Strength-based Approaches: Narrative Therapy

           Did you ever think that you could write narrative stories to help you overcome an addiction?  Well there is an interesting intervention called narrative therapy that allows you to do just that.

Cartoon of Michael White & David Espton

Based off of solution-focused therapy, Michael White and David Epston created this new kind of therapy.  These two men developed their ideas based off of anthropologist and historian Michael Foucault, who believed that generalized therapy was not the way to best help and heal clients  (Wormer & Davis, 2009).  Since the development of narrative therapy, many different therapist have taken their own approach on it and so the therapy varies depending upon the therapist (Morgan, 2000).  

        The main component to White and Epston's narrative therapy is externalization.  At the beginning of this type of therapy the client must separate them self from the label of the problem in order to make decisions on how to deal with it.  In order to do this the client and family members collaborate to create a name for the problem.  An example of this is "an alcoholic becomes a person oppressed by the alcohol bully or booze" (Wormer & Davis, 2009).  In the rest of therapy the client and therapist will refer to the problem as the alcohol bully or booze.  After creating a name for the problem the therapist moves into trying to discover what effect the problem is having on the client's life, as well as how the addiction drags the person into using again (Wormer & Davis, 2009).  A major part of this stage of the therapy is for the therapist to ask questions that do not make the client feel as though they need to defend themselves.  Narrative therapy must strive to be as non-blaming and judgmental as possible (Morgan, 2000).  It is also important for the therapist to use exception questions that work to put a hope in the client that a change is possible in the future (Wormer & Davis, 2009).

       From all of these question asked of the client, the therapist is trying to figure out the life story of the client and find examples of times that they were strong against the addicition or other aspects of life.  By finding these strong aspects, the therapist can use them, when the client is feeling down, in order to to prove that they are strong enough to overcome their addiction and change their future (Wormer & Davis, 2000).  All of these aspects talked about between the client and the therapist are then used in order to create the narrative of the client's life.  The narrative is suppose to focus on what the client sees their future as being after the problem is gone.  Therapists hope for their clients to also relate the changes in their lives to the effect it will have on other people's lives, by getting rid of the addiction (Wormer & Davis, 2000).  Although narrative therapy is typically a one-on-one intervention plan, there are times that it can be used in group settings.  Within group settings a different approach, of not focusing on personal stories and instead creating alternative stories, is taken (Wormer & Davis, 2000).
        When it comes to the cycle of addiction narrative therapy would be very helpful in trying to break the cycle.  The cycle begins with the person feeling depressed and so they commit their addiction in order to alleviate the symptoms.   After the feelings have disappeared unintended consequences arise that make the person feel shame, and guilt.  At this stage of the process narrative therapy could come in, in order to keep the cycle from continuing.  Here the therapy could get the person to talk about the feelings they are having and see that they can overcome the addiction.  Most importantly the person would begin to feel hope and would be able to avoid the depression that usually causes them to start the cycle all over again.  The positives and hopes of narrative therapy would come in great use of breaking the cycle of addiction.

         This strength-based approach would be very helpful in my career as an occupational therapist.  A main focus of OT is to understand what is important to a client and create therapy based off of activities that apply to the client's life.  This major aspect of OT can be greatly seen in narrative therapy since the whole basis of the approach is to understand the person's life and how they want to change it.  This approach could be helpful to use in an OT clinic if you are dealing with client's who have an addiction because you will be able to kill two birds with one stone, by fulfilling the OT aspect and the addictive therapy aspect. 

References

Morgan, A. (2000, December 15). Dulwich centre:a gateway to narrative therapy & community work. Retrieved from http://www.dulwichcentre.com.au/what-is-narrative-therapy.html

Wormer, K. S. V., & Davis, D. R. (2009). Addiction treatment, a strengths perspective. (2nd ed.). United States: Brooks/Cole Pub Co.

Anorexia Nervosa

         Anorexia is almost as prevalent in high schools as drugs and alcohol are.  The trend to be "super model" skinny has grown more popular as the years have gone by making many people turn to anorexia.  The consequences of being anorexic though do not always outweigh the results that occur for a person.
          According to medline plus anorexia is defined as "an eating disorder that makes people lose more weight than is considered healthy for their age and height" ("Anorexia nervosa", 2013).  It has been noticed that people affected by this order tend to diet or exercise too much, and have an intense fear of gaining weight.  Anorexia becomes a problem when it begins to effect the daily life of a person.  The disease is diagnosed when...
          > There is an intense fear of gaining weight, even if                                                                                                                 the person is underweight,
          > There is a refusal to keep their weight at a number healthy for their age and height,
         > There is a distorted body image and won't admit to their extremely weight lost,
         > For women menstrual periods have not occurred for three or more cycles ("Anorexia nervosa", 2013).
          The cause of the disease is not fully known but it is believed it could possibly be contributed to genetics, hormones, and society's attitudes.  It was once believed that family conflicts could contribute to the development of the disease but that has been removed from the list of possible causes ("Anorexia nervosa", 2013).   Anorexia is commonly found in females, typically arising during the teen to young adolescent years, but it can also be seen in males.  Below is the link to a video about a 13 year old girl who suffered from anorexia to the point that it almost took her life:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oxWpt7omA0
Below is a link to an article about a 22 year old woman in the UK who nearly died from anorexia and the story of her recovery:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/9554702/Anorexic-who-weighed-less-than-three-stone-beats-eating-disorder.html
        Symptoms of anorexia are seen in both behaviors that the person does, as well as physical changes to the body.  Some of the behaviors consists of exercising all the time, going to the bathroom right after meals, refusing to eat around other people, or taking diet pills.  The physical symptoms can be found in blotchy or yellow skin, fine hair, depression, dry mouth, loss of bone strength, etc ("Anorexia nervosa", 2013).  According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders around a total of .5 to 3.7% of women suffer from anorexia at some point in their lives.  It has also been recorded that about 20% of all women with eating disorders will die prematurely due to problems stemming from their eating disorder, whether it be medical problems or suicide.  Overall, 4% of the population dies from anorexia a year ("Eating disorders statistics", 2013).
     

A person can be tested for anorexia by doing different medical tests such as a bone density test, urinalysis, liver and kidney function test, an EKG, or many other tests ("Anorexia nervosa", 2013).  These tests will show what is going on inside of the person, so no matter how much they lie about eating they will not be able to lie on these tests.  There are many treatments for anorexia but the first major step for treatment to occur is convincing the person that something is wrong.  Due to the fact that most people will not admit to having an eating disorder they will only enter treatment once their illness has become very severe, and possibly life threatening ("Anorexia nervosa", 2013).  Typically treatment will be

administered in day programs or lengthy hospital stays.  The main goal of therapy is to get the person to accept themselves for who they are which can be done through different techniques like increasing social interaction, creating an eating schedule, and cutting back on exercising amounts.  A major part of therapy is talking.  It is important for the person to talk about what they think and what is bothering them, with the therapist helping to provide the person with helpful information and advice on how to help themselves ("Anorexia nervosa", 2013).  Trying to break through to a person with anorexia can be a very difficult tasks, but it is a very important one.  Anorexia is a very serious disease effecting people of all ages and it needs to be addressed in a very serious manner due to the ability of anorexia to kill a person.  Anorexia is a disease that effects someone their whole life and so it is always a constant struggle for a person to stay on track and keep themselves healthy and from going back down a bad spiral.


References

Anorexia nervosa. (2013, Jan. 24). Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000362.htm

Eating disorders statistics. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.anad.org/get-information/about-eating-disorders/eating-disorders-statistics/

Salvia

        Hallucinogenic drugs are very popular when it comes to a social scene even though they all have serious consequences if a person were to get caught with them.  There is a drug though that allows its user to "trip" for a small length of time without the risk of getting in trouble with the police.  This drug is known as salvia.
   Salvia, properly known as salvia divinorum, is a dissociative drug originating from Southern Mexico.  It is a "soft-leaved green plant" found in nature ("Salvia divinorum basics," 2011).  The active ingredient found in salvia is known as salvinorian A, which "is the most potent naturally occurring hallucinogen" ("Salvia divinorum," 2006).  The plant was originally used by native tribes, in the form of a tea, in order to heal people ("Salvia divinorum history:," 2010).  Gordon Wasson, an anthropology researcher, was the first person to bring the salvia plant from its original home in Mexico, to America.  He stumbled upon the plant on a research trip to study hallucinogenic mushrooms.  Wasson tried on many attempts to bring the plant into America but continually failed.  He eventually was able to transport it across the borders and started the popular trend of the drug ("Salvia divinorum history:," 2010). 

Salvia in its plant form

         Since the introduction of salvia in America, the plant has been able to be bought online through websites governed by Wasson ("Salvia divinorum history:," 2010).  The fact that the drug can be easily bought online may come shocking to many, and leave many wondering how this possible since the drug is probably illegal.  That idea is incorrect though.  As of right now salvia is still a legal drug within the United States and many other countries ("Drug facts: Salvia," 2012).  Although the drug is legal it has been placed on the list of concerning drugs and is being considered to be identified as a Schedule I drug  ("Drug facts: Salvia," 2012).  Because the drug is typically sold in the amount of leaves the prices of the drug can vary anywhere from fifty to two-hundred dollars.  Different amounts of leaves are needed depending on the way that the drug is going to be used ("Salvia divinorum basics," 2011).  Although no progress has been made on it yet, researchers are hoping to study the potential of salvia for medical uses.  Since salvia is a cousin to marijuana there is belief that there could be medicinal uses to come from it.  Scientists are worried though that the government's concern over whether to add the drug to the Schedule I list would diminish the opportunities to study salvia for medical purposes (Monarez, 2012).

Salvia in its extract form

     Salvia can be taken in a variety of ways.  The most common way is to smoke the plant extracts mixed with the leaves of the plant ("How to use," 2010).  Another popular way to use salvia is to chew it.  In order to use this method a person should soak the leaves in cool water and then squeeze the leaves into a ball to place under their tongue.  For the next thirty minutes the user should keep the ball in their mouth and chew on it about every ten seconds.  The juice that 
develops from chewing on the ball should not be spit out or swallowed ("How to use," 2010).  The newest method to use salvia is to make a tea out of it.  Although the native tribes who first discovered the salvia plant used it in a tea form, this form of ingestion is new to the American population ("How to use," 2010).  Although there are many different ways to use salvia smoking it is the most popular choice of usage since it tends to create the most effect on the user ("How to use," 2010).
           The effects of salvia tend to only last for a short period of time.  After smoking, chewing, or drinking salvia the effects will hit a person anywhere from 2 seconds to 2 minutes afterwards.  These effects range from feelings of dreamlike experiences, having an insight to personal problems, feelings of being in a different dimension and unrealistic visuals.  Along with these happy feelings a person can have overly intense experiences, fear, or panic ("Salvia divinorum effects," 2010).  As with any hallucinogenic drug salvia can have both good and bad effects on its user.  The fact that salvia's effects only lasts for a short period of time has led to the increase in popularity and the inviting nature of the drug to try it.  As of now the long term effects that salvia has on a person are unclear and so there are not really any type of treatment options for those who develop a dependence on salvia ("Drug facts: Salvia," 2012).   
       Personally, I feel that salvia should be added to the list of Scheduled I drugs.  Salvia can be just as dangerous as marijuana or any drugs that make you hallucinate.  Accidents of people injuring themselves while on the drug have been reported in hospitals so I do not understand why the drug is still legal.  The fact that the plants can be so easily bought off of the internet is slightly absurd.  Little kids or other people that should not be exposed to things like this could easily come across the websites and possibly even order the drug without knowing what it is.  A drug like salvia, that has become so widespread in recent years should definitely not be legal.  
              
References

Drug facts: Salvia. (2012, December). Retrieved from http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/salvia

Monarez, J. A. (2012, Jan 7). Hallucinogenic salvia may also have medical use, causing controversy. Retrieved from http://www.utepprospector.com/news/hallucinogenic-salvia-may-also-have-medical-use-causing-controversy-1.1006995

How to use salvia, smoke salvia extracts, salvia tincture. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.salvia-world.com/usage.html

Salvia divinorum. (2006, June 29). Retrieved from http://www.cesar.umd.edu/cesar/drugs/salvia.asp

Salvia divinorum history: The beginning of salvia. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.salvia-world.com/history.html

Salvia divinorum basics. (2011, Nov. 16). Retrieved from          http://www.erowid.org/plants/salvia/salvia_basics.shtml

Salvia divinorum effects. (2010, Oct 29). Retrieved from http://www.erowid.org/plants/salvia/salvia_effects.shtml

Habit: Pinterest

Habits and addictions? Same thing or different things?  Many people would think that habits can turn into an addiction, whether it be a harmful addiction or not.  In order to evaluate habits and addictions, I have been challenged to give up a certain habit of mine.  Through looking at different tasks I tend to do on a daily basis I decided to either give up sweets, social media (specifically pinterest) or napping.  After closely observing my habits I decided that it would be best to try to work on my habit of going onto pinterest.  Pinterest is a social media website where you can create different pin boards and "pin" to them different things like fashion, recipes, crafts, etc.  I tend to get on the website at least two or three times a day and spend a decent amount of time on the website.  This act usually occurs when I am trying to avoid studying or working on papers or other class work.  By giving up pinterest I would be able to have more time to devote to my studying and do even better in my classes.  I am going to try to avoid pinterest by trying to stay off of my computer unless I am using it for school related purposes.  By doing this I will not be tempted to just log onto the website whenever I want.  I am planning on telling my roommates of my plan to break my habit so that if they see me on my computer they can help me to make sure I do not get on pinterest.  I am very determined in giving up my habit of pinterest so that I can become an even better student and raise my gpa even higher.


February 7th

     So far this week I have made slight progress on trying to stay off of pinterest.  Overall, I probably have only logged onto pinterest about three or four times.  Compared to when I use to get on it for different periods of time everyday thats a pretty good improvement.  As I said in my original post I tried to stay off of my computer as much as possible when I did not need it for academic purposes so that I would not be tempted to get on the site.  I also contribute my ability to not getting on the website to being so busy lately.  The amount of work I have and my field placements for my major have started to pick up a lot so being more busy with class work doesn't allow me to get on my computer for recreational uses as much.  For next week I am thinking that I need to delete the pinterest app off of my itouch so that there are less resources and temptations for me to get onto the site.  So far I am doing pretty good at staying off pinterest and hopefully it continues to progress that way.

February 15th

This week was not as productive as last in staying off of pinterest.  I did not have as busy as a week this week as last so in my free time I got on pinterest a lot more.  This week I probably got on the website about six or seven times, so almost everyday.  The amount of time I spent on the site was more limited though because I had deleted the app from my itouch.  Deleting the app off my itouch has helped a bit, but now I need to start trying to stay off my computer when I'm not doing purposeful things.   I am thinking to continue my progress I need to use the help of my roommates to make sure that I am not getting on the website. This week was a bit of a downfall but I'm still determined to continue the progress that I had last week.


February 22nd

This week has been much better then last week. The beginning of the week I got onto to pinterest a decent amount but by the middle of the week I wasn't getting on it at all. From this experiment to try to stop getting on pinterest I have realized that times when I do not have a busy schedule I do get on pinterest a good amount, but once my schedule starts to become very busy I tend to stay away from the site.  In weeks to come I feel as though staying busy as much as I can will help to keep me from getting on to the site. I think sticking to the same plan that I've had since the beginning and the changes I added to it last week will help to keep up my progress.

February 28th

This week I was very good at staying off of pinterest.  I think I only got onto the site once and not for a very long time.  The semester has become very busy so that is definitely helping me stay off the site.  I am slightly worried as to how next week will go though since it is spring break.  I will have a lot more free time and probably be more tempted to get onto pinterest.  So I am trying to think of ways to stay strong and away from the site.

March 24th

Lately I have been pretty bad at staying away from pinterest.  I would say that I am in the relapse phase.  I haven't gotten on the site very much the past few weeks but when I do get on I spend a decent amount of time on the webiste.  I think because I haven't been on in so long that when I do get on it I feel like I can spend even more time on it.  I think I need to come up with new ways as to stay off of pinterest.  I will have to contemplate that this week and see what ideas I come up with.

March 31st
This week has been very good at staying away from pinterest.  Due to easter break I believe I was able to easily stay away from the site.  Being at home keeps me very busy and so I do not have time to get on the site.  I also think that the next few weeks I will be pretty good at staying off pinterest because of how busy my schedule will be.  With the end of the semester coming up there are tons of final projects and presentations to do and so I need to stay off the site in order to complete all my work on time.

April 15th
This week I have done an awesome job at staying away from pinterest.  I can attribute that success to my very busy schedule.  With the semester coming to an end soon I have tons of papers and projects due in all my classes so I haven't had a chance to get on any social media in the past week.  Even though I have been super busy I have caught myself wishing that I could be on pinterest instead of doing my school work.  I have come a very long way though so far in how much I get on the site as I did before the start of this semester.

April 21st
I think that  I have finally overcoming my wanting to get onto pinterest whenever I'm bored or don't want to do my assignments.  This past week I got on the site probably once or twice but I have begin to notice that I don't automatically think of getting on pinterest when I am bored.  I would say that is a very good thing to of occurred being that I would always get on the site when I was bored.  Doing this assignment all semester has definitely helped to limit my habit of pinterest.

LSD

         Everyone has heard of LSD and the popularity that surrounded it in the 1960s.  Many musicians, like The Beatles and Pink Floyd, as well as many writers and artist used LSD to create the art we today call masterpieces.  Although many people know of the popularity of the drug, they may not know of how LSD came into effect.

         In 1938 a scientist named Albert Hofmann created the drug in a Switzerland chemical laboratory (Grof, 1994).  The drug LSD, whose full name is lysergic acid diethylamide, was originally created to be part of a series of drugs used for psychiatric reasons.  Scientists were hoping to create a drug that could be used to simulate the effects of a mental illness so that the illnesses could be study.  It was also a hope to use the drug for curing alcoholism.  Over time though the true effects of LSD were stumbled upon by Hofmann and the drug soon became popular for recreational uses (Winkel, 2010).  The link below is a link to a video containing a short interview with Hofmann and Timothy Leary about what LSD does to a person's body.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Al45Yu_pKfg

       LSD became a popular recreational drug because of the out of body experience it allowed its users to experience.  Generally LSD causes a pleasure filled experience of "hearing colors" and "seeing sounds".  Although this experience is very common to have when taking the drug there are also times where the experience can be much more horrific.  The delusions that are seen when under this drug can cause panic and fear in its users, as well as feelings of trauma ( LSD addiciton, 2009).  The drug was much more popular in the 1960s though then it is now.  Starting in 1966 California began the trend of banning LSD and making it a Schedule I drug (Winkel, 2010).  Since the 1960s the rate of usage has greatly decreased.  Current statistics show that only 3.5% of high school seniors report abusing LSD in the past year.  This rate is even lower in 8th and 10th graders at 1.9% and 2.5%.  Although rates of students in high school are lower, the rates of use in those 18 to 25 is averaging at about 12.1% (LSD addiction, 2009).

      An important fact to know about LSD is that it is not considered an addictive drug.  Most people who try LSD only do it on a one time basis.  The problem with LSD though is that in repeat users they are able to develop a sort of tolerance to the drug.  This tolerance causes the person using to need a much higher dosage in order to feel the same effect as someone trying it for the first time (LSD addiction).  An increased tolerance could lead to a person to possibly overdose or have a higher chance of having a bad experience that could cause physical or psychological harm.

     Through my research of this drug I learned a lot of facts that I never knew before.  From my own experiences in high school I heard of many different people trying LSD on the weekends and so I always thought that the rate of usage would be a lot higher then it is for high school seniors.  It shocked me to see that the rate of usage has decreased so much since the 1960s.  Through personal experiences I have heard and seen how people see LSD as an attractive drug to try, but all of these facts about the long term effects it can have on your body does not make it seem like a drug worth even trying.  The fact that LSD was originally created in order to study mental illnesses was also surprising to me to read.

       The government has very strict rules and regulations on the usage, making, and selling of LSD.  The fine for being caught on a first offensive of possession of LSD is one year in prison or a minimum fine of $1000.  The fine for being caught making or selling LSD is dependent upon the amount of the drug involved.  For example, a person caught with ten grams of LSD can be sentenced with five to forty years in prison or a fine of two million dollars (Freeman, 2013).  These strict regulations may be one of the reasons why the average usage of LSD has been dropping throughout the past decade.  With such harsh fines and sentences not many people are going to want to risk their future on this drug.


References

Freeman, S. (2013). How lsd works. Retrieved from http://science.howstuffworks.com/lsd8.htm

Grof, S. (1994). History of lsd therapy. Retrieved from http://www.psychedelic-library.org/grofhist.htm

LSD addiction. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.lsdaddiction.us/content/what-is-lsd.html

Winkel, B. (2010, Oct 27). The history of lsd. Retrieved from http://www.treatmentsolutions.com/the-       history-of-lsd/

Intro Blog

Why did you choose to take this course?
     
          When choosing classes to take for the semester I was very interested in taking this course for a few different reasons.  The course description made the class sound very interesting and as if it would teach me a lot about a topic that I do not know much about.  Also, I thought that this class might apply well to my major.  I am an occupational therapy major and figured that there may be times that I will be dealing with clients who have an addiction of some sort.  My goal one day is to work in mental health and I figure that many people with mental issues may have or once had some type of addiction.  Having an understanding of addictions may allow me to better relate to and treat a patient.

By the end of the course, what do you want to know?
     
           By time this course concludes I would like to of learned what causes a person to develop an addiction.  I would like to be able to understand what in a person's mind causes them to create a dependency or need for something and why it is so hard for the mind to break away from the thing that it feels it most needs.