Sometimes when we’re in the middle of our struggles with addiction, we don’t realize exactly why we’ve been using our drugs of choice in the first place, what our reasons and motivations for our drug use even are. We might not have realized yet what specific issues are causing our addictions or what the fundamentalRead More
Our experiences with addiction and mental illness often bring with them tumultuous relationships full of toxicity, conflict and turmoil. We have unhealthy and abusive relationships, often with other addicts. The ways in which we’ve been hurt can cause us to totally lose our ability to trust people. We’re wary of confiding in people. We don’tRead More
Our addictions and our relationship fears are often linked and can fuel and exacerbate each other. When we’re in unhealthy relationships and experiencing excessive fear within those relationships, we’re more likely to turn to our addictions for comfort and solace, and we’re more likely to experience spikes in our mental illnesses. Similarly, when our addictionsRead More
Our addictions can manifest from different mental and emotional patterns, many of which we aren’t conscious of, that are operating under the surface of our awareness. These patterns impact us in strong ways and contribute to the development of our very self-destructive addictive cycles. One of our most common patterns is our tendency to suppressRead More
Our struggles with addiction can cause us to feel quite alone, isolated and lonely, and our tendencies to retreat inwards, distance and separate ourselves from people and also isolate ourselves even more only compound the problem. We often don’t feel as though we know where to turn for comfort and solace. We feel lost, sadRead More
When exploring natural alternatives for healing, hypnosis is one of the techniques that is often highly recommended but still somewhat misunderstood. We view hypnosis as a form of mind control, but the truth is we can actually hypnotize ourselves to help ourselves heal. We are essentially hypnotizing ourselves all the time, every single day. EveryRead More
The recovery process can be a difficult one, as we’re trying to take everything we’ve learned and apply it conscientiously to our lives so that we can be happier, healthier, and more fulfilled. This is a daunting process, and it can be intimidating, overwhelming and emotional for us. We’re literally beginning a new chapter inRead More
Trauma can be severe and incapacitating. We can find it painful and its effects debilitating. It can be totally destabilizing, knocking us off our center and causing us to feel disconnected from ourselves. When we feel destabilized, we can feel lost, misguided and utterly alone. We feel like we don’t know where to turn orRead More
Among the common emotional responses we have to our trauma are our feelings of guilt and shame. We feel ashamed of ourselves and guilty about the trauma we’ve experienced. We blame ourselves for the bad things that have happened to us. Why do we feel guilty after we’ve been traumatized? Our post-trauma guilt is oneRead More
The many traumas we experience are as varied and unique as we are and can range along a broad spectrum, including but not limited to abuse, loss, separation, violence and abandonment. How we respond to our trauma can also vary greatly, relative to who we are as individuals and how we relate to our pain.Read More