A few years ago, I saw an uplifting documentary on Netflix called Happy. The film follows filmmaker Roko Belic as he travels worldwide, searching for the meaning of happiness. What struck me the most was the positive effects on the mental health of those living in cohousing communities in Denmark. These communities promote comfort, companionship, and responsibility for others, leading to happier, more satisfying lives.
At Karis Community, we follow a similar model. Our therapeutic Empowerment Program offers a secure, structured, and supportive environment for those recovering from serious and persistent mental illness. Residents (whom we call Community Members) can benefit from their fellow members’ peer support and the individual and group therapy offered by the clinical staff. The result has been an exceptionally high number of Community Members who achieve long-term recovery and improved quality of life.
So, why is community so beneficial? Why does it work so well?
Community helps reduce the stigma and shame around mental health.
When people arrive at Karis, they often have immense shame around their mental illnesses. Frequently, family, friends, co-workers, and the broader community have made them feel like there is something “wrong” with them. Suffering from a mental illness is painful and challenging enough. When others treat them as failures, it can be life-shattering. These feelings often lead to isolation and prevention from seeking help. When someone has a broken leg, they rarely feel bad for seeking help, but this is not so with mental illness. While discussed more often, and people gain more insight daily, there is still much misinformation and stigma. Those suffering are told to “snap out of it,” “have some chamomile tea,” or “this too shall pass,” among many other well-meaning but ineffective statements. Mental illness does not work that way. Can you imagine if someone said that to you if you had a broken leg? “Don’t worry; it’ll heal if you take your vitamins!” This analogy may seem absurd to most people, but surprisingly, it fits someone who has a mental illness.
Community presents and opportunity to be there for others.
A peer-to-peer approach to mental health is at the core of Karis’ program. Helping others is essential because Community Members enrich their lives by helping others in need. They realize they are not alone and that others struggle and need help. Listening and raising the spirits of those around them gives them a chance to spread love. And love is contagious. Connecting with others and feeling useful gives Community Members a sense of purpose and a renewed identity, helps them get out of their minds, and keeps things in perspective. Helping others is proven to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.
For Community Members, it can be easy to focus on what everyone else has and what they don’t. When they surround themselves with others and share their experiences, they realize countless others experience similar thoughts. Being around others helps them to understand that they are not alone and never were. They might learn to appreciate what they already have rather than fixating on what they don’t have. Mental illness can be so debilitating that it can be challenging to get out of bed. Karis pushes Community Members to share meals with others, go on walks together, and join group activities. Engaging with others gives them a chance to feel better and have fun!
Community provides a sense of safety, belonging, and security.
Living with mental illness can mean discrimination, mistreatment, bullying, criticism, and so much more. Karis gives Community Members a safe space to work on themselves slowly. When individuals live at Karis, they meet others who have experienced something similar, making it easier to share freely. Karis provides a non-judgmental space where people can feel a sense of belonging. They connect on a deeper level and learn to embrace who they are. Learning how to love themselves unconditionally takes work, but the Empowerment Program gives those with mental illness hope for their future. Self-acceptance starts by feeling comfortable around their new housemates, clinical staff, neighborhood, families, and beyond. Our process teaches them how to gain self-esteem, eventually offering hope to face the broader community.
Lisa Andersson
Director of Development and Communications, Karis Community
Awesome blog you have here but I was curious if you knew of any discussion boards that cover the same topics discussed here? I’d really like to be a part of online community where I can get responses from other experienced people that share the same interest. If you have any recommendations, please let me know. Thank you!
Hello! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a collection of volunteers and starting a new project in a community in the same niche. Your blog provided us useful information to work on. You have done a outstanding job!