We met off and on for the first year of his recovery.  The second year, it has been ever week. And now the 23 year old single Dad is excited. He is learning about his brain and how to do his own thinking without the drugs he relied on for years, or without the panic attacks that scrambled his mind.

After conquering the fear of thinking about getting a job, he started applying. Last fall he got a job, which was working at a hobby supply store during the seasonal crunch, with seven million people in the store, all looking at him. He had learned that his amygdala could send false messages of danger, and he could in fact think through the very tense situations (many people and multiple bosses!).  He gained access to his frontal lobe planning system, even when confronted with hundreds of boxes before the store opened. That might require pulling in one of those bosses, but without anxiety or fear! He does it.

“I’ve learned a totally different way of thinking that is healthy and helps me gain my best state of mind through pictures and acceptance.”

“It has helped me tremendously to not get overwhelmed when at work or taking care of my daughter, and has been a huge part of my recovery and me staying clean and sober on a day to day basis.”

Bravo to him!

If you are in recovery, or a parent of someone in recovery, come to counseling sessions, classes or support groups to learn about your brain’s trained responses.  And learn how you can retrain your brain!Posted in acceptance, amygdala, anxiety, brain, Brain Training, Counseling, danger, fear, frontal lobes, frustration, overwhelmed, panic attack, tension , acdeptance, amygdala, anxiety, brain, counseling, fear, frontal lobes, tension|No Comments »