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Join and engage in our online Google meetings each Sunday. Meetings are held on Sundays at 1:00 p.m. EST. We welcome all to join in, listen, share, and leave informed with hope and directions for your journey. This is a safe space. “No recording of any kind is allowed”. Please share this with others and invite another Returning Citizen to join. Let’s grow our community.
HEALING SPACE
GROUP SUPPORT – How are you coping since returning home?
Topic: Do You Have Post Incarceration Syndrome [PICS]? If you have ever served time in jail or prison. If have been in and out of treatment centers. If you lived in an adult living center. Or if you’ve been in and out of state ran foster care, you HAVE be experiencing PICS. Join us and learn the syndromes, listen, and/or share your lived experiences. You will leave knowing you are no longer alone and have others who are here to walk with you.
Click here on Sundays at 1:00 EST to join: meet.google.com/vwb-qkro-few
Weekly Focus:
March 1, 2026
Topic: Moving Forward with PICS During Seasonal Change
The days are getting longer. Spring is approaching. With seasonal changes come emotional shifts — both positive and challenging.
For those living with post-incarceration syndrome (PICS), seasonal transitions can affect mood, energy, motivation, and mental health in unexpected ways.
As winter lifts, we may feel: • Hope
• Restlessness
• Anxiety
• Pressure to “do more”
• Increased energy or emotional swings
Today, we’ll talk about how seasonal change affects the five mental health challenges of PICS and how to move forward courageously into spring.
How this connects to PICS:
• PTSD — changes in light, routine, and stimulation can affect mood and hypervigilance
• Social sensory deprivation syndrome — increased social activity may feel overwhelming
• Antisocial personality traits — isolation habits built in winter may be hard to break
• Institutionalization — sudden shifts in routine can feel destabilizing
• Substance use disorder — seasonal mood shifts can increase cravings or impulsivity
Reflection questions: • What emotions come up as winter ends?
• Do longer days increase hope — or pressure?
• What habits from winter do I need to release?
• What goals feel realistic for this new season?
Preparation for Spring: • Re-establish daily routines intentionally
• Set 1–2 achievable goals instead of overwhelming yourself
• Increase sunlight exposure gradually
• Reconnect socially at your own pace
• Track mood changes in your PICS workbook
You don’t need to prepare or share. Listening is participation.
Join us today at 1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
Sunday Support Group – February 22, 2026
Topic: Post-Incarceration Syndrome and Poor Sleep
Many returning citizens living with post-incarceration syndrome (PICS) struggle with sleep—both when they first come home and even years later.
For example, some people experience nightmares that replay past violence or stress from incarceration. Others may talk in their sleep, wake up often throughout the night, or struggle to fall asleep due to ongoing stress from work, relationships, moving, or major life changes.
Poor sleep can be directly connected to the five mental health challenges of PICS:
• PTSD — nightmares, hypervigilance, difficulty staying asleep
• Social sensory deprivation syndrome — discomfort with quiet or stillness
• Antisocial personality traits — emotional shutdown or tension carried into sleep
• Institutionalization — disrupted sleep routines from years of controlled schedules
• Substance use disorder — using to cope with insomnia or exhaustion
Tonight’s group is a space to talk about how sleep has been affected by reentry—or to just listen.
Reflection questions: • How has incarceration affected your sleep patterns?
• Do you feel alert even when you’re tired?
• What thoughts or stressors keep you awake at night?
Sleep Support We May Discuss Today
• Creating a consistent wind-down routine
• Limiting stimulation before bedtime
• Grounding techniques for nighttime anxiety
• Waking gently after nightmares
• Allowing rest without guilt
Using the PICS Recovery Workbook
The Breaking Chains, Mending Minds Post-Incarceration Syndrome Recovery Workbook includes a Sleep Tracker to help monitor:
• When you go to sleep and wake up
• Nighttime awakenings
• Nightmares or sleep talking
• Stress levels before bed
• Patterns between sleep and daily stress
Tracking sleep can help you identify triggers, routines, and improvements over time—making it easier to create habits that support better rest.
You don’t need to prepare or share. Listening is participation.
GROUP EXERCISE: Night Reset Routine
Step 1: Power Down 30–60 minutes before bed, reduce lights, screens, and stimulation.
Step 2: Body Check Notice where your body is tense. Take 3 slow breaths and relax your jaw, shoulders, and hands.
Step 3: Safe Statement Say silently:
“I am not inside anymore. I am safe right now.”
Step 4: Grounding Place one hand on your chest or stomach and take 5 slow breaths.
Step 5: Sleep Tracker Use the workbook to record:
Time you went to sleep
Number of awakenings
Dreams or nightmares
Stress before bed
Overall restfulness
Patterns help build healthier routines.
Sunday Support Group – February 15, 2026
Topic: When Saving Becomes Survival — Learning to Care Without Rescuing
Many returning citizens struggle with the need to fix, rescue, or save the people they love. When someone we care about is hurting, our instinct is to act—to solve the problem, take control, or carry the weight ourselves.
For many of us, this instinct was learned early and reinforced by incarceration. What once kept us safe can become exhausting in relationships.
This connects to post-incarceration syndrome (PICS):
• PTSD — urgency to act when distress appears
• Institutionalization — feeling responsible for managing outcomes
• Antisocial traits — acting instead of expressing vulnerability
• Social sensory deprivation — difficulty sitting with emotions without fixing
• Substance use disorder — numbing the pressure of responsibility
Today’s group is a space to talk about the urge to save others—and how to care without losing ourselves.
Reflection questions:
• Where did I learn that it’s my job to fix things?
•What happens in my body when someone I love is struggling?
•What would it mean to support without rescuing?
Coping skills we may discuss:
• Pausing before acting
• Separating care from control
• Allowing others to feel without fixing
• Setting emotional boundaries without guilt
• Letting support replace responsibility
You don’t need to prepare or share. Listening is participation.
GROUP SELF-CARE EXERCISE
Exercise: Supporting Without Saving
Step 1: Notice the Urge
Think about a recent moment when someone you love was struggling.
Notice what happened inside your body—tight chest, racing thoughts, urgency.
Step 2: Name the Old Role
Silently say:
“This urge to fix once kept me safe.”
No judgment. Just recognition.
Step 3: Ask One Grounding Question
Before acting, ask yourself:
“Am I responding to this moment or an old memory?”
“Did they ask me to fix this—or to listen?
Step 4: Choose Presence Over Action
Practice offering one of these instead:
“I’m here with you.”
“That sounds really heavy.”
“Do you want support, or do you just want me to listen?”
Step 5: Release Responsibility
End with this statement:
“I can care deeply without carrying everything.”
This is self-care for people who were taught to survive by fixing.
Sunday Support Group – February 8, 2026
Topic: Self-Care Without Guilt — When You Feel Like You Owe Everyone Your Presence
Many returning citizens living with post-incarceration syndrome (PICS) struggle with self-care—not because they don’t want rest, but because rest can feel undeserved. When you feel behind, financially unstable, or like you owe everyone proof that you’re “doing well,” taking time for yourself can bring guilt instead of relief.
This often connects to the five PICS challenges:
• PTSD — staying alert and productive feels safer than resting
• Social sensory deprivation — saying no feels like risking connection
• Antisocial personality traits — isolating instead of asking for rest or support
• Institutionalization — worth feels tied to productivity and compliance
• Substance use disorder — using to escape exhaustion instead of resting
Tonight’s group is a space to talk about how to practice self-care without self-punishment—or to just listen.
Reflection questions: • What makes rest feel uncomfortable or undeserved for me?
• Where did I learn that I have to earn rest?
• What kind of self-care feels realistic right now?
Coping skills we may discuss: • Redefining self-care beyond money or productivity
• Setting small boundaries without guilt
• Rest as recovery, not reward
• Saying no without self-explanation
• Allowing presence without performance
You don’t need to prepare or share. Listening is participation.
Sunday Support Group – February 1, 2026 Topic:
Is This PICS — or Is This Just Being Human?
Learning to recognize trauma responses without invalidating our feelings
Returning citizens often live in a constant state of self-questioning:
• Am I reacting this way because of post-incarceration syndrome (PICS)?
• Or did something genuinely hurt me?
• Am I overthinking — or am I protecting myself?
This confusion can be exhausting and may lead to emotional shutdown, self-blame, or strained relationships, especially with family.
Scenario for reflection:
I sent my mother a “thinking of you, I love you and miss you” card. I felt good about sending it and waited, expecting a thank you or an “I love you too.”
Instead, a week later, I received a text that just said:
“My name is ___.”
I felt hurt, confused, and suspicious. I responded, “I know your name. Why did you text me that?”
She replied that I had spelled her name wrong on the envelope — and then followed up with, “Thank you for the card.”
That moment raised an important question:
Was this a reaction shaped by post-incarceration syndrome — specifically institutionalization — or was it a human response to feeling unacknowledged?
How this connects to the five PICS challenges:
• Institutionalization — assuming interactions are tests, power plays, or disrespect
• PTSD — emotions hitting fast before context is clear
• Antisocial personality traits — defensiveness or pulling back to avoid being hurt
• Social sensory deprivation syndrome — difficulty reading tone, intent, or emotional nuance
• Substance use disorder — urges to numb confusion, hurt, or rejection
Key reflection:
Not every hurt feeling is pathology.
Not every reaction is trauma.
Sometimes it’s both.
Coping skills we may discuss today:
• Pausing before responding when emotions hit fast
• Separating feelings from assumptions
• Checking the story we’re telling ourselves
• Asking clarifying questions instead of withdrawing
• Grounding techniques when feeling triggered or misunderstood
• Practicing self-compassion instead of self-blame
Reflection questions:
• Have you ever questioned whether your reaction was trauma-based or just human?
• What happens in your body when you feel unappreciated or misunderstood?
• Do you assume negative intent quickly — and where did that habit come from?
• How do family interactions feel different after incarceration?
Closing Reflection:
Not every strong reaction is post-incarceration syndrome.
Not every moment of pain means something is wrong with you.
Healing includes learning when to pause, when to clarify, and when to honor your feelings without letting survival instincts run the show.
Sunday Support Group – Jan 25
Topic: When You’re Doing Everything Right — and It’s Still Hard
Many returning citizens reach a point where they’re showing up, working on recovery, making better choices — and it’s still hard. That doesn’t mean you’re failing. With post-incarceration syndrome (PICS), progress isn’t always immediate or visible.
This can connect to: • PTSD — the body stays in survival mode
• Social sensory deprivation — progress can still feel lonely
• Antisocial traits — frustration shows up as withdrawal
• Institutionalization — freedom can be exhausting
• Substance use disorder — urges increase when hope feels thin
Tonight’s group is a space to talk about what it’s like to keep going when it feels discouraging — or to just listen.
Coping skills we may discuss today: • Staying grounded on discouraging days
• Separating effort from outcome
• Managing frustration without turning on yourself
• Small wins when progress feels invisible
• Reducing urges to numb when motivation is low
Reflection: • What does “doing everything right” look like for me right now?
• What’s still hard, even when I’m trying?
• How do I talk to myself on difficult days?
You don’t need to prepare or share. Listening is participation.
The Post-Incarceration Syndrome Recovery Workbook is available on our website.
Please like and subscribe to the Breaking Chains, Mending Minds website to receive weekly support group updates and articles by email.
See you at 1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time / 10 a.m. Pacific Standard Time.
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Sunday Support Group – January 18
Topic: When Winter Makes It Heavier — Depression & Post-Incarceration Syndrome
With the cold, snow, and shorter days here in Michigan, many returning citizens experience increased depression, isolation, and low energy. Winter doesn’t create post-incarceration syndrome (PICS), but it can make the five mental health challenges feel heavier:
• PTSD — increased anxiety, sleep problems, intrusive thoughts
• Social sensory deprivation — isolation, loneliness, feeling disconnected
• Antisocial personality traits — withdrawal, emotional shutdown, self-protection
• Institutionalization — feeling confined or stuck when indoors more
• Substance use disorder — stronger urges to numb or escape depression
Tonight’s group is a space to talk about how winter affects your mental health, recovery, and reentry — or to just listen.
Reflection questions:
• How does winter affect my mood or energy?
• What gets heavier for me this time of year?
• Which PICS challenges feel louder right now?
Coping skills we may discuss today:
• Small daily routines to reduce isolation
• Staying connected even when energy is low
• Grounding techniques for winter anxiety and confinement feelings
• Managing depression without self-blame
• Reducing urges to numb during low-energy days
You don’t need to prepare or share. Listening is participation.
Closing Reflection:
Winter can slow us down, but it doesn’t erase our progress.
Low energy doesn’t mean no growth.
Surviving the season is enough.
To receive weekly support group messages and updates from Breaking Chains, Mending Minds, please subscribe on our website.
See you at 1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, 10 a.m. Pacific Standard Time.
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1/11/2026 Group discussion topic:
Sunday Support Group – January 11, 2026
Topic: Survivors’ Guilt & Post Incarceration Syndrome
This Sunday’s group will focus on Survivors’ Guilt—a common but often unspoken experience among
returning citizens.
Survivors’ guilt can show up as feeling undeserving of freedom, peace, or success, especially when others we
care about are still incarcerated, struggling, or didn’t make it home.
This guilt often overlaps with the five mental health challenges of post incarceration syndrome:
- PTSD – intrusive memories, hypervigilance, emotional numbing
- Social Sensory Deprivation Syndrome – disconnection, overstimulation, feeling out of place
- Antisocial Personality Traits – emotional distance, mistrust, self-protection
- Institutionalization – difficulty adjusting to freedom, choice, or joy
- Substance Use Disorder – numbing guilt, grief, or self-blame
You may recognize survivors’ guilt if you: - Struggle to enjoy good things
- Feel responsible for others’ suffering
- Downplay your pain because others had it worse
- Feel pressure to be perfect or ‘make it count’
- Sabotage stability or numb out
You do not have to prepare or share anything in the group. Listening is participation.
Reflection Questions (Optional): - When have I felt guilty for surviving or being free?
- How does guilt show up in my body or behavior?
- What do I believe I owe others—and where did that belief come from?
Closing Thought:
Being alive is not a debt. Healing is not a betrayal. You are allowed to rebuild.