The busyness of our lives, the habit of talking rather than listening, and living life in constant motion leave little time to develop our inner world. We can learn from monks what it takes to cultivate healing, mental, and emotional growth. Monks are not fans of talking and rarely do their superiors permit them to […]

Paul was twelve years old. One day he came running into the house with an abrasion on his arm. It was less than a half inch but caused enough pain for him to cry. His mother met him in the kitchen and knew exactly what to do. She told her son she would use an

Healing by people to us. Have we experienced disapproval from family, friends, or professionals? People do speak the truth to us and how does this tie into our mental health? People tell us to speak up when things are bad or we don’t agree with something. 5 years ago when my sadness and anxiety were

What does it mean to live a life of quiet desperation? Vaclav Havel felt that he could remain silent only at the risk of, “Living a lie”, and destroying his inner being. This is our choice when we become overwhelmed by our life circumstances. Going down into the depths of our souls will lead us

 When our emotions and urges are strong we realize keeping painful events from surfacing only makes our mood darker. This is an opportunity to use a distress tolerance skill called Radical Acceptance. What is Radical Acceptance? Radical means all the way, complete and total. It means accepting our current circumstances, and what is going on

Today I am celebrating my 60th birthday. I just got off the phone with my wife. She wanted to know what it feels like to be 60 years old. My response was twofold. First, as I reflect on the years, I have gained abundant blessings and wisdom. Second, I am in touch with my mortality.

A Peer with lived experience (meaning mental health condition, addiction, and trauma) laid out to peers the ingredients of the daily exercises for mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health. This can be exhausting work. Ten people are with their Peer Mentor in a shelter due to a tornado threat. The storm begins to whirl around

We do not like stern (truth) words spoken to us. At first glance, we become defensive, irritated, angry, or even bitter. We say, “I can’t deal with this now” or “You don’t know me or my history”. Excuses prevent us from growing because we are great at making them up. When supporting a deeply wounded

A good storyteller tells the narrative of 2 things happening at the same time, one inside the other. There are two stories on opposing sides. A person is in behavior treatment at a local hospital and wants to recover from a mental health condition. Another person who suffers from addiction believes they can get better

“We gain insight into our recovery through our Higher Power as we model these steps, and share our journey toward hope, healing, and health with people” – This is the twelfth step of Recovery. During the early stages of Recovery, I recall the people who exposed the steps to me. They modeled what it takes