I’ve always been amazed at the ebbs and flows of life. When I was going to 12-Step programs many years ago, one of my favourite sayings there was, “This too shall pass.” As time went on, I began to trust that if something I didn’t like was happening in my life, it would eventually shift and change—hopefully into something better, if I was willing to do the inner work to make that happen.Of course, this was also true of the things that were happening that I did like—so I had to become willing to … [Read more...] about I’ve Been Chosen as a “Best Blogger”!
Archives for 2015
Addiction and Recovery: What Do Addicts REALLY Need?
Whenever I hear clients repeating themselves in our therapy sessions, I take notice.Their repetition alerts me that something is really important to them. Sometimes they’ll tell me the same story more than once, other times they will ask the same questions a few times. In other cases, they will repeat words—especially when they are striving to let me know how they feel.So when I began receiving emails this past week from both colleagues and clients containing the same link to the same TED talk … [Read more...] about Addiction and Recovery: What Do Addicts REALLY Need?
Marijuana IS Addictive
June 18, 2015Dear Minister of Education: Province of British Columbia Hon. Peter Fassbender: Hello, my name is Candace Plattor, and I am an Addictions Therapist in private practice in Vancouver. I have worked in this field for over 25 years, 16 of which were in the Downtown Eastside, helping the addicts and alcoholics there. I now work primarily with the loved ones of addicts, because there is so little help for them out there. I have written two award-winning books on this subject, which you … [Read more...] about Marijuana IS Addictive
Is It a Reason or an Excuse? Maintaining Your Self-Respect in the Face Of Life’s Challenges
Have you ever used a reason as an excuse for not doing something? If so, you’re definitely not alone!It’s often very easy to confuse reasons and excuses. Lately I’ve discovered that I sometimes try to explain my excuses away as reasons—particularly when it’s about something I either don’t want to do or am fearful of following through on.As usual, the more I notice this tendency in myself, the more I see that pretty much all of us do this on a fairly frequent basis—whether we realize it or not. … [Read more...] about Is It a Reason or an Excuse? Maintaining Your Self-Respect in the Face Of Life’s Challenges
Saying NO to Manipulation: What Happens When We Enable an Addict?
In my last post, I wrote about Jessica’s manipulation of her parents and how they consistently gave in to her demands, allowing her disruptive and destructive behaviour to continue.By accepting that behaviour and not challenging their daughter, Jessica’s parents enabled her for many years. They posed no consequences for her and set the bar very low in terms of their expectations—and Jessica continued to live up to exactly the standard that they set. … [Read more...] about Saying NO to Manipulation: What Happens When We Enable an Addict?
