Dreamlife Recovery

My loved one is currently in residential treatment at DreamLife Recovery in Donegal. As a family member, I give DreamLife five stars for their family programming sessions run by Curtis Rogers and Robin Miller over Zoom. These classes have been critical to my own parallel journey as I learn more about how to effectively support my loved one without enabling the addiction. I've developed new skills for how to recognize manipulation, set boundaries, and "wear my own hat". These classes have empowered me with the wisdom to recognize what is and is not in my control and the courage to make hard choices that are in the best interest of me and my loved one. Addiction is a family disease and it affects everyone touched by it. Because of the nature of the disease, it is often the family members and loved ones who need to change first in order for the addict to change themselves. I highly recommend that anyone with a loved one at DreamLife to prioritize attending as many of the classes as they can. The time commitment is worth it and you will learn so much.

Twenty years ago, I went through a crisis involving addiction that had catastrophic implications for my family. While my loved one was at a nationally acclaimed residential treatment program, and I had confidence he was getting the help he needed, I felt lost, alone, left out, ignored, and in the dark. I had almost no communication with my loved one or his therapists. I remember going to an in-person educational seminar at the facility, where we learned about addiction, but had no personalized information about our person or situation. Now I’m walking this journey with my daughter, whose loved one is in residential treatment at DreamLife. At intake, she was given a packet of information that included links to family sessions that were held over Zoom six times a week for a total of 10+ hours! We both jumped in the first week, and even in the early days of this crisis, when we were emotionally reeling, we felt seen, known, informed, cared about, communicated with, and supported. Some classes are led by a recovered addict, who gives us an understanding of what life is like for an addict, how they think, and what their early recovery journey will look like, including how they might push buttons or manipulate their family members in ways that are counterproductive to their recovery. Others are led by the mother of an addict, who sensitively helps families understand the emotions and situations that we are thrust into, and how our well-intentioned efforts might sabotage their progress. Both have the objective of helping us to understand how our behavior contributes to enabling addiction, and to give us the skills and knowledge that will strengthen our resolve and ability to be healthy ourselves, and stop being naive participants in the circus of addiction. The family program at DreamLife is remarkable. The instructors are knowledgeable, articulate, and passionate when lecturing, and attentive, compassionate, kind, and wise when applying the principles to individual questions and situations presented by family members. The classes have a rotating ‘membership’ as there is always a mix of people who have just arrived and people whose loved ones are ready to come home or move to the next step in treatment. This creates a dynamic much like an Al Anon meeting, where we all benefit from hearing the facilitator talk about a particular client’s situation with their family, as well as learning insights from each other as family members jump in to share their own experiences. It also gives a very real sense that we are not alone, and even though we may never meet any of our fellow participants in the Zoom sessions in real life, we feel seen and supported by them. If you have a loved one at DreamLife and you have not taken advantage of the Family Sessions, then you are missing out. Anyone who loves an addict who is or has been at DreamLife is welcome. My daughter is learning how to live with her loved one in a way that supports his recovery and acknowledges that she has her own recovery journey, too. Living thousands of miles away, I am learning how to support my daughter. Without the opportunity to attend, I might feel helpless, and I would be ignorant about the disease of addiction and what it takes to commit to recovery. I might feel angry, rather than compassionate, as the behaviors that can look like willful, selfish, moral failures are actually symptoms of a neurologic disease that overrides the ability to live a deliberate, purposeful life. It appears that very few of the residents have a family member attending the sessions that we have found invaluable. This is such a lost opportunity to learn about addiction and to be informed about the progress of your loved one as they engage in recovery. Please consider this an invitation from someone like you, with nothing to gain. You will benefit, and we all will benefit from your participation. Thank you, DreamLife, for pioneering ways to include and equip families of your primary clients. It is a gift. And no matter how our journey unfolds, my family is grateful.

This was hands down the best rehab I’ve been to. I learned so much about myself and learned a lot of coping skills as well. I think the nurses were great! They introduced a little structure but it was balanced with plenty of activities like equine therapy, sound healing, guided meditation, hiking and outdoor area that has other activities. The BHT’s were wonderful they checked on us day and night to ensure we were all okay. They put some miles in keeping track of us all! I can’t say enough how grateful I am that I choose this facility. I’m 43 days clean, I’m back at my job, and my home life is much better! Thanks!!!