Testimonials

Hearing about the positive impact we have had on a client’s life is one of the best things that we can ask for as a counseling center. We have asked some of our clients if we can share their thoughts on Harmony Heals as a possible encouraging thought or inspirational idea for those who are seeking to take a step towards help for trauma, addiction, or any other issues that may be troubling them. We’re here to help.

Testimonial for Gina

I had the opportunity to have Gina as my therapist for about four years. I know for a fact that I would not be alive today if it weren’t for her. She has an intuition that always guides her in the direction that is needed. I wouldn’t have wanted to go through the process of dealing with my trauma with anyone else. She was patient and dedicated but at the same time called me on my bull shit. It was exactly what I needed.

When I started therapy with her I didn’t even know how bad my past was. Gina helped me uncover my past and work through the trauma. She supported me in more ways than I thought possible. I hated her when she would tell me how bad my trauma was but it was necessary. I resisted facing my past and the emotions that went with it. Gina guided me through it at a pace that I could handle. She was there to support me when I had nowhere to go and no one to turn to. I didn’t have any clue as to what a childhood should look like. Gina told me and helped me work through my grief around not having a childhood of my own.

As great as all this may sound it was horrible. Facing, working though, and accepting my trauma is to this day the toughest thing I have ever done. Gina would help me face the truth and push me to cope with life in ways that were not self destructive. At the time I only knew self destruction so it was all new. I was pushed and pushed. I wanted to give up and at the same time was desperate to figure out how to live life. All I knew was how to check out so being forced to face my trauma was more than uncomfortable. I didn’t know how to do it.

Gina pushed me into the tank with the sharks of my past. Not only was I then surrounded by memories that I didn’t know what to do with but I was also drowning in emotions I was unable to numb. I was pissed off beyond words but then I realized I wasn’t in there alone. Gina jumped in with me. She helped me face my trauma and deal with everything that went with them. Sometimes it meant doing things I didn’t want to do. There were also times it meant doing things that were not consistent with my traditional view of therapy.

As scared as I was I learned that Gina knew what she was doing and that I could trust her. Her dedication and commitment to the healing process was incredible. No matter what obstacles got in the way she never gave up. She always knew exactly what to do in the moment and what was necessary. I am incredibly grateful to have been able to work with her and have had her as my co-pilot on the journey through my trauma and growing and developing into who I am and who I want to be.

Gina showed me how to feel my feelings and that they wouldn’t kill me. It was uncomfortable but I learned that they were only temporary. I am so grateful I had Gina to walk me through the process. It was horrible, ugly, and painful but completely necessary. No matter how dark and dingy the tunnel may be there is always a light at the end even it is faint. Gina gave me the hope I needed to keep going. I thought what happened to me was beyond repair but I learned that with a lot of work and the right people guiding me I could be free and live a life greater than what I ever thought possible.

My name is Remy. In May of 2012, I walked into Harmony Heals after my doctor saw how badly I was struggling to get clean from opiates and benzodiazepines for several months with no success and he handed a flyer to me about the Harmony Heals Holistic Counseling Center. Two days prior I had made a very serious suicide attempt; one of many. I came to Farid completely hopeless but I was received with such love and compassion that I decided to give it a try. You see, before that short relapse that I had a few months before, I was sober for almost two years but not really getting it. I had been a crack and opiate addict for several years, and went from one detox and rehab to another. All of them from very upscale to as low as you can go. I wanted to change, but the approach from these different facilities were all wrong. It was always based on a “cookie cutter” text book approach to treating everyone. At Harmony it was different. I needed something different this time. Their customized approach is what made the difference. They listened, they understood, and the very professional and very knowledgeable staff figured out what I needed, and I began to feel like it was a second home to me there.

A little about my background…. I suffered from sexual abuse at a very young age which carried into my early adolescence into my teenage years. I was physically, sexually, and emotionally abused that it was all I knew and this seemed normal to me. I am a cancer survivor but couldn’t have children and the following New Year’s Day my parents died in a horrific double suicide pact. Needless to say I completely spiraled downhill from there. I did start drinking at the age of ten and then using drugs from 12 years old and hadn’t stopped but by the time of my parents’ death it was a completely different level. I have four siblings and nieces and nephews however once my parents were gone the whole family fell apart. I was completely alone.

When I went to see the folks at Harmony Heals, I felt completely alone, and did not trust anyone. That all changed. With a lot of intensive therapy with the top specialists, my life has completely changed. You would never believe how much of a 180 degree turnaround has been achieved. I have been sober for over a year and I continue to go to Harmony because they literally saved my life and although I still have a lot of work to do, progress is being made. You see, I am a 51 year old woman learning to walk, talk, live, love and trust again. Harmony Heals is helping me to do that, and I wake up with hope and gratitude every day.

Thank you to everyone at my “home away from home” Harmony Heals.

Harmony Heals is a place of hope, healing, and inspiration. Gina taught me how to become the woman I’d always wanted to become. A woman with integrity, a strong sense of self, and a contributor to life. I learned to live free from guilt, shame, and regret. For years I tried to get around my problems, to avoid and ignore the pain I carried, but with a healing hand Gina led me through, to finally experience a place of peace and resolve. From the warm welcomes you get from Jen and Farid when you walk through the door, to the experienced and highly skilled clinicians, there’s really no way to go wrong, and I’d highly recommend Harmony Heals to anyone and everyone!

I’m an addict because when I put a drink or drug into my body I react differently than normal people. While I used to see others take a drink with impunity, I took it to the other extreme and drank or drugged as much as I could and had lots of consequences for my actions such as jails, institutions, broken relationships, broken promises, and loss of employment. I had “moral and philosophical convictions galore but I couldn’t live up to them even if I would of liked to” and that’s because the addiction was paramount to everything else. The pain was too much to bear after being wrenched through the life of alcoholism and addiction so I decided to get clean, I had a moment of clarity and from that moment on I’ve been sober. I didn’t get the life I have today easily. It was a lot of trial and error. I’ve been to multiple rehabilitation centers, maybe it was because I didn’t “work their program” or maybe it’s because they conducted their business poorly and didn’t really even care. It’s different now, I’ve been sober over a year and am doing very well in my eyes. That is all thanks to God, Harmony Heals Inc., and the program of Alcoholics Anonymous. Today my mind is clear, I have goals, and a direction. Emotionally I am stable, everyone has their ups and downs but for the most part I feel happy and content. And physically I am strong, I work out a lot and I feel that has a lot to do with how I am doing mentally and emotionally. I believe they’re all connected. My connection to Harmony is priceless. They have helped me out more than anyone I know. They’re like family to me. They are different than most because they actually care, don’t judge and accept you for who you are… it’s unconditional.