For Readers of Addiction and Recovery Books. We Do Promote Recovery Winners & Authors!

October 1, 2016October 2, 2016 Catherine Lyon Author/Writer A Writer's Thoughts, Author News, Posts, Updates and More Memoirs, Poetry, Promotions, Recovery Authors, Recovery Reads, Workbooks

Hello and Welcome Readers,

Here at Lyon Book & Social Media Promotions by Author, Catherine Lyon, we do promote fine recovery authors & books! That is what this post is all about. Now most know that I live my life in recovery almost 10-years from gambling addiction and abuse of alcohol. And I am a pretty loud advocate over on my other WordPress website in the photo below atL Gambling Addiction Is A Real Disease

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And all of my mainstream authors I promote and work for also know that I am a dual-diagnosed person in recovery, meaning I also struggle with mental health issues as well as live in recovery. They support me as I am blessed they also support my mental health struggles and why I have to work from home. WHY? One of my disorders I battle is Agoraphobia. Yes, it is a long word that means I have difficulty getting out my house due to severe attacks of fear. But trust me, I do persevere and have no problem taking good business care of all my fine authors I promote. LOL.

Why am I sharing this? Because many of my visitors and readers may not know about me and I can share that those who have mental illness can be happy and productive people and help SHATTER THE STIGMA around all these of these topics. So, here are just a few talented recovery authors and friends in my life and share their fantastic books!

Now, besides myself as an author and my current book, my good buddy Kevin Coughlin and my friend and exceptional recovery coach and trainer Cali Estes just released a brand new workbook and guide she uses to help train and certify others to become recovery coaches. It is receiving a huge amount 5-star Amazon book reviewers …

“Recovery & Life Coaching – The Official Workbook For Coaches and Their Clients”
By Authors, Rev. Dr. Kevin T. Coughlin Ph.D. and Cali Estes Ph.D.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Recovery Coaching, The Official Workbook has been used successfully by numerous individuals, residential recovery programs, out-patient programs, professional recovery coaches, aftercare professionals, counselors, therapists, probation officers, ministries, recovery retreats, sponsors, sober companions, and family members to help them to get a deeper understanding of the disease of addiction, the solution to the problem, and the program of action that promotes change in the substance abuser. A Support system for family and friends of substance abusers that help to provide clarity, understanding, education, prevention, and awareness.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Rev. Kevin T. Coughlin Ph.D., DCC, DDVA, DLC, DD, NCIP, NCAMP, IMAC.

Reverend Coughlin is a Founder and the Director of New Beginning Ministry, Inc., an evidence-based, twelve-step residential addiction recovery program for adults that is accredited by the A.A.C.T.. Rev. Coughlin has helped thousands of people to change their lives over the past eighteen plus years. He is an Addiction Expert, Author, Blogger/Writer at Addicted Minds and VIP Interventions, Sober Services, Inc., Contentwriters.com, Fromaddictict2advocate.com, Twodropsofink.com, small press, newspapers, magazines, websites, also seen on major media networks of NBC, ABC, CBS. He is a member of The International Association of Professional Writers and Editors. Rev. Coughlin was the Editor in Chief for Joel’s House Publications from 1997 to 2005. He has been a Professional Associate member at Gemini Behavioral Health.

He is a two-time World Champion and nine-time National Champion State & National Record holder Power Lifter, a gentle giant who has championed many in his career. Most call him Rev Kev, they enjoy his lectures and workshops on addiction, recovery, and life. Rev Kev has been very successful with pastoral counseling and recovery coaching with both those addicted and their families. And Award-Winning Poet as well. He has now released three new Poetry Books now on Available in The Amazon Kindle Store!

We Can a Collection of Poetry: A Journey Through Addiction and Recovery (We Can; A Collection of Poetry, A Journey…Books 1-2 & 3

We Can 1,2, & 3: Are Collections of Poetry; A Journey Through Addiction and Recovery is the author’s eighth book. This work is the author’s fourth collection of poetry; his first was Tumbleweeds published by Feather Books in the United Kingdom in 2002. The author’s poetry reflects the struggles of life in addiction, recovery, and his experiences and in the lives of others that he witnessed over the last four decades. His hopes are that his poetry books and other addiction recovery books and manuals will help individuals and family members to get a deeper understanding of the disease of addiction, the solution to the problem, and the program of action that promotes change in the substance abuser. Reverend Dr. Coughlin hopes to provide clarity, understanding, education, prevention, and awareness about addiction and recovery. This book is dedicated to all those who have lost their lives and their families because of addiction, and to the late Rev. Dr. Sebastian Paul Costa who passed on in October of 2015 due to prostate cancer; Paul was one of Kevin’s greatest mentors.

AND? Kevin Coughlin also has several other guides and books like his newest best-selling release that parents are calling a “Guide and Road Map on How to Keep their Children Safe from The Drug Epidemic!” . . . ADDICTIONS: What All Parents Need To Know …
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ABOUT THE BOOK:

Addictions: What All Parents Need to Know to Survive the Drug Epidemic is a must have for individuals, residential recovery programs, out-patient programs, professional recovery coaches, aftercare professionals, counselors, therapists, probation officers, ministries, recovery retreats, sponsors, sober companions, and family members to help them to get a deeper understanding of the disease of addiction, the solution to the problem, and the program of action that promotes change in the substance abuser. A Support system for family and friends of substance abusers that will provide clarity, understanding, education, prevention, and awareness. You can find out more about our Treatment Services at New Beginning at New Beginning Treatment Services
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Our next book is by nationally known Recovery Coach and my Grandfather of Gambling Addiction Recovery Author/Speaker, Arnie Wexler, and his book: “All Bets Are Off: Losers, Liars, and Recovery From Gambling Addiction.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Arnie Wexler’s life as a gambler began on the streets of Brooklyn, New York, flipping cards, shooting marbles, and playing pinball machines. At age fourteen he found the racetrack, a bookie, and started playing the stock market. His obsession with gambling accelerated until a fateful day in 1968 when it all came crashing down.

Wexler’s gripping narrative leads us through the dungeon of a compulsive gambler’s world—chasing the big win and coming up with empty pockets—and how his addiction drove him and his wife, Sheila, to the edge of life. With help, they managed to escape, and together they have devoted themselves to helping others with the problem they know so well.

Arnie Wexler is a Certified Compulsive Gambling Counselor and runs a national hotline for compulsive gamblers. He was the executive director of the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey and the senior vice president of National Council on Problem Gambling. He has appeared on numerous radio and television programs, including 60 Minutes, Nightline, the Today Show, Good Morning America, Inside Edition, 48 Hours, and Crossfire, among others.

Steve Jacobson was a sports reporter and columnist for Newsday for more than forty years with a great interest in all aspects of sports. He co-authored a number of books with notable sports personalities. He was named by Associated Press among the top sports columnists and twice was nominated by Newsday for the Pulitzer Prize.

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Another fine recovery writer and Author, Amber Tozer and her new release: Sober Stick Figure: A Memoir now Available on Amazon. I just finished this one and what a RIDE!!

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

Sober Stick Figure is a memoir from stand-up comedian Amber Tozer, chronicling her life as an alcoholic and her eventual recovery— starting with her first drink at the age of seven—all told with the help of childlike stick figures. Amber writes and illustrates the crazy and harsh truths of being raised by alcoholics, becoming one herself, stagnating in denial for years, and finally getting sober.

As a teenager, Amber is an overachieving student-athlete who copes with her family’s alcoholic tragedies by focusing on her achievements. It quickly takes a funny and dark turn when she starts to experiment with booze and ignores the warning signs of alcoholism. Through blackouts, cringe-worthy embarrassments, and pounding hangovers, she convinces herself that she “just likes to party.” She leaves her hometown of Pueblo, Colorado to follow her dreams, and ends up in New York City, spending lots of time binge drinking, passing out on trains, and telling jokes on stage.

She then moves to Los Angeles, thinking some sunshine and show business will save her. Eventually hitting rock bottom, she has a moment of clarity and knows she has to stop drinking. It’s now been seven years since that last drink, and she’s ready to tell her story. Sober Stick Figure is adventurous, hilarious, sad, sweet, tragic—and ultimately inspiring.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Amber Tozer has written for the Cartoon Network’s animated sketch series MAD and Adult Swim’s Moral Orel. Her tweets have been featured by Ellen, Huffington Post, Playboy, and Mandatory. She co-created #nitTWITS, a Twitter-based web series that features writers and performers from SNL, Modern Family, The Office and Conan. She has appeared on Last Comic Standing, performs stand-up comedy across the US, and has written about sobriety for The Fix.com, After Party, and Thought Catalog. She lives in Los Angeles. Follow Amber on Twitter @AmberTozer.

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Our last fantastic new book and recovery podcaster is by Author, Roger Stark, and his Reclaiming Your Addicted Brain: A Recovery GPS: How to find your path to Recovery and not get lost along the way . . . . with Irwin Morse.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

The tool of self-destruction so effectively wielded by the addict is his own mind. The addict takes a perfectly good brain and, by relying on thinking errors, rationalization, justification, and every form of denial known to man, creates an addict where a person used to be.

“Reclaiming Your Addicted Brain” reviews the return journey from addict land, the learning of how to leave our thinking errors behind. Written around the recovery story of one man from alcohol and sex addiction, clinical notes, and comments appear throughout the story helping the reader to understand this baffling disease. Addicts report being able to see their own behaviors that were previously hidden from them when they are manifest in someone else. Reading George’s (the book’s addicted character) story and misadventures creates ‘aha’ moments of understanding that can open the doors to recovery.

This is definitely a “How To” book. George presents his “legs of a stool” analogy that eloquently describes the needed steps to recovery. The clinician’s voice adds step by step directions on how to gain the key ‘Skills of Recovery.”

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So these are a few of the bestselling recovery authors as I also add new books to my recovery blog’s “Recovery Writers Unite! Great Recovery Reads page. So stop by there any time when looking for new recovery books & the fine authors who write them! You will be inspired and “Stick With The Winners!”

Author and In Recovery Columnist of “The Author’s Cafe” ~ Catherine Townsend-Lyon

Come SUBSCRIBE To The Best In Recovery News!

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STICK WITH THE WINNERS – Find out what other recovering people just like you are doing.
SOBER EVENTS – Information about sober events, including In Recovery Magazine special events.
ARTISTS IN RECOVERY – Enjoy the talents and creativity of recovering artists.
RECOVERING WRITERS – Will amaze you with their recovery stories, essays, and creative writing. And More!

Brad and Angie: Dear God, Help Me

October 1, 2016 Catherine Lyon Author/Writer Posts

Ok Blog Readers & Friends,

Here is a “Must Visit Fabulous Blog” … And Mike blogs all kinds of awesome Topics! You ARE going to enjoy your visit “-)

*Cat Lyon*

whedonfreak976

Oh dear, when news broke Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt has split, you knew the media crap storm was going to hit. I hate how the media does this; they will gravitate to a story and the media will milk that story until the cow runs dry. This story is a field of cows and the media are dairy farmers, so just imagine that picture in your head.

From OJ, to Anna Nicole’s death, etc. The media has been notorious for this and they are only getting worse with the advent of 24 hour news networks. The media does not want to expand their horizon, you know? Like cover the income gap more extensively or talk about how bad race relations has gotten. The fact is the media likes to distract people from real news stories by milking one story into the ground. How many times do we need to…

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Official Relaunch Press Release for Author, Rusty Blackwood & “Willow’s Walk”…

September 30, 2016September 30, 2016 Catherine Lyon Author/Writer Author News, Blog Tours, Featured Guest, New Book & Author Press Release AMazon Books, Amazon Kindle, Author, Official Press Release, Rusty Blackwood, Willows Walk

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Official Press Release of Willow’s Walk!

Canadian Novelist Rusty Blackwood Announces New Release Of 5 Star Rated Romantic Fiction Novel, ‘Willow’s Walk’, Classic Romantic Fiction Set In Modern Day Context

Rusty Blackwood’s 5-star romance novel follows ‘Passions In Paris’, written in the tradition of Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ and ‘What Dreams May Come’. . . .

Romantic fiction author Rusty Blackwood

[Wilmington, NC, & TucsonNews, Tucson AZ]
September 27, 2016] PR RELEASE: Canadian Indie novelist Rusty Blackwood, author of the romantic fiction saga ‘Passions In Paris’, has announced the re-release of her newest romantic fiction novel, ‘Willow’s Walk.” . . . .

Her first romantic fiction book, ‘Passions in Paris: Revelations Of A Lost Diary’ is a sweeping saga written in the tradition of Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ and ‘What Dreams May Come’. It has been compared to Erich Segal’s ‘Love Story’ and Nicholas Sparks’ ‘The Notebook’.

‘Willow’s Walk’ takes Blackwood’s storytelling skills to a new level – the storyline hits home with readers as they are partially based in reality and real world situations that readers find highly relatable. The end effect of this approach is that readers can often put themselves squarely in the stories she presents. ‘Willow’s Walk’ presents a story of an Internet meeting that goes tragically wrong.

Set in the city of Ottawa, Canada in 2003, the story centers on the life and times of a woman determined to prevail at all costs, regardless of what is set before her, the result of which is certain to leave the reader reeling in its wake.

The path each person walks is entirely their own. The pitfalls along that path, as well as the way in which they are dealt with, are entirely up to the individual. But Willow Sutherland Crosby walks a far different path, and with her own agenda.

Abuse, deception, intrigue, and a never ending quest for happiness and love – will she find these, or will her blind determination be her downfall?

“I cannot express how pleased and proud I am to re-release this riveting and meaningful story to my readers,” Rusty Blackwood stated. “The ideas behind a story, whether they are based on fiction or fact, can often result in the success it finds when brought to print and released before the public’s eyes. But the basis for Willow’s Walk is one that I not only had an inside track on, one that I felt needed to be told.”

Miss Blackwood further stated, “The Internet can be a wonderful place where anything can be discovered, questions answered, and solid friendships formed and enjoyed. But it can also be a place of darkness, extreme upheaval, and endless heartache. It is my hope that Willow’s unfortunate plight will help light the way for others standing on the sadly realistic brink of possible destruction. A writer can only hope that the words they form into stories are words that both entertain and educate. I hope this can be realized in my newly modified Willow’s Walk.”

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While in pre-release, ‘Willow’s Walk’ received a number of 5-star reviews from professional reviewers. Maria Beltran stated,
“I highly recommend this book.” Gisela Dixon said, “. . .
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the life of a person presented in such a wonderful manner.”

‘Passions In Paris’ has also received rave reviews. Link Kula Kane said, “Passions in Paris I think stands its ground with these other powerful romantic stories like ‘The Notebook’ by Nicolas Sparks. A long kindled love, which finds its place from a romantic spark in the mind of one to a mounting real life experience between two different worlds, brought together by an ongoing wave of circumstances, doubts, mystery, and intrigue, that sets ablaze forbidden emotions on a roller coaster ride of endless desire, and surmounting obstacles, that test the strength of their determination to prevail. Miss Blackwood has a rare talent to bring this and more into the minds and hearts of those who have had the privilege to be transported into her wonderful world of storytelling.”

Reader Fred Pifer stated that ‘Passions’, ” . . .is a fascinating book of a love story that seemed to be written with me in mind. In the book ‘Love Story’ by Erich Segal, he told of a deep abiding love story that reminds me of Cullen and Joy’s in Ms. Blackwood’s book, but the twists of intrigue and mystery that she adds keeps the reader on edge throughout.”

Other reviewers have praised ‘Passions In Paris’. Reviewer Cat Howard said, “Eternal love, finding your true soul mate, and how echoes from past lives can influence the present, this story has it all . . . ” Another Reader’s Favorite reviewer stated, “Enjoyable and exciting, this is a book for people who have romance flowing in their veins.” ‘Passions In Paris’ has a 4-star rating on Amazon.

Information on the new romantic fiction release, including a new book trailer, is available at Blackwood’s site on the ‘Willow’ page. Readers can download paperback and Kindle versions of both books now on Amazon sites worldwide.

Rusty Blackwood is available for interview in the Toronto and Niagara areas and can be reached using the information below or by email at writerrusty@hotmail.ca. More information is available at her website at http://www.rusty-blackwood.com.

Author Profile:

Rusty Blackwood is a prolific Indie author of romantic fiction, short story comedies, contemporary and traditional poetry and children’s books. Her first love is romantic fiction, but she crosses genres with ease.

Rusty who chose her plume de nom by combing both the colour of her russet hair with her husband’s great, great, Scottish grandmother’s maiden name, was born in St.Thomas, Ontario, Canada on October 5,1949 to Celtic heritage, and grew up on her paternal grandfather’s farm in the County of Elgin, located in the south-western portion of the province of Ontario. She acquired her love of literature while still in elementary school where she entered her original compositions into county fairs, school contests, and whatever venue allowed participants in the writing field.

She has carried that love ever since and has put it to use many times since becoming a professional writer in 2001. From the time of youth she has loved the Arts in their many unique forms, and is a graduate with honors in Interior Decorating & Design. She spent many years on the south-western Ontario stage performing with her family’s country music band: The Midnight Ramblers, followed by the country – rock – blues band: ‘MIRAGE’ as an accomplished vocalist, bassist, and rhythm guitarist. She now resides in the cultural city of St. Catharines, Ontario, and when not at her desk enjoys art, music, nature, gardening, and spending quality time with family, friends, and her loving cat, Tipper.

Please visit her official poetry site “Inspiration in Thought” and her Official Author website below. Connect on FACEBOOK and TWITTER . . . .

Contact:

Rusty Blackwood
Web: http://www.Rusty-Blackwood.com
Amazon Kindle: Willow’s Walk
Email: writerrusty@hotmail.ca

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“Presented To Readers by Lyon Book and Social Media Promotions”

Book Review: Ancient Ways: The Roots of Religion, by Diane Olsen

September 27, 2016 Catherine Lyon Author/Writer Posts

Congrats to Author, Diane Olsen with this Fabulous New Book Review from The Page Turner and Big Thank You to Vicki for a wonderful in-depth book review. A Book Worth Reading!

“Cat ~ Lyon Book & Social Media Promotions”

The Page Turner

Ancient Ways: The Roots of Religion by Diane Olsen

Paperback: 312 pages

Publisher: Diane Olsen (April 5, 2016)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0996756558

ISBN-13: 978-0996756556

My Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

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Guest Review: Author, Steve Hauptman Book Series-Book One of “Monkey Traps”

September 25, 2016September 25, 2016 Catherine Lyon Author/Writer Author News, Book Review Post, Featured Guest, Featured Guest Writer, Posts Amazon, Featured Article, featured spotlight, Guest Author Steve Hauptman, New Book, Writer

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Hello and Welcome Readers,

Lyon Book Promotions Presents Reviews, Guest Interview Article, and Book Promotion for Author and Writer Steve Hauptman. Steve has been everywhere these days with Book One of his series out, he has been interviewed at “Keys To Recovery News” and his book was reviewed by Founder and Editor at Keys too! His book is also listed and featured in “In Recovery Magazine’s The Bookstand and in my Column called; “The Author’s Cafe.” So when my fine authors get such “KUDOS,” I just have to share and congratulate them.
Great Job Steve. Here we go!

My Author Article ~ The Author’s Cafe ~ In Recovery Magazine

Steve Hauptman, a Gestalt-trained, Buddhist-flavored therapist with a 20-year practice on Long Island, New York, is an author and cartoonist with a great sense of humor. He is currently working on the second volume of The Monkeytraps book series. Book One, “Monkeytraps: Why Everybody Tries to Control Everything and How We Can Stop” is now available on Amazon in both paperback and e-book format.

Hauptman grew up in an alcoholic family, which pretty much guaranteed his career as a control addict. He spent is younger years struggling with anxiety and depression, then tried everything most recovering codependents do – therapy, medication, reading, self-help – all of which helped to some extent. “It wasn’t until I began studying the idea of control that I understood what was making me miserable and what to do about it.”

Hauptman has always written and always wanted to write books. He taught college writing, then began using it as personal therapy, then taught others to do the same. When he became a therapist writing seemed to be a natural way to explore what he wanted to teach about control. “I once heard about how hunters in Africa catch monkeys by tempting them to trap themselves. It seemed a perfect metaphor for human control addiction.”

People familiar with the idea of codependency will probably find it easiest to relate to Monkeytraps. Hauptman wrote it for anyone who are unhappy – anxious, depressed, addicted, struggling with relationships or parenting – and don’t understand why. The concept of control addiction offers both a new to explain all those problems and a new way to heal them.

“Bert, my inner monkey is my favorite character in my book.” Kevin shared. “He’s the part of me that tries to control stuff he can’t or shouldn’t control. We’ve been together a long time. I don’t always like him, but he did make the book possible.”

When I asked him if he has any unique talents or hobbies, Hauptman replied, “I make a pretty good hummus.”

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BOOK REVIEW FEATURE ~ KEYS TO RECOVERY NEWS ~ “Monkey Traps” Book One

“Monkey Traps, Why Everyone Tries To Control Everything
and How We Can Stop” ~ Written by Steve Hauptman.
Published by Lioncrest Publishing. Review by: Beth Dewey

I loved this book before I even opened it. The Title said
it all, and it tells me that Steve has not just written about the
“problem” he is offering a “solution”.

Written on that back cover “This book is about a problem
disguised as a solution, an idea that shapes and drives us all:
Control.”

Again the problem is clearly identified.

The book begins with explaining “The Monkey Trap”,
then each chapter clearly explains the different types of Control
we think we have. Steve gives us solutions, plans, and
steps to overcome the traps we live in. I like that towards the
end of the book the chapters are titled, Acceptance, Trust,
Faith, Practicing Surrender and so. Words I relate to. Each chapter is simple and easy to read and understand, and yet so deep it could change your life from the first moment you open the book and open your heart to a solution. Easy to follow and easy to practice instructions.

I give a heartfelt “5 Stars” for this book and I will be passing it on.

Steve Hauptman is a Gestalt-trained, Buddhist-flavored therapist who has practiced
on Long Island for twenty years. A leader of Interactive Therapy groups, he is
also a cartoonist and creator of the blogs Monkeytraps: A blog about control, Monkey
House (a forum for discussing control issues).

FEATURED GUEST ARTICLE ~ Written by Author, Steve Hauptman

WANT TO TRAP A MONKEY? Try this:
1} Find a heavy bottle with a narrow neck.
2} Drop a banana into it.
3} Leave the bottle where a monkey can find it.
4} Wait.

The monkey will do the rest. He’ll come along, smell the banana, reach in to grab it. Then find he can’t pull it out because the bottleneck is too small. He can free himself easily. He just has to let go. But he really, really wants that banana. So he hangs on. He’s still hanging on when you come to collect him. And that’s how you trap a monkey.

WANT TO TRAP A HUMAN? Try this:
1} Place the human in an uncomfortable situation.
2} Wait.

The human will do the rest. He or she will try to reduce their discomfort by controlling the situation. The harder they work to reduce their discomfort, the more uncomfortable they’ll get. The harder they try to escape their discomfort, the more trapped they’ll feel. And that’s how you trap a human.

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This article is about control in general, and psychological monkey-traps in particular. A psychological monkey-trap is any situation that tempts us to hold on when we should let go — to control what either can’t or shouldn’t be controlled. The world is filled with monkey-traps. As is the emotional life of every human being. I learned this from practicing psychotherapy.

Theraphy also taught me four: truths:
1. We are all addicted to control.
2. This addiction causes most (maybe all) of our emotional problems.
3. Behind this addiction lies our wish to control feelings.
4. There are better ways to manage feelings than control. I call these the Four Laws of control.

CONTROL: The ability to dictate reality. That’s how I define control. It’s not a definition you’ll find in any dictionary and probably not how you define it. But it’s essential to understanding everything that follows. Dictate means rearrange or change according to our preferences. Reality means, well, everything – everything outside us (people, places, and things) and inside us (thoughts, feelings, behavior) too.

Defined this broadly, the wish for control stands behind just about everything we do consciously. Plus most of what we do unconsciously (feel, fantasize, worry, dream) as well. We seek control in order to get reality to behave as we want it to. We seek control because we want to make the world adjust itself to us, instead of vice versa. We all want control in this sense. Not just want, either. We crave it. Control is the mother of all motivations. Every human ever born has craved it and chased it. Because it’s a craving that is literally built into us.

CONTROLLING: The urge to control is part of our hard wiring. Why?

Because it is wired into us to ~ seek pleasure and avoid pain, ~ imagine a perfect life (one that meets all our needs and makes us perfectly happy), and then ~ try to make those imaginings come true. The word controlling covers all forms of this imagining and trying. Our trying may be large (building a skyscraper) or small (killing crabgrass), complex (winning a war) or simple (salting my soup). It may be important (curing cancer) or petty (trimming toenails), public (getting elected) or private (losing weight), essential (avoiding a car crash) or incidental (matching socks). I may inflict my own trying on other people (get you to stop drinking, kiss me, wash the dishes, give me a raise) or on myself (raise my self-esteem, lose weight, hide my anger, learn French). All this involves seeking some form of control.

We’re controlling nearly all of the time. We control automatically and unconsciously, waking and sleeping, out in the world and in the privacy of our thoughts. From birth until death. The only time we’re not controlling is when we can relax, and do nothing, and trust that things will work out just fine anyway. How often can you do that?

ABOUT ADDICTS:

Addicts are people who can’t handle feelings. Usually, because they never learned to as kids. Usually, because their parents never taught them. Usually, because they couldn’t, because their parents never taught them. (Usually. There are other paths to addiction, but this is the most common.) Being unable to handle feelings is a problem since feelings tend to keep coming up. So the kid of such parents naturally starts looking around for something to make the damn things go away.

Drugs, alcohol, and food are obvious solutions. Though anything that alters your mood (work, shopping, sex, porn, TV, video games, housecleaning, alphabetizing your spice rack) can be turned into an addiction. And even when they work, these solutions are temporary. Feelings always come back. So a person without some healthier way to handle them is forced to drink, drug, eat, work, or whatever they do to make the feelings go away again. And that’s how addiction is born. Some are more destructive than others. But in the end, each addiction is the same. Because each has the same goal: To give the addict control over emotional life. And that’s why when I’m asked, “What does control have to do with addiction?” I reply, “Everything.” Because finally, every addiction is an addiction to control.

As a practical matter, every recovery from control addiction
starts with three questions:

1. What am I trying to control here?
2. Have I been able to control this before?
And if the answer to question 2 is No:
3. What can I do instead?

These are essential questions to ask ourselves when stressed because they remind us that (a) stress is what usually triggers our controlling, and (b) our controlling usually produces more stress. Not always easy to answer, though.
Because each is a trick question.

(1) What am I trying to control?
Control addicts answer this by looking outside themselves, at externals.

Please Connect with The Author Below:

Author Websites and Profiles
Steve Hauptman Website
Steve Hauptman Amazon Profile
Steve Hauptman Author Profile on Smashwords

Steve Hauptman’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

” Author Spotlight Presented By ~ Lyon Book & Social Media Promotions “

Friday John Ku – AKA- TGIF

September 23, 2016 Catherine Lyon Author/Writer Posts

Happy TGIF Readers,

If you have not had the Good Fortune to visit one of The Best Fiction Thriller writer’s blog, come on over and visit my good friend John W. Howell’s wonderful site! A little bit of something for all Readers …..

Author, Catherine Lyon :-)

Fiction Favorites

TGIF

For those of you who have been keeping track, this is Friday. it should be the beginning of the last work day of the week for those in the Americas. The rest of the world has already completed the day and may even be looking at the close of Saturday (Aw).

I hope your week was good. I know mine was busy, and I think it will be good to relax and enjoy the weekend. We are expecting a little rain so it might be a good time to grab a book and rest the brain.

Today’s JohnKu talks about the need for rest.

Racing all the time,

Can jeopardize your good heath. . .

Take a hint and rest.

Happy weekend all. Cheers *clinking of the margarita glass* (Only metaphorically speaking, of course.)

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