Lethal drug overdoses in the year 2021 killed 100,000 people.

 

Lethal drug overdoses in the year in  2021 killed 100,000 people. After fentanyl, methamphetamine is the largest killer.

In my practice I know far more people who have died from drug overdoses than from Covid-19 and suicide.

 

The interesting observation is that people have much more control over lethal drug overdoses than they do of Covid-19 in the sense that the exposure to the agent of death is under the individual's control.

 

What are the factors that contribute to the high level of substance misuse in the United States?

What can we do as psychotherapists do to ameliorate the suffering that contributes to this phenomenon?

Trust in a benevolent universe is a key to spiritual health.

 

Even if your spirituality does not include a Supreme Being, children need to feel that the universe smiles on them. Einstein said that the most important decision each person makes is deciding whether or not this is a friendly universe.

Dr. Laura Markham, Great Spiritual Lessons Every Child Should Learn, 

Laura Markham is no relation to me and I don’t know her. However, I admire her work.

As I read and think about this quote, it seemed to me that this is an important decision for adults as well as children. To what extent is one of the foundational purposes of psychotherapy to help people shift their perception from a world of malevolence to one of friendliness?. How do we help our clients shift their perception from a malevolent universe in which they feel victimized to a benevolent universe in which they are loved unconditionally?

Trust, the developmental psychologists have discovered, is developed in the first year of life. Are the child's needs consistently met? Is the caretaker there for them. Do the people on whom their life depends interact with them in ways that are reliable, dependable, nurturing, and empathic?

Throughout our lives we are looking for people who we can depend on to be there for us if needed. If they are there for us we feel secure, valued, and trusting. If not, life is much harder and fraught with distress.

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