"Love...love...love this book!
Powerful story about overcoming life's unexpected obstacles."
- Onyxx, Goodreads
Description:
Because of God, nothing will stop Anika from marrying the love of her life, not even paranoid schizophrenia. You don’t want to miss this spiritual journey filled with inspiration and power.
This book is insightful and perceptive. Inspired by a true story. Few people consider the God factor in mental health. Join Anika and journey with her as she receives revelations from God while on her walk to overcome mental illness and naiveness towards religion. Required reading for High schools and colleges.
GUEST POST
How to overcome mental illness?
by mental health expert and Award-winning author Swiyyah Woodard
Can a person overcome mental illness?
For some it's a slow process and others a quick recovery, some calling it a miracle. For me it has been a constant struggle for 14 years following a victory.
I was misdiagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2003 and hospitalized 6 times. The misdiagnosis occurred because with each hospitalization I was around someone that smoked marijuana and I received second hand smoke. I personally never did drugs. With my last diagnosis I was told I had massive amounts of cocaine in my system and I had no Idea how it got there.
This year I got a second opinion and found out I have schizoaffective disorder. With a doctor’s help and through reading, I’ve been able to completely get off of all medications and turn to herbal treatments.
Overcoming mental illness has a lot to do with learning yourself, learning your triggers, learning how your past is apart of your future, learning to forgive yourself. When I was at a loss of mind, I heard the words, “Forgive yourself.” I had never read about forgiving one self nor have I heard anyone speak on this. It was heard from a higher power. When you don’t forgive yourself, you hold in all of that guilt and shame and it builds up until you explode. You have to find someone that you can trust to tell your most daunting secrets to. Some people run to the bottle or drugs when they are in pain. They never learn how to cope. There’s a verse in the bible that I love. Hebrews 10:17 “And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” So when we repent, God forgets our sins, so why are we remembering them? Why are we holding on to them? For many adults with mental illness, they are holding on to sins they committed as a child. A child is vulnerable. A child makes mistakes because they are unaware of the difference between right and wrong. You have to repent, walk away from your sin, and then as God told me, “Forgive yourself.”
For some it's a slow process and others a quick recovery, some calling it a miracle. For me it has been a constant struggle for 14 years following a victory.
I was misdiagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2003 and hospitalized 6 times. The misdiagnosis occurred because with each hospitalization I was around someone that smoked marijuana and I received second hand smoke. I personally never did drugs. With my last diagnosis I was told I had massive amounts of cocaine in my system and I had no Idea how it got there.
This year I got a second opinion and found out I have schizoaffective disorder. With a doctor’s help and through reading, I’ve been able to completely get off of all medications and turn to herbal treatments.
Overcoming mental illness has a lot to do with learning yourself, learning your triggers, learning how your past is apart of your future, learning to forgive yourself. When I was at a loss of mind, I heard the words, “Forgive yourself.” I had never read about forgiving one self nor have I heard anyone speak on this. It was heard from a higher power. When you don’t forgive yourself, you hold in all of that guilt and shame and it builds up until you explode. You have to find someone that you can trust to tell your most daunting secrets to. Some people run to the bottle or drugs when they are in pain. They never learn how to cope. There’s a verse in the bible that I love. Hebrews 10:17 “And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” So when we repent, God forgets our sins, so why are we remembering them? Why are we holding on to them? For many adults with mental illness, they are holding on to sins they committed as a child. A child is vulnerable. A child makes mistakes because they are unaware of the difference between right and wrong. You have to repent, walk away from your sin, and then as God told me, “Forgive yourself.”
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About the author:
Swiyyah Nadirah Woodard was selected as a Bay News 9 Everyday Hero, which was seen by two million viewers, for publishing a book and teaching the community about her own battle with mental illness. She was hospitalized six times and misdiagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Her first book, Don't Call Me Crazy! I'm Just in Love, became required and suggested reading in Reading, Writing, Abnormal Psychology, and General Psychology classes at a four year Institution.
She was born in the housing projects of Saint Petersburg, FL. Her father left when she was three so she was raised in a single parent home. At the age of five she was
molested by her eight year old brother. She later started school, she had slurred speech and didn't care to make friends so she was bullied by her peers. At the age of eight, she wanted to kill herself because a girl wanted to fight her. She looked into the medicine cabinet for medication. Thank God, she couldn't find any.
As a teenager she was physically abused by her step dad. The abuse was so severe, God blocked it from her memory. At the age of 20 the brother that molested her committed suicide, which was devastating to her and the entire family. Swiyyah has always viewed herself as normal. She never received any disciplinary problems in school, made good grades, and received her BA degree in Psychology from the University of South Florida.
When the doctors misdiagnosed her with the most debilitating mental disorder known in mental health, paranoid schizophrenia, she denied it. She questioned their expertise. She refused to take medication. She was then hospitalized six times. Her family took a picture of her at her worst and that's when she knew she needed help. She has been taking medication now for ten years without a relapse.
She is now a published author and a National Inspirational Speaker. Her first book is entitled, “Don't Call Me Crazy! I'm just in Love,” and is inspired by her true story.
She was raised Muslim and the revelations she received from God and placed in her books, didn't make any since until she meet her Christian husband 14 years after her first relapse.
Please contact Swiyyah to book speaking engagements, life coaching, author and speaker coaching, radio and TV interviews, or to purchase her books at 727-495-3217, Swiyyah@swiyyah.com.
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