She sat in the front row and interrupted me frequently. There was something oddly endearing about her. My initial impression was, “anal-retentive and excessively concerned with getting an A in my class.” The more this semester unfolded, the more I saw her. She’s an eight-year-old girl with abusive parents in the body of a twenty-one-year-old […]
Hypervigilance is a heightened state of awareness in which a person is often flooded by sensory input. It’s a survival skill learned in both war zones and abusive families. Excessively monitoring the physical environment and the people in it is subconsciously driven. It’s meant to detect any threat to self at the earliest possible juncture. […]
Today’s post is a guest blog fro one of the most courageous and badass women I’ve had the honor of knowing. She wishes to remain anonymous but her story is amazing. This year I celebrated two years clean from mood and mind-altering substances with my 12 step fellowship. More accurately I reached two years clean […]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHoTV-gBt18&t=1s “Sometimes things have to fall apart so that they can fall into place.” On my good days, the only reason I make plans is to hear my Higher Power laugh. Given everything our country is experiencing right now and in the midst of overwhelming need for support in mental health and substance use […]
Resentments are what most folks call, “baggage.” I prefer the expression folks in AA use; “Holding on to resentment is like drinking poison and hoping the person you’re mad at dies.” I like it because it emphasizes the toxic nature of what we carry and the harm it does to us. Letting go of resentment […]
The most pervasive and damaging of beliefs, perceptions, and practices are internalized with neither awareness nor consent. Children raised in unhealthy environments learn painful, unspoken lessons that dictate the rules they are to live by and roles they are to play. Growing up in the midst of addiction taught millions of us how to compensate […]
The single greatest piece of advice I have ever been given about playing what most folks would consider high stakes poker is also important guidance for living my best life: Just. Let. It. Go. It’s amazing to me that the hardest things to let go of are exclusively things that I truly don’t want: Pain, […]
I’ve come to understand that control is fear-based and more importantly, largely an illusion. On my good days, the only thing I’m in charge of is myself. On my great days, I’m not in control of me – my Higher Power is. I surrender on a daily basis – asking my Higher Power to work […]
My daily life tends to unfold in one of three ways: Most days it’s busy, fairly smooth doing work I love but doing a little too much. Some days it’s clear that my plans aren’t going to work and I have to be flexible. A very small percentage of days – shit is f@cked and […]
I put the same curse on every survivor and recovering addict/alcoholic I serve: “I hope it gets so good you can’t stand it.” With enough work, support, and sober time, it does. Like most aspects of recovery, getting better is counterintuitive in that it’s generally terrifying. When we’re not sure how to be, we entertain […]
