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
Recovery is not simply regaining what once was, it is about creating what can be. ___ Powerless: it is a word that is lonely, cold and frightened. Power-less is how a person feels when they have been abused. Abuse robs a person of life, of freedom and of their very selves. It would make sense … More How to Heal from Abuse
For more on Men and Emotional Healing, 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 and best of my writing. … More Men and Emotional Healing
For more on healing and spirituality, 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 and best of my writing. If … More Life Wants to Tattoo You With Healing
Eight ways that men respond differently to their emotional health ___ Most men would rather go the bar than go for therapy. In fact, they would rather go anywhere rather than go for counseling or therapy. Men and women are different, so what’s the big deal that guys avoid counseling? Plenty it turns out. In fact, … More Why is Emotional Healing So Much More Difficult For Men?
For more on the Uneasy Peace of 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 and best of my … More Peace is Not an Emotion, it is a Stance That You Take Towards Your Life
Having psychological flexibility can make you resilient and will support your recovery. ___ I am inflexible. My heels are stiff and sometimes sore. It comes from a recurring injury to my left heel. Doctors call it Plantar fasciitis. My heels are stiff and a little painful in the morning and take a few minutes to warm … More How Will a Flexible Mind Support You in Your Healing?
The semicolon declares that what you have experienced is not the end, but just the beginning of your story. ___ I have a semicolon tattooed on my right forearm. It reminds me that each day is part of a new story, part of a better future. The semicolon is a radical declaration that your story … More Healing and the Spirituality of a Tattoo
For more on the Uneasy Peace of 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 and best of my … More Recovery Will Bring You Places You Never Imagined
For more on Your Healing Manifesto, click on the photo above for a link to the article. 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 Leaving is Healing: Your Healing Manifesto
Recovery will change your life and it will give you peace. But this peace may not be what you expected. It will be uneasy. ___ What is peace? You might think of answers like an absence of war, a lack of anxiety or a feeling of calmness. Peace can be each of these things, but … More The Uneasy Peace of Recovery
Getting High on Recovery 