Freedom from the bondage of self opens the door to all possibilities…

ADDICTION COUNSELOR IN PORTLAND OR

In my many years working with the addictive personality, I have come to love and understand the complexity of what it is to be an addict. I do not see anything as black and white, so when we can not let something go that has become excessive and obsessive, it is imperative to dig deeper and understand.

Like with any other thing we struggle with, there is a spectrum. Addiction is multifaceted – sometimes it is deceptively more acceptable while at other times it becomes an obvious destructive, downward spiral. Although, too plentiful to list, addictions in many forms run rampant in our society. We have all become accustomed to distracting ourselves to not deal or masking another illness by self medicating.

If you are going to be a part of life, why not be ALIVE and CONNECTED?

Deep down, I believe we want to experience a sense of freedom and to really be here. Why choose life if we are not really a part of it? If you are going to be a part of life, why not be ALIVE and CONNECTED? Self medicating or escaping are temporary and never address the underlying feelings and thoughts. Inevitably, you will still be left with yourself and having to work harder at avoiding what you have to face. Wouldn’t it be a great relief to feel like enough and respect how you live your life?

Breaking any habit that no longer serves you is something that takes consistency, time and practice. This is what we know of making new pathways in the brain. In order to break the habit, we must make new neural connections and create new memories and attachments in our brain. Although Joe Dispenza was not writing about addiction, I believe his book title and teaching addresses it well, Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One. My clients laugh at me when I say this and usually they respond, ”Yes, wouldn’t that be great. I would love to lose my mind and get a new one!”

So, on your journey to do it differently, get the help you need – you can’t do it alone.  Addiction can be very isolating and deceptive.