S.A eLetter (12-14-11)
John P.
Greetings S.A. Family on the Internet,
This is a discussion of how to start an S.A. group, as written in the S.A. Blue Booklet. For an update on how to do this, check out the SARDAA website at this address--
Starting a Schizophrenics Anonymous Group
What Do You Do?
Anyone interested in starting a new SA group should contact the Central Office (see contact information on the back page of this book), even if they are already very familiar with the SA program from attending an existing group.
What Happens When the Central Office is Contacted?
When first contacting the Schizophrenics Anonymous Central Office, ask to speak to a “Group Development Specialist.” A skilled SA veteran will guide you throughout the group start-up process. You’ll be sent a packet of materials and added to our mailing list. You will begin receiving the free SARDAA eNewsletter. You will receive regular support calls, as well as invitations to leadership training opportunities. All prospective and veteran leaders benefit from being on our mailing list to receive ongoing support and educational materials.
How Do Prospective Leaders Benefit?
The technical support includes help with things like guidance in identifying a local co-sponsor for the group and aid in finding a meeting place, publicizing the group and understanding the roles and limits of SA leadership. Leaders receive all troubleshooting, promotional, technical and referral expertise at no additional charge. Every SA group is unique and every SA group leader deserves the best technical and referral support available.
Group Referrals
Beyond all this, the Central Office will make referrals for all “sanctioned” groups (groups working through the Central Office that subscribe to the SA philosophy and use the Six Steps). Many calls, letters, and e-mail inquiries are received from individuals looking to join a local SA group. The Central Office maintains an updated list of all SA meetings. This assures a steady flow of new members into our SA family and the creation of new SA support groups throughout the world. Keep in mind that leaders’ personal privacy and confidentiality are assured.
SOURCE: S.A. Blue Booklet (program text, first published in 1989)
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--Stress Management, part #60
Herbert Benson's Work on Stress
Herbert Benson, M.D., is a professor at the Harvard Medical School. He developed a set of simple relaxation techniques that he called the relaxation response. This method has become a major stress-buster and a tool against anxiety..
Benson has become a pioneer in mind/body medicine, and was one of the first Western physicians to see a role of spirituality and healing as a having a place in medicine.
In the late 1960s, Benson was a medical researcher at Harvard. Some folks with a background in mediation asked him to do physiological research on them while meditating--to verify their claims that profound peacefulness and reductions in body stress occurred during meditation. Benson said okay, and to his great surprise, the claims of stress reduction during meditation really were found to be true. Heart rates and blood pressure went down. Peaceful alpha waves in the brain went up. Respiratory rates went down. Muscle tension went down. Sweat production went down. These could all be verified through the wire hook-ups from the meditating research subjects and the measurement machines in the Harvard labs.
Benson reported his results in the professional medical journals, but took it a step further. He wrote a popular book called The Relaxation Response, which let the public know about these findings and taught a simple method of meditating. This method became known as an early form of relaxation techniques. It is now a staple in the field of stress management.
Over 5 million copies of Herbert Benson's books have been sold. The relaxation response method is taught in most mental health and stress reduction programs.
SOURCE: Encyclopedia Britannica online edition 2011 and Wikipedia
Stress Management Series Prior Editions
Below are links to the first 40 parts of the Stress Management Series to
date. The more recent parts are at the S.A. eLetter site at Google.
Stress Management Series I (Parts #1 to #16):
http://groups.google.com/group/choose-life-project/browse_thread/thread/584aa4af7b45c502
Stress Management Series II (Parts #17 to #29):
http://groups.google.com/group/choose-life-project/browse_thread/thread/f240f7bad9902a81#
Stress Management Series III (Parts #30 to #40):
http://groups.google.com/group/choose-life-project/browse_thread/thread/e0f98e3ce6dafc7f
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--Our Suffering in Perspective
The suffering of schizophrenia patients is real. And other people
suffer too. We wish to also recognize the struggles of other
suffering people. For instance:
The World Health Organization reports that 894 million people in this world do not have enough safe water for drinking, cooking, and cleaning needs.
One of the results is that hundreds of thousands of kids around the world die young each year because of lack of safe, clean water.
In some countries people have to walk hours each day to reach clean water. Clean water is retrieved then brought back in containers. This effort often falls on kids, who then can't go to school.
Only three percent of the world's water is fresh water, and much of that is polluted or unsanitary.
We do not suffer alone.
SOURCES: The Mini Page, for the dates Nov. 19-25, 2011
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--Website of the Week
Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
For three decades, the Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law has been the nation's leading legal advocate for people with mental disabilities.
Its website--
For other helpful links to websites related to mental illness, check out our SARDAA webpage at this address:
http://www.sardaa.org/resources/
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--Quote of the Week
"To cultivate kindness is a valuable part of the business of life."
-Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), British lexicographer
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Bye for now, and everyone have a great couple of weeks.
--John P., member of S.A.
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For more information about
Schizophrenics Anonymous.:
The new S.A. website is at:
http://www.sardaa.org
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For the Google information group for S.A.:
http://groups.google.com/group/schizophrenics-anonymous
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For the Yahoo discussion group for S.A.:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/schizophrenics-anonymous
NOTE: Earlier editions of the S.A. eLettter and the Schizophrenia News
Links are posted at the Google information group for S.A. (link given
above). Also, the S.A. eLetter will come
to your e-mail inbox when published by signing up at the S.A.
Information Group at Google.
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Fact Sheet Information about Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective
Disorder--
* National Institute of Mental Health--description of schizophrenia:
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia/index.shtml
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* Mental Health America ( formerly the National Mental Health
Association):
--description of schizophrenia:
http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/schizophrenia
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* National Alliance for the Mentally Il
--description of schizophrenia:
http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=By_Illness&Template=/TaggedP...
--description of schizoaffective disorder:
http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=By_Illness&Template=/TaggedP...
(Organization now called National Alliance on Mental Illness)