Review: Courage, resilience and hope...always moving forward.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 27, 2012
It takes great courage for a writer to disclose the darkest, most embarrassing situations that have occurred in her life. Is such a memoir simply an `airing of dirty laundry,' an act of grandiosity as some might think? Or, is the disclosure a tool with therapeutic value for not just the author but, more so, for others who must do daily battle with similar mental conditions and with the stigma that adds to their battle?Several empowering words came into my mind and stayed with me during my read of MY ALIEN SELF: MY JOURNEY BACK TO ME: Resilience, courage and hope. Yes, Ms. Greene made choices that took her further down into the depths of depression and despair. Why those choices? In her journal, Ms. Greene wrote, "If I kept moving, `it' couldn't get me."  Who or what is this `it?' I wondered and then got an answer. "Was `it' an illness or was that just me?" Ms. Greene asked herself. It is very difficult to comprehend the depth of another's fears relative to their having a mental illness. Schizophrenia does have a genetic component and the author's mother suffered from this disorder and from side effects of the various treatment modalities that were tried. Whenever one parent is diagnosed with a debilitating disease or mental illness, children cannot help but be adversely affected.Ms Greene runs from her pain, her fears. She runs into the arms of damaged men, into the degradation of drug abuse, eating disorders and self-mutilation. She runs to other countries. By age 22, Amanda had visited 24 countries; excitement and change kept her from falling apart, at least for a while. Despite the mental illness that she was trying to outrun, Amanda had tremendous career achievements. She had successful careers in the hotel industry, beginning while living in Japan, and as a recruitment consultant, photographer and website designer, eventually starting her own company.These successes affirm that Amanda Greene has amazing survival tools; is incredibly resilient and courageous. For no matter how deeply depressed she became, Amanda found a way to keep moving forward; to continue to seek and utilize healthier coping strategies. During my read of JOURNEY BACK TO ME, there were shades of joy that surfaced in her descriptions of the places to which she traveled; the encounters that she had with others, and a special experience that she had with Orangutans.Amanda Greene offers her memoir as a tool for helping others come to terms with the mental illness symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Depression. The most important tool that is prevalent throughout JOURNEY BACK TO ME is an often drowned-out yet constant companion, hope.