The Parable of the Sweet Potatoes

September 26th, 2015 was a very long and emotional day. My Dad finally rested with Mom. Together once again Dad, just like you wanted.

I told a story at the cemetery on that Saturday, that I call “The Parable of the Sweet Potatoes”. It was hard to get through that story, but, with many pauses in between, I got through it. I share it with you now, as a testament to how stories can positively affect, and change us.

When I was 12 years old, in 1964, my parents bought a house in Hialeah, Florida. $11,000. Yes. You read that correctly. A 3 bedroom 1 bath, newly constructed starter home. $325 down, $68 per month. Unbelievable, huh? I grew up in that house. Dad still lived there 50 years later.

The front yard was “sodded” with little clumps of St. Augustine. The back yard was just white sand. Soon after we moved in, the back yard was a mass of crabgrass and weeds. Green, but very, very weedy.

One day, Dad calls me out to the back yard and hands me a long pole with a metal blade-looking thing on the end. I asked, “what’s this?” and he said “a hoe”. “What is this for?”, I asked. My blistered hands soon found this to be to an extremely dumb question to ask. Live and learn!

Dad proceeded to explain what my goals would be. I was to remove a rather large section of the weeds growing in the back yard. This was called, “preparing”. Once I “prepared” the ground, we would spread rich black dirt. Then, we would plant sweet potatoes. Then, we would fertilize, and water, and weed periodically (like daily!). The “we”, obviously, was my brother and I. “Follow these steps, and wait to see what happens”, Dad said.

• Prepare
• Sow (plant)
• Fertilize
• Water
• Weed
• Reap

This, my Dad explained, was how the whole process worked. You could not reap until you sowed, and then in-between, completed all the remaining steps. After the sun, rain (or good old Hialeah well water!) and God, we would see the “magic”.

My father was essentially, a formally uneducated man, having only gotten through the 6th grade. But he was extremely intelligent, with a huge amount of common sense and worldly wherewithal. Despite his lack of a formal education, he became the production floor supervisor for a very large shoe manufacturer. He was operationally sound, and a born leader. He could spot issues in a flash, and was quick and decisive with solutions. And people naturally followed him.

I did not know this at that time, as I looked down at my blistered and aching hands, but he had just taught me one of the most valuable life lessons one could ever learn. The law of the farm. He may not have realized the informal education he was imparting to me, but nonetheless he must have instinctively known that I needed to learn that you prepare, plant, fertilize, water, weed, and let God do the rest. Only then could you reap what you had sown.

In the end, we ate sweet potatoes for months! And boy were they big, and did they taste good, no matter how Mom chose to prepare them. We enjoyed them, blistered hands and all.

This is the Parable of the Sweet Potatoes. Old Salty was one smart and loving man.

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Approaches to Addictive Disorders: Does One Size Fit All?

In the world of psychiatry, as in the field of science, validity and acceptance of theories and ideas are evidence-based. However, evaluating results in mental health and substance abuse cases is an arduous and often inconclusive task. What, then, defines the right approach to treating patients suffering from addictive disorders? Is there really a single approach that can provide resolute results?

Renowned psychiatrist and conceiver of the self-medication hypothesis of addiction, Edward J. Khantzian writes for The Fix on how different approaches are required in treating addictive disorders.

Second Thoughts About Addiction

A seminal figure in understanding and treating substance misuse reflects on his legacy.

Source: Shutterstock

Edward Khantzian, MD is one of the most significant figures in the history of addiction treatment, having put forward, in 1974, the “self-medication hypothesis” of addiction, which asserted that substance use is best construed as effort to relieve an inner psychological struggle or discomfort. It also maintains that the choice of substance that comes to be relied on is therefore extremely relevant to developing treatment strategies. The self-medication model has had an enormous impact on our understanding of the etiology and treatment of addiction. Now, over 40 years later, and in a period in which a “disturbed brain mechanism” of addiction is perhaps dominant, Dr. Khantzian reflects on our current view of addiction, and his own.—Richard Juman.

It has been awhile since I treated intravenous, opiate-using patients. But there was a time when they were the group with whom I worked predominantly and where I began to develop my ideas about what makes dependency on addictive substances so powerful and compelling. See full post here

For more information on addictive disorders and different methods of treatment, visit Recovery Coach Training.

Daily Actions that Enhance Your Coaching Practice

In this International Coach Federation (ICF) Blog article, Suzanne Muusers, a Financial Advisor Coach and Business Plan Consultant shares some key daily actions that keep your coaching practice productive and thriving.

April 7, 2016: Spend 10 Minutes a Day on these 5 Actions for Your Coaching Practice.

Do you start your working day wondering what you should be doing? Are you wandering aimlessly through your work life? If you want to work on your coaching practice in a productive manner, then this article is for you.

When I first started my coaching business, I was at a loss for how I should be spending my days. I asked myself, “What should I be doing today to grow my coaching business?”

Being no stranger to owning a business, I used my previous experience to guide me in becoming a productive coaching business owner by thinking about what I’d done in the past to make sure I was on track with my business goals. I wanted a process that wouldn’t take much time but with actions that would be meaningful.

Here are five things you can do daily in less than 10 minutes that will keep you moving forward in your coaching practice. Read more

Effective Professional Recovery Coaches support people to change their behaviors BEFORE treatment. And AFTER treatment, Professional Coaches help people to maximize their recovery process.

Expand your career options. Explore adding Professional Recovery Coach Credentials here: http://ift.tt/1AwZyYw

 

Doctor-Patient Rapport: How Lenient Should It Be?

What happens when a doctor realizes that their patient is recovering for the wrong reasons? What happens when a doctor cannot identify symptoms of a patient’s relapse? Where do the responsibilities of the physician end?

In this article, Dr. Anna Lembke provides insight into the machinations of an opioid addict’s mind and her own.

Pro-Voices—Inside the Mind of An Addiction Medicine Physician

Dr. Anna Lembke caused quite a stir in 2012 when her perspective piece Why Doctors Prescribe Opioids to Known Opioid Users was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. In it, she delivered a no-holds-barred accounting of the reasons why patients with histories of addiction receive opioid pain medication from physicians. Here she helps us see behind closed doors in the clinical practice of addiction medicine, as she grapples with a variety of forces that factor in to her decision-making in providing care to a well-known patient.

Source: Shutterstock

As I scanned the schedule of patients I would be seeing that day, my eyes hovered on my 10 am visit – Sophie. I felt a warm glow as I anticipated meeting with her. I’d been seeing her for more than 2 years, and I liked to think that my initial involvement in her care propelled her into recovery. She’d been addicted to prescription stimulants, opioids, and benzodiazepines when she first came through my clinic, telling herself and anyone else who would listen that her use was legitimized by her ADHD, lower back pain, and anxiety. See full post here

For more information, visit Recovery Coach Training.

Hypnosis: A Cure for Addiction?

Hypnotherapy has long held stature as an effective treatment method for various disorders, and finds its proponents among many medical professionals and recovery coaches. How effective is it in treating addictive disorders?

Wendi Friesen writes for The Fix in advocacy of employing hypnosis as a recognized treatment method for addiction and related disorders.

Is Hypnosis the Cure for Addiction?

Source: The Fix

Hypnosis has a long track record of effective application in health care settings as well as a long history of use for entertainment purposes. The mixed reputation should not get in the way of objectively investigating its efficacy as a treatment for addictive disorders. Certified hypnotherapist Wendi Friesen argues that hypnotherapy deserves a place in the treatment of addictive disorders….Richard Juman.
See full post here.

 

Visit Recovery Coach Training for more information on substance abuse disorders and treatment methods – standard as well as unconventional.

Mental Health and Substance Abuse: Working In Tandem?

The recovery of an addiction patient is hampered when their other problems are not taken into consideration. Substance abuse patients often suffer from mental health disorders, and it’s important to treat both afflictions concurrently.

In this article from The Fix, Dr. Robert M. Lichtman talks about how mental disorders and substance addiction co-exist in most patients, and describes 12 points that every clinician needs to know in order to treat addiction and mental health patients.

Dealing With a Dual Diagnosis

Many addicts and alcoholics also suffer from mental health problems. Here are 12 suggestions to guide a treatment strategy.

Source: The fix

 

People who suffer from both mental health and substance use disorders present the clinician with a unique set of challenges. Only in recent decades have we begun to accurately identify and effectively treat such co-occurring conditions. But after a slow start, progress is finally being made. See full post

Recovery Coach Training puts great emphasis on treating all patient disorders concurrently and effectively. For more information, visit Recovery Coach Training.

3 Ways to Avoid a Frenetic Frenzy

I define a Frenetic Frenzy as that state of mind you get yourself into, when things are not going exactly the way you want. You are distraught, you despair, your mind goes around and around, and, before you now it, you have driven yourself into a Frenetic Frenzy.

It is important to address this state of mind quickly. I find I am considerably ineffective if I try to sort through an issue, make decisions, or resolve problems when I have been overtaken by a Frenetic Frenzy. Its important to change your frame of mind, and get your Frenzy under control.

Here are the 3 things I do when I have gotten myself into a Frenetic Frenzy.

1. Take a very large step back – Immediately, when I find myself in a Frenetic Frenzy, I get away from the situation, shift my focus, and switch to doing something completely different. Sometimes, this involves putting on the television, writing, listening to music, or tackling a household chore. The more different the alternative activity, the better it is for fighting off the Frenetic Frenzy. Taking your mind completely off the issue that caused the Frenzy is one of the keys. The other is to do something that will provide a positive outcome, and have you feeling a sense of accomplishment and effectiveness.
2. Re-examine the issue objectively – After you take that step back, and some time has elapsed, giving your mind the opportunity to clear, sit down and ask yourself the following questions:
   1. What is the true impact of the issue?
   2. How important is it to address the issue right away?
   3. What are the potential solutions?
      • List the pros and cons of each
      • Rank the solutions in the order that they best address the issue
      • Choose the highest value solution
3. Check in with a trusted adviser or mentor, a voice of value. Explain the issue, stay factual, state no opinions and give no solutions. Ask for a reaction, then sit back and listen. After this discussion, you may want to review potential solutions, listing pros and cons, and then rank them as above.

Our lifestyles, circumstances, and the world we live in, quite often drive us into a Frenetic Frenzy. The above tactics are 3 things I have found to be helpful in dealing effectively with life’s Frenzies.

I trust they will be helpful to you as well.

You can read my blog HERE, connect on Twitter HERE, LinkedIn HERE and Facebook HERE.