Posts tagged ‘Addiction Recovery’

Aug 6

Facing the Truth Behind the Mask

“Recovery is about living more in truth than in lies… it’s about facing reality and growing up.”

– Pia Mellody

Over 2,500 years ago, in Athens Greece, playwrights like Sophocles introduced a form of theatrical art known as the tragedy. Greek tragedies typically dealt with weighty themes such as betrayal, loss, pride, jealousy, rage, love, courage, honor, life and death. Often these dance-dramas also explored man’s relationship with God and the existential challenges that are part the human condition. Actors wore elaborate masks with exaggerated facial expressions so that their character’s role, emotional state, and intentions might be accessible to the audience. Commonly, one actor played several characters during the course of the theatrical performance, changing masks for each character and sometimes for each scene.

Fast-forward to our lives today and the Greek tragedy might be used as a metaphor for some of the key aspects of recovery from trauma and addiction. Like an actor in a play, often we are reacting to life’s existential challenges according to a script. This script can influence how we move about on the stage of life; it can spell out our roles in relation to others, how we think and feel, and how we act in various situations. From the first moments of conception and throughout development, by way of ongoing interactions between ourselves, others, and the environment, this narrative is written into our psychobiology – it becomes an implicit script in the mind-body system.

Moreover, similar to actors in Greek tragedies, our implicit scripts encourage the use of certain masks or personas. In many ways, this is completely natural and necessary for a life in which we play many different roles. For most of us, the scenes on life’s stage are constantly changing; we may transition from a family mask to a work mask, then to a friend mask, and back to a family mask, all within the course of one day. However, unlike the actors in a Greek tragedy, for us these personas are not distinct, separate people – they are aspects of a single being, linked together by the person behind the masks.

For some of us, our own life resembles a Greek tragedy, with painful experiences of betrayal, loss, abandonment, and trauma. These experiences are written into the mind-body script that tacitly flavors our thoughts, feelings, and behavior. Some of these life events can be so traumatic that we don’t even want to look at the script – we would rather not face the reality of our situation, it’s just too painful. Yet, our bodies and minds still play the part, even when we don’t pay attention to the script; something happens on the stage of life and we just react according to our past experiences, maybe without even being aware of the script. Read more

Jul 24

Political Mindfulness: Casting a Vote While Maintaining Serenity

One of the most desirable fruits of the recovery process is a greater sense of serenity and peace. Yet, for those who are recovering from addiction and trauma, each day can bring challenges, both large and small, to one’s sense of serenity. Encountering opinions that are different from our own, especially when they bring our own values and beliefs into question, can certainly stir powerful emotions and threaten our serenity.

In the United States, we are nearing the end of a long political season, yet the grueling presidential election process is bound to bring even more opportunities for personal and interpersonal friction. Nevertheless, it is important that we remain involved in the political process and take part in civic duties. The question is do we let politics rob us of our serenity? And if our intention is to maintain serenity, how do we go about doing that?

Recently, I was faced with this very question when I received a politically charged email from an acquaintance. Fortunately, in that moment, I found just enough space and serenity to write my feelings down (instead of shooting off my mouth). My own political views and those of the email’s author are not important, no matter where we stand on the political spectrum we will face moments when our serenity is challenged. Here is my written response in the moment that my serenity was on the line:

Read more

Jun 25

The Rings and Springs of Recovery: Facing Imperfection with Courage and Patience

Nearly four-hundred years ago, St. Francis de Sales wrote the following pearl of wisdom for those in recovery today: “Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections…” As the fog of trauma, addiction, and emotional challenges begins to lift, one thing becomes clear: our imperfections! Even when we muster the courage to consider these imperfections, it can be disheartening to realize that some of our imperfections are terribly persistent, requiring repeated doses of courage and “an ocean of patience” (another quote by St. Francis de Sales).

On the pathway of recovery, it can be hard to see our own progress – especially when we keep running into the same old character defects. It’s like courageously cutting a path through a dense thicket while hiking, only to reencounter the same thicket hours later, with the path already overgrown. In those discouraging moments, it can feel like the recovery path has circled back on itself, leaving us stuck on a ring, destined to repeatedly stumble on our imperfections. Our previously-mustered courage can get pushed aside by anger, frustration, resentment, doubt, and shame. As for that ocean of patience… forget about it – sometimes we are lucky to find a puddle of patience!

Apr 24

Living in the Present – One Moment at a Time

Recovery programs are replete with catchy little quotes and sage-like sayings, but perhaps none of them are used more often than the time-honored phrase: “One day at a time.” Have you ever wondered why people struggling with addictive behaviors find it necessary to remind each other to take recovery one day at a time? (Some go as far as saying: “One moment at time.”) Wouldn’t it make more sense to actually use our highly evolved neocortex to construct a comprehensive, future-oriented plan for recovery and healing? After all, how can a person reach a desired destination or accomplish a goal without considering several days, weeks, or even years at a time?

As it turns out, people recovering from addiction aren’t the only ones who need to be reminded to take life one moment at a time. By in large, modern humans are addicted to “future-tripping” (one of those catchy little terms used in our recovery program). Most of us spend large swaths of our days, stuck in our thoughts, trying to plan, control, and manage our lives. The human brain naturally fixates on what is wrong, both in ourselves and others, and then ruminates and perseverates on how to avoid the unpleasant what-ifs that haven’t yet materialized. This unrelenting mental chatter is often coupled with a pervasive sense of discontent, as if we are waiting for something else to happen so that we can finally be fulfilled. We habitually lean into the future, hoping that the next moment will contain what this moment does not.

This is not to say that we should all get lobotomies and retreat to the nearest cave to live in solitary present-momentness. After all, critical thinking and future planning are important survival skills in this complex, fast-paced world. Our rational, thinking mind is not the enemy, but if left untrained, it can be a demanding taskmaster instead of a loyal servant. Through various contemplative practices, we discover that the brain is also capable of deep, non-conceptual awareness of the mind and body, other living creatures (including people), and the natural world around us. Many have found that this present-moment awareness can bring a profound sense of contentment and joy. Read more

Apr 17

The Twists and Turns of Recovery Treatment – A Case History

In my third year of medical school, I was mentored by a brilliant surgeon who routinely pontificated about the virtues of his profession, with clear intent to dissuade me from entering psychiatry. On one such occasion, he disrupted my tense and halting approach at a long abdominal incision with the question: “Do you know what makes a surgeon great?” I looked up from the patient’s pale, still body – scalpel still poised. “It’s not the suturing; you can teach any monkey how to sew.” (That didn’t boost my fledgling surgical confidence.) He went on to say, “When you open someone up, it rarely looks like the textbook. It’s messy, unpredictable. Great surgeons effectively respond to each new situation as it arises… they adapt.”

Although this gifted surgeon didn’t dissuade me from the practice of psychiatry, I was persuaded to believe that effective treatment of the body and the mind requires an ability to adapt to each new situation as it arises. Most people enter The Meadows with some idea of their underlying problems and what they want to accomplish in treatment. However, as people give themselves to the recovery process, often the mental and emotional landscape changes in unpredictable ways, presenting new challenges and new opportunities for healing and growth. The following case history highlights the dynamic unfolding of one patient’s experience at The Meadows and some of the treatment modalities that were adaptively employed on the patient’s behalf. Read more