I sometimes introduce myself as YodaNinja. "Yoda on the outside, Ninja on the inside." Outside, I seem calm and composed. When I speak (or write), what I say can be profound, perplexing... or 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." 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 YodaNinja. 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
Adolescent addiction and the parental distress syndrome ___ They walk into my office. They are quiet, but not because they are nervous about the therapy. They tell a familiar story: abuse, anxious days and sleep-deprived nights, drug deals, street crimes, chronic and unending stress, and never knowing if their loved ones will live to face … More Is Your Teenagers’ Substance Use Killing You?
Is your recovery a sort of homecoming? ___ A few weeks ago I had a tough day. No, actually it was more like a tough week. I would like to think that it came up on me quickly, but in reality it was right there, simmering in the background for days. Ever had a week … More Recovery and How to Build a Bridge to Healing
For article, “How to Create a Better Mindset in Your Recovery” click on the photo above. I write articles about wellness, leadership, parenting and personal growth. My hope is to deliver the best content I can to inspire, to inform and to entertain. Sign up for my blog if you want to receive the latest … More Recovery is a Creative Act and You are the Art
For Guest Post on “What to Do When You Have a Panic Attack?” click on the photo above. I write articles about wellness, leadership, parenting and personal growth. My hope is to deliver the best content I can to inspire, to inform and to entertain. Sign up for my blog if you want to receive … More 3 Tips for Handling Panic Attacks
This is my depression. It returned the other day. And it spoke to me. ___ I still shudder. Depression speaks with words of cold steel, the brittle shards fall around me like a thousand razors. For the most part, my depression has lifted. Today is much, much different than things were last year. I still … More Depression and My Appointment with a Hole
Envy may be killing your sense of well-being ___ Envy Just four little letters. Four letters can wreak havoc on our lives. They fuel shame, hatred, dissatisfaction and unhappiness, along with unhealthy obsession. You may envy other people for what they have, what they have done or the kind of person they are, or you … More Are You on The Fast Track to Unhappiness?
For article on Recovery and Why the Best Parts of Your Story are the Sh**y Parts, click on the photo above. I write articles about wellness, leadership, parenting and personal growth. My hope is to deliver the best content I can to inspire, to inform and to entertain. Sign up for my blog if you want … More The Difficult Parts of Your Story Tell Only a Small Part of Your Story
For article on how “Recovery: Do You Know How to Suck Successfully?”, click on the photo above. I write articles about wellness, leadership, parenting and personal growth. My hope is to deliver the best content I can to inspire, to inform and to entertain. Sign up for my blog if you want to receive the … More 10 Ways To Get More Out of Your Failures
For article, “Want Your World to be Better? Then Ask More Questions,” click on the photo above. I write articles about wellness, leadership, parenting and personal growth. My hope is to deliver the best content I can to inspire, to inform and to entertain. Sign up for my blog if you want to receive the … More In Recovery, You Grow the Most When You Reach Beyond
Lying to yourself about your depression will just lengthen your shadows ___ Crazy is a terrible word. I equate it with other derogatory words like whore or fat pig. These are words that are… unspeakable. Yet here I am, using crazy to describe how I used to think about myself. And prayer? Yes, I pray. … More Yes, I Pray. And yes, I am crazy.
Getting High on Recovery 