Every reality is valid. Free choice is sacrosanct. There are many levels to our being, and these all have a purpose. It is only when one of these levels gets out of balance that we need to take a second look. Right now, Western societies subscribe to what I refer to as the Cult of…
“Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead.” Charles Bukowski My mental breakdowns were the best gift I ever gave to myself, because they systematically allowed me to break down everything that I thought I was in order to become who I truly am. This process was scary beyond words, because…
I have nothing against pharmaceutical drugs. Anyone who has taken an anti-anxiety pill will tell you that they work beautifully for what they were intended to do. The problem is that we rely on these drugs as a stand-alone treatment instead of part of a comprehensive plan for the emotionally distressed person. After a lifetime…
I attended a dinner party recently where one of the guests had just read my book. Partway through my first glass of wine she asked me if I still suffered from depression and anxiety. It was refreshing for me to experience this topic as part of our dinner conversation, but still I paused, wanting to…
If depression is a symptom of being stuck in the pain of the past, and anxiety a fear of the future, the obvious answer is to align oneself in present time. Your physical body is the vehicle by which you enter present time, but in order to do so you must also have mastery over…
The telephone rang In the middle of the night It was God Thanking me for taking part In an experiment called insanity. “Your willingness to descend Into the depths of darkness Has been much appreciated. May we call you for future follow-ups?”
One of the things I realized during my years of therapy is that my mind had been taken over by powerful emotions that stemmed from events in my early childhood. To that extent my mind, and therefore my life, was constantly being hijacked by pain and anger from the distant past, fueling a deep and…
Whenever I am asked what it is I believe helped me the most in my healing journey, I reply that it is the fact that I listened to my own inner guidance over and above any expert’s opinion. Sometimes my gut instincts told me to do something completely irrational and illogical, and I did it…
By my mid twenties I had recognized the pattern: every time I resurfaced from a depression it was accompanied by the same emotion: anger. I realized that if depression could be characterized as repressed anger, which is a form of powerlessness, then it only made sense that getting in touch with my fundamental power would…
Six years after I resurfaced from my journey through addiction and depression, my sister sent me a revolutionary work by Dr. Gabor Mate. His book, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, validates from a medical perspective what I lived through experientially. Dr. Mate is one of those rare breeds of people who go where the…