The Rocky Road To Dublin

The Road To Recovery Can Be Rocky

When a relapse occurs, after months of addiction healing, the shock can be greater than expected.

There is no way to really prepare for something you cannot see coming. After, you can see it clearly. Marshall Mcluhan called that the “rearview mirror” approach to life. But detect this and prevent it in advance, well that is recovery functioning at another level all together. “The point of view is the probe”, or the frame by which we explore the universe of the unknown. How we proceed determines what we see or experience.

Everything we do everyday could be our last offering.                                  Oak Tree Road is here!

There is no guarantee that we will see tomorrow. The now of today is really where we live and it is all we are responsible to. Yes we make plans and develop strategies. These are prudent things to put in place. But our emotional investment is not in the outcome so much as the process of living a good life, free of the need to medicate to survive.

Judge not those who need these tools.

We have been there, in those shoes. We don’t really know the pain our sister carries deep in her childhood heart. Our brothers may feel shame and when drunk act out in hurtful ways. We can assume nothing. We learn to accept others as they are when we know how to accept ourselves as we are constituted, then we can get busy and change the things we can.

The Yaqui Elder says, “The difference between a warrior and an ordinary person is that when faced with a setback a warrior sees it as a challenge whereas, an ordinary person sees it as a blessing or curse.”

From this frame or perspective nothing can defeat you, because, no matter how it plays out you see it as part of your journey, an essential ingredient in Creation’s Plan for you and your development. Now you are ready to accept what is real, put the fantasies aside and move forward from there. Action becomes progress, prayer becomes meditation.

On your Yoga mat you find yourself in tune with the harmonic of the universe, love itself.

“Love begins at home,” the Irish Grandmothers would always remind the children. Thank You Creation for Grandmothers.

Now get out to a meeting, keeping the mind at ease and the heart healing everyday.

You are a loving kind person and you deserve to be free, today! Hey! Hey!……….Prof. Kelly

Why Do I Feel So Bad When Things Go Wrong?

Pain is My Teacher Now!

Friends in Recovery Land along the River of Life.

The question so many have asked of late is, “Why do I feel so alone and broken when things don’t go my way? It often seems like everything is going against me and I have no-one to really cover my back. I have been abandoned by love.”

“I feel in danger of relapse.” “I’ve got ‘the fuck-its’.”

I have heard and felt this deep response many times and consider it part of the transformation from medicating pain to accepting it and following it’s directives. Pain is now my teacher. My recovery has begun to get real.

The process of sliding from having a reasonable expectation that something good will happen in my life to demanding reality deliver such an outcome is largely unconscious. We are often not aware we are doing that until our expectation is not met and our world crumbles in despair and frustration.

“I’ll never get a break.” the lonely woman cries to her faithful dog.

Yes you will.

A skillful way to reframe the day would go perhaps something like this:

1. Begin be accepting what is real and now build a strategic plan to achieve your goals over time.

2. If something works we keep it. If it does not work we store it away for future reference.

3. We do not get stuck on outcomes because our whole emotional investment is in the sacred process of self-discovery.

4. Outcomes are nice and we celebrate when they appear in our favour but our identity is not dependent on them.

5. We are more focussed upon who we are rather than, what we can do.

6. Making this shift is an exciting way to proceed. Now, no matter what happens it, after a little ajustement period, guides us to our next area of focus and we turn our healing intention to that, happy that we have identified an onboard teacher who has our best interests at heart.

7. Nothing can bring us down for long and we bounce right back into the hopeful response of a brand new day to make spiritual, emotional, mental and physical progress.

8. So we soon begin to see that what appeared to be resistance to us was really directional guidelines for us.

I bow to your courage and determination kind heart as you journey into the light of your own recovery. Hey! hey!

Prof. Kelly 613-832-1296

Why Am I Afraid Of Change?

Fellow Travellers and Homies of The First Order

Today we are exploring the fear of change which often lies at the centre of our resistance to recovery. Our relationship to tobacco, alcohol, cocaine, food and many other potential addictions keep us locked in their vise grip by exploiting our fearful minds.  ”What if they don’t like me?” “What if I fail?” “What will I do when I get overwhelmed by doubt and anxiety?”

The answers to these questions are in the doing not the avoiding. No matter how hard it appears to be, it is a lot easier than denial and faking it. Easy to say, harder to do. In the end recovery is about willingness to take a risk and move toward a healing. Being afraid is normal. It does not stop us.

“We became willing to….”

There is no direction here that demands success only that we would have faith in the process of recovery and trust that the Universe will assist when needed. So when your heart knows it is time to heal, commit to this direction, get some help and show up. Everything will work out just fine. You will be healed friend.

Love is all that really matters. Prof. Kelly

TAS – Tobacco Addiction Specialist Certification Manual

COURSE PHILOSOPHY

1. Foundational knowledge of Tobacco Addiction is essential.
2. Basic counseling techniques and strategies are the necessary skills.
3. Effective therapeutic interventions are the tools.
4. The integrated addiction model is the framework for the recovery process.
5. Integration of the knowledge, skills, tools and framework for recovery is essential for preparing the student for counseling the smoker.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

• To develop basic foundational knowledge of tobacco in our culture including: historical evolution, addiction theory and dynamics, the counseling process, and
recovery planning.
• To develop a basic operational knowledge of the key skills, strategies, and therapeutic techniques necessary for effective tobacco addiction counseling.
• To develop a practical working knowledge of the core issues involved in recovery from tobacco addiction, and the counseling methods to effectively address them.
• To develop an awareness of special needs and challenges that many smokers encounter, complete with the tools needed to effectively meet them.
• To develop a wellness program for counselors to prevent burnout and maintain excellent health.

Read More

A Poem By Paddy Ireland

Don’t Ever… Quit

Read More

Dr.Blank Interviews Professor Murray Kelly

An interview on quitting Smoking and the methods used by the Tobacco Healing centre.

Tobacco Recovery Workbook – Open Door Cover

Tobacco Recovery Workbook

New Tools for Survival

Introduction

If you are a smoker, and have ever tried to quit, you fully under-stand that this is not an easy thing to do. For years people have looked at smoking as a bad habit. If this were the case, it would not be so difficult to stop. The truth is that tobacco addiction is complex. Understanding the nature of this addiction is the key to quitting smoking once and for all.

First you need to accept that you are not a bad or weak person because you smoke. Likewise, tobacco is not bad for what it does for you; it is harmful because of what it does to you.

Once you fully understand what smoking does for you, you can begin to develop strategies for replacing the important role that cigarettes play in your life.

By the end of this book you will answer the following question fully: If you are going to say no to cigarettes, what are you going to say yes to?

“I am saying yes to Freedom”

Buy the book and find out how. Prof. Kelly

New Tools For Survival
Recovery Manual for Smokers
A Guide to Building Your Own Recovery

Published by: Ourglass Publishing
© 2008-2012 Murray Kelly • Patient Support International Inc.

Tobacco Recovery Workbook

Tobacco Recovery Workbook

New Tools for Survival

Introduction

If you are a smoker, and have ever tried to quit, you fully under-stand that this is not an easy thing to do. For years people have looked at smoking as a bad habit. If this were the case, it would not be so difficult to stop. The truth is that tobacco addiction is complex. Understanding the nature of this addiction is the key to quitting smoking once and for all.

First you need to accept that you are not a bad or weak person because you smoke. Likewise, tobacco is not bad for what it does for you; it is harmful because of what it does to you.

Once you fully understand what smoking does for you, you can begin to develop strategies for replacing the important role that cigarettes play in your life.

By the end of this book you will answer the following question fully: If you are going to say no to cigarettes, what are you going to say yes to?

“I am saying yes to Freedom”

Buy the book and find out how. Prof. Kelly

New Tools For Survival
Recovery Manual for Smokers
A Guide to Building Your Own Recovery

Published by: Ourglass Publishing
© 2008-2012 Murray Kelly • Patient Support International Inc.

Read More

The Residential Schools Healing Workshops

Sunset, Great Slave Lake, Denendeh (NWT)

The  Healing Journey Report.

“Lord God of All Creation, Help Us Heal Dene Nation”

                           Marie Adele, Dene Elder (Whati)

“Give a man full power over others and he will abuse this trust.” Clan Elders.

The Residential Schools Healing Workshops was funded by Health Canada for the purposes of testing the community response to the Walk of Life deep healing instrument which is both therapeutic device and cultural ceremony.

Community Walk of Life Workshop Structure and Process

Community Preparations, Promotion and Planning

Strategic Plan

The essence of the field test process was to begin with the leadership, the Chiefs and Council of the 30 plus Dene communities and organizations which comprise Dene Nation. To present the proposal of The Healing Journey to them to seek their input and support. This was done in Fort Smith, NWT.

The offering of deep residential school healing in a culturally appropriate manner using the Walk of Life which is both a very special healing tool and easily transferrable to the community by identifying and training community members who have the desire and skills to facilitate family headings within the community.

This is the essence of what Dene Nation in partnership with Patient Support International Inc. has completed. These are the communities visited with a report of findings. They represent the Five Regions of Dene Nation, in the Denendeh. Sahtu, Gwich’in, DehCho, Tlicho and Akaitcho.

One of the most important projects of my life. Prof. Kelly

She Asked Me, “Why Is It So Hard?”

All Together Now!

Life is hard somedays.

“Feels like when you put the tabacco down it gets harder and harder, when we were hoping it would get easier.” she said. It does, but that comes later.

We function attached to our supports built by the challenges before them.

I medicated my way through my youth to cope with things and to belong to a group outside my struggling family. Same as my parents. From the first cigarette I shifted my strategy to tobacco and never developed the skills to regulate.

Stopping smoking is the easy part. Rebuilding our processing skills takes time. This is almost always difficult and can lead to despair.

“Why should I have to put up with this nonsense?”

Within the grace of surrender to something greater than our self, lies the freedom to detach from outcomes and to build our identities on who we are instead of what we can do.

When the time comes to be free it is useful to know that you are fighting for your life and the lives of your children. Failure is not involved.

This is why it gets harder at first and can go on for a while. Eventually it begins to get easier and one day it’s gone.

Until that day arrives shine your heart into the sun and take a chance on love.

Give it a try.

Prof. Kelly

Field Notes: (We Love Ron Sexsmith. The Whole Team. Steve say Hi for us.)