Is Boredom a Problem?
We do a fun exercise in our Intensive Outpatient Program called “The Wall.” Taken from Pink Floyd’s The Wall, our participants are asked to tell the group what stops them from living a happy and prosperous life. After each participant tells us their problem, we have them bring their chair to the front of the room, and it is stacked onto the others—soon a large wall is formed, thus walling...Learn More
Managing a Crisis
When situations are too much to handle, it is natural to feel overwhelmed, shut down, panic, and regress to a childish state. If you ever have felt like this before you are not alone – one out of five people suffer from conditions that warrant serious treatment, but how many actually get the help they need? I worked at the first Mental Health Urgent Care center in this country, where...Learn More
Out of Control
We have no control over anything. Not our children, the dog, people at work, or the neighbors that are driving you crazy. This is because each person is in control of themselves. We have a very powerful mind and our mind determines our actions “and” nobody has access to another person’s inner workings but themselves. Let’s imagine your best mate does something upsetting. “You are making...Learn More
Why Are We Here?
Our eyes open, there are people peering at us, and all we can do is look back. We are a helpless child trying to make sense of the world upon our birth. Not able to think, all a baby can do is observe, but as we grow, our brain wires, and suddenly we have the ability for complex thinking. Then comes the universal questions: Where did life come from? Why are we here? What happens after we...Learn More
Ending of a Year Beginning of the Next
How was your year? Did you accomplish what you wanted? Another year down and another one is about to start. Such is life. The ultimate question is, what did you learn? Since life is all about trial and error, if we fail to learn from failures, we are destined to repeat them. And, if you fail to try, you will be destined to repeat the same behaviors over and over again. Yes, it can be easy...Learn More
A Heart Felt Thank You
12 years ago I moved up to this area to open up a residential treatment facility unlike any other. No, not another 12-step facility, mine was using clinical psychology with a smattering of spirituality which had incredible success at the first Mental Health Urgent Care Center in the country. The residential facility had a pretty good run for a number of years but seeing the limitations of...Learn More
A Tribute to Peter
Last week my father-in-law passed away. The tricky thing was he lived 30 miles away from the nearest neighbor, just north of Joshua Tree National Forest in California, and all by himself. It was a miracle a delivery person found his body or his dog Max would have been lost too. Peter was a young 82-year-old, who walked 5 miles a day but had a problem with smoking. The desert oasis he lived...Learn More
Special Memory #7
I’m sure you’ve heard the expression: “What’s the worst thing that can happen?” Have you ever considered what is the best thing that can happen? In graduate school, we were shown how to map out everything we wanted to happen through visualization and affirmation. The premise was, that if you can visualize it taking place, you can attract it into your life. For years I created these “Ideal...Learn More
Special Memory #4
When a client talked about it, it didn’t seem like it was a coincidence when people showed up in their life, it got me thinking. As I look back on my life, I have met some extraordinary people who have shaped the path I am currently walking, and was that a coincidence? This article is about one special man that I met on my path that I wish you all had the privilege to meet – Albert...Learn More