An Effective and Enduring Therapy

For many years, Kahlie Sue’s life was haunted by bi-polar disorder. The condition had caused her to self-medicate with marijuana and alcohol since the age of 12. These substances, however, created addiction, and became primary problems themselves.

To fight the disorder, Kahlie Sue was heavily medicated with conventional psychoactive drugs. “I have been on many medications,” she notes, “and was once over-medicated with seventeen pills daily.” These medications caused negative reactions, primarily torpor and extreme fatigue. At times, they made her feel as if she were existing in a vegetative state.

“The last medication that I was prescribed could absolutely not be used with drugs or alcohol. I stayed with my mom the first weeks of my withdrawal. On the third day of it, she brought me to a Nia class. She made me come.

“I was in tears throughout the entire class, only to realize that it was from true release. I cried through the next two classes. After that, I cried only during the cool-down section. I don’t cry much anymore, and when I do, it’s from true letting go.”

Nia became Kahlie Sue’s most effective and enduring therapy.

“Nia has given me a venue in which I no longer have to hit a pillow in a sterile environment just to get release. Nia lets me actually work through emotions. When I was on meds, my emotions were suppressed and energy built up and caused racing thoughts, nervous tics, and compulsive outbursts.

“In Nia, though, I experience an emptying of pent-up energy. Nia is a safe environment in which I can share feelings, and work out difficult issues with the help of other peoples’ points of views, instead of being limited to just the perspectives of doctors.

“Most importantly,” she says, “Nia is a place to worship – not within the boundaries of any organized religion, but with any higher power I choose to focus on that day.”

Her work with Nia has enabled Kahlie Sue to finally understand herself. “Nia has helped me to peel away the layers, and reveal my true self. After shedding these layers, and remaining clean and sober, I now have the true Kahlie Sue to give to my family and friends.”

Nia has, of course, also helped improve Kahlie Sue’s body. She says her body now has “a glow.” Her mother has also become a Nia student, and has lost a considerable amount of weight. “The transformation Nia has made in my 55-year old mother is fabulous,” she says.

However, Kahlie Sue’s primary benefits from Nia are reflected not in her outward appearance, but in her inner life.

“Nia is a workout with your inner self,” Kahlie Sue says. “It is moving meditation. Dance. Therapy. Church.

“I thank Nia for giving me a second chance.”