this is a decent peek into the life of recovery. This is not a self-help journal as much as it is a diary of struggle and victory and loss. The sample issue I recieved did not exactly make me want more, but I did enjoy what I read.

This journal encompasses themes full of hope, suffering, forgiveness, and peace; all subconsciously demonstrative in execution toward the development of a new substantial self- there are no self- help steps here. I must preface by stating that I came across Recovering the Self for the sheer purpose of reviewing it only to be face to face with my own self awareness that self victimization is as acute as any other oppression. I was feeling more or less self-assured before reading this journal when I started reading a story about forgiveness aloud to my mother and found myself choked up unable to confidently finish. This journal mainly addresses the severity of life difficulty with such encumbrances as the loss of a child, suffering from breast or prostate cancer, homosexuality; not the everyday woes of “normalcy” (and I say that in a truly literal manner). What I love about these journals is the compilation of multiple genres: non-fiction, poetry, fiction, film (in the 2012 edition) etc. making it easy for readers of many followings to connect and recover their own self even if by surprise. ( )

Review also posted at http://melanie-miller.blogspot.com/2010/07/review-recovering-self-journal-of-hop...

Recovering the Self: A Journal of Hope and Healing is a new quarterly magazine-sized journal that concerns itself with wide-ranging issues within the realm of health and all of its incarnations, including personal growth, relationships and family, trauma recovery, living with disabilities, addictions of all sorts, veterans’ issues, and bereavement.

In its first ambitious volume, published September 2009, the variety of its contents, depending on the “health” of your mood could exemplify the let’s-fit-as-much-in-as-possible-first-timer-syndrome or an all-inclusiveness that might be appreciated by those on the outside of many of the issue’s themes, or the perfect reading remedy for any health-related ADD or ADHD.

In editor Ernest Dempsey’s introduction to the collection, he speaks to an uninformed, inexperienced reader, rather than a reader that has lived, shared, or stood by watching and feeling the all encompassing hope and healing theme. Big mistake. Even a pre-teen could tell you that “pain invades our lives in different guises—illness, trauma, bereavement, accident, crime, and all forms of physical and emotional injury. Littered with hackneyed phrases, such as “the precious gift of life”, “tender as a rose” (gag), “painful experiences” (duh), “recovery is…[fill in blank with obvious and overly simplistic words]”, “the shackles of stress”, and on, and on, and on – so much so, that I almost got sick just from reading it. It’s the sort of crap you expect from self-ordained, self-help gurus that end up in the bargain books pile faster than you can get through the drive-thru at McDonalds.

Unfortunately, what could be a profound and far-reaching magazine that could appeal to poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and/or self-help reader, lacks insight – even from its Ph.D. authors. In the contents section, “Inspiration”, Dr. Barbara Sinor, Ph.D., a therapist and (self-???) published author of four books, chooses to rely on the easy and obvious in her nonfiction essay that redeems itself by its sincerity and empathy. “You can learn to re-create your own reality,” she writes “by discovering…patterns…which [sic] were accepted I childhood.”

The most informative, interesting, and well-written piece in the entire journal is “Sex, Gender, and Personality Disorders” by Sam Vaknin, who has authored 10 or such books on the subject. And of course this is the most interesting, because who doesn’t like hearing about really screwed up people when you’re looking for self-healing. Instant ego-boost! Unfortunately, Vaknin makes many assertions that although interesting, such as “Men…mature earlier, die earlier, are more susceptible to infections...cancer…dislexi[a]…and…suicide,” they lack any researchable reference, so we have to assume these are just the opinions of the author. And to be honest, I don’t know many people, especially women and even most men, who would agree that men mature earlier than women. But the big wow of the article for me was the enlightening fact that “the brain structures of homosexual sheep are different to those of straight sheep.” Don’t you love a good brain structure?

It’s hard not to be hackneyed when talking about healing and hope, and that’s the challenge that every writer on this subject needs to overcome to reach its reader – unless they’re looking to speak to cliché-lovers-united, a group that may or may not exist, but with a tiny publication like this, probably wouldn’t find its way into their petal-soft hands in due time. I applaud Dempsey’s vision, as well as, Love Healing Press, Inc., Recovering the Self’s publisher, and I offer them hope that their work will travel the journey of self-help and recovery, because people interested in healing – from whatever malaise – could find great use of this periodical/journal/mish-mash of everything and anything, even movie reviews. I just wish it weren’t so, well, to protract the oh-so-familiar spirit of this well-meaning premier volume, run of the mill. ( )

Recovering the Self is a collection of articles, poetry and other forms of short writing. The journal focused on personal tragedy and how different individuals dealt with problems. Some turned to God, some to friends and family and others sought comfort in medicinal form. There were a couple of pieces that I was truly amazed at! I wondered how they coped so well. If I were there shoes how would I have dealt? In one story a man loses his wife and almost his children to Genocide. Another article deals with forgiveness of someone who ended a loved ones life. The pieces covered almost every coping mechanism for stress such as anger, substance abuse, grief (depression) and hope. I didn’t remember if denial appeared in any piece.
I enjoyed reading this journal. I wished some of the articles were longer because it seems just I really got into it the piece was done. Many times I was left wondering ok how does the story end what happened next? I don’t usually read journals but this wasn’t a bad one to get into. I don’t know if I would read the next volume simply because it is not my favorite genre. Even though it isn’t my normal reading preference it was worth reading! Several times I was on the verge of crying. Some stories made me grateful for the life I have. I would recommend this journal to anyone suffering a tragedy. Maybe they would become inspired by a piece. The journal might also give them ideas how to deal with the circumstance at hand. ( )

I made the mistake of reading the other reviews while I was waiting for it to arrive. But I agree it was not what I was expecting when i signed up for it. Nor is it clear what sort of a target audience it is aimed at.

While a book of short articles by people who have recovered themselves, could be inspiring, I'm not sure it works as a journal, with repeated issues. I see there is now Vol. II, No 1 (strange numbering) issued in January 2010. It seems to me that there is a limit to the number of stories you can read at a time, even if dipped into now and then.

My copy also came with "Love Each Day" billed "40 true inspirational stories". I could only read a few before the inspiration got lost on me.

However, there have been times of my life, when life was more of a struggle for me, when I would have valued these stories more. And the recommendation of writing your own story is definitely a good one. ( )