NIMBYism, the idea that certain development projects are okay, but Not In My BackYard, is discrimination with a prettier hat on. NIMBYs don’t come right out and say the actual reasons for their opposition; instead, they offer other reasons, perhaps to reduce their own cognitive dissonance because they don’t want to think of themselves as …
The Mindfulness Workbook for Addiction, 2nd ed., by Rebecca E. Williams and Julie S. Kraft uses mindfulness strategies to help readers explore the losses and avoidance of feelings that have contributed to addictions. It draws on a variety of concepts from acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT). …
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I’m Reading This Book About Porn Addiction for a Friend is Joshua Shea’s fourth book about pornography addiction. He writes, “I’m creating this guide because spending time on TikTok and other social media has made me realize how many people, especially young Americans and people in countries where any sex talk is taboo, don’t have …
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Last year I wrote about a police wellness check gone wrong, in which a young woman was dragged half-naked in handcuffs through her building by a police officer. While the woman was apprehended under the Mental Health Act, a story about the matter in the Kelowna Daily Courier used the word “arrested” multiple times, including …
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Bottled Memories by David Ritter is a short book (40 pages) of poetry capturing both active addiction and the process of recovery. While the poems relate to his own experiences, there are themes many others will relate to, including the lure of “one more,” “praying to the porcelain throne,” and doing the walk of shame. …
In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts by Dr. Gabor Maté offers powerful insights into the vulnerable, human side of addiction. It draws on his encounters with patients while working as a staff physician at the Portland Hotel, an ultra-low-barrier supported housing building in Vancouver’s downtown eastside, Canada’s poorest postal code. Ultra-low barrier housing like this …
In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week’s term is addictive personality. The concept of an addictive personality, although often referred to in pop psychology, is actually less of a thing than you might think. For there to be an addictive personality, that would suggest that there …
Porn and the Pandemic is written by Joshua Shea, a pornography addiction educator and advocate and an addict in recovery. It’s part of a series of short books by publisher MSI Press covering the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This book was written in less than 3 weeks in May 2020 to capture the impact …
My Bipolar Mind: Surviving the Chaos is by Samantha Steiner, who you may know from her blog My Bipolar Mind. This is her second book, and both are memoirs in the form of compiled blog posts. This book is based on 2018, and is laid out in chronological order. The book covers Samantha’s struggles with …
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The wounded healer interview series features people who’ve dealt with significant mental health challenges, and who also work in a helping role to support the mental health of others. This interview is with Wrae Sanders of One Blog, One Day at a Time. 1) Tell us a bit about you, the helping field you’re in, …
