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
3 Things I learned from having a father who was there, but not present. ___ I grew up without a father. Physically he was there, but he was not present in a real way. He was like a ghost, fading in and fading out of our lives. His life was marked by loss. His own … More Lessons Learned From a Life Without a Father
Happiness is elusive, impossible to control and it does not last. And it is important. ___ Happiness is much more than a feeling. It is about our meaning, it is spiritual. Spiritual (but not necessarily religious), because it connects with something important inside of us. Happy. It’s difficult to define, but we all know … More Recovery and Happiness
The Key to Understanding Your Daughter may be in her linear equations. ___ I was recently spending time with my daughter and reflecting on how different my two children are. My son and I connect over movies, music and talking about video games. Honestly, I don’t understand everything he talks about, but I listen to … More 5 Things You Need to Understand About Your Daughter
Your diagnosis does not have to define you ___ Fight. It’s what we do. We come into the world screaming and we often leave the planet still screaming and thrashing. Darwin called it the Survival Instinct, really it is just our innate sense of fighting against decline or suffering. We come into the world screaming and we … More How do You Accept Your Depression Without Surrendering to it?
How do you cope with sibling rivalry? ___ Parents, it drives you nuts. It gets under your skin. It creeps up on you, snakelike, and slaps you in the face. You will fight about it. You will threaten and you will want to turn yourself inside and out because you can’t stand it. What is … More 10 Sanity Strategies for Sibling Rivalry
Your path will change you ___ Your path. It means everything. However you choose to go, if by foot, or by car, or by bike, or by air. How you get there makes the path come alive. In recovery, your path is your teacher. Your path will bring the obstacles. The obstacles bring life to … More Recovery is Found on the Way
Camping can teach you and me some important things about recovery. ___ When I get home from most camping trips I am in need of recovery. Not because I drink a lot, but because I have not eaten properly or slept well, because I have more blisters than I need and because I have a … More 10 Ways that Recovery is Like Camping
Car accidents can have a humorous side ___ My car was a sandwich this week. My wife was waiting for a light and someone collided with her, mushrooming the back end and sending her into the vehicle in front. Both ends of our vehicle ended up being curled under and the car was undrivable. Moods, … More 9 Great Things About Car Accidents
Are you in the parents of a 16-year-old club? ___ It’s official: our home now has a 16-year-old. Yup, we have entered the club. Having a 16-year-old is awesome. It is a no-holds-barred season of life and here are 16 reasons why: Life is ahead of you and you feel full of possibility. You are gangly … More 16 Things That are Awesome about Having a 16-Year-Old
6 Ways to Bring Your Body With You in Your Recovery ___ Recovery begins when you reach a point of decision. For some of us, it is when we are at the end of ourselves when our health demands it, or when we realize we are heading down a path of certain destruction. Recovery begins when … More How to Recover Your Mind and Your Body
Getting High on Recovery 