go on to live meaningful lives. Access to care is shockingly low, and survivors need to know that if they leave, they can have hope that healing from that kind of trauma is possible.

I am asking for just the minimum amount to complete the program, which includes the cost of housing in the PHP program (roughly $3,000) and the cost of therapy and treatment (about $2,500) with a $500 buffer for things like gas, food, and other basic necessities for the next 8-10 weeks.

I want to thank all of you for listening to my story. Even if you're unable to donate, your support means the WORLD to me. I want you all to know how much you mean to me, and how grateful I am to finally have access to effective treatment. The return of hope is something I can't possibly put into words.

Thank. You.