What Is Passion-Based Therapy?

Jan 9

I don't know what would have happened if I would have gone to a rehabilitation facility, instead of recovering from home. Would I be this far in my transformation? Further? Would I have written a book? Would I be able to speak?

I remember a conversation I had in the run up to working with #philipshealthcare. I was busy, prattling on about my passions and Passion-Based Therapy. They asked me what Passion-Based Therapy was, as they had never heard of it before. I knew that it was special and that it was helping me immensely, but I always thought that, in some way, it was normal to recover from my stroke using what lights me up. To me, it seemed normal. It didn’t dawn on me that it was different.

My stroke caused me to hit the pause button of my life. All of a sudden, I was free. There were no expectations placed on me. I couldn’t think about dinners for my family. I didn't have the ability to arrange the calendar. I was powerless to make decisions. But what I did have, was the unlimited time and space to do just what suited me. I didn’t focus on my detriments. I didn’t waste any time wallowing in self-pity. I got straight to work on everything and anything that I felt a deep connection to. This freeing sense of purpose was all-enveloping. I was determined.

So, what is Passion-Based Therapy and how does it benefit the survivor?

Simply defined, Passion-Based Therapy is the practice of relentlessly and unapologetically dedicating yourself to your dreams, even those that transcend your stroke and stroke recovery, as a basis for your rehabilitation.

Passion-Based Therapy involves:

Define The Survivor's Truth – The North Star

Sometimes, as adults, we hold other people’s stories as our own. My children wanted me to be their mother and my husband, his wife. But I was intensely fixated on my writing. My writing, and being able to process my thoughts through it, was instrumental in my recovery.

It is truly a gift to the survivor to concentrate on the one thing that gets them out of bed each day. Not just speech therapy, but speech therapy which focused on my writing was motivating enough that I spent two hours each day, seven days a week, to overpower my aphasia.

The more joy that the survivor experiences, the more results that they see, the harder they will work towards their rehabilitation.

Follow the Path

After my stroke, writing seemed impossible. I will always remember the first speech therapy session in which my husband told my therapist that I am a writer. I was seething. I couldn’t write! I couldn't even talk! However, I set mini-goals for myself and sat through arduous and painful sessions until, one by one, the words formed magic in front of me. I was hooked.

Passion-Based Therapy works when the survivor consistently strives towards a greater goal, sees progress on a daily basis and doesn’t feel like they are in therapy at all.

Create a Support System

I was, and still am, my own biggest cheerleader. As a part of my therapies, I light candles when I write. I take walks in nature. I watch Netflix when I go through my half-an-hour long skincare routine every evening. I celebrate me.

The survivor has a much greater chance of success when family and loved ones are solidly in their corner. As well, having the therapists on board with the survivor’s idea of what success means to them is crucial.

Accept the Opportunity Cost

Since my stroke, I’ve lost the ability to do simple maths in my head. My handwriting, which used to be beautiful, now looks like chicken scratch. I gladly accept these things as the price tag for my absolute focus on writing.

We all have the ability to change our paths. With hard work and consistency, our brains can change. There are no absolutes. If a survivor follows Passion-Based Therapy, they will soon see that the circle of progress breeds motivation, breeds more progress.

The fact is, I’ve never looked back because this type of lifestyle, and following my ever-evolving list of what excites me, transcends my stroke and my recovery from it.

Passion-Based Therapy allowed me to define what rehab means to me and to work like mad to reach my 2.0.

quiz

What's Your Stroke Recovery Super-Power?

After my stroke, I felt desolate. Like no one could understand.

Consider this, what is the thing you do soooo naturally that you almost do it in your sleep? That one thing that you can claw onto in the hard days of fighting for you recovery?