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2. THE THERAPEUTIC JOURNEYS OF RECOVERING HELPERS a 37 Hitting Bottom This turning point appears as a concrete and traumatic event, which is more tangible than the previous turning points. Hitting bottom is linked to a welldefined period or event, and it leads to the beginning of the recovering self. “Thad cardiac arrest... I, or my brain, or my soul, or I don’t know what became clear... somehow I felt all feelings for one second”. “Thad one or two... my daughter was born, she was born with withdrawal symptoms... I thought that was really not ok”. Becoming a Helper Several interviewees said that recovery was a continuous, lifelong work and a learning process, something that helpers do to themselves along with the clients. Work and learning, therefore, are not separate at all. Four themes related to being a helper were identified: 1. the recovering self and the helping self, 2. the wounded helper, 3. the skilled helper and 4. the experience of helping. The Recovering Self and the Helping Self The recovering self was described as a very important period in participants’ lives. In this period, they reassess the past and absorb the events around and reasons for drug use. This period often coincides with time spent at a rehabilitation institute. The appearance of the helping self does not lead to the disappearance of the recovering self. On the contrary, the presence of the recovering self is the prerequisite of the appearance of the helping self. The recovering self and the helping self are present together: they complement each other. Which comes to the foreground depends on the situation. The helper goes along the road of recovery with the client, but he/she sees further than the client. "I felt it there (in rehab) that this feels good, it feels good to talk to other people about their little problems, and if I give them a little from my experience, it may help them? The Wounded Helper According to most participants, addiction is a prereguisite to becoming an empirical expert. Helpers with previous addiction experience and their clients are members of the same community, and this previous addiction is important
