The Science of Woo: Gratitude “Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” Ralph Waldo Emerson It was 1991 and a pleasant enough day. I was not employed, but had been...[ read more ]
The Science of Woo: Forgiveness Today – Easter – is a perfect day to feature Forgiveness in my series on the topic of “The Science of Woo.” There are ideas that transcend one religion and are found in all religions, and the idea of Forgiveness is one of those ideas. I am never surprised when those ideas are found by...[ read more ]
The Science of Woo: How the practices of spiritual disciplines, positive psychology, and other “out there” ideas are backed by science I am introducing my series on “The Science of Woo: How the practices of spiritual disciplines, positive psychology, and other “out there” ideas are backed by science.” One of the struggles I have as a treatment provider to persons...[ read more ]
One Small Happiness: The Power to Change the Things You Can It’s the end of Spring Break. I’ve spent the day refreshing my home. And reflecting – mostly reflecting that my Spring Break wasn’t as productive as I had planned. Many of you reading know that I have a job role as an Administrator/School Counselor at a small private...[ read more ]
What IS Normal Drinking? Holidays Today is a culturally normative day of drinking; long before Day Drinking became codified into our social structure as a meme, it existed as a ritualized event or expectation. The culture of celebration and the (over) consumption of alcohol has a long history in the United States; Super Bowl, New Year’s Eve, Fourth of July,...[ read more ]
I Can’t Have A Problem With Drugs or Alcohol... Even though stereotypes and stigma have been amended significantly, the ideas of who can be a person with a substance use disorder ** still outdated, limited, and provides “cover” to persons who are using defense mechanisms to avoid looking at their relationship with alcohol or drugs. Below are 3 composite vignettes...[ read more ]
“Your resentment trains you to see evidence of your rightness.” Briana and Dr. Peter Borten (The Dragontree) The above quote was part of my meditation material this morning. In 1939, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) identified resentment as a significant issue for persons with a substance use problem, and science has since produced significant research supporting the need for healthy habits...[ read more ]
Triggers: The Science Did you know?: The Recovery Therapist is in long term recovery For me that means that I have been clean and sober for 27 years. (31 as of the re-write) I want to share a scenario from 27 years ago. I had long since left the pattern of drinking in bars. I gave up recreational drugs and...[ read more ]
Motivating Recovery in a High Functioning Person with a Substance Use Disorder As a professional who specializes in treating high functioning persons with a substance use disorder (SUD), I spend a lot of time assessing what motivates people to seek treatment, and what motivates people to stay engaged with habits and activities that support the bio/medical/psych/social/neural changes necessary for contented...[ read more ]
Defense Mechanisms Threatening, Blaming, Shouting, Defiance This is the next in my series on Defense Mechanisms used in addiction: drug, alcoholism, or behavioral (also known as process) addiction. Defense mechanisms are the behaviors that persons with a SUD use to protect their use by keeping those close to them away. These methods can be passive, aggressive, cooperative, or hostile. What...[ read more ]
