Two words loaded with religious undertones (and overtones!) are magic and miracle. My goal in writing this piece is to demystify the two terms and ground them in the secular context of addiction and mental health. Sounds weird, eh? Well, I have some help from a book I read a little while back, and I’d […]
In my story, it’s nearly impossible to untangle the interdependent relationship between mental health, addiction, and spirituality. I began using alcohol (and other substances) to open my mind, and I eventually became hopelessly dependent on surges of dopamine to feel any possibility of having purpose in life. I lived the parable of ‘Man takes drink; […]
Word of caution: This post contains discussion concerning the topic of suicide and may not be suitable for some readers. If you or someone you know is in immediate crisis or has suicide-related concerns, please call (in Canada) 1-833-456-4566 toll free (In QC: 1-866-277-3553), 24/7 or visit talksuicide.ca. My first few years in recovery went as expected. I […]
I live with mental health challenges. That is not easy for a person to write. And I am not referring to difficulty due to a sense of pride or shame; rather, what I mean is that it is a difficult journey to come to know one has mental health challenges in the first place. Most […]
I believe my mental health journey began at around the same time in life when human children become self-conscious (4-5 years old). For it was during this period that I was hit by a car while riding my tricycle on the normally quiet residential street in front of my childhood home. My actual memory of […]
The Peace of Wild Things 