SCHERERVILLE – A unique support group hosted weekly at a local parish offers the structure and discretion of a twelve-step program and, at the same time, features the warmth of a friendly and often faith-filled atmosphere.
When an Emotions Anonymous group was launched in the summer of 2021 utilizing meeting space offered at St. Michael the Archangel parish in Schererville, a local facilitator welcomed a small group of participants who gathered under pandemic-related limitations.
Since then, a small core of regular participants along with support group-goers who pop in every now and again have given Jennifer Davids the opportunity to direct a “good group” that she hopes will grow to help people suffering from psychological health issues ranging from anxiety to grief.
“It seems like family. For me I plan on doing this for a while,” Davids said about being a facilitator of the EA chapter. “I think people feel comfortable in our group.”
Davids’ public role in the group began with her private struggles with bipolar disorder (also referred to as manic-depressive disorder), which resulted in “scary” out-of-control episodes, four hospitalizations and strained family relationships. She sought therapeutic support and joined EA meetings in Evergreen Park, Ill. beginning in 2019.
The St. Michael parishioner, wife, mother and food services worker at Lake Central High School said the EA program, in tandem with doctors’ care and medication, have helped her manage once-debilitating personal issues.
Considering today's added concerns of pandemics, wars, inflation, ideological polarization and personal isolation, she believes that more people wish to avail themselves of the kind of help her group can offer.
In 2020, Davids could not locate an active EA chapter in Northwest Indiana. So, she asked her pastor, Father Martin Dobrzynski, if he would permit such a ministry to utilize space at the church.
Father Dobrzynski welcomed the idea and endorsed the potential benefits that some people struggling to manage the daily demands of life may realize.
“When people are able to stabilize in a good way their emotional state, that stabilizes their spiritual state as well … then that works for the community in the end,” Father Dobrzynski said.
So, on a summer weekend in 2021 at St. Michael after all Masses, Davids read her testimony of mental illness, stabilisation and prayerful surrender to God – “I told God I would do anything He asked me to.” She invited interested people to check out the nascent EA group.
One by one, people joined the 90-minute sessions and Davids welcomed the discussion of any topic of personal concern. Upon joining a meeting, participants are provided select EA literature. They may be given a copy of a prayer, or a bracelet or pen with an affirming message or scriptural quote.
Some group mantras include: “Always approach the twelve steps with love for yourself and others,” “Happiness is a result of being at peace with myself,” and “Let go and let God.”
Each gathering includes the reading of one step of the EA’s multi-point “tips sheet.” Davids said she typically shares a story or inspirational passage with the guests.
Though she is not a licensed physician or certified counselor, Davids has studied the EA methodology, which was first published in 1971, and brings to the group her own profound experience.
Emotions Anonymous session participants are asked to provide an update or otherwise share something with the group, and no interruptions are permitted when another is speaking. A more loosely controlled question-and-answer period rounds out each session.
The year 2020 ended on a very sad note for 26-year-old Christopher Santana. The Hammond resident lost his elder sister Sonia Santana, who at 26, unexpectedly passed away on Dec. 18.
Santana said he memorialized his sister speaking about her memory among family and friends. But the grief was debilitating, and he sought outside help to manage his emotions.
Santana called grieving a “painful version of love.”
Uninsured, the barber by trade said he also struggled with the cost of counseling. When his mom told him about a support group meeting at St. Michael, the St. Casimir School of Hammond graduate said he knew he would feel at home in a Catholic setting.
There are no fees associated with participation in the local EA sessions, though program literature is sold to participants.
Santana said he can never let go of the memory of his sister, who he calls his “Irish twin.” Sharing about her life in the “non-judgmental group” has helped him become a better adjusted person.
He called Davids a “great leader,” and has become an advocate for such support groups.
“(EA) is an open group where you can go and talk and let out whatever is on your mind. Or you can just sit and listen,” said Santana. “Something I also got out of the experience is learning to just sit there and be present where others can relate to you in whatever you are going through.”
Three other individuals were enthusiastic about offering endorsements about the quality and effectiveness of the EA support. Each of the women preferred to remain anonymous.
Their fears are echoed in a CBS News poll from 2020, which showed that though most Americans believe mental concerns are a serious public health issue and a majority said they know someone who has been diagnosed with a psychological disorder, 9 out of 10 feel there is a stigma associated with such conditions, though it is less than in past decades.
For a self-described “person who has come out of retirement twice,” the EA sessions at St. Michael offered nearly immediate relief from the recurrence of anxiety.
“I’ve been participating since the early days of Jennifer (Davids) starting this chapter,” said the EA regular. “I feel that the format, which is standard and structured, is not deviated from.”
The support-group goer added: “In the beginning my anxiety was so high that the repetition was valuable because you can’t learn or remember (well.)”
Another regular group attendee had good news to report after a recent meeting. A situation in her life was brought to resolution, and she believes the EA program helped give her the tools to put the situation into perspective.
“I was walking around just kind of depressed ... things have improved this week; it kind of felt like a miracle,” said the woman who “turns 70 very soon.”
For more information about the Emotions Anonymous group that meets at St. Michael, call Jennifer Davids at (219) 308-0929, or email her at jeni.davids@gmail.com.