4 Dirty Little Secrets About the Semaglutide Industry

1. a total stranger one black day knocked living the hell out of me - ™ who found forgiveness hard because my (as it happened) self he was - but now that friend and I are such immortal friends the other's each e.e. cummings Perls, the founder of Gestalt Therapy, writes that addiction treatment phases must embrace all aspects of life for the individual to become who he wants to be and "no cure can have lasting effect or be more than a suppression of impulses unless the alcoholic ('adult' suckling) progresses to the stage of biting and chewing" the unassimilated life experiences. To this end, I have developed an MPTP approach for the treatment of addictions that is phasic, overlapping, and gender neutral. It is I/Thou relationship based, non-judgmental and stresses empowerment to transform one's life in the desired direction. This treatment model initiates and honors awareness of "what is" in the personal, familial, and social realm. Abstinence of addictive-type behaviors is not dictated as they are considered attempts at maintaining contact with self/other/substance and as such are meaningful expressions of self-assertion. Rather, this approach exemplifies respect for the integrity of the individual and voluntary adherence to the treatment process and as such facilitates an emerging awareness of personal participation in creating destructive habits and self-defeating lifestyles and necessary emotional motivation to change. (Beisser (1970) writes that "change occurs when one becomes what he is, not when he tries to be what he is not"- the Gestalt paradoxical theory of change. Freud recognized that the creation of defenses leading to the compulsion to repeat behaviors is an attempt to gain organismic equilibrium. When the "Self" cannot function and develop optimally, this fluid transformation of energy in the service of the individual is called a creative adjustment in Gestalt therapy, and emerges organically from the experience. Its continuation depends on environmental support and may eventually become rigidified, a habit, possibly leading into addictions. Freud called this organismic state "Seelenkrankheit", literally translated, "soul sickness". Adler, Horney later interpreted this concept "Seelenkrankheit" as an individual's need to manipulate the environment to gain an illusion of control over others to maintain personal integrity and a sense of "Self" in the struggle for survival. In this spirit, addiction becomes the means in the search for a "Self". I have suggested that many substance overusers suffer from stunted emotional development resulting from early deprivation, neglect and other traumas. Equally often, developmental stuckness occurs at a very early age accounting for unhelpful attitudes and behaviors so prevalent in addicted adolescents and adults. Whatever the reason, they have intimate knowledge, possibly unaware, of an existence filled with pain, rage, and an inability to self-care healthily. Drug taking becomes a welcome avenue to numb pain or bring about a sense of aliveness. Thus addictive practices provide an illusion of being in control of one's life and managing chaos while actively participating in the creation of more chaos. I often hear statements such as "If only... I could have one more binge, a better job, and a more understanding wife... then.... Or...when I have a certain income, when my back feels better, when I kill myself... then... in spite of their experiences to the contrary and the reality that these wished-for conditions are a lie.

2. The coach/therapist relationship has particular significance when in the presence of an addicted person struggling in the search to find his way. (For ease of writing I shall use the pronoun "he" throughout; women are of course very much included.) Not only will the client feel like "one of them", the addict, against "us (me, Clinician)"- the I/it phenomenon, a perception many learned during previous treatment attempts, but he also feels dread given the hint of a possibility of a longed-for relationship with a caring other. This is frightening at best and a daunting commitment for both clinician/client. However, from the perspective of the MPTP with its sub-theme of "Addiction: In Search for Iv Therapy near me a Self" the coach/therapist brings into the therapeutic encounter an attitude of I/Thou allowing for meeting the client without judgment of where and how he is and without pretense of having superior knowledge and the ability to "fix" him. This being "with" is not a technique, a method to be practiced on...but rather it emanates from authentic caring and a conviction of the worth and sanctity of each individual struggling in the process of finding his unique self. My encounter with S. exemplifies the awesome power inherent in this self-less therapeutic approach: An Employee Assistant Program referred S. to me for addiction treatment evaluation. This is his story: He reports that he spent his youth in several foster homes having been abandoned by both his mother and father. He described some of these homes adequate but a third extremely brutal. He was beaten, sexually abused, starved, to keep him in line. Eventually, at the age of 14, he escaped and attempted to make it on his own. He did so with the help of daily, non-stop marijuana smoking. He became a bicycle repairman to earn some money. In addition to smoking pot non-stop, riding his bicycle kept him somewhat sane. My being with him non- judgmentally and interested in his experiences, finding inherent strengths and connections in his story to find purpose in his 15-year substance overuse; not immediately proposing a treatment plan and to expect him to stop use of the illegal substance, so impacted him that he abruptly terminated after three sessions. Years later, I received a bouquet of roses with a long letter, stating among many things, that the three sessions literally saved and changed his life. He stopped, because my warm, positive attitude toward him was more than he could bear even though he always longed for that kind of understanding. Subsequently, he had entered other treatment programs always being keenly aware that something was deeply missing. He wanted to return for "a little" more therapy with me, to which I agreed. We slowly developed a mutually satisfying I/Thou relationship. Initially feeling like an "it" object, with loving therapeutic support and patience, he was eventually able to develop an "I" and a" we-us" and begin genuine healing. A year into the therapy, he disappeared again as quickly as he reappeared. This is his process and can be none other. Multi-Phasic Transformation Awareness Statement. (MPTASó) The MPTAS are elaborations on the awareness and growth continuum in an individual's transformation process from pre-addicted existence, to an eventually confluent relationship with suffering and addictive life style to a lively existence with "Self" and others and the world. Therapy, a microcosmic laboratory for learning, raises individuals' awareness to the "what" and the "how" of their process in their search for meaning and in finding the " Self". The awareness statements are summary statements of accomplished growth as it emerges organically out of the coaching/therapeutic process. I believe organically, because progression toward a healthier life style in relationship with others proceeds sequentially. Developmental lags are mediated and self-care/being cared-for eases early deprivation. This is always a uniquely individual process not a recipe-type prescription for health. Every individual requires different attention in differing degrees, at different times. That is the reason for the general tenor, even vagueness of the awareness statements/ summary statements. As such, they allow for the greatest variability in expressing individuals' unique needs, wants and achievements.

3. I have been asked what the purpose of the statements is and what they add to the process. My immediate answer is "a lot", addicted individuals truly enjoy working in this format because within it, they can envision and experience their own life process for change. I am always amazed with what ease and absence of shame and guilt clients are able to point out where their awareness necessitates deepening. The choice to and how to continue is always with the client even though, most are learning for the first time the complexities inherent in the process of choosing). Certain MPTAS may require more time and effort; others can be accomplished with relative ease. There is also significant overlap. Coaching/therapy must begin where the client experiences earliest disruption in the client's healthy development occurs. It is not a coach/therapist's responsibility to get the person to where they want to be in life, but to be available in every possibly way to support his unfolding. This is in essence what Laura Perls' basic belief expresses: "provide only enough support to enable the client to help himself". If you would like more information on the Multi-Phasic Transformation Process™, check out my ebook, Multi- Phasic Transformation Process. We all set goals through various means but how many of us really follow through on our goals and achieve them? Are our goals specific enough or loosely created based on our future plans? Many of us truly want to be successful in our endeavors; however, we fail to set the "right" goals which prevents us from moving forward. Setting goals involves many diverse factors yet for the sake of this article I will focus on setting goals using solution focused strategies. These strategies stem from a type of counseling called Solution Focused Brief Therapy, a popular approach used by many counselors (particularly school counselors). According to Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg (developers of solution-focused therapy), the basis of this approach is to focus on people's strengths, resources and solutions to help bring about change. Shifting away from problems and toward solutions through goal setting is what promotes healthy change. Creating goals based on a solution focused approach is oriented toward the present and future. The number one most important aspect about setting goals is that they need to be owned by you. Setting your own goals or co-creating goals with a coach will help you to take ownership resulting in more tangible outcomes. There are many creative ways to set goals, however, the following list of goal setting characteristics will help you create specific, achievable, action-oriented goals based on a solution focused approach. Positive

4. Positive goals in contrast of negative goals are creating goals with the presence of a behavior or start of something. Having positive goals allows you to observe and measure your actions. Specific positive objectives help provide details for when you are moving in the right direction which ultimately allows you to create solutions. Setting positive goals will help give you more positive results! Concrete Creating concrete and specific goals will provide you the opportunity to evaluate your progress and monitor whether you are on track for achieving your goals. Make sure you goals are not loosely defined but rather measurable with specific outcomes. For example: "Apply to five job openings a day." Write down your goals and post them so you can view them every day. Behavioral When setting behavioral goals it is important to think about the type of behavior/tasks you would like to incorporate into your goals. For example, if you have a goal to spend more quality time with your kids you may ask yourself questions such as: *What types of things would I be doing that would tell me I was spending quality time with my children? *What would my kids say I was doing that would show them I was spending quality time with them? By asking yourself these questions it will help paint a visual picture of your goals and what they look like to you and your significant others. Reduced to Small Steps Create goals that can be reduced to small steps. According to solution focused theory only small change is necessary because change, no matter how small, creates the context for further change. Creating smaller goals allows you to manage your goals better and make them obtainable. It also allows you to recognize the smaller changes you are making which gives you more power to make bigger changes and achieve your goals! Set Short and Long Term Goals Setting long term goals is meaningful and probably the most important to us when setting goals. However, the problem with only setting long term goals is that they are set so far in the future that many of us would find it difficult to focus on or achieve without a short-term plan. So it is necessary to set both long and short term goals. For example, a long term goal could be: "complete my MBA within four years." An example of a short term goal could be: "send in 5 MBA applications by the deadline May 15th." Your short-term goals can be set for a few days, weeks or even a few months. Make sure your goals are time bound and can be achieved in the near future. Hypothetical Goal Statements If you have a hard time setting goals, it may be helpful to think about what you want in your future. You may need to picture yourself six months out or five years from now. Setting desired behaviors will help you to see what is possible. For example, "I would like to learn how to create a search engine friendly webpage to generate more traffic for my business." Miracle Question I cannot discuss solution focused strategies without mentioning the famous miracle question. Discovered by

5. deShazer (1990), the miracle question is used to help you develop well-defined, achievable and realistic goals. Below is the miracle question. You will want to write down your responses to the miracle question to help generate ideas for setting your goals. "Suppose you went to sleep tonight, a miracle occurs, and because you were sleeping you don't know it happens. The miracle solves the problem that brought you here. When you wake up in the morning, what clues will you see that lead you to discover that this miracle has taken place? What will you notice that you will be doing differently?" Using the miracle question helps provide glimpses into solutions that may have not been present before. Keep in mind to be specific in your response and that your goals should include a presence of something or start of something (positive goals). As a result well-defined goals can be created. Keep in mind to think about your successes and focus on what is going right because you are your own resource for setting successful goals and achieving them. Remember that setting positive, specific, achievable goals requires reflection and committed action!