FridayFUN: ASMR Goodness

What is ASMR? [Courtesy of Dictionary.com]Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is a calming, pleasurable feeling often accompanied by a tingling sensation. This tingle is said to originate in a person’s head and spread to the spine (and sometimes the limbs) in response to stimulation. The stimuli that trigger ASMR vary from person to person. Some of the most …

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PODCAST: Sitting down with employment specialist Emma Young

A brand new part of my job as a peer coach is to work alongside a real-deal employment specialist, and I'm super excited about it.  This will only bolster the services that patients will be receiving in the way of various guidance that can be applied to their own lives.  Her name is Emma Young …

ENTRY: Forwardness Forever (Rest of the ‘Journey’ article)

NOTE FROM LOU: Here is another drafting of part of the magazine article I wrote for this month's issue of Journey magazine that didn't make it to print.  I understand completely that magazines only have so much space for content, and they do have to be conscious of their advertisers.  Thankfully, I'm able to share …

FO’REAL!?!: What is Sandtray Therapy?

What is it? Sandtray Therapy: A Practical Manual, written by Linda E. Homeyer and Daniel S. Sweeney, define Sandtray as, “An expressive and projective mode of psychotherapy involving unfolding and processing of intra-and interpersonal issues through the use of specific sandtray materials as a nonverbal medium of communication, led by the client(s) and facilitated by …

ENTRY: Patients inflate use history to ensure treatment

Being in recovery myself, I tend to notice certain behaviors of the folks seeking recovery themselves as they proceed through the intake process at work.  In case you weren’t already aware, I work as a peer recovery coach at a treatment center specializing in MAT therapy (we offer both methadone and Suboxone) and mental health …

ENTRY: Organized Religion a Valid Tool While in Recovery

You know what, I've come to realize that the concept of religion and spirituality in general have become possibly even more influential to modern Western pop culture.  Think about it, in the news, how often do we hear about the ongoing abortion debate?  The folks that deem themselves "pro-life" never hesitate when it comes to …

FO’REAL!?: Studies showing potential of CBD as effective Tx for menstrual cramps

There is no good reason to believe that menstrual cramps and menstrual pain are vastly different than regular cramps and pain. Especially because the cramps and pain are often caused by the same hormonal response. This makes the studies still relevant and useful. These studies have shown that CBD can help relieve pain and cramps. …

ENTRY: MAT Protocol in Need of Empathy–NOT Sympathy

As a person facing true substance use disorder, you do in fact have many options when it comes to attaining sobriety, and in turn a life built around everlasting recovery.  Inpatient rehabs are widely considered the gold-standard when it comes to initial sobriety.  I say 'initial' since, just as with any option for treatment, getting …

JUST4FUN!: The FBI releases decades-old files on Bigfoot

Every once in a while, I love to post an article or general tidbit on something that is totally, completely unrelated to the ongoing "opioid crisis."  In fact, that's one of the reasons that I truly don't even go for those generalized terms like crisis or epidemic, since they really just freak people out.  I enjoy …

ENTRY: Absorbing the Big Book, before you even start it

The Big Book is a very useful tool; in fact, it's probably more useful than a new package of guitar strings would be for me…  (Yeah really, 'tis that useful.)  I would never encourage any person in recovery to live and breathe by the Big Book, just like I don’t really think a Christian person should encourage another Christian …