December 8, 2023
Innovative Therapy Works Like Magic For Mountain Shadows Resident Miguel: Never Judge a (Comic) Book by its Cover
by Sheryl Wilde
Imagine you are browsing in an old-school comic bookstore. As you are thumbing through the books, the titles scream at you, exciting your mind: “Attack of the Man-Bat!” “The Wrath of Jor-El!” “The Sting of the Scorpion!” Images of superheroes – Batman, Superman, Captain America, Ironman – emblazon the covers vowing to save the world from evil.
But then, as you look up to the top shelf, you notice a book that looks a little different. Curious, you climb up on a stepladder to have a closer look. On the book’s cover, you see not a muscle-bound, caped crusader, but a man in a wheelchair. The title: “The Book of Miguel”.
You give another half-glance at the man in the wheelchair, wondering, “Why is this book here?” Then the Man-Bat beckons you once more from the second shelf.
You are about to put “The Book of Miguel” back on the shelf when the old, gray-haired shopkeeper lets out a crackly laugh and shouts, from behind the sales counter, “That’s a book full of special magic right there. You won’t find another like it in here. One-of-a-kind. Might teach you a thing or two.”
Which book will you choose?
Mountain Shadows resident Miguel loves superhero movies and comic books. He also loves listening to music and he really, really LOVES Del Taco churros and chili cheese fries.
In all the ways that matter, Miguel is like most of us. He thinks, he feels, he loves, he dreams.
He also has epilepsy, along with a neurological disorder, and some speech limitations, which sometimes make him difficult to understand. He cannot walk and uses a wheelchair.
Also, like most of us, Miguel sometimes has bad days, gets angry, feels lonely, or sad. For some time now, he’s had issues with controlling his temper. Says his therapist, “Miguel is a great guy! He’s intelligent, very creative and he loves to draw. He also has a very sarcastic sense of humor. When he would get angry, I’d ask him, ‘How are you going to deal with that emotion?’ He would say, ‘I’m just gonna punch someone!’ And he would make a fist. He was joking around, but that was his response.”
Combining Miguel’s love of superheroes, comics and drawing, his therapist decided to try an innovative therapy approach using comic books as a bridge to healing. His assignment was to create a comic book story to help him work through his anger.
Despite what some may call his limitations, in Miguel’s imagination, and in the story he is creating, he is now Erick Nunez, a superhero with Muscle Magic and superhuman strength!
He is protected by an impenetrable layer of bulletproof skin, and he commands a mighty, magic wizard’s staff that magnifies his powers.
A second character in Miguel’s book is Kathy, based upon his therapist, but in his story, Kathy has Mental Magic!
Kathy can read minds and knows everything Eric is going to do.
Miguel has also created a sidekick, named Toby, who has Morphing Magic, and can turn into any animal he wishes.
And, of course, there’s the villain, Morgan, an evil witch who can turn people into ghastly monsters and zombies. She can also make others angry, so they want to fight each other.
While Miguel’s story hasn’t been finished yet – and we’re not going to give away any secrets – the results so far have been encouraging.
“Miguel’s imagination just blows my mind!” says his therapist. “He has used the characters he’s created to help him resolve his problems. Through the creative use of his story, he’s learning to express his emotions more appropriately. Now when he gets angry and I ask him how he’s going to deal with that emotion, he says, ‘Well, I’m going to start drawing.’ He works his emotions out in his story! And the staff members I’ve talked with at Mountain Shadows have said they are no longer seeing any outbursts from Miguel.”
Adds, George Saravia, Mountain Shadows – Riverside, Qualified Intellectual Disability Professional who supports Miguel, “People like Miguel, and other Mountain Shadows residents, get overlooked sometimes. When I talk to Miguel, especially about his story, I realize he’s got something special inside of him. One day, I hope other people will take the time to see it too.”
Perhaps, one day, Miguel will share his comic book with all of us.
In the meantime, at Mountain Shadows, we will choose “The Book of Miguel” and we promise to never judge a (comic) book by its cover – because the stories we discover when we look within are always magic!