Originally Posted by QuiltnCowgirl

I realized this week, as I stayed inside the warm house quilting, that I now have 2 forms of "therapy" for my peace of mind. My horse therapy in the spring/summer and now quilting therapy for fall/winter when it is too cold out to ride. I may get aches & pains in this old body (bad neck, elbows, back, and so on), but I don't care because I'm super happy when I'm doing them! :D

Originally Posted by DebinNY

Sure is for me... Not physical therapy but definately mental therapy... Life's problem are put on hold for a little while when I get behind my machine.

Originally Posted by mrs_uncle_fuzzy

I have PTSD from my sons violent death when he was 13. Quilting and sewing tend to keep me sane and and on track if I skip a few days of sewing I get panic attacks. The doctor says different things work for different people when I am angry my quilts are bright and bold and filled with abstract slashes, when I am depressed they are darker and and somber when I am unaffected and happy they tend to be whimsical. I think quilting sooths my soul. It is the best therapy I have found!

Originally Posted by klgreene

I lost a leg 3 1/2 yrs ago, and have phantom pain, 24 - 7. Almost 2 years ago I feel in the bathroom and shattered my hip, so phantom pain is worse. I have shoulder pain from having a shoulder replacement 2 1/2 yrs. ago, carpal tunnel from typing for years as well as all the crafts I did. And depression because of all this. BUT, when I quilt, I don't think about the pain, it relaxes me. Gives me a reason to get up in the morning. Quite frankly before I got back into quilting, there were many days, I just wanted to end it all. Not anymore. It actually gives me a reason to live. And I thank God all the time that I can do this and so many other things. Oh,and by the way, I'm only 62 so have a lot of good years ahead of me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by hikingquilter

2 years ago my daughter, then 22 and in college, was in a car accident and suffered a traumatic brain injury. She was left with several cognitive obstacles to overcome. She had always been very athletic and an honor student. It was difficult for her to accept that her brain wouldn't work the way it used to. She had memory problems, aphasia, balance and coordination problems, and became depressed. One day she came with me to the LQS and was instantly drawn to the batiks. She said she wanted to make a quilt. She had never sewn before. She picked out several FQs and one fabric to pull them together. We decided to use HSTs. Each evening I would give her instructions and she would work on it during the day while was at work. (She couldn't decipher written instructions at the time.) The quilt turned out beautifully. It was her own pattern and is reversable (her idea, too!). It was wonderful therapy for her. It helped her re-learn to follow directions, re-built her self-confidence and overcome depression. She's hooked now. She made a quilt for her friend's 2yr old daughter and a handbag for a friend. She's become a fabric-aholic like me too! By the way, she doing very well today. Back in school (with a little help from student services), volunteering at Shriners and looking forward to working with other young people in medical re-hab.