Building Strength and Resilience In the Face of Life’s Challenges

Resilient qualities are not only what we’re born with but also the strengths that we build through encountering life’s challenges and developing the personal and interpersonal skills to meet them. It is one of life’s paradoxes that the worst circumstances can bring the best out of us. According to the Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) studies performed by Robert Anda (2006) and his team at Kaiser Permanente’s Health Appraisal Clinic in San Diego, we will all experience four or more serious life stressors that may be traumatizing, and according to positive psychology research, most of us will grow from them. Read More

How God Shows Up in Recovery

By Nancy Minister, Workshop Facilitator, Rio Retreat Center at The Meadows I recently listened to a friend talks about her practice of catching herself when she was “off” — in other words, being short or rude to someone when experiencing some sort of conflict. Read More

The Whole Truth on Whole Grains

For the past few months, I’ve focused on eating real food and getting plenty of color in… Read More

How to Create Your Own Meditation Space at Home

Recharging your body and mind, improving your focus, and boosting clarity are all great reasons to meditate – but what if you could improve on what you’re already doing? Read More

Reality: Who Needs It?

Individuals in recovery generally spend a lot of time avoiding their painful, shameful, or fearful reality. Using chemicals, relationships, busyness, spending, eating, not eating, fantasy, gambling, sex, etc., to escape reality. What Is Your Reality? As a baby, your brain was receptive, and you downloaded and duplicated everything around you. Read More

What’s Driving Your New Year’s Resolutions?

“This year I will…” These are familiar words uttered by millions at this time of year. January 1st is seen as a new beginning for a large part of the population regardless if you share these goals on social media platforms, or keep them to yourself. All you have to… Read More

Strengths and Weaknesses as a Spiritual Role in Recovery

By: Nancy Greenlee, LPC, The Meadows Therapist Once a month, the Workshop team is treated to a consultation from Pia Mellody, the creator of the Survivors workshop treatment model. She makes herself available, both to consult on clinical cases, answer and process questions, and to inspire us with her… Read More

Why Chris Cornell’s Death is So Devastating to People in Recovery

When grunge rock—a term that those who played “grunge rock” hated—arrived on our radios in the mid-90s, it felt to many fans like music had finally gotten “real” again. The Big Pop of the 80s seemed to repeatedly emphasize style over substance and sales over artistry. So, when songs by… Read More

Love Addiction: Myth vs. Reality

By Caroline Becker, LISAC, LACTherapist, The Meadows Outpatient Center What is Love Addiction? Pia Mellody defines love addiction as: “A condition in which individuals…are attracted to somebody who will neglect the relationship.” This creates a co-dependent love dance that is unhealthy, frustrating, and debilitating to the love addict, yet they remain entrenched in a fantasy of what was or might be. Read More

The Gifts of Emotional Acceptance

By Brenna Gonzales, MS, LPC, Therapist at Rio Retreat Center at The Meadows  In our culture, we’re taught that certain feelings are off-limits. There’s a general sense that if you’re not happy most of the time, you’re doing life wrong. We experience emotions for a distinct reason. They are a… Read More