This Isn't a Life Sentence.
It's a Boot Camp.

By Liz Wooten, LPC

About the Author: Liz Wooten, LPC, is the founder of Enlitens and a rebellious academic dedicated to dismantling the broken mental health system. As an AuDHD therapist with years of front-line crisis experience, she brings a deep, lived understanding to her work. Read Liz’s Full Story Here

Let’s start with our foundational belief: The goal of any real support should be to make itself unnecessary as quickly as possible.

We believe “coping” is a bulls*hit consolation prize. We believe progress should be measured, not just felt. We believe that you don’t need a therapist for the rest of your life. We believe our only ethical objective is to make ourselves obsolete.

The traditional therapy model, for all its good intentions, often creates a system of dependency. It risks putting you in the passenger seat of your own life, endlessly processing the past and teaching you to “manage” what feels like a life sentence. It’s a model that can confuse validation with progress, leaving you feeling understood but still fundamentally stuck. You have been taught to endure the war, not how to win it.

We all know the story of “The Cope.” It’s the person who has been in therapy for years. They are brilliant at deconstructing their trauma. They can tell you exactly why they can’t start a task, connecting it back to a core childhood wound with stunning accuracy. They are the most self-aware person in the room. And yet, their life is still unmanageable. They have perfect insight into their own prison cell, but they’ve never been handed the key to get out.

Our goal is not to help you cope with your struggles forever. It is to make you so damn competent at navigating your own life that you no longer need us.

You have been led to believe that your struggles are a life sentence that must be managed. This is a lie.

This isn’t a life sentence. It’s a boot camp.

The difference is the objective. A prison teaches you to adapt to confinement. A boot camp gives you the skills, strength, and strategy to navigate any terrain on your own—and then sends you on your mission. It is a short-term, intensive, and goal-oriented training program. It has a beginning, a middle, and most importantly, an end.

The Rules of the Enlitens Boot Camp:

We Have a Clear Objective: We don’t just talk. We define a specific, measurable mission for your life.
We Build, We Don’t Just Cope: We are not here to manage your pain. We are here to build the systems that make your life work.
There is a Graduation Date: Our engagements are finite. We train you, we equip you, and we get out of your way.
Our Goal is Your Independence: This entire process is designed to make you the confident, undisputed CEO of your own brain.

You have permission to be done with coping.

You have permission to demand results, not just validation.

You have permission to fire any “helper” who is not actively working to make themselves obsolete.

Stop coping. Start training. If you are done with the passive management of your life and are ready to take active command, the drill instructors are waiting. This is short-term executive function coaching. This is how you get free. Enlist here.

Go Deeper Down the Rabbit Hole

You Understand the "Why." Now the "How."

The next step for therapy veterans. A guide to the difference between processing the past and building the future.

You Don't Need Another Planner.

A manifesto on why neurotypical productivity tools are part of the problem and how to build your own system.

The 15-Minute Vibe Check.

A no-commitment first call for the cynical and therapy-exhausted. See if our boot camp is the right fit.

*The information here is meant to guide and inform, not replace the care of a qualified healthcare professional. If you have questions or concerns about a medical or mental-health condition, please reach out to a trusted provider. The examples shared are based on general personas—no personal health details are used. At Enlitens, your privacy is a top priority, and we fully comply with HIPAA regulations to keep your information safe and confidential.

This is a Conversation,
Not a Debate.

This is not a space for debate or unsolicited advice. It is a space for sharing stories. We read every submission, and we will periodically feature the most resonant and validating stories here with the author’s explicit permission. Submit your’s below!

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Take one second. That’s all I’m asking.

Do not try to “calm down.” Do not try to “fix it.” Do not listen to the voice screaming that you need to do something right now.

Just be here, with me, for one single breath.

My name is Liz. I’ve spent years working overnight in the ER, sitting with people on what was often the worst night of their entire lives. I have sat in the eye of the hurricane, and I can tell you with absolute certainty that the chaos you feel right now is not the truth.

It is a storm in your nervous system. And a storm is just a weather pattern. It is not you. It is not permanent. And you do not have to navigate it alone.

Right now, your brain’s alarm system is screaming. The logical part of your brain has been taken offline. That is a normal, brilliant, biological survival response. But you and I are going to bring it back online, together.

We are going to do one, simple, physical thing. This is not a bulls*hit mindfulness exercise. This is a direct, manual override for your nervous system.

Place your hand on your chest.

Can you feel that? The rise and fall. The rhythm. That is the anchor. That is the proof that you are here, in this moment, and you are alive.

Keep your hand there.

Now, we are going to make one choice. The storm is telling you there are a million overwhelming things you have to do. That is a lie. There are only three choices right now, and you only need to pick one.

If you or someone else is in immediate, physical danger and you need help on site, right now:

This is the button you push when you need the paramedics or the police to show up. This is the “bring the fire truck” button.

If you are having thoughts of suicide and you need to talk or text with a human, right now:

This is the national, 24/7 lifeline. It is free, it is confidential, and it is staffed by trained counselors who are ready to listen without judgment. This is the “I need a lifeline” button.

If you are in St. Louis, you are not in crisis but you are in deep distress and need to talk to someone local:

Behavioral Health Response (BHR) is our community’s lifeline. They provide free, confidential telephone counseling and can connect you with local resources. This is the “I need a local guide” button.

This Isn't a Life Sentence. It's a Boot Camp.