Category: Mental Health

Ask the Expert: Dr. Derrick Stowell and Horticultural Therapy

We feature an expert in the mental health and substance use disorder field to answer questions. This issue we talk to Dr. Derrick Stowell of University of Tennessee Gardens about horticultural therapy and it’s benefits for those with substance use disorder, mental health issues and traumatic brain injuries. Q: How would you describe the people-plant relationship? …

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What to Do When the Sky is Falling

Oh no! The sky is falling! Oh no! The sky is falling! — Chicken Little to the Little Red Hen So what happens to Chicken Little? He and his pal, the Little Red Hen, decide to fetch their friends—Henny Penny, Cocky Locky and Goosey Loosey—and go tell the King that the sky is falling. Along …

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Taking Care of Yourself: Start With the Obvious

Why do some people adapt easily to change while others become bogged down, overwhelmed and depressed? In the midst of difficult experiences, why do some people adopt an attitude of optimism and hope, while others become trapped in cycles of negative thinking? The adaptable folks are demonstrating resilience, or the ability to readily recover from …

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The Dead Among Us

I’ll never forget the day my friend Martin told me he just got diagnosed with cancer. As I sat sad and stupefied across from him over coffee I silently mused over the possibility that this charming old wise man may leave us way too soon. His erudition and idiosyncratic views of life are legendary. He …

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When Someone You Know Is Living the Me-Me Life

He who falls in love with himself will have no rivals. — Benjamin Franklin Please pardon me for talking about a very grim topic—the epidemic of narcissism in our culture. I’m doing this to give hope, validation and power to the partners of self-centered people and for all of us to work on this major …

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Ask the Expert: Dr. Lynsey Miron of Rogers Behavioral Health

We feature an expert in the mental health and substance use disorder field to answer questions. This issue we talk to Dr. Lynsey Miron of Rogers Behavioral Health about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and how it relates to substance abuse disorders. Q: What is OCD? Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by obsessions, compulsions, or both, that …

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Substance Use Disorder and Trauma

As a woman in long-term recovery and a regular contributor to The Phoenix Spirit, I have written about my experience finding sobriety, struggling with and addressing cross-addiction, and being a part of a 12-step program. What I have not yet shared is that I am a trauma survivor, and how addressing my trauma has been …

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