Andrea Avigal grew up in a terrifying home.  Her father was vicious and sociopathic.  He ruled and dominated what happened in their home. The only thought she remembers is survival, as her father alternated between brutally beating her mother and raping Andrea at night while her mother slept on the couch.

 

As a child she felt unloved and lived in constant fear.  As she grew older, the pain and emptiness that remained inside lead her into therapy several times, but she never stayed long enough to work through her childhood trauma. She met a kind man and married, and had three children. For a while, she was able to pretend to be normal.

 

But then her eldest child was diagnosed with brain cancer at the age of two, requiring numerous surgeries, radiation treatment, and two years of chemotherapy. He went into remission, but eight years later, the cancer came back. This time, there was no viable treatment, and he passed away at the age of thirteen.

 

After she buried her son, she lost the desire and ability to function as a normal person. And while she loved her remaining family, her life went in a new direction.

 

She began to hurt herself.  She would secretly make herself sick in order to gain attention. Hundreds of hospital visits ensued as she attempted suicide, mutilation, poisoning, and making herself sick again, and again and again.

 

With her life spinning desperately out of control she found salvation in the form of Dr. Tom Hall.

 

Andrea’s story along with the unconventional therapeutic relationship that cured her is told in Secrets Unraveled: Overcoming Munchausen Syndrome.

 

Dr. Hall explains, “Munchausen Syndrome is a rare psychiatric disorder where people make themselves sick to gain medical attention.  They repeat their secret behavior over years, fooling doctors, family members and friends.  Andrea Avigal was an expert.”

 

Anyone can overcome devastating mental illness with the right kind of help.

 

Starting in April of 2002, when she became his patient, he had no idea how profoundly she would impact his world.

 

“Andrea was on a path of self-destruction, flirting with death,” he said.  “I really did not know whether I would be able to save her life.”

 

Here is an excerpt from the book by Dr. Tom Hall:

 

“I was impressed by her willingness to delve into the worst memories and her effort to move forward. I found it compelling that she wanted to keep telling me more of her incredible story. It made me feel increasingly motivated to do what I could to pull her out of her suffering. Every time I caught myself having difficulty learning about the explicit details of her past, I reminded myself that she had to live them.”

 

Dr. Hall and Andrea worked together for several years.  Building a trusting relationship is critical but extremely difficult.  “Patients with Munchausen maintain their deception as a means of survival.  It takes time, extraordinary patience, understanding and hard work to help them”

 

The intimate emails back and forth reveal the incredible depth of pain Andrea is going through and the soothing touch of a skilled therapist at work time and again.

 

The lessons learned have powerful and important implications to anyone who is dealing with mental illness.

 

• It is crucial to not judge or confront, even when suspicions arise.  Munchausen patients almost always experienced childhood trauma and/or neglect and want a safe place to tell their stories.  Often trauma survivors need to talk about their childhood over and over again.

 

• When the therapist offers validation, compassion and a constant presence, secrets of the past and present gradually come out and eventually lose their power.  The desire to be sick loses its appeal.

 

• A trusting relationship replaces the safety once found in hospitals from doctors and nurses.

 

• When treating Munchausen syndrome, therapists need to consider a less conventional approach, stepping “outside the box,” increasing contact, for example with emails and telephone calls in between sessions.  The healing process will occur through the power of the relationship.

 

Another excerpt from the book by Dr. Tom Hall:

 

“I find nothing more meaningful than the bond that connects human beings and the communication that creates that bond. It is something that cannot be predicted or charted, but rather unfolds spontaneously, like all things that are special in life.  Andrea’s therapy unfolded in ways I could never have imagined and ultimately reinforced the power of the relationship.”

 

I received this book for free and have found it very interesting! I think that this would be a very helpful book for therapists and those in the helping fields. It is quite insightful and an inspirational story.

$17.95 ISBN: 978-1-468094-8-00

Self Disclosure: I received the book for free to facilitate this feature.

Inspired by the breathtaking creativity and inventiveness of today’s DIY kids, kindie music icon Recess Monkey celebrates “maker” culture with the band’s eleventh studio recording, Wired. (Recess Monkey, $14.99, for ages 3 – 9, run time 43 minutes.)

Wired, a collection of super-eclectic “gadget rock” songs about inventions, machines, and electricity, also highlights the richness of life beyond batteries:  Grandpa’s wisdom, board games, singing with others, storytelling, and the fine art of duct tape.

Wired was produced at John Vanderslice’s famed Tiny Telephone Recording in San Francisco, where everything was recorded on tape with analog equipment.  Recess Monkey found working with John Vanderslice to be like observing the machinations of a mythic alchemist practicing his craft.   Vanderslice and engineer Jamie Riotto created incredible effects “on the spot” during live takes, twisting knobs with one hand while altering the speed of the tape with another, bringing to Recess Monkey the realization that Vanderslice and Riotto weren’t simply producer and engineer, but truly members of the band.

Notes Jack Forman, “It cannot be overstated what huge fans we are of John Vanderslice, and the experience of gettting to make music with him at the helm was downright life-changing.  Removing computers from the recording equation forced us to rely on our ears, as in the days before digital.  This was the perfect approach for an album inspired by ‘outside the box’ creativity!”

Recess Monkey’s trademark over-the-top, loaded-with-humor lyrics are again delivered with the band’s amazing mastery of diverse musical styles.  Wired rolls out of the gate with “Take Your Kid To Work Day.” a track that combines a driving, 8 to the bar rhythm with a super-energized, lyrical bass guitar line and a Mick Jagger-like vocal intensity.  This explosion of energy continues unabated with the next track, “Wired,” anode d’amour to a sugar high with the real treat at the end.  For really serious time travel, check out “Grandpa is a Time Machine” and soak up some old time, ukulele driven, up-tempo two-beat along with Grandpa’s iced tea and endless supply of stories. “Wishing Well” is a score for Beatlemaniacs, enhanced by a guitar solo that pays homage to the great George Harrison.  Other highlights include “Brick by Brick,” where Recess Monkey “puts together” an anthem to Legos, the original “maker” toy, and the hilarious ballad, “Duct Tape World,” in which one boy, one girl, and one million and two rolls of duct tape leads to a front yard business called “On A Roll With You!”

In addition to rocking out with Recess Monkey, Jack Forman is an on-air personality on SiriusXM’s Kids Place Live, where his daily call-in show, Live From the Monkey House, is a hysterical cornucopia of game show segments, kid callers, special musical guests, and the best kids’ and family music out there!

Recess Monkey released their debut CD, Welcome to Recess Monkey Town, in 2005, followed by another popular hit, Aminal House, in 2006.  The band made history with their 2007 release, Wonderstuff, the first double CD children’s album.  As with all their albums, including 2008’s Tabby Road, 2009’s Field Trip, 2010’s The Final Funktier, 2011’s In Tents, and 2013’s Deep Sea Diver and Desert Island Disc, Wired is grounded in real life children’s experiences.

Ten Recess Monkey songs have reached #1 on SiriusXM’s Kids Place Live chart.  Kids Place Live Program Director Mindy Thomas declared, “In this never-ending nationwide talent show of kid and family music, they are most definitely at the top.”  Explained kids’ music authority Stefan Shepherd (Zooglobble.com), “Recess Monkey just keeps turning out album after album with pop nuggets, as if we’d just discovered The Beatles had recorded a ton of kids’ music 40+ years ago.”

My son and I are fans of Recess Monkey and really enjoy this new album! The music is simply fun! My son really enjoys the lyrics and we both give the album a thumbs up!

Wired is available at recessmonkey.com, amazon.com,cdbaby.com, theAVCafe.com, bigkids.com, iTunes, bandcamp.com, Silver Platters, Sonic Book Records, and Barnes & Noble.

Self Disclosure: I received the CD free to facilitate this feature.