Self Care
Most people think of self-care as taking care of our physical body. The focus is mainly on getting enough exercise, eating the perfect diet, and going for a treatment at the spa. Well, yes, this is a portion of self-care but it is not the full picture. To ultimately take care of ourselves we have to consider our whole self. This was news to me when I entered graduate school. I was so focused...Learn More
Can an Addiction be Good?
What is an addiction? An addiction is something that you are compelled to do and find it almost impossible to stop. I know this isn’t the clinical definition, but this explanation is easy to understand in layman’s terms. It might be surprising to read that not all addictions are bad. Addiction to exercise, healthy diet, personal growth work, and helping out humanity definitely help both you...Learn More
The Spirituality of Psychology
I’ve hesitated for years on presenting this topic due to the fact that when I entered this industry my coworkers looked down on my approach. In graduate school, we all spoke the same language and had one thing in common – a belief that there was a higher purpose in life than eating, getting married, and creating a replacement for yourself. To us that seemed so pointless. We were on a search...Learn More
Top Ten Reasons to Not Attend Treatment
I thought I would Dr. Phil in my article today, just to have a little fun, since he is known for his top 10 lists. For years therapy has been frowned upon and many clients who have attended it have been chastised. As of recent, more and more are entering treatment due to the state of affairs in the world, and when somebody new enters my facility, I ask them what has prevented them from...Learn More
Confession – I Am an Addict
I have a confession to make. I am an addict. I guess that’s the best way to describe my binge-watching of the power washing and garden makeover channels on YouTube. I thought it was just a phase, but after 3 months I am still mesmerized by watching people clean up disaster areas and I wonder why. More often than not I am moved to tears. Have I literally gone mad? There is one man (or should...Learn More
Who Are You? – Creating Your Identity
Identity issues are common with people coming in for treatment. For so long they’ve changed themselves in order to survive. If you find yourself always caring for others and making their wishes more important than yours, it is time to take an honest look at this. Genetically speaking, we are all the same. Nobody is above or below another, but why do you belittle yourself and cater to those,...Learn More
Who Am I?
A common theme this week has been people trying to discover their own identity. Who am I? Why am I alive? Is there some special purpose for me? Or, am I destined to struggle day in and day out, simply exist, and then die? What is the point? Is there a reason that we are all alive? Deeper thoughts on this post than most. The big question is – do we even have time to ponder why we are even...Learn More
The Psychology of Music
When I was in graduate school, we were asked to write a Master’s Thesis on any subject we desired and I chose Rock Band. Actually, my paper was written on the psychological aspects of creating and performing in a rock and roll band. To be honest, I had the time of my life! I never knew that school could be so much fun! I was born with the gift of music and love playing the guitar and...Learn More
How to Heal with Spiritual Psychology
With Spiritual Psychology, we see healing as the application of love to hurt. There is an art form to this and it can take on many strategies. Claims of healing have been frowned upon in this industry since many of the top approaches showed improvements in people, but not the true ultimate healing. For example, with Gestalt Therapy, Fritz Perls believed that when people saw many angles of a...Learn More