THE PROCESS OF RECOVERY: A TALE OF TWO MEN

Abstract

Recovery has been identified as a focus for mental health care. Recovery requires learning to live again after a life-altering acute event or during a chronic illness, mental or physical. By analyzing within-person change over time, utilizing multiple sources of evidence, two cases illustrated particular dimensions that influenced the recovery process after stroke, within a biopsychosocial framework. Restoration of the self, through co-occurring, dual processes of grief and reconstruction, appeared to be an essential dimension in the recovery process. Suggestions for integrating this concept into current adult clinical practice are congruent with current models of disease management of several chronic conditions.