I’m Jennifer Leigh, PsyD
Benzo Withdrawal Coach & Educator
Helping You Heal & Thrive
Individual Coaching
Book a 15-minute check-in, or a 30-minute or 60-minute session for education/support.
Support Group
Mornings With Jenn is a unique support group based on the four cornerstones of well-being + bonus membership perks.
Tired Of Hearing Only About Symptoms?
Mornings With Jenn Focuses On SOLUTIONS!
So many of my coaching clients tell me they’ve been triggered by support groups because they highlight the fear and negativity of withdrawal. Focusing on benzo symptoms can cause an increase in benzo symptoms. That’s why I created the Mornings With Jenn support group, where the focus is on well-being, and the ways in which we can embrace true healing.
The group is ongoing. You can join and leave at any time.
Focus on the four cornerstones of well-being, eat right. move more, stress less, love well. We discuss the science behind each cornerstone and how to apply them to your daily life.
Full access to the Acceptance and Healing With Love workshops & Facebook groups. Learn at your own pace.
Wednesdays and Fridays, 45-minute live video chats 9am Pacific at the private Facebook group page. (That's about 6 hours of live connection a month.) Can't make the live session? Replay it at your convenience.
Members-only written content is on the website.
Join any time during the month. Cancel at any time.
$59 a month
Where Are You In Your Benzo Journey?
Considering Getting Off A Benzo?
Please know that not everyone has a hard time getting benzo free. You may not have a challenging tapering experience. The Ashton Manual is a good guide for how much to taper. There are a few methods to tapering; each one having its own pros and cons. Please learn about them before you begin. Most doctors are not educated about benzos so please be careful and do your own research. There is a large body of evidence-based knowledge about getting benzo free. Learn from those who have gone through it.
Are You Tapering?
Are You Benzo Free?
Helpful Resources
The Ashton Manual
Dr. Ashton’s manual is the guidepost most people use for tapering and education.
Benzo Withdrawal Tapering Journal
A tapering journal for keeping track of your daily doses, symptoms, and more.
Benzo Withdrawal Journal
Already benzo free? This journal is for you to take notes of your recovery.
Soul Reminders
Little Chats With God, a book of tender stories to sooth a weary soul.
New Business Rates, Hours, and Services
February 1, 2020
Beginning February 1, 2020, my coaching fees will increase by a few dollars due to the increasing costs of doing business. My normal coaching days and times are Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, 10am to12pm and 1:30pm to 5pm Pacific.
I now offer coaching after hours on Saturdays, Mondays and Tuesdays, 10am to 12am and 1:30pm to 5pm Pacific. And on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays 5pm to 7 pm. (Please email or text me before you book an after hours session to ensure I am available.) After hour sessions are more expensive and are used for urgent communication.
I also offer a retainer relationship for one month’s daily coaching and texting support. If you feel you need daily connection please email me to discuss.
New online courses are being developed for a springtime launch.
About Me
Like you, I took a benzodiazepine as prescribed. I hit tolerance (when the drug damages the brain and more is needed) sometime in the mid 1990’s and didn’t know what was wrong with me. I visited doctors—cardiologists, neurologists, internists, audiologists, therapists, etc.—none of them told me that the cause of my ill health was the benzo.
I stayed on the drug for many years, growing more and more sick and disabled.
October 2010, I began to taper off the drug and became bedridden. Many doctors who claimed to know about benzos tried to help me but they all harmed me.
Eventually, I was cold-turkeyed off the drug by a specialist who told me I would be fine. He was dead wrong. (Do not stop your medication abruptly as it can be life-threatening to do so.)
I have blogged honestly and openly about my recovery. It’s all here, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the wonderful richness and beauty of life after benzo withdrawal.
As my brain and nervous system returned to normal, I focused on achieving true well-being— a vibrant life without any mood altering substances. I found the way to go from barely surviving to thriving! I’d like to share with you what I have learned.
Disclaimer: I am not an M.D. or a psychologist (I have a doctorate in psychology but I am not licensed to practice). This website, my coaching, workshops, or support group are not intended to diagnose or to treat any type of illness.
Testimonials
“I joined Mornings With Jenn when she first offered it. I didn’t feel so crazy when I had the support I needed. It helped.”
“Jenn saved my life. I wanted to give up, but she helped me hold on during the dark days. A session with her feels like a warm hug.”
“Thank you Jenn for your website. I’ve never spoken with you, but I read every word you write for us in benzo withdrawal.”
The Blog
Comments are moderated. Please think before you post, as your words will be public and I will not be able to remove them at a later date.
Coping With Cold-Turkey Symptoms. 20 Suggestions.
It is not advised to abruptly stop your benzo. Doing so can result in life-threatening symptoms such as seizures. It can also result in some of the more cruel benzo withdrawal symptoms such as auditory, olfactory, and visual hallucinations, extreme terror, paranoia,...
Stepping Off Your Benzo? Here’s 12 Thoughts To Help.
People who are still tapering often ask me what they can expect once they step off their benzo. They ask me what my experience was like. Mine wasn't typical because I jumped from .625 mgs of Clonazepam. Don't cold turkey! Unless there is an urgent medical necessity...
We Are Either For Ourselves, Or Against Ourselves.
There have been a few life-changing realizations in my life. One of them—perhaps the most life-changing—was the realization that I was either for myself of against myself. I had the choice to decide how I wanted to respond to my thoughts and feelings. I couldn't...
How To Stop Fearing The Future
Fear is a common benzo withdrawal emotion. It can come out of the blue, settling over us like a heavy wet blanket. Sometimes we don't have any idea why we are fearful or what we are fearful about; we only know that we are very much afraid. And, that the fear is...
Create Your Program Then Work It!
When the wheels of my wagon began to spin crazily in benzo withdrawal, threatening to come off at any moment, my best friend reminded me to "work my program." No stranger to suffering herself, she had firsthand knowledge of what it took to weather the storms of a...
What Is True Healing In 2020?
When the wheels of the wagon started coming off, so to speak, when I was tapering, all I wanted was for the withdrawal symptoms to go away. I'd have made a deal with the devil, if I could have, to be free from the suffering of benzo withdrawal. Thankfully, deals with...
Avoid Binaural Beats and Other “Healing” Tones
We may be tempted to listen to binaural beats or other sound or tone therapies. They seem innocuous enough, so why not give them a try? They might reduce some of our benzo withdrawal symptoms, right? Wrong, unfortunately. A few of our benzo buddies have tried them...
Don’t Say This To Someone In Benzo Withdrawal. Say This, Instead.
If social media has shown us anything, it has shown us that everyone has an opinion, even if that opinion isn't based on truth, on facts. Post about your experience of benzo withdrawal (or tell someone about it) and you'll probably trigger a landslide of unasked for...
Nine Words To Say To Yourself In Benzo Withdrawal
No one prepared me for the hell that engulfed my life once I started tapering off the benzo I'd taken (for wayyyyyy too many years) as prescribed. My doctor told me I could cut out a quarter of the dose every week and be done with it. What did he know? Not much. Like...
Misunderstood? Here’s Ten Tips To Cope.
It Sucks. There is no polite way to describe the feeling of being misunderstood. It sucks. It's uncomfortable. It's demoralizing. It triggers our nervous system into a fight, flight, or freeze response even though there is no physical danger. Any type of judgment or...
New! New! New!
NEW! Yesterday I downloaded a membership plug-in so that I could begin creating the members-only blog content for my support group, Mornings With Jenn. Unfortunately, the plug-in wasn't what I needed so I deleted it. When it left for parts unknown into the ethernet,...
Lisa Ling and Dr. Heather Ashton
As you probably know by now, Lisa Ling's expose on the dangers of benzodiazepines airs October 6th on CNN. The producer of Lisa's show contacted me ages ago when the segment was being considered. I told him, please, above all else, believe the people you interview,...
Most Popular Blogs Posts
What We Wish Family And Friends Knew About Benzo Withdrawal
If we had been diagnosed with cancer, our family and friends would know that we are sick.They'd make us casseroles, take us to our chemo appointments, and call us to see how we are doing. After all, cancer is a serious matter, They would be concerned. But family and...
Can We Stop Fearing Fear?
First, it's important to understand that we feel fear in benzo withdrawal because the medication we took downregulated our GABA receptors. We don't have the necessary "equipment" to produce calm in our bodies or our minds. We aren't fearful because we lack backbone or...
Seven Suggestions For Practicing Acceptance
At 36 months out, I got slammed with the mother of all waves. It hit after I had been making measurable strides back to health and wholeness. I was out in the world more. I was writing again. Laughing. Going out on a few dates. I even created the curriculum for a...
A Letter To Our Doctors
Dear Dr. It is understood that many doctors are not properly educated about Benzodiazepines. Please allow me to arm you with some basic facts to better work with your patients. First, please allow me to introduce myself. I am Dr. Jennifer Leigh. I have a...
Questions? Get in touch…
This website is not intended to be medical advice. It neither diagnoses or treats any illness. It is for education only. Please consult a trained medical professional if you have any concerns about your health or well-being. Readers of this website take full responsibility for their decisions and actions and hold Jennifer Leigh,
