Getting High on Recovery

A little bit of my story…

I sometimes introduce myself as YodaNinja. “Yoda on the outside, Ninja on the inside.” This is because outside, I seem calm and composed and when I speak (or write), what I say can be profound, perplexing… or a little of both. But my inner world is another story. Deep inside of me is a Ninja battleground where thoughts, emotions, ideas, and utter randomness all fight for my attention. Every once in a while, they actually cooperate and I have to say, I’m deadly. But then they go at it again… and “Everybody is Kung Fu fighting.”

Growing up, being a YodaNinja had it’s perks. I always had somewhere to go when things got crazy: at home, when my dad would drink (which was most of the time), when all that I could feel was the sadness, or the years when I felt that no one no one really gets me.

I’m a dad, a husband and a guy whose mind has a mind of it’s own. My recovery from my addiction to numbing myself (with pretty much anything I can get my hands on) is a lifelong journey. I live with depression, anxiety and adhd… and sometimes they don’t get along very well with my family, or with the rest of my life.

Professionaly, I make my living as a Counselling Therapist in Edmonton, Canada. I teach on addiction and psychopathology at City University, and I have a small counselling practice where I use superheroes and other geeky stuff to help people make peace with their own personal YodaNinjas.

This blog is part of my healing and writing keeps me grounded. I hope that something I have written may add a little bit to your journey.

Keep it Real

 

Professionally, here are a few of my links

• I hold certifications as a Clinical Addiction Counsellor – with the The Canadian Addiction Counsellor Certification Federation, and Counselling Therapist with the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association.
• My professional publications can be found here, at Academia.
• Formerly, I was writer and editor with the Good Men Project.

Here is what you get when you join my site

1.I won’t spam you. No daily emails or other annoyances. Just good content. The best of what I can offer.

2.You will learn more about recovery. To find my latest content, search for Addiction, Mental Health, or Recovery in the search box on the right. If you have topics that you would like to suggest, please email me at smswaby@icloud.com.

3. You can add your own voice. If you have writing to share about topics that line up with my blog, I will publish your work and link back to your website.

4.You can have me write for your website or blog as a guest blogger. I also speak to groups and I can provide therapy or addiction counselling. To find out more, contact me at smswaby@icloud.com.