I had on my brown Ecco shoes. They have rather large, funny heels anyway, but when I looked down just moments after the car accident, my right heel was moved over to one side. I put my right hand on the bottom of my thigh and my left hand on the top, and knew it| The Phoenix Spirit
I can't help but wonder what in the world was I thinking when I reflect on some of the major decisions I made in my young adulthood. I can only presume that I wasn't thinking at all. My concept of contemplation was to deal with any consequences of my decisions "Later." Such cognitive carelessness led| The Phoenix Spirit
“Traumatic Brain Injury is an important public health problem in the United States. Because the problems that result from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), such as those of thinking and memory, are often not visible, and because awareness about TBI among the general public is limited, it is frequently referred to as the ‘silent epidemic.’” Marilynn| The Phoenix Spirit
In 2015 as the Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) in Minneapolis was hosting festive events to celebrate its 50th anniversary, a smaller, quieter happening began to ripple through the CTC alumni community. No fanfare, no hype, but to those involved, of greater celebratory significance. Thirty-one years had passed since the 1984 arrest of John Clark Donahue,| The Phoenix Spirit
There are many aspects that can be helpful in moving us from addictive thinking and behavior to recovery. In this article, I would like to focus on two aspects that have become important in my recovery journey as well as in those of a number of people I know. They are: making choices and being| The Phoenix Spirit
We know we can’t save anyone from their pain and suffering. We know trying to rescue or change someone in the throes of addiction drains us to the point of depletion; it becomes a never-ending cycle of feeling hopeless and helpless. We desperately want to maintain hope and feel guilty if we give up. The| The Phoenix Spirit
The worst part of having clinical depression is the crash that generally occurs after experiencing a ray of hope. Or, if I dare admit, after feeling “happy” for the better part of a day or two.However, there are times when I feel so low, that it takes unimaginable effort just to get out bed. These| The Phoenix Spirit
I am Stan Popovich and I struggled with fear and anxiety for over 20 years. During these times, my anxieties and fears were so powerful that I had trouble getting through the week and there were times I felt like giving up. I learned numerous lessons from my struggles, which I will share in this| The Phoenix Spirit
I chose the image of a key as a way to describe accountability, which I see to be an important aspect of recovery — whichever addiction we are dealing with. As we begin this reflection, I would invite you to think about how important keys are in our lives. Keys help us to get around| The Phoenix Spirit
Whether an episode of depression remains manageable or takes any or all of these unhappy routes depend on a set of variables that can be summed up under the term "resilience".| The Phoenix Spirit