Inside Looking Out: Discovering a Mindful Way to Conquer Depression
by Salvatore De Vita
About the Book
Learning how to live in a confusing world with emotional ups and downs is not easy. However, this empowering book will show you how we can find a healthy lifestyle that will bring us to our best health.
Inside Looking Out details De Vita’s journey through the trenches of manic depression and into his efforts to find the true cause of his symptoms. He offers the knowledge he has gained from his intimate relationship with manic depression, and from his personal learnings on why and how our bodies function from a holistic perspective. He has documented his discoveries on the underlying causes of manic depression, as well as the treatments and lifestyle changes that helped him to conquer this illness. He does not provide a prescription for you to follow, but rather the inspirational message that it’s in our power to change our mindset, and ultimately to change the outcome of our health.
By reading this book, you will gain the knowledge of how you can find new ways to restore your good health and you will learn about a mindful way to conquer depression. You will also be given resources and tools that you, the reader, can use to start your own journey to recovery. It’s time to take control of your own health.
About the Author
Salvatore De Vita (BPHE, BEd, OCT) After an enlightening trip to Europe, Salvatore developed symptoms of manic depression which led to a breakdown where he was admitted into a hospital. This was the beginning of a twelve-year journey to find the root cause of his symptoms and find a way to heal himself. He would go on to have six more breakdowns before he discovered why they were occurring.
After realizing that conventional medicine only wanted to mask his symptoms rather than rid him of them entirely, Salvatore began to explore alternative health care practices. He has learned through experience about a variety of alternative medicine modalities, that these holistic approaches were much more successful in treating his manic depression. He believes that anyone who is experiencing mental health problems needs guidance from health care professionals who focus on natural approaches.
Determined to get better, Salvatore made important decisions to leave work and returned to school. Within a period of five years, he earned his honour’s degree in physical and health education that ultimately led to his understanding of what he needed to do to heal himself. He was qualified and hired to teach for the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB).
After twenty-two years as an elementary school teacher, he retired and wrote this book to share his experience as a manic-depressive patient and his road to recovery.
Interview with Salvatore De Vita
Please share a bit about your journey to become a published author?
The process of becoming a published author involved having the right attitude to care about the world. Through our senses we can listen to others, we can make observations of how life works and we can think for ourselves. Before my first breakdown, I wanted to be a singer songwriter.
By the time I was 23 years old, I had developed major symptoms of bipolar disorder that landed me into a psychiatric ward for erratic behaviour and insomnia. These symptoms led me down a road to my enlightenment of life and creation. I felt as though life was revealing many secrets to me through first-hand experiences with health and disease. It took me twelve years to know for sure that medication for bipolar disorder was an ineffective solution.
I became a published author because I have an important message to share with victims of bipolar disorder. I chose this path to reveal my findings about health and disease and I also raise questions about the safety and efficacy of drug treatment plans for mental health issues.
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How does the writing process work for you?
For me, the writing process is a great challenge to follow because it demands commitment, patience, planning, and focusing on achievement of goals. I have a daily morning routine with positive affirmations to set my mind on achievement of goals and I always thank my creator for the many gifts in my possession. Lastly, I keep a daily journal to record my thoughts and remind myself of my intentions to serve and contribute to humanity.
I am already thinking about a new writing project. There are stages of the writing process towards becoming a published author. Once I create a blueprint plan for my new book, I can breakdown the work into steps and setup a timetable so I can work in blocks of time to achieve smaller goals. This way, I will avoid stress and I will love what I do as a creative writer.
What did you find most difficult about the writing and publishing process? What was the easiest?
My difficulty with the writing process involved making decisions. I had a hard time deciding if I could release a personal story of my life. At times during the writing stages, I would just stop working on the project because life would get busy. This lasted many years. My original draft copy of the book was written in 2004 and edited in 2009. Whenever I reread pages that I wrote, I would rewrite a sentence or a paragraph because I didn’t like how it sounded. I discovered that I was very critical about using the correct words to convey an idea and that there was a flow and logical sequence of ideas throughout the text.
The publishing process, rather than the writing process, was easier for me because I had a support team of experts in the business of publishing. With Julie Salisbury and her team, the publishing process was simple to follow. I had lots of guidance and feedback so my decision making was faster and easier.
What title or titles have you released?
My first book as a published author is Inside Looking Out: Discovering a Mindful Way to Conquer Depression. This story details my life as a manic depressive person who struggles with the ups and downs of life. With experiences of mood swings and seven hospitalizations for dysfunctional behaviours, I found myself in a state of emotional confusion as I realized with help that my mental and physical bodies were out of alignment.
After several years of being treated with lithium bicarbonate for bipolar disorder, I became disillusioned with drugs. I found no remedy with conventional medicine that could heal me. I wanted to find a better way to deal with my health issues With strength and persistence, I explored alternative medicine to try to discover the causes of my bipolar disorder symptoms . With new information from alternative medical approaches, I began my recovery.
In addition to my discovery of alternative medicine, I strengthened my health with a five year program in the study of physical and health education. Empowered as an expert in the theory of health and wellness, I began to take back full control of my life. Upon completion of my university program, I was immediately hired by the Toronto Catholic District School Board and worked as an elementary school teacher for over 20 years.
By reading this book, you will gain insights into your own transformations in life to help keep you healthy. You will be given both the knowledge and the tools needed to uncover your power and soar to your highest potential.
Do you have any new books in the planning or writing stage?
Yes, I do. I am thinking about writing a comedy and also I am thinking about writing a spy story.
What would you like readers to know about you?
I am a retired teacher from the education industry in Ontario. I have written my story many years ago, and now that I am free from holding down a class of twelve year olds, I can complete the work.
I have a passion for life, justice and liberty for all people. I am fascinated every time I see an infant baby. I think to myself how glorious this is! This child has unlimited potential to be great. This child could be a wise sage, a singer, an entertainer, an educator or anything they wish for. When I think of the potential a child has, I want to promote education by contributing my thoughts as an author so that all children can excel and learn how wonderful life can be.
I am grateful for every author that came before me and left their printed stories of their learnings and discoveries. I complement authors who have stood at the gates of the city and offered their guidance as true guardians of truth and justice to help me, the reader, to overcome obstacles and mysteries of how to learn new things.
I believe that any kind of writing is a powerful tool in the business of education to guide learners to become responsible citizens. One of my long time aspirations is to become a professional musician with a message in a song that is so great that world peace manifests instantly. This may be a fantasy or wishful thinking but that’s the point. Life is fun when we pick our own dreams that make the world a better place.
What do I hope readers will take away from Inside Looking Out?
Every reader will take away something different from reading Inside Looking Out. I have created a book that offers ideas for bipolar disorder patients to think about. If they are ready to take a course of action to find their way back to wellness, I offer several tools to help them stay on task.
The process of creating a book has been a wonderful exercise for me and I am deeply gratified to offer my work as a contribution for humanity to prosper in the abundance of health and wellness. Let us think of ourselves as co-creators with God and not as victims of our circumstances.