Hello, my dear Addict friends, and welcome to the Universe.
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Hello, my dear Addict friends, and welcome to the Universe. 💫
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Welcome!
I don’t know how you happened to land in this Universe of True Love, but I’m extremely glad you did.
Thrilled, actually!
I only wish I could greet you with a tray of cupcakes, or maybe some warm pita and hummus. Such are the limitations of the Internet.
But in the spirit of making yourself as comfortable as humanly possible, I invite you to kick off your pinching shoes…
…shed your tight-fitting undergarments…
…and please, for the love of God, remove your mask of normalcy.
I know that all those things serve a purpose as far as helping you “fit in” with the rest of humanity.
And that’s fine.
But in keeping with the spirit of this Universe of True Love, I’d like to remind you that you’re free to check any baggage at the door that feels like it’s distorting who you really are.
On that note, I can assure you that you won’t find anything in this Universe of True Love that represents anything other than the True Love inside the person who created it.
In fact, that’s the whole idea.
The expression of what’s in your heart is always an act of True Love.
My greatest hope is that you’ll stick around and explore this Universe of True Love long enough to discover a treasure trove of True Love for yourself.
Your True Love.
In order to increase your chances of that happening, please keep your senses, your mind, and your heart open, whenever possible.
If there’s one thing I know about True Love, it’s that it has a mind and imagination of its own — for each one of us.
As such, True Love might show up for you in a feeling of connection…
or inspiration…
…or maybe through your own act of creation.
I’ve come to think of of this website as a modern-day spiritual snack bar.
So take a look around. Assess the options. Enjoy the presentation. Ignore what you don’t like.
And please, eat as much as you want, without guilt or regret.
True Love is both plentiful and limitless, which is a good thing for those who come here hungry.
That’s another thing I should mention.
It’s perfectly okay to come to True Love in a state of wanting.
You wouldn’t be human if you didn’t have the desire to live a better life than you currently do.
To that end, True Love is always happy to serve.
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I want you to know that love isn’t something you should know already. You will never in a million years hear me utter the words “you just gotta…”
True Love may be simple, but it’s rarely “just” that easy.
I know very well that when you’re starting from a place of shame and self-loathing, love is anything but easy or intuitive.
Love isn’t anything you ever learned about in school.
And love definitely isn’t anything you’ve absorbed in the polluted air of our self-centered, hypocritical consumer culture.
But I can promise you that love isn’t anything abstract or woo-woo, either.
Love is real, it’s powerful, and it's available to everyone.
In other words…
Love is for you.
That’s right: Love is for you — no matter who you are, where you came from, or what you’ve done.
Sure, love can be a feeling, like the way it’s depicted in romance novels or feel-good movies.
But let’s not stop there. Love is so, SO much more than that.
Love is an action.
Love is a mindset.
Love is an identity.
Love is a way of life.
So let me ask you: is love your way of life, right now?
If it is, then you already know exactly what I’m talking about.
Love is your purpose. Love is your meaning. Love is how you connect to everything and everyone around you. Love is both your means, and your end.
Love is your guiding principle of how to live.
Or maybe you sense that right now, love isn’t any of those things for you.
If that’s the case, then you must know some of the other ways we humans can direct our thoughts… assume our identity… and allow to dictate our emotions.
Alcohol.
Anxiety.
Depression.
Drugs.
Money.
Food.
Sex.
Power.
Control.
Drama.
It’s not that any of these other ways of life are “wrong” or “bad.” Let’s face it: we all engage in them sometimes, to a greater or lesser extent.
So let’s not judge ourselves, please!
Instead, let’s throw a little love on the situation by simply acknowledging it with a shrug, before moving right along.
I mean, I’m assuming you want to move forward.
If you do, please stay with me.
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Plenty of people can survive in a loveless life.
That’s because humans can satisfy their physical needs — food, shelter, resources — without a personal connection to love.
Survival is one thing, and I don’t mean to make it sound like it’s nothing.
But if survival was everything, I think we’d both know a lot more people who were happy, secure, and fulfilled…
…instead of feeling empty, anxious, or lonely.
Behind closed doors, so many people with seemingly perfect lives are actually battling mental illness, chronic pain, dysfunctional behavior — and of course, addiction.
They’re unhappy with their jobs. Their relationships. Their families.
But in my experience, there’s a deeper cause at the root of depression and anxiety.
The reason most people feel badly is because they’re unhappy with themselves.
Guilt.
Shame.
Anger.
Self-loathing.
Secrecy.
Inferiority.
Living with these feelings can make it hard to look in the mirror… let alone know what it means to “be yourself.”
Whether they know it or not, feeling a lack of love inside is the reason people reach out therapists like me.
I don’t do treatment gimmicks. I don’t play expert academic. And I’m not some talking-head ego trip, writing down to you from some phony perch of personal perfection.
The reason I’m here is to do my part to help connect you to love.
True Love.
I’m an addiction therapist, a recovery author and coach, and a recovering addict myself. And I believe that love isn’t just the way out of the darkness.
Love is the key to a free and joyful existence.
That’s why my approach to thriving in a life of love from the ashes of addiction is simple.
One hundred percent True Love.
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For me, recovery hasn’t just been a “journey.”
It’s been a journey deep into the heart of True Love.
And when I say “heart,” what I really mean is, my heart.
But when I say “my heart,” I’m talking about your heart, too.
I don’t think this particular journey is so much about seeking happiness as it is about letting go.
Letting go of your doubts… of your dishonesty…. and whatever isn’t working for you anymore…
And, of course, letting go of your draining and destructive addictions.
Not that it’s easy to let go!
It can be terrifying to contemplate the idea of living without the attitudes and actions that we believe protect us from pain.
Fear of vulnerability is pretty much a universal, among the living.
No human grows up without building at least a few emotional walls of self-defense. And we addicts tend to be master builders.
But your walls do a lot more than help you control your exposure to pain.
Your walls prevent you from seeing, believing, and experiencing the True Love that’s already inside you.
That’s why you can’t take the journey deep into the heart of True Love on your own.
Not without an unconditionally accepting guide — or better yet, guides — who will help you see yourself, understand yourself, and accept yourself along the way.
❤️ A guide who will help you identify the thoughts, feelings, and beliefs that no longer serve you.
❤️ A guide who will be there to support you as you let go of your “comfort zone” that was dictated by fear and shame.
❤️ A guide who will inspire and celebrate with you, as you reveal Your True Self to the world within and around you.
❤️ A guide who will never waver in her conviction that love is something that you (yes, YOU) deserve to feel and take joy in — all the time.
That’s me — as long as you allow me to be your guide.
I believe that a successful recovery is a transformative process that’s guided by True Love.
And as miraculous as that process is, there’s no magic or smoke-and-mirrors to it.
True Love requires only that you trust in love enough to allow its benevolent process to unfold.
One day at a time, True Love will require your good humor, patience, and faith, which signal your consent for it to do its transformative work.
All of which is to say… letting go of your need to control the process of recovery is another thing you might need some help with.
No problem.
I have all the faith in the world that True Love isn’t just possible….
…True Love is available and accessible. To you.
In fact, True Love’s been waiting to jump into your arms for quite a while!
That is…
As long as you want love.
As long as you’re open to practicing love.
And as long as you believe in love…
…or at least, suspend your disbelief.
