Author Archives: Keith R Wilson

A Lazy Writer Tries Chat GPT

I don’t often feel lazy; but when I do, it’s enough to throw me into despair and self-reproach. I come from solid Puritan stock, you see, for whom idleness is akin to damnation. I was feeling damn lazy but, nonetheless, sat myself down and committed myself to writing like I do every day. I couldContinue reading “A Lazy Writer Tries Chat GPT”

Positive Reinforcement is Not Enough to Motivate a Person to Recover from Addiction

But Neither is Pain You’re a good parent, a loving spouse, a decent boss, a fair judge, or a caring therapist. You took psychology in college. You learned that positive reinforcement is more effective than negative reinforcement. Therefore, you reason, all you need to do is reward your loved one when he does well. GiveContinue reading “Positive Reinforcement is Not Enough to Motivate a Person to Recover from Addiction”

Can You Rebel All the Way to Self-Actualization?

It was every parent’s worst nightmare. Sixteen years old and in possession of my father’s car for the first time, I decided to speed as fast as I could down a winding road. I knew my father wouldn’t have wanted me to race, but I held a curve doing 100. In fact, I did itContinue reading “Can You Rebel All the Way to Self-Actualization?”

Are Some Feelings More Real Than Others?

Some feelings can fake you out. That is, they don’t match the corresponding emotion. Let me tell you the difference between feelings and emotions. Feelings are conscious emotions. Emotions are subconscious feelings. If someone were to come up to me and tell me how much they loved my books, I would spontaneously stand a littleContinue reading “Are Some Feelings More Real Than Others?”

What are Feelings and When Should You Be in Touch?

Feelings are how you encounter your very existence. When you’re out of touch with your feelings, you’re out of touch with life. They’re how you meet joys and sorrows, ups and downs, and everything in between. They help you foster and navigate your relationships, make choices, and adapt a response to events. But sometimes, feelings areContinue reading “What are Feelings and When Should You Be in Touch?”

Those Who Care the Most About You Will Be the Last to Believe in Your Recovery

If you’re an addict in recovery, you may have already noticed this. Those who are closest to you are the last to believe you’re changing. Your wife, your husband, mother, father, children, close friends, don’t get as excited as you do when you celebrate one week clean, one month clean, or one year clean. They’veContinue reading “Those Who Care the Most About You Will Be the Last to Believe in Your Recovery”

Something You Can Do About Intrusive Thoughts

Some of my thoughts are almost as old as I am, but they still don’t know enough to knock before they come into my mind. I’d like them to make an appointment, see a receptionist, and fill out a six page registration form before we meet. For some, it’s been years since they took aContinue reading “Something You Can Do About Intrusive Thoughts”

Recovery is Easier Than You Think

You may think that it’s hard to recover from addiction. Of course it is. But nearly everyone who has experienced both addiction and recovery say the same thing. Addiction is harder. You’re accustomed to all the work it takes to keep up an addiction, so you might not notice it anymore. You may not beContinue reading “Recovery is Easier Than You Think”

Can You Sort Out Your Feelings?

For as long as people have been having feelings, they’ve tried to understand them by sorting them out and classifying them. It works for trees. Any field guide to trees will tell you that the blue spruce in front of you is a conifer and, as such, has a lot in common with pines. CanContinue reading “Can You Sort Out Your Feelings?”