Peace, Power, and a Sound Mind

As a clinician primarily concerned with addictions as well as emotional issues such as anger, depression, anxiety, attention deficit disorder, and bipolar disorder, my goal has been to create a program that gives the client tools for healing and personal growth. During the past fifteen years, working in the field of addictions, I have witnessed many clients enter treatment wanting and expecting to find a way to turn their lives around. Instead, in many cases, they have been given a psychiatric diagnosis and prescribed heavy-duty medications that make them feel worse than when they started.

When we go to a doctor or a hospital for help, we put our trust in those health care providers, many times without question. We are not taught as a society to participate in our health and well-being, or to partner with our physicians in our treatment. Western medicine is primarily based on treatment of the symptom, not treatment of the underlying problem. It was with this understanding that I created a program that combines the wisdom and structure of the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous with self-empowering holistic methods.

By embracing the holistic methods that I cover in this book, I have witnessed numerous clients recover and maintain long-term sobriety, as well as physical, mental, and emotional health. I have seen them accomplish recovery with limited or no use of psychotropic medications. It takes thought and willingness to engage in practices outside of our comfort zones. When making lifestyle changes such as practicing yoga, developing healthy eating habits, or meditation, we’ve got to understand that the results are not always immediate. With persistence and consistency, a person can obtain physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health and balance. Because people with addictions are used to seeking and acquiring immediate gratification, lack of commitment to their own health and wellness and to necessary lifestyle changes is perhaps the number-one reason for their lack of success. It is important to learn that we are all responsible for our own health and well-being. My goal is to teach people different methods of healing and allowing them to choose the methods that they most enjoy and that are most effective for them. I have found that when people are involved in their own treatment plan, and given options from which to choose, their rate of success increases tremendously.