Happiness in Recovery: One Patient’s Experience

Not every patient we see for follow up after a detox has profound spiritual experiences to share with us. Billy was in last week. He’s 23 and is eight months clean. Grinning like a kid. So happy. “Billy, what are you doing with all your extra money?”...

Access To The Soul

When I was eating lunch recently with my friend Ellie, who volunteers at the Richmond jail teaching meditation and yoga, she mentioned a quote by Dr. Parker Palmer, an educator and activist. He says, “The human soul doesn’t want to be advised or fixed or...

The Lighthouse

A podcast I often recommend to patients is The Bubble Hour (www.thebubblehour.com). On a recent episode the discussion was about relapse. Two women in long -term recovery discuss what it’s like for them when friends relapse. One of them quoted Anne Lamott, who...

Naltrexone Therapy Might Be The Right Choice

I’ve been a nurse practitioner for about 16 years, almost nine of those at The Coleman Institute. When I interviewed with Dr. Coleman, I understood he needed a family nurse practitioner. It was a nice setting–close enough that I could walk or bike if I...

Escaping Pain With Opiates

What would you have to give up if you stopped blaming yourself? I heard this question asked during a podcast by Tara Brach, who teaches topics on meditation. She was making the point that so often the voice that appears and reappears in our head has the tone of...