-
Ignorance is Bliss: September
Today’s news brief: an accolade for our beloved The Intermediate Phase, in part, is a gift left for us in 2015! The healing power of love and respect, we call Affirmation, is also commemorated here today. This is Doc writing you first, for this news brief. It’s super challenging too, as various emotions flutter…
-
Healthy Identity
How do you foster a healthy identity? The teachings of India have answers to this question. Identity and ego roughly translate to the Sanskrit word ahamkara. The ahamkara is understood as a collection of mental habits (or vasanas). Some examples are: An emotionally-charged mental habit is called a samskara. An intensely painful samskara is what…
-
Building Support Networks for Healing
Walk With Me I. The WorkerWalk with me, where the pavement’s cold,Where dreams collapse, and stories unfold.I once stood tall with a job and a plan,The rhythm of life held firm in my hand.But layoffs came, and the money ran dry,Now I sleep beneath an indifferent sky.I don’t belong in this wandering state,Still chasing a…
-
Find peace where you are
The stoics discovered how to be unbothered by the world. Seneca the Younger: We suffer more from the imagination than in reality. The imagination comes up with worst case scenarios. Maybe it’s a dreaded interaction with your boss, or family. But they don’t control your imagination. The human mind controls its own imagination. Marcus Aurelius:…
-
July 2025
July: Appreciate and Celebrate Not sure who was going to start us off this month, here I go though, Doc here, looks like the bird is on the wing. There’s a few of us who contribute to your monthly news briefs and hopefully you’ve been at least breezing through them. They contain a plethora of…
-
Healthy Habits: June
Doc here: this is a very important topic area for achieving any sort of goal, especially extinguishing behaviors associated with an addiction disorder. For me, the disorder’s condition is unavailable for being completely extinguished. Eventually a healthy sustained state of remission is achievable, providing sufficient training is done. How is this possible? Healthy habits that…
-
The Connection Between Mental Health and Addiction
Last year we wrote a discussion piece about Addiction and Mental Illness. (Link to Lasts Years May Topic) Recently, an opinion piece was written in the Lowell Sun entitled “Addressing Lowell’s Homelessness Crisis: The Impact of Addiction.” This article is well worth reading. It brings up several topics on the subject that our society needs…
-
Psychosomatic Illness and the Spiritual Layers
Research on psychosomatic illness—”psycho” meaning mind and “somatic” meaning bodily—started with Freud and other early psychoanalysts. Patients would see a doctor for a variety of physical complaints like stomach pains and headaches, yet doctors couldn’t find any clear medical cause. Freud observed that when such a patient had an emotional breakthrough, the physical symptoms would…
-
Overcoming Obstacles
As David (the Big V) has mentioned many times during group, to overcome challenges or obstacles associated with early addiction remission, one must first, “get comfortable with being uncomfortable.” Great concept: it nourishes resilience too and is a pre-requisite for mastering just about any talent or skill. According to Mr. Keller, author of “Infinite Recovery”…
-
March: In The Moment
Staying present is a cornerstone of recovery from addiction, as it helps individuals focus on the here and now rather than being overwhelmed by regrets of the past or anxieties over the future. Addiction often thrives on escapism, with individuals using substances or behaviors to avoid uncomfortable emotions or situations. By cultivating mindfulness and grounding…
