The Coleman Institute Blog

“No one made me come to treatment – That’s good, right?” – I hear this all the time. Patients who come to us for help say this frequently. They are convinced that because they are coming for help voluntarily, it will make them more likely to stay clean and sober for the long term. I usually say to them – somewhat jokingly, “Well, good for you … but that won’t help you at all. . . unless you also do the necessary work to stay in recovery.”

If you are daring to stop using drugs or alcohol, you are daring to believe there is something better out there for you.

It is a huge leap of faith to give up something that has so consistently given what you’ve asked of it: ease of mind, release of tension, the illusion of no responsibilities, justification to escape from the troubles the world has unjustly stowed upon you. . .

I received a rather desperate call from a patient who’d recently completed an Accelerated Opiate Detox with us at The Coleman Institute. Jean*is the mother of three young children. Prior to completing her detox, she had been taking opioids for several years; originally starting when she was prescribed Hydrocodone for tooth pain.

As we hear frequently from our clients, her use went from being somewhat sporadic to more frequent, until one day she realized her low energy, sweats, irritability and upset stomach had everything to do with the fact she was out of the drug.

I've spent some time recently listening to interviews with Dr. Rick Hanson, a neuro-psychiatrist. Based on his and others research, he teaches very specific strategies that have been shown to affect the human brain in positive ways.

Like many species, we are more biased toward paying attention to the negative rather than the positive. As Dr. Hanson puts it, our thoughts about negative experiences are like Velcro, our thoughts about positive experiences are like Teflon.

I am a fan of Fr. Richard Rohr, a Franciscan priest in New Mexico. He's a little controversial in some more conservative Catholic circles, and perhaps that's why I like him. Last week one of his daily Lenten readings discussed the idea that creation is a continuous "water-wheel" of the Trinity emptying itself, pouring into, receiving, and emptying again.

He says, "It's no good telling people to let go if they can't be assured they will be re-filled. . . I can let go because I trust I will always be filled up again. That's the pattern of reality."