Will I Ever Be the Same Again?: Transforming the Face of Depression & Anxiety (Kivler Communications)

An executive coach shares her intimate and informative experiences to help dispel the stigma of clinical depression and electroconvulsive therapy.

By her own admission, Kivler (Mental Health Recovery Boosters, 2013, etc.) had a charmed life she had a loving family, both parents still living, a successful husband, and three children, with a nice house, a dream job, and financial stability. The first attack of the Beast, what she came to call her clinical depression, was in 1990. And despite her best efforts to pretend to be OK, numerous battles with the monster and the insomnia accompanying it led to a psychotic episode in which she attempted to convince her husband that he and the children should join her in suicide. While she was hospitalized, medication did little to ease her symptoms, causing her to accept electroconvulsive therapy, with no small amount of hesitancy due to its reputation. Kivler s recovery after numerous sessions is the driving force behind the book, which seeks to confront the misinformation and notoriety attached to ECT. The author calls out antiquated depictions of ECT in movies like "The Snake Pit" and "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and recalls its barbaric past uses as cures for truancy or gay sexuality. The text skillfully walks readers through the ECT process, starting with the administration of anesthesia and a muscle relaxant beforehand and sometimes talk therapy afterward; the difference between unilateral, bilateral, and brief pulse stimulus treatments; and the side effects, ranging from headaches to memory loss, though the book is light on statistics regarding their frequency or relapse. Utilizing a proprietary Courageous Recovery Wellness Model that stresses awareness, acceptance, and continued commitment to health, the volume confronts falsehoods about ECT and clinical depression head on with useful self-care tips and checklists for identifying symptoms. Versions of this model are included not just for consumers, but also caregivers and health professionals. Kivler's writing is thrifty but surprisingly artful, particularly when speaking about her own experiences. Early on, she sets the scene of a hospital lockdown ward that could have been on another planet, a place where we all lost our ability to walk normally. Feet never really left the ground as we slowly scuffed our way through the halls.

A vivid and personal story that turns into an enthusiastic advocacy for electroconvulsive therapy.

Carol Kivler is proof-positive that someone is never the same after mental illness -a person can be even better! Carol's journey is one of self-discovery, transformation, and living life fully. Her story is one sure to inspire hope. -- Janet Haag, MA NAMIMercer Executive Director

Brave, inspiring, and bold! Carol's risk to be seen, and share her journey to sustained wellness will no doubt encourage others that they too, can do the same. --Doreen T. Miri, MA, NCC, LPC, Psychotherapist, Coach, Consultant Founder/Director, Crested Crane Solutions

Carol is an important voice for recovery, leading the way for others to thrive. --Katherine Switz, Founder & CEO, The Stability Network

I have had the privilege to read the updated book by Carol Kivler. I found myself as a Psychiatric Advanced Practice Nurse hearing her pain. This is a book for both individuals suffering with devastating depression and the professionals who provide their care. --Dr. Benjamin Evans, DD,DNP, RN, APN, PHMCNS-BC

Nationally recognized professional speaker, author, international executive coach and corporate trainer, Carol Kivler is also a passionate advocate for mental health. A survivor of four bouts of treatment-resistant depression, she battled this devastating and debilitating mental illness with courage and faith to a full and sustained recovery.

Carol is an ardent mental health advocate for consumers struggling with depression and mental illness. Through her four books, presentations and Courageous Recovery, Inc., her 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization, Carol works tirelessly to overcome stigma and misrepresentations that still surround those challenged by mental illnesses. She talks about her lived experience and shares strategies for maintaining sustained recovery and mental wellness. Her inspirational presentations resonate with mental and medical health professionals, consumers, their families and friends, inspiring compassion, understanding and hope.

Carol has received numerous awards and honors for her advocacy. Most recently, she was the recipient of The College of New Jersey 2017 Alumni Leadership Humanitarian Award, the 2016 New Jersey Institute for Nursing EPIC Award and the 2015 NAMI Mercer New Jersey PILLAR Award. She is an active participant in the American Psychiatric Nurses Association Consumer Advisory Panel and past member of the International Society for ECT and Neurostimulation Patient Advisory Committee.

Carol received her bachelor's degree in business education from The College of New Jersey and her master's degree in human resource education from Fordham University. Carol has also received the Certified Speaking Professional designation from the National Speakers Association. Carol is a popular keynote and workshop speaker at mental health conferences and events. She presents at hospitals, medical/nursing schools, continuing education programs, staff professional development, and CEU/CME courses. She is also in-demand at consumer conferences across the country. Carol is a riveting, authentic and memorable speaker. Her high-energy and compelling presentations change thinking and inspire participants to reach beyond the myths and stigma surrounding mental illness.