Our Journey from Darkness to Light contains a rich assortment of tools and resources that I have used to walk through bouts of depression and anxiety. It also contains the stories of fifteen women – and their authentic and vulnerable stories of their own journey.

“You’ve just got to listen to what Patricia has to say, she’s so experienced at depression!” my friend Joann declared to her Women’s group. I never graduated from college.

The truth is, I only attended one year and during that time I focused almost entirely on the social scene. However, if degrees were awarded for full life experiences, I guess I may have earned some kind of “experience” degree in depression.

I’ve lived through three major depressions and countless minor ones. I guess I must have been a slow learner because it wasn’t till the third depression, when once again, I was down for the count, that I included medication.

Although I still have my ups and downs and I have to work daily to maintain a balance, I do take my medicine and use tools contained in this book and continue to learn and apply others. They help me stay in recovery from depression.

In between bouts of depression, public speaking, writing and teaching became a way of solidifying my lessons and giving value to the nightmare I lived through. It also allows me a chance to continue progressing.

I am a people pleaser and an approval addict. Yet, I find healing in helping others, as well as myself, so our tunnel of darkness doesn’t have to be so long.

Our Journey from Darkness to Light by Patricia Potts, is a must read for anyone wading through their own painful journey from the shadows of the past, filled with shame, regret and hopelessness to a future brimming with hope and bright possibilities. The courageous stories in this book spotlight the tools and resources utilized, and will be invaluable to anyone going through their own version of a mental, emotional or physical Gethsemane.

As a missionary in a 12-step addiction recovery program, I strongly endorse Our Journey from Darkness to Light. — Susan Robb.