Keith R. Wilson's Blog, page 10

Zero Tolerance or Harm Reduction?

A Reading of The Urge: Our History of Addiction, Part IV My very first client when I began my career as an intern at a VA Medical Center’s Chemical Dependency Unit, confessed to me that he couldn’t stop thinking about having sex with little girls. He explained that heroin was the only thing that helpedContinue reading "Zero Tolerance or Harm Reduction?"

Get Started On the Road to Reconciliation

I have developed a 2 1/2 hour video course that you can watch as many times as you need.

Protected: A Video Course on Reconciliation, Or Personal Peace

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

The After Visit Summary

And my take on Dr Melfi and Tony Soprano The best idea I’ve had about how to conduct psychotherapy, I got from visiting my allergist. Whenever I have tears in my eyes during a session, it might be because of what the client was saying; sometimes I’m deeply moved, but probably my allergies were responsible.Continue reading "The After Visit Summary"

Is Addiction a Disease?

A Reading of The Urge: Our History of Addiction, Part III People have debated whether addiction is a disease for as long as I know and have never settled the matter for me, so that I cannot say for certain whether it is or isn’t. It depends on what you mean by disease. The wordContinue reading "Is Addiction a Disease?"

Shame

Chapter 6a of Meeting the Voices in My Head and Searching for an Inner Adult The other night, I walked into Starbucks, placed an order, and, when I reached for my wallet, discovered I forgot not only my wallet but also my pants. Fortunately, this was only a dream, but I didn’t know it atContinue reading "Shame"

The Origin of “Addiction”

A Reading of The Urge: Our History of Addiction, Part II The first time someone used the word addict in English, he was criticizing the Pope. Since then, the word has been used millions of times about all kinds of people. The meaning has changed. Yet, in a sense, the original meaning remains the same.Continue reading "The Origin of “Addiction”"

Fear at the Grand Canyon

Chapter 5b of Meeting the Voices in My Head and Searching for an Inner Adult It was an ordinary day inside my head. I was relaxed, happy, and had not a care in the world. All the people in my brain were getting along. I couldn’t ask for any better than that. Outside my head,Continue reading "Fear at the Grand Canyon"

The Spectrum of Addiction

A Reading of The Urge: Our History of Addiction, Part I I’d like to devote a few posts to chew over Carl Erik Fisher’s book, The Urge: Our History of Addiction. Fisher is an addiction psychiatrist, bioethicist, and assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University. The book presents the history of the concept ofContinue reading "The Spectrum of Addiction"

The Evolution and Domestication of Feelings

Chapter 5a of Meeting the Voices in My Head and Searching for an Inner Adult I suspect I’m not going to find my Inner Adult in my feelings. There doesn’t seem to be anything adult about them. Good or bad, they are some of the most childish things I’ve got. How can I be soContinue reading "The Evolution and Domestication of Feelings"