DR. CHRIS MARIA
My Story
I know a thing or two about recovery. I've been on my journey of recovery from childhood trauma (including abuse) for over 14 years. I made the decision to heal, and I went through the process. I worked on the core issues I developed from the effects of childhood trauma. I experienced my feelings and emotions, grieved my losses, and transformed life. Today, I'm a happier, healthier person.
When I began to heal from childhood trauma, I had no idea what was to come. I was not prepared for the long and painful journey. Within a year, I was having a hard time functioning. I could barely take care of myself and work. I was suffering from major depression, but I didn’t know that until I finally got a diagnosis. Before getting help, I talked to those close to me and was told to pray more and read my Bible more. I did, but I didn’t get better. I continued to get worse. Finally, I reached a point where I could not function. I could no longer take care of myself, so I did the only thing I knew to do. I quit my job, went home to my family, and went to the local mental health clinic. There I got help, but I had waited so long and was so sick, the psychiatrist told me that if I had waited much longer, I would have had to be hospitalized.
That was 14 years ago. Since that time, I've been in individual and group therapy. I've gone through the spiritually-based 12-step program, Celebrate Recovery. I've been in outpatient and inpatient behavioral health hospital programs. I've gone through the process. Today, I'm a happier and healthier person. I've recovered and healed.
Why I Started Pills and Skills Recovery?
I started Pills and Skills Recovery because this is what I needed when I began to heal. Having a program like Pills and Skills Recovery where I could go to for research-based information on recovery would have helped me. I didn’t have that but now that I've healed, I can give this to others who are beginning their journey of recovery. This is why I started Pills and Skill Recovery.
My motto is "bringing recovery to you". Many of us in the faith community will not go see a therapist or psychiatrist, so I bring recovery to us in the form of research-based information. This is why I started Pills and Skills Recovery.
I named my show Pills and Skills Recovery because this is the way I maintain my recovery: medication (pills) and coping skills (skills). Hence the name of my radio show: Pills and Skills Recovery.
Who Am I?
You can say I am a Professional Bipolar Manager.
Professional
Professionally, I earned a Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. I’ve taught middle and high school English and held a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Education appointment at Claflin University and USC Upstate. My research area focuses on closing the achievement gap between low-income, minority students, and their white middle-class peers, and improving educational opportunities for teen moms and their children.
Bipolar
I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder over 10 years ago. I have gone from
- being ashamed of my condition
- thinking, I’m too smart to have a mental illness
- worrying about what family, friends, and members in my faith community say
- thinking, I don’t need to take my medication because I’m feeling better
to where I am today—in a place of knowledge and understanding that Bipolar Disorder is a mood disorder. It is a biological and neurological condition. Environment plays a major role, especially in stressful situations and childhood trauma.
Manager
I maintain my recovery and manage my professional life and living with bipolar disorder with medication (pills) and coping skills (skills). Hence the name of my radio show, Pills and Skills Recovery. Pills and Skills Recovery is my dream. I've always wanted to use my gifts to serve God outside the “4 walls of the classroom,” and with Pills and Skills Recovery I am doing just that. I am living my dream.