RecoveryCoachNewYorkCity.com

Category: Positive Thinking

  • Lions, Tigers, Bears and the Yellow Brick Road to Recovery

    This is a guest post by Steve Devlin, a recovery coach from Philadelphia PA, and a long time friend. I chose to post this over the Holiday weekend, because it brings me such joy, and brings back wonderful memories of watching the Wizard of Oz on TV during the 60’s. Thank-you Steve, and Happy Holidays to all of my readers.

    Over the past week, I have been thinking about the Serenity Prayer and its connection to the Wizard of Oz.  Some of you might be looking at your computer and wonder if I have lost my mind.  I beg for your patience and to hear me out.  First a caveat or two.  I represent only myself in this message.  The second caveat is this message was inspired by a share I heard at a 12-step meeting.  The person who said it gave me permission to use it.  So here we go!

    We all know the Serenity Prayer.  “May God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things that I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”  And almost everyone knows the story of the Wizard of Oz or at least the movie version of the story. Dorothy is not happy with life on the farm, runs away, is swept up in a tornado, lands in a strange place, and gathers three companions on her journey to the Emerald City to meet the Wizard.  On the way, she must deal with witches – good and bad – flying monkeys, and castle guards before she finds she always had the power to grant her wish of returning home.

    So what does this story have to do with the Serenity Prayer, let alone recovery?  We cannot find fulfillment, happiness, or peace in our lives. We run away and just when we realize that we have run too far, we are swept up in the tornado (or drug of our choice).  Its path of destruction destroys the landscape of our lives and carries us far away. Thankfully, when the storm passes we land in a new brightly-colored world filled with sober people singing about the blessings of recovery.  Yet our own work is just beginning.  There is a road we must follow with steps leading to the Emerald City of sobriety.  We also learn that we cannot walk the path alone.  There are still temptations, flying monkeys, people, places, and things calling us back to the darkness.  However, as we follow the path we first find the companion of serenity – the heart to love ourselves and others.  A new heart also gives us the gift of forgiveness and acceptance.

    The second companion is the courage to move forwards even when encountering lions, tigers, and bears.  It is courage which lets us turn over our lives, let go of character defects, and make amends.  It is also courage that lets us pick up the phone or go to a meeting.

    Finally, there is wisdom, which gives us the ability to see choices in our lives and to know what we can and cannot change.  After long periods of feeling tied up like a scarecrow on a post, we are set free to walk a brick road of new life.  Of course, finding these three companions to fight back addiction is only part of the story and the Emerald City is not the ultimate destination.  Our companions bring us to the shining light of recovery, but we must take the gifts back home and use them in our daily lives outside of the rooms.

    I wish recovery was as easy as clicking our heals together.  Finding our way home takes work but with heart, courage, and wisdom we can overcome all the flying monkeys and stay out of the way of tornadoes.  We also learn that the greatest companion of recovery is gratitude which was always just in our own backyard.

    Question: Who are your companions on the brick road?

  • Getting through the tough times

    As a recovery coach, I often see my clients need help getting through the tough times, without using, picking up or acting out. Recently, I personally encountered some rough patches in my life, so, I went to my library of recovery books. Several years ago, when I was experiencing trouble living life on life’s terms, I became an avid reader of Pema Chodron.

    Pema Chodron Celebrates her 80th Year

    Pema Chodron, is a Buddhist nun, she was born in 1936, in New York City, and is celebrating her 80th year. After a divorce, in her mid-thirties, Pema traveled to the French Alps and encountered Buddhist teacher Lama Chime Rinpoche, and she studied with him for several years. She became a novice Buddhist nun in 1974. Pema moved to rural Cape Breton, Nova Scotia in 1984, ­­­to be the director of Gampo Abbey and worked to establish a place to teach the Buddhist monastic traditions (waking before sunrise, chanting scriptures, daily chores, communal meals and providing blessings for the laity). In Nova Scotia and through the Chodron Foundation, she works with others, sharing her ideas and teachings. She has written several books, and in my time of deep spiritual need, I went to her book “When Things Fall Apart”.

    A Compassionate Tool

    Drawn from traditional Buddhist wisdom, Pema’s radical and compassionate advice for what to do when things fall apart in our lives helped me. There is not only one approach to suffering that is of lasting benefit, Pema teaches several approaches that involve moving toward the painful situation and relaxing us to realize the essential groundlessness of our situation. It is in this book, I discovered a simple breathing exercise, I can use during these chaotic times so I can move into a better space. Pema advocates this tool as a breathing exercise, although this exercise could also be considered a mindful meditation.

    I use Chodron’s tool whenever and wherever life hits me below the belt. I share this tool with my clients. It is all about breathing and consciously repeating words to yourself to accompany the breathing. Since we breathe every day, it is indiscernible whether you are using this tool as you travel on the bus commuting home from work, in a conference room with your boss, or when you are feeling low and want to curl up in a ball and die.

    Breathe

    Breathe. Pema explains in her book, when things get way too complicated; step back and breathe. When the force of the world, the politics of the U.S., Great Britain or Italy start weighing heavily on your mind, breathe. When you look at all the pain around you and feel powerless to do anything, breathe.

    Pema explains, inhale and say silently to yourself breathe in the pain, then exhale and say breathe out relief. Then, inhale, and say silently to yourself breathe in the relief, and exhale and say breathe out the pain. I find I need about 15 minutes of conscious breathing, breathing in the pain and breathing out relief, works for me. After doing this, I find I have new energy or something else crosses my path to move me into a more uplifting space.

    Chodron’s exercise places me in a space I need to be. If I continue to be in that “negative space” of worry or feeling powerless, then absolutely nothing will be accomplished that day. I know we all have something to accomplish every day, whether it is just getting out of bed, taking a shower and brushing our teeth or running a Fortune 500 company, this exercise gets us from zero to ten in fifteen minutes. It is the boost we need.

     So, I invite you to try this simple exercise…and remember…keep breathing

     

  • Why Can’t You Do the Dishes? Part 2

    This week’s guest blogger, Jeff Garson from Radical Decency Group, shares with us a very common example of a partner/spouse/husband/wife interaction. A husband and wife are about to leave for work and his wife, looking at a sink filled with breakfast dishes, says, “Why can’t you do the dishes?” A fight ensues.

    What could have happened is an honest, problem solving discussion; that is, mutual and authentic exchange. Instead, the typical outcome is a cycle of escalating attacks and counter-attacks.

    As a child of our fight or flight culture, the wife, ever vigilant to the possibility of attack, sees the dirty dishes as evidence of danger: That her needs are being ignored; that love is being withdrawn. With her fight or flight physiology activated, her words seek to deal with the perceived source of the attack: Her husband, evidenced by his past behaviors including, very particularly, the choices he’s made in the run-up to this current interaction.

    The husband is equally focused on the immediate past; moving into defense mode; judging and criticizing the words that just came out of her mouth. Why? Because in his culturally reinforced, overly vigilant state, he also feels under attack: Unappreciated, devalued, unloved.

    What is so sad in all of this is that there is nothing to defend – on either side. As a functioning couple, they have each put enormous amounts of time and energy into the relationship and are vitally invested in seeing it continue. Beneath the bickering is a vast reservoir of trust and love. So, the perceived attacker isn’t a source of danger at all. He/she is, instead, the other partner’s staunchest ally in life.

    Given this reality, the couple would be better served by focusing, not on illusory dangers from the recent past, but instead on the near future. Why? Because they each want to increase the love flowing back and forth between them, and the best way to do that is to focus on what they do next, rather than picking apart choices already made.

    Here’s how it would work.

    The wife wants to be loved in a specific way – by coming home to a clean kitchen. So she would ask for what she longs for: “Honey, it makes me feel great when you do the dishes before you leave in the morning.”

    Now, he is set up for a positive, loving response (“sure, I’ll do my best to do it”) rather than a defensive counter-attack (“I am not a bad person for forgetting to do the dishes this morning”). Alternatively, he might acknowledge her desire but say, “My mornings are really tight. Taking time to do the dishes is tough.”

    Importantly note this; that if this second alternative is his authentic response, the couple is still set up for a positive outcome. With defensiveness eliminated and the needs of both partners on the table – hers, for a completed chore (and a concrete expression of love); his, for a routine that accounts for the pressures he feels – creative problem solving can flow from the common goal, shared by both partners: How can I best meet my needs AND the needs of this partner I dearly love?

    A similar transaction can also be initiated from the husband’s end of the conversation. Instead of rising to the bait of her nascent reactivity ( “why can’t you do the dishes”) with a counter-attack, he can thank (yes, thank!) his wife for raising the issue. Why? Because he now has a more vivid roadmap for loving her. And in this frame of mind, he will be able, once again, to move toward a forward-looking outcome that attends, with equal attentiveness, to his needs and hers.

    While this different way of treating our intimate partner may seem a little unusual and strange, it is only because we are so relentlessly pushed toward very different ways of thinking, feeling and acting. The sad reality is that these more loving techniques are seldom taught and find precious little reinforcement in our culture.

    Hopefully, this post has introduced some healing correctives in your intimate relationships – and in all other areas of living as well.

    Jeff Garson, a Philadelphia based psycho -therapist and attorney, is the originator of Radical Decency and his weekly blog called Reflections.   If you want to contact Jeff or the Decency Group, or if you want to be added to the Reflections e-mailing list, contact Jeff at info@thedecencygroup.com.

    The Reflections, published weekly by The Decency Group, explore the philosophy’s application in all areas of living — from the most private and personal to the most public and political. Earlier Reflections are available at www.radcialdecency.com.

  • The Top Ten Warning Signs You Are Talking to an Online Catfisher-Part 2

    manhattan_bridge_post_versionAre you talking to someone online? Do you trust them? Could they be a catfisher, a scammer, a scallawag or a con?

    I recently returned to online dating after ending a long-term relationship. With a profile depicting a self-supporting, intelligent woman, I was contacted by ten men, and nine of those contacts were scammers or catfishers. Nine out of ten! That is why I am writing this blog post, to make people aware of the dangers of online catfishers or scammers.

    I will outline some typical characteristics and warning signs of an online scammer and offer suggestions on how to protect yourself from catfishers. The good news is that you can protect yourself by learning how to spot a phony while dating online. Tyler Cohen Wood is an expert in social media and cyber issues. She is a Cyber Branch Chief for an Intelligence Agency within the Department of Defense (DoD). She is the author of the book — Catching the Catfishers: Disarm the Online Pretenders, Predators and Perpetrators Who Are Out to Ruin Your Life, and has outlined these indicators that the person you are speaking to online, may be a catfisher.

    1.What if this person won’t video chat?

    Using SKYPE, FaceTime, Google Hangouts or even SnapChat with a person whom you meet online is normal practice in online dating. If a person makes excuses every time you want to SKYPE, consider it a red flag. Be concerned if the area code of their cell number is a not listed in the domestic list of area codes or they cannot come up with a good reason they have such a number. Areas codes that start with 473, 809, 284, 649, 654 and 876 are international, and are known to have been used for scams. Also be aware if there is a very bad connection every time you speak to them (such as a poor international connection) or no voicemail is attached to the number. This person is hiding something that they don’t want you to know.

    2. What happens when you Google them?

    Almost everyone in the United States has some sort of Internet presence. It is very rare that someone would have none at all. If you do basic research, such as conducting a search using a portal like www.WhitePages.com, www.Spokeo.com, or by looking through social media sites, and can’t find anything about this person, that is also a red flag. Most professionals will at least have a LinkedIn page. If you cannot find anything on the Internet about a person, they might not be telling you their real name, which again, is a red flag. However, anyone can very easily create a fake LinkedIn or Facebook page, so be cautious.

    3.Check public records.

    Do some reconnaissance by using search engines to find public records- www.intelius.com, or www.publicrecords.searchsystems.net. If a person says they own a house, you will be able to easily see where it is and how long they have lived there. You can also find legal documents like bankruptcy filings, divorce records and death records.

    4.Do they send real time photos of themselves?

    When people are communicating online, they will frequently send each other selfies, in real time. During a conversation, ask to see a photo of the person right then. If they refuse, or make some excuse, again, another red flag. If they have only sent you one or two photos, it is likely that they took those photos from someone else’s Facebook page or from somewhere else on the Internet. Don’t be fooled by photos of kids, or the snap of a potential romantic interest with his elderly Mom. We all post photos of our family members on our Facebook page! Do a reverse image Google search — right-click on their photos, copy the URL, and paste in the box at images.google.com. Google will then search for other sources of that image online.

    5.How many “real” friends and work colleagues are on this person’s social media sites? How many people communicate with this catfisher?

    You can get to know a lot about a person’s friends and family based on the banter they engage in on social media. How many posts are started by the potential catfisher? How many responses? Does the person seem to have real friends who carry on real conversations? Do they tag their photographs? On LinkedIn, do they have colleagues who have endorsed them? Contact a few friends for a reference check.

    6. Do they deflect or never answer your questions when you ask detailed, specific questions?

    Do they avoid answering your probing questions? Do you find that they deflect from your original question and the subject changes? Do you stop probing as a result? These too are warning signs. If you feel as if you are the only one sharing information and they are not giving away any details, consider this, yep, a red flag.

     

    Next week I will continue with Tyler Cohen Wood’s indicators that you are talking to a predator online and offer suggestions on how to protect yourself.

  • 20 Question Assessment – Is this a healthy relationship?

    two people on a beachAs a recovery coach I guide a lot of people in the “realm” of healthy relationships. Many ask — is this a healthy relationship? Some clients have not been in a relationship for several years, and are attempting to dip their toes into dating. Others might have just left a relationship, and are trying to figure out whether to stay away from a former lover. Even more of my clients who are in relationships can’t figure out if the relationship is healthy or not.

    Healthy vs. Unhealthy Relationships

    My coaching clients know the “type” of person they want, but realize they keep picking the same unhealthy man or woman, just in a different body. They return time and time again to these relationships because they seem comfortable, reminding them of their family, or first marriage etc. When this happens I urge my clients to actively try to change the relationship selections they make. It is often very difficult for someone to see if the relationship they are in is healthy or unhealthy. I often review the qualities of a healthy and an unhealthy relationship with them. Do these attributes describe your relationship?

    • Healthy-Equality — Partners share decisions and responsibilities. They discuss roles to make sure they are fair and equal.
    • Unhealthy-Control — One partner makes all the decisions and tells the other what to do, or tells the other person what to wear or who to spend time with.
    • Healthy-Honesty — Partners share their dreams, fears, concerns with each other. They tell each other how they feel and share important information.
    • Unhealthy-Dishonesty — One partner lies to or keeps information from the other. One partner keeps secrets or withholds information from the other.
    • Healthy-Physical Safety — Partners feel physically safe in the relationship and respect each other’s physical space.
    • Unhealthy-Physical Abuse — One partner uses force to get his/her way (grabbing, hitting, slapping, shoving).
    • Healthy-Respect — Partners treat each other like they want to be treated and accept each other’s opinions, friends, and interests. Partners in a healthy relationship stop what they are doing, look their partner in the eye and listen to each other.
    • Unhealthy-Disrespect — One partner makes fun of the opinions and interests of the other partner. He or she may not show any care for your property or throw out your personal possessions.

    Is This a Healthy Relationship? — 20 Question Assessment

    I suggest answering these questions to figure out if you are in a healthy relationship?

    1. Has your partner shared their hopes and dreams for the future, such as where s/he wants to live 5 years from now?  Yes [   ]   No [   ]
    2. Do you and your partner discuss what to do regarding a holiday weekend’s activities? Yes [   ] No [  ]
    3. Do you flinch when your partner makes a sudden action with his/her arms?
      Yes [   ]   No [   ]
    4. Do you go to your bedroom in order to avoid interaction with your partner?
      Yes [   ]   No [   ]
    5. Do your feelings matter to your partner?  Yes [   ]   No [   ]
    6. Would you call your partner’s humor cynical, cutting or belittling?  Yes [   ]   No [   ]
    7. When you suggest something to be completed in the manner you would like, are your suggestions ignored?  Yes [   ]   No [   ]
    8. Do you feel like you have to hide things (gifts, clothes, make-up) from your partner? Yes [   ]   No [   ]
    9. Does your partner compliment you in front of others?  Yes [   ]   No [   ]
    10. Can you mention something you like or admire about your partner?  Yes [   ]   No [   ]
    11. Is your partner glad you have other friends and activities?  Yes [   ]   No [   ]
    12. Is your partner happy about your accomplishments and ambitions?  Yes [   ]   No [   ]
    13. Does s/he talk about her/his feelings?  Yes [   ]   No [   ]
    14. Does s/he really listen to you?  Yes [   ]   No [   ]
    15. Does your partner have a good relationship with his/her family?  Yes [   ]   No [   ]
    16. Does your partner have good friends?  Yes [   ]   No [   ]
    17. Do you and your partner spend time with these friends?  Yes [   ]   No [   ]
    18. Does s/he have interests besides you?  Yes [   ]   No [   ]
    19. Does s/he take responsibility for her/his actions and not blame others for his/her failures?  Yes [   ]   No [    ]
    20. Does your partner respect your right to make decision that affects your own life?
      Yes [   ]   No [   ]

    If you have answered “NO” to more than 12 of these questions, I suggest you look into how to cultivate a healthier relationship, perhaps by seeking the advice of a counselor or therapist.

  • Changing a Habit

    Changing a Habit

    manhattan_bridge

    Quitting drinking or drugging is the same as developing an exercise program or winning a football game. Simply by changing a habit, you can succeed in staying sober.

    Charles Duhigg investigates this theory in his 2012 book, The Power of Habit. Duhigg uses the classic example of how Bill W., founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, stopped drinking. He expands on this tale, by adding current research verifying the power of believing that the 12-step concept gives an individual the strength to quit a habit.

    In his book, Duhigg outlines the addictive process for the reader and asks them to answer these questions:

    Identify the Craving

    Identify the Cue or Trigger

    What Routine does that kick in?

    What Reward do you receive from completing that routine?

    Yes, many recovering alcoholics will say the answer to #1 is “I am craving alcohol,” but that isn’t necessarily the correct answer. Perhaps the alcoholic is lonely and craves camaraderie, old friends, or being social. Perhaps the alcoholic doesn’t want to spend the evening in his apartment all alone, eating another microwave dinner. So for this recovering alcoholic, his answers to Duhigg’s questions may look like this:

    1. Identify the craving — Not being alone.
    2. Identify the Cue or Trigger — On my way home from work, I drive by my favorite bar, thinking about stopping in to see some friends.
    3. What routine does that kick in? — Stop into the bar, see my friends, and order dinner and a beer.
    4.  What reward do you receive from completing that routine? — Happy spending time with old friends, and having a better meal than a microwave dinner.

    So, we all know how that evening ends.

    Duhigg’s suggestions on changing a habit is as simple as substituting a new routine. Yes, the cravings and cues remain the same, and the reward remains the same, as well. The reward, for our alcoholic friend, is spending time with friends. Here is a suggestion for our friend:

    1. Identify the craving — Not being alone.
    2. Identify the Cue or Trigger — Thinking about seeing some friends.
    3. What routine does that kick in? — Go to an AA meeting which is on my way home, that starts at 6:00pm, and see some friends.
    4. What reward do you receive from completing that routine? — Happy spending time with friends.

    Let’s try this concept on another addiction, such as smoking. I personally have struggled to stop smoking since 2014. I found that I didn’t really crave the act of smoking, I hate the smell and the taste it leaves in my mouth. My craving was to be social. So this is my outline using Duhigg’s Theory of Habit Change.

    It is 3:00pm, and I am sitting at my desk. I would like to take a break, and see what my smoking buddy Chiquita is doing. Here is the scenario:

    1. Identify the craving — Time for a break from work to socialize.
    2. Identify the Cue or Trigger — Its 3:00pm, usually I have a smoke with Chiquita.
    3. What routine does that kick in? — Go to Chiquita’s office to ask her to come out to the smoking area, for a smoke.
    4. What reward do you receive from completing that routine? — Happy spending time socializing.

    What do I do to turn around that routine in order not to smoke?

    1. Identify the craving — Time for a break from work to socialize.
    2. Identify the Cue or Trigger — Its 3pm, usually I have a smoke with Chiquita.
    3. What routine does that kick in? — Option #1 Go to the cafeteria and get a cup of tea, or bottle of water and socialize with the people there. Option #2 — Pop a mint into my mouth, and go down the hall to say hello to a friend that I also have to ask a work question.
    4. What reward do you receive from completing that routine? — Happy spending time socializing.

    In all of these scenarios, the craving, cue and reward remain the same. The only thing that changes is the routine. As a recovery coach, this is one of the first lessons we teach our clients. Change your routine.

    Don’t drive by the bar

    Don’t dial the old girlfriend.

    Don’t hang out with a drugging buddy

    Don’t visit your smoking friend’s desk.

    Change your routine.

    I know, you are thinking about how difficult changing a routine is. Well, Duhigg knows a few more “tips” to ensure this routine sticks. I will be discussing these tips in my next post.

  • On the Nature of Addiction and the Loss of Hope

    On the Nature of Addiction and the Loss of Hope

    Guest post by David Chapman

    The normal state of a productive and happy human existence includes a sense of hope. Dave Chapman block golf shirtThe  nature of addiction exhausts all sense of hope.

    The sense of hope is based on the understanding that the process of productive effort usually results in some observable, measurable improvement in the quality of one’s life and the lives of those important to the individual. The nature of having an addiction means the loss of this hope.

    “I will restore my own sense of hope. I know if I exert control over my environment and my actions I will regain control of my life and I will have reason to be hopeful once more.”

    If I chop some large amount of dry wood and keep it dry, my family and I will be warmed throughout the winter, our ability to survive the winter and the possibility of our thriving in the spring will be augmented. The hope of minimizing suffering, increasing comfort and sustaining enhancements in the quality of our lives is significantly based on the belief that the productive effort is worthwhile and that similar efforts in the future will also be worthwhile.

     

    The act of putting rational expectation – hope – into productive effort is based initially on trial and error. As demonstrated by observation and experience, it is then continued in the manner found to be most efficient.

    I contend that addiction is more than chemical dependence. It is significantly, I believe, fueled by a sense of hopelessness resulting from the brutalization of our rational, reasonable expectations.

    Children who are raised in emotionally irrational or physically violent households have their natural sense of hope altered and sometimes, sadly, destroyed altogether. Hope is similarly damaged in an adult body politic where effort goes unrewarded beyond a level of primitive sustenance and/or when participation in the political process is deemed to be futile and ineffective.

    When we attempt to adjust our behavior to what we think are the demands or desires of those exerting control of our physical and intellectual environment, but those irrational behaviors continue, the ensuing sense of hopelessness – hopelessness based on rational observation – will continue and can threaten to become permanent.

    The addicted personality may be able to overcome a physical addiction. However, until a sense of rational hopefulness is restored and we can believe that our thoughts and actions will have a beneficial impact on our lives, the spiritual addiction will probably not be overcome.

     

    Dave Chapman is our guest blogger this week. Dave was born in Newark, New Jersey and grew up in the suburban town of Glen Ridge, New Jersey. He has been a shoe shine boy, a moving man, a golf caddy, a limousine driver, a truck driver, worked retail at The Home Depot, a life insurance agent, a stock broker and financial advisor. He studied the humanities and comparative literature at Ohio Wesleyan University. In addition to his motivational speaking and John Maxwell coaching affiliation, Dave is a freelance writer and teaches several classes in the Humanities as an Adjunct Professor at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Rutgers University. He can be contacted by email at: davechapman@wellsaiddave.com

     

  • How can you heal the trauma within?

    manhattan_bridgeTrauma changes you. You might not necessarily like that change. How can you heal the trauma within? You have the ability to transform yourself into a healthier person. You have enormous healing potential; the goal is learning to access it—and then to use that potential to heal the trauma, release the addiction(s), and obtain a glorious new life.

    Without your consent, trauma can change you, often into a person you’d rather not be.                                                -Michele Rosenthal

    Working through trauma can be scary, painful, and sometimes retraumatizing. Because of the risk of retraumatization, this healing work is best done with the help of an experienced trauma specialist. The clinical term for a therapist that has experience in treating trauma  is a trauma informed therapist. The therapist will be able to answer questions as to his/her experience in trauma informed care over the phone. You want to ask if they are experienced in EMDR, Light Entrainment or Somatic Experiencing.

    Treatment for Trauma

    When you are triggered by a trauma memory, your nervous system gets stuck in overdrive. Successful trauma treatment revisits these traumatic memories, and allows you observe the trauma and your “fight-flight-freeze” response. The therapist will establish a sense of safety and help you resolve the past traumas. The following therapies are commonly used in the treatment of PTSD, emotional and psychological trauma:

      • Somatic Experiencing:  Somatic processing of trauma takes advantage of the body’s unique ability to heal itself. The focus of therapy is on bodily sensations or movements (like excessive leg movement, wringing of your hands or profuse perspiration) rather than thoughts and memories about the traumatic event. By concentrating on what’s happening in your body, you gradually get in touch with trauma-related energy and tension. The therapist will encourage you to safely release this pent-up energy through shaking, crying, and other forms of physical release.
      • EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing): This practice incorporates two paddles that when held in your hands vibrate, and a headset that sends a low tone alternating from one ear and then to the other ear. The tones and the vibration of the paddles distract the conscience mind, allowing for the unconscious or sub-conscience memories to arise. The therapist and you explore these memories and discuss them to attempt to resolve the feelings around the trauma.
      • CLEAR Therapy (Colored Light Entrainment and Re-patterning) Clear Therapy is a method of releasing unresolved core emotional issues using colored light. When a flashing light is emitted into the eyes, the brain adopts the rhythm of the strobe. In the initial intake session, you will look at 11 different colors of flashing light and the therapist is able to pinpoint issues based on what you see in each color. In the following sessions, the feedback from your perception of the colors enables the therapist to uncover core beliefs that drive your thinking, feelings or behavior. CLEAR is coordinated with eye movement (see EMDR), breath work and meridian-based therapies (see EFT) to facilitate rapid resolution of the problem.
      • LST (Light Stimulation Therapy) LST enhances learning abilities and performance by stimulating the eye and brain with light. A LST session has you sitting comfortably in a darkened room, looking at a waveband of colored light which is focused directly on your eyes. It is advised to have 3 to 5 sessions per week until a total of 20 sessions is completed. At the end of the 20-sessions, there is a reevaluation to determine the necessity of further treatment.
      • The Brain and Brainwave Entrainment-The DAVID Device: The senses of sight and hearing, by their very nature, provide a favorable environment for affecting brainwaves. By presenting pulsed audio and visual stimulation to the brain, the brain begins to vibrate at the same frequency as the pulsed audio from the DAVID Device. The device sends flashes of lights into a pair of glasses, and pulsed tones through a pair of headphones to gently guide the brain into altered states of consciousness.
      • The Green Wave Therapy: The Green Wave Therapy is a technique that combines green laser light, micro current energy, and some of the principles of EMDR [Eye Movement Desensitization and Re-patterning], and EFT [The Emotional Freedom Acupressure Technique]. You will rest on a massage table, and a micro current device focuses on the region between your eyebrows. You hold the EMDR paddles in your hands as they pulse rhythmically. You also wear a headset that delivers audio tones in unison with the paddle’s vibrations. The practitioner stands back about 4-5 feet and circles the entire body with green laser light. With every 1-2 minute pass, the clinician checks the level of distress you are experiencing while thinking about the trauma.
      • Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT): Based on impressive new discoveries involving the body’s energies, EFT has been reported to be 80% clinically effective in relieving Trauma. The EFT procedure involves tapping with the fingers on points on the body that are associated with acupuncture pressure points. While doing the tapping sequence, distressful thoughts and/or events are targeted and healing statements are repeated out loud. EFT often works where nothing else will. It is rapid, long lasting and gentle. No drugs or equipment are involved. It is easily learned by anyone in less than an hour. EFT techniques can be taught and be self-administered.

    Trauma Recovery Tips

    Recovering from emotional and psychological trauma takes time. Give yourself time to heal and to mourn the losses you’ve experienced. During your trauma therapy here are some self-help strategies to keep you healthy and continue the healing between your therapeutic sessions:

               1: Don’t isolate

               2: Stay grounded

               3: Take care of your health

    Don’t try to force the healing process. Be patient with your pace of recovery. Finally, be prepared for difficult and volatile emotions. Allow yourself to feel whatever you’re feeling without judgment or guilt.

     

  • What kind of training do I need to be a recovery coach?

    What kind of training do I need to be a recovery coach?

    manhattan_bridgeI published my book Recovery Coaching – A Guide to Coaching People in Recovery from Addictions in 2013. Since then, recovery coach or peer recovery specialist training has become one of the fastest growing aspects of the coaching field. So what kind of training do I need to be a recovery coach?

    In 2013, the organizations that offer recovery coach or peer recovery-specialist training numbered around 50. Today, the number has grown to 250. Many state certification boards have established recovery coach and peer recovery support specialist certifications.

    Many of the organizations that offer addictions recovery coach training or peer recovery support specialist training are listed on my web site: http://www.mkrecoverycoaching.com/recovery-coach-training-organizations/. For many people interested in being a recovery coach, the training costs, deciding on the best training organization and the training necessary to fulfill the certification requirements can be confusing. So I would like to attempt to clear up this confusion and will answer these questions in this post:

    • What are the guidelines I must meet to apply for recovery coaching training?
    • What kind of training do I need to be a recovery coach?

    What are the guidelines to apply for recovery coaching training?

    Applicants must meet the following guidelines to apply for a training course in order to be a recovery coach or a peer recovery support-specialist. These guidelines are shared by many training organizations and certification boards across the nation as a standard for what a potential recovery coach must have before applying for recovery coaching training:

    • High school diploma, GED or higher
    • Minimum of one year of direct knowledge of sponsorship and 12-step programs
    • Minimum one year of sobriety from substance use or one year sobriety in co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders (self-attestation)

    What kind of training should I look for?

    Certification boards require the coach to receive outside training that fulfills the requirements mandated by the state board. These requirements are often a certain amount of hours training in topics such as addiction recovery theory and models, coaching ethics, motivational interviewing, relapse prevention, nicotine cessation, suicide prevention and HIV-AIDS education. Each state and organization has different requirements. So first check with your state to ensure the course you take will be accepted by the state credentialing board.

    There are trainings offered that can give a coach more information that may not be on the state certification board list, but are very helpful. The kinds of training I found helpful as a new recovery coach were: conflict management, anger management, intervention training, co-occurring disorders, behavioral addictions, the pharmacology of addiction, and psycho-pharmacology as well as knowledge about coaching families in relationships with addicted persons. There are also training organizations that offer three different levels of recovery coaching training: novice, intermediate and master-level coaching certificates.

    The places in which you receive this training are quite diverse. In the links section of this web site, I list over 250 organizations offering recovery coach training. The courses can be online, or in a classroom. The costs for this training is diverse as well, from free (in Ohio) up to $4,000 per course. The length of the course could be three days or four months.

    At no time does taking a recovery coaching course give you an immediate state certification board recovery-coaching credential. It gives you a document (called a certificate) that says you completed the training. There are many coaches who do not seek state board certification, and use this document or certificate from a training organization as adequate proof they are knowledgeable in performing the duties of a recovery coach.

    There is one international credentialing organization, the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium, commonly known as the IC & RC(http://internationalcredentialing.org/) that runs many state credentialing boards and has developed an exam for a Peer Recovery (PR) Certification. The IC & RC suggests applicants check with their state credentialing board for specific test taking guidelines.

    Are there any additional requirements for recovery coaching certification?

    NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals, and the National Certification Commission for Addiction Professionals (NCC AP) http://www.naadac.org/NCPRSS offer the Peer Recovery Support-Specialist Certification. Similar to the requirements of the IC & RC, the NCC AP recommends, in order to receive certification, a coach read and sign a statement on the application affirming adherence to the Peer Recovery Support-Specialist Code of Ethics. Credentialing boards require supervisors of the coaches-in-training to sign a document verifying they have supervised the coach during the period of the coach’s training. Letters of recommendation are also items required by some credentialing boards. Other state boards require a recent photograph. As always, check with the state credentialing board for specific requirements for credentialing.

    Next week’s post will review what certification is required to be a peer-to-peer support-specialist working with people in mental health recovery.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • What kind of certification do I need to be a recovery coach?

    What kind of certification do I need to be a recovery coach?

    manhattan_bridge_post_versionI published my book Recovery Coaching – A Guide to Coaching People in Recovery from Addictions in 2013. Since then, recovery coach or peer-recovery specialist certification training has become one of the fastest growing aspects of the coaching field. So what kind of certification do I need to be a recovery coach?

    In 2013, the organizations that offer recovery coach or peer-recovery specialist training numbered around 50. Today, the number has grown to 250. Many state certification boards have established recovery coach and peer-recovery support specialist certifications. Yet, for many people that seek to be a recovery coach the qualifications, the training, the requirements for certification, or credentialing seem baffling. So I would like to attempt to clear up this confusion and will answer these questions in this post:

    • What is the process for certification as a recovery coach or peer recovery specialist?
    • What kind of certification should I be focusing on?

    What is the process of being qualified, getting training and then credentialed as a recovery coach or peer-recovery support specialist?

    If you are investigating becoming a recovery coach, I suggest you follow these steps:

    1. Research the training organizations that offer recovery coach training you can afford. Go to http://www.mkrecoverycoaching.com/recovery-coach-training-organizations/ for a list of addiction recovery coach training organizations
    2. Verify that you meet the qualifications to apply for the course (e.g. be 18-years-old, have a GED or high school diploma, one year sobriety from any addiction)
    3. Take and pass the course, retain the coaching certificate for future purposes
    4. Research places like Recovery Community Organizations or treatment centers to work or volunteer as a recovery-coach-in-training
    5. Apply to your state certification board for recovery coach certification (a fee may apply)
    6. Complete the recovery-coach-in-training supervised practice hours that are required by the state board
    7. Send in your application with paperwork verifying the completion of practice hours to the state credentialing board with a certification fee (fee varies for every state, from $100-$250)
    8. Receive your recovery coaching or peer-recovery support specialist certificate
    9. In the next 2 – 5 years take the required courses for renewing this certificate. Refer to your state board for more information on courses and renewal time frames. A renewal fee will be required.

    What kind of certification do I need to be a recovery coach?

    For an addiction recovery coach, the certification and training is prefaced with the terms: peer-support specialist, certified peer-recovery practitioner, recovery coach or peer-recovery specialist. Every state is different and every state uses different names for these certifications. Look for courses that offer the training needed for an addictions coach and a peer working with people in mental health recovery certification. It is the exact same training, in the same exact classroom, for two different jobs descriptions! It may be confusing now, and quite possibly the content and descriptions of  these courses may change going forward. But I would have to have a crystal ball to predict that for certain.

    I suggest you first take a certification training course. You can make the decision after the training is completed to apply for state board certification. As a coach if you are interested in being your own business person, certification by a training organization should be adequate. If you want to work in a treatment center, with a recovery community organization, social services agency or hospital, certification issued by the state’s certification board or the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC) is required by the institution hiring you. If you want to carry professional liability insurance, or be reimbursed by Medicaid for your services, certification by a state certification board is mandatory.

    What is a state certification board?

    The process for receiving a certificate as a recovery coach is overseen by a state’s certification or licensing board. A state certification board tests and renews practitioner’s (coaches, therapists, nurses, etc.) certificates to ensure their knowledge is up to par. Also, that they have the ethical knowledge to practice in their profession. These processes for certification, such as training, educational requirements, exams and renewal guidelines, varies from state to state. These certification standards are recognized by health care companies, insurance companies, Medicaid, Medicare as well as companies that hire these practitioners.

    These state certification boards are the same boards that issue licenses or certifications for drug and alcohol counselors, and therapists. Some states have combined licenses and certifications boards all in one office, so it could be the same office in which nurses or hairdressers receive their licenses. I suggest you search the Internet for drug and alcohol certification for your state. Then search for the state board website for recovery coach or peer-recovery support specialist certification. As of May 2008, thirty state credentialing boards had developed criteria for the training and deployment of recovery coaches and peer-recovery specialists, so you should have no trouble finding these boards on the Internet.

    What is Reciprocity?

    Reciprocity is a term you will see used often on these board sites. When you are certified through your home state’s certification board, you may have the ability to transfer that credential to another state. This is called reciprocity. State certification boards may offer reciprocity to certified coaches in other states. The state boards have the authority to set reciprocity requirements for coaches to practice in their state. Not all certifications are eligible for reciprocity. It is vitally important that you investigate reciprocity guidelines prior to relocating to another state, because it can be a very complicated process.

    There are national and international recovery coach certifications available. In 2013, the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC) developed a peer recovery credential. The application for the peer-recovery certification appears on the IC & RC web site. An IC & RC credential is accepted by many agencies and treatment centers when they are hiring recovery coaches.

    In next week’s post I will review what kind of training you need to have in order to apply for recovery coach certification.

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  • Should I stop caring what other people think about me?

    manhattan_bridge_post_versionShould you really care WHAT other people think of you or IF people are thinking about you? Are you allowing these persons whose opinions matter so much to you, to essentially run your life?

    If you are enmeshed in these thoughts, you are neglecting your authentic voice. Your authentic voice knows what the next right step should be, even though your authentic voice can’t predict how your life is going to turn out, it tends to have a strong hunch of what you should do next.

    Add research to this

    Why do I want the approval of others? Researchers from University College London and Aarhus University in Denmark in 2010 verified that our brains light up under a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan when we know our opinions are shared by others or join others in liking similar things. These glowing brains then secrete a reward, a feel-good neuro-chemical, and bam! We get neuro-chemical reinforcement telling us it is good to share similar thoughts and things. People like you if you share their point of view, if you copy their style of dress, have the same socio-economic status, religion, etc. Soon we are addicted to these feel-good-mental-states-of-liking. Liking the same music, being a fan of the same sports team or being in the “cool” group. This drug is so addictive that most people will not give it up. They keep looking for approval, acceptance and like-minded individuals because the hit is so intense. But just like any other drug or addiction, there is a price to pay. The price is worrying about what people think and being inauthentic to our inner voice.

    What you think of yourselfAre people thinking about me?

    No.

    The truth is: no one really thinks about you as much as you think they do. They don’t care that much about you or what you are doing. People are highly self-absorbed. They really only care about themselves. Whatever you want to do, just do it. Because the truth is, no one really is thinking about what you are doing.

    We really fear that people are speaking “ill” of us. In the 12-step rooms, FEAR is an acronym for Frustration, Ego, Anxiety and Resentment. Is fear the reason that you are so worried about what people think of you? Like Elsa says in Disney’s Frozen movie…”Let it go!”

    People that judge others, like to hang out with like-minded, gossipy, judgmental people. Do you really want to hang out with people who judge and gossip? The fact they engage in gossiping conveys that they think they are in a “better than” or “one-up” position. In reality, they have a frightened inner child and self-esteem issues.

    Do you really care about people who derive pleasure from another person’s misfortune? The German language has a word for this: schadenfreude. These behaviors are sure signs of high anxiety. Plus, these people are really boring to hang out with. I am sure you would rather be doing anything else (can you hear your authentic voice talking?).

    Gossipy, judgmental people have low self-esteem. People have low self-esteem because they were criticized in childhood. Sometimes abusively and chronically. Okay, I feel badly for many of us. However, who we thought we were in our formative years is not who we are as adults. (You might have noticed I placed myself in this category.) We were defenseless 5-, 7- or 10-year-olds. Today we are adults with distinct advantages available to us to improve and overcome our issues from the past.

    ConclusionsNot caring what people think

    • Get to know your authentic voice (AV)
    • Identify the times in the past when you were guided by your authentic voice, listened to your authentic voice, and how well things turned out. When things turn out well, you get a neuro-chemical hit!
    • Is AV a moral voice? (yes)
    • Is AV a compassionate voice? (yes)
    • Is AV a voice that has your best interest in mind? (yes)
    • Re-read the segment on are people always thinking about me? Can you hear your authentic voice respond?
    • Make a conscious decision to stop obsessively thinking about what other people might think of you — limit the time you dwell on these thoughts
    • Did you answer any of these suggestions with a statement that started with “But?”
    • If so, try to delete the statement after the word “But.” While you are at it delete “But” from your vocabulary
    • Are you hearing anything from your gut (your gut is the residence of your authentic voice)?

    Maybe you might want to contemplate that. Reflect on what your authentic voice is or what it has been telling you in the past. Try to identify the tenor, tone or inflection of its voice. You can do this in the comfort of your La-Z-Boy chair, on your yoga mat or during a walk in the woods. Meditating is a way of asking your authentic voice a question, intuition is hearing its response. Either way you’ve got to figure out what actually matters to you and start caring what you think about you.

    References used in this blog:

    Tim Urban,  Taming the Mammoth: Why You Should Stop Caring What Other People Think, Wait but Why blog, http://waitbutwhy.com/2014/06/taming-mammoth-let-peoples-opinions-run-life.html

    Fredric Neuman, MD (2013), Caring what other people think, Psychology Today, Jan 23, 2013, https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fighting-fear/201306/caring-what-other-people-think

    Tiffany O’Callaghan (2010) The Brain Science behind why we care what others think, Time Magazine, June 17, 2010, http://healthland.time.com/2010/06/17/the-brain-science-behind-why-we-care-what-others-think/

    Michael Miles, Why you shouldn’t care about what others think about you, (2008) Pick the Brain, blog, Nov 28, 2008, http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/why-you-shouldnt-care-what-others-think-about-you/