Past troubles lead professor to aid others

Even before his teaching career in stress prevention and management began, Professor Jon Peters knew a thing or two about stress.\nAs the child of parents who belonged to a radical, emotionally and sexually abusive religious group, Peters' life was dramatically affected by their demanding beliefs while growing up. \nAt the age of 12, Peters received devastating news -- he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, a disease affecting his colon. He suffered physical pain until undergoing surgery 20 years later. \nUltimately, Peters' experiences forced him into depression and led him to turn to drugs and alcohol. \n"I knew from an early age that I didn't agree with most of what they believed in and practiced and, I wanted to get away from it," he said. \nPeters has turned his experience into a positive one. Through teaching and private practice, he counsels students and community members with their own stress.\nCurrently a professor and psychotherapist, Peters is also a doctoral student in social work, and his current studies revolve around his past.\nWith the help of his older brother, Peters separated himself from the group. As his anger slowly faded, he questioned why they acted so negatively.\n"I have through the years come to more and more of an intellectual understanding of how all of that happened," he said. "On a personal level, though, I have worked to change my relationship to my own life, meaning to not dwell on negative mental states so that I can handle stress."\nThroughout the years, Peters' situation became more positive and the process of healing was gradual, he said. \n"It didn't happen overnight," Peters said. "Some things we do in life are graceful, but others, we have to muddle through the mud and cope." \nToday he has a supportive family life with his wife and daughter and said his past led him to want to help others. By listening to others' problems, he said, his stress is somewhat alleviated.\n"Going into people's dark side is draining, but by witnessing suffering, you notice that you are not suffering yourself," Peters said.\nAlthough the stress of his past is behind him, Peters said his life still proves to be stressful due to the many responsibilities he takes on. Besides studying for his doctorate, he also coordinates a Buddhist group and manages a Web site.\nReducing stress can have multiple effects on the life of an individual, Peters said.\n"Lowering your stress makes you physically healthier," he said. "Coping well maximizes your quality of life." \nIdeas like these are taught in Peters' class, where he encourages students to think critically, be self-aware and surround themselves with good information.\n"A lot of stress comes from our expectations," he said. "Sometimes you need to take it easy on yourself."\nSenior Emily Wilson took Peters' course last fall but found the ideas to be unhelpful.\n"(The class) was not quite as helpful as I thought it was going to be," she said, "but if I had to resort to something, I would relate back to what I learned."\nSenior Julia Ford took a more positive meaning from the class. She said she continues to use breathing techniques she learned to calm herself with the stress of her work, school and family life.\n"It helped open my eyes to exercises that will help me," Ford said. \nPeters plans to receive his doctorate in the next two years and continue with teaching and psychotherapy.\n"The biggest stress in my life has been coming out of a very complicated and challenging situation," he said, "but since I no longer feel negative, I think that it has positively affected me."\n-- Contact staff writer Danielle Gingerich at dgingeri@indiana.edu