Author to Reader: John Bradshaw on his latest book, Reclaiming Virtue

Thursday, September 17th, 2009 | News & Announcements | No Comments

Note: this article was originally published in the Cutting Edge Spring/Summer 2009 Newsletter.

John Bradshaw‘s latest book, Reclaiming Virtue: How We Can Develop the Moral Intelligence to Do the Right Thing at the Right Time for the Right Reason, released April 28, 2009.

Reclaiming Virtue is a very ambitious book. I originally conceived of it as part of my own Stage Four recovery work, but I later came to the realization that the book is more like a record of my own struggle over the past 50 years.

Many people say that the answers to all of our moral problems involve going back to traditional values – although no one ever defines exactly what “traditional values” means. They would benefit from a book by Stephanie Coontz titled The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap, which shows that the American family has changed many times throughout our history.

Early history supports Coontz’s thinking, as Boston’s most influential Puritan clergy from the Synod of 1679 included in their list of sins teenage pregnancy, drug abuse, frivolous lawsuits, greed and excessive profit taking, and women in lewd clothing. Worst of all, the family was breaking down – a complete loss of discipline. For those who use the family systems model to understand addiction, trauma and neuroses, it seems as though some of today’s problems are a collective repetition compulsion from the past. We know that families become dysfunctional because they use faulty solutions to solve distress. Mom’s a prescription drug addict, so Dad tells the kids to take over her chores and keep her problem a secret. Everyone in the family overfunctions to help Mom’s problem and, low and behold, it gets worse. The solution becomes the problem. Traditionalvalues, as many understand them, are part of a solution that has become the problem.

As Reclaiming Virtue is more than 500 pages long, what follows is a brief summary of major elements of prudential ethics. They are based on the Greek tradition of Heraclitus (who was called the first moralist in Western philosophy) and include the virtue that Aristotle called “phronesis” (prudence). Prudence was later incorporated into the work of Thomas Aquinas (called the universal doctor of Catholic theology). These men saw prudence as the governing virtue of all virtues. They understood prudence to be a fully practical knowledge – the “know how” to make the right moral judgment in the right context at the right time! They believed that it is far better to be just and honest than to merely know how to define these virtues.

Studies in evolutionary psychology, clinical psychology, and the neuroscience of the brain support the fact that the mind (Dan Siegel) and free will (Jeffrey M. Schwartz) are distinct realities in relation to the physical brain. Studies of Silvan Tompkins, Allan N. Schore, and Joseph LeDoux point to affect (or feeling) as the primary motivating factor of human behavior, giving the prudential ethics of Aristotle and Aquinas a solid grounding in modern thought. Here are some of my ideas for new prudential ethics:

• We are born with a raw moral intelligence, evidenced by our nine innate affects (especially shame, which distinguishes us from other animals) and our attachment program, which is activated in the nondominant hemisphere of our brain by our feeling interaction with our mothering sources.
• The last act of a fully moral judgment is based on affective inclination – a right appetite (good will), informed conscience, and contained feelings.
• The virtue of prudence – the “know how” in making good, balanced, moral choices – is the perfection of moral intelligence.
• The virtue of prudence is the engine of our moral life, but love and justice are our highest moral virtues.
• The virtue of love transcends morality and leads us to ethical sensibility.
• A person can be moral but not ethical. (For instance, our founding fathers were slave owners.) Ethical consciousness is always reaching new levels. Many of our parents, thinking they were doing the right thing, abused us.
• The studies of Hartshorne and May at the University of Chicago show that teaching obedient morality is similar to teaching table manners! They also show that people who rant against cheating and lying cheat and lie to some degree.
• The ultimate ethical problems are unconscious dishonesty, self-aversion, and toxic shame. Carl Jung called this unconscious part of our psyche “the shadow” and believed that “no one can become conscious of the shadow without considerable moral effort.”
• Our shadow also includes our carried and toxic shame, which will not go away because of moralistic “right practices.”
• The best preparation a parent can make for raising children is to do his or her own original pain feeling work. In his collected works, Carl Jung suggests that a parent’s unlived life is the most damaging thing to a child’s psyche. When a parent has unresolved issues that have caused him or her to stop growing, to be intimidated by fear, and to be unable to take risks, the child will internalize the parent’s constriction and denial of soul. Finally, I hope Reclaiming Virtue will appeal to what Abraham Lincoln called “the better angels of our nature” and will serve as a concrete guide for building a virtuous life, step-by-step.

Trauma Treatment for the Troops

Monday, August 10th, 2009 | News & Announcements | No Comments

The Meadows is pleased to announce its commitment to supporting members of our military who have selflessly served our country and who now suffer from the debilitating impact of service-related stressors, particularly those associated with combat conditions.  An inpatient treatment facility that has treated more than 16,000 patients over the past 30 years, The Meadows has worked with post-traumatic stress disorders (“PTSD”), alcohol and drug addiction, and a broad range of other mental health concerns.  Recognizing the impact of these issues on career military members and their families, The Meadows offers a cutting-edge program of confidential and caring treatment addressing the trauma issues underlying current behaviors. At the same time, our individualized treatment plans enable the formation of skill sets and support systems that help clients re-enter the military or enter civilian life with new tools to manage stressors.

The Meadows is a multi-disorder inpatient facility in Wickenburg, Arizona; it is licensed as a Level One Psychiatric Acute Hospital with detoxification, crisis services, and partial care in the state of Arizona and is accredited by JCAHO.

The Meadows is offering to support a designated number of appropriate admits of active-duty military personnel for this program by accepting the daily rate from TriCare, with all other fees waived.

For more information, please contact The Meadows at 800-632-3697.

Spring/Summer Edition of MeadowLark Now Available

Thursday, June 4th, 2009 | News & Announcements | No Comments

The Spring/Summer 2009 edition of MeadowLark, the magazine for alumni of The Meadows Addiction Treatment Center, has just been published. Highlights of the issue include three feature articles:

• The Triggering Effect, by Claudia Black, Clinical Consultant for The Meadows (excerpted from newly released CD Triggers and DVD The Triggering Effect)
• Dropped Stitches, an article about by The Meadows psychiatrist Judith S. Freilich, which considers the dropped stitches of knitting as a metaphor for life’s traumas
• Do you like the person you are – and that which you have to offer – enough to marry yourself? Tuscon-based therapist Judith Kaplan asks that question in the article Would You Marry Yourself – or Someone Like You?

The newsletter also includes an introduction to The Meadows‘ new alumni coordinator, a calendar of 2009 events, and information on the featured workshop: Partners of Sex Addicts.

The MeadowLark is available in both HTML and PDF formats.

The Meadows Now Offering Treatment in Texas

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009 | News & Announcements | No Comments

The Meadows Addiction Treatment Center is well established in Arizona, having provided inpatient treatment  and workshops at its facility in Wickenburg for more than two decades. Now, The Meadows is pleased to announce its new Texas treatment facility, The Meadows Texas. Mental Health Weekly Digest announced on May 4:

“While The Meadows Addiction Treatment Center draws patients from all over the country and overseas, about 30 percent of patients are from the state of Texas. Therefore, it made sense to bring continuing-care services and workshops to the Lone Star State.”

Bob Fulton, CEO of The Meadows, realized his vision of transforming a Montgomery residential home into a extended-care facility with a safe, supportive environment dedicated to embracing clients and their personal journeys in recovery. The Meadows Texas is now an eight-bed facility with two group rooms, where patients can receive “cutting-edge clinical care, as well as ancillary services including yoga, nutritional counselling, and recreational services.”

The Meadows Texas is located on 55 pristine and secluded acres in the Sam Houston National Forest, Montgomery Township.

For more information see the press release or visit The Meadows Texas.

New Edition of The Cutting Edge Now Available

Monday, May 11th, 2009 | News & Announcements | No Comments

The Spring/Summer 2009 edition of The Cutting Edge, The Meadows’ official newsletter, has just been published. Highlights of the issue include three feature articles and information on upcoming events offered by The Meadows.

• Claudia Black, a Clinical Consultant for The Meadows, is the author of Deceived: Facing Sexual Betrayal, Lies, and Secrets. Says Claudia, “Nearly a decade ago, I began to work with women confronting sexual betrayal. It was this professional experience that inspired me to write Deceived: Facing Sexual Betrayal, Lies and Secrets, a book for female partners of sex addicts. Much of this article is excerpted from that book, published by Hazelden in April 2009.”
• Another Meadows author, John Bradshaw, discusses his new book, Reclaiming Virtue, in Author to Reader. According to John, “Reclaiming Virtue is a very ambitious book. I originally conceived of it as part of my own Stage Four recovery work, but I later came to the realization that the book is more like a record of my own struggle over the past 50 years.”
• In Twisters & Roller Coasters: Living with Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Arizona licensed therapist Debra L. Kaplan discusses her work with CPTSD patients, its history, treatment options and prognosis.

You’ll also find information on The Meadows’ new Integrated Evaluation program; a list of upcoming workshops and seminars and symposiums; and details on The Meadows’ free lecture series. The Cutting Edge is available in both HTML and PDF formats.

Meadows Fellow John Bradshaw Interviewed by Self-Discovery Expert Bradley Quick

Monday, May 4th, 2009 | News & Announcements | No Comments

John Bradshaw, MA, a best-selling author and senior fellow of The Meadows, was recently interviewed on Bradley Quick‘s self discovery radio talk show, Quick Fix.  

In the segment, John and Bradley discuss John’s new book, Reclaiming Virtue: How We Can Develop the Moral Intelligence to Do the Right Thing at the Right Time for the Right Reason,  and the idea of being virtuous and good in modern times. Reclaiming Virtue was written “for the millions of decent, caring people who are struggling every day with painful choices, who are appalled, as he is, by the greed and shamelessness that plague our society, and who long for guidance for themselves and their children in this increasingly complex world.”

You can listen to an audio recording of this interview, as well as previous interviews with John Bradshaw,  at the Bradley Quick website.

The Meadows’ Integrated Evaluation Program

Tuesday, April 28th, 2009 | News & Announcements | No Comments

By Thomas Best, MD, Director of The Meadows

The Meadows is offering a new program called the “Integrated Evaluation.” This program combines our groundbreaking Survivors Week workshop with a state-of-the-art evaluative process.

In addition to attending the workshop, each client meets with a treatment team consisting of a psychiatrist, primary care physician, addiction medicine specialist, clinical psychologist, and nutritionist. The evaluation team works collaboratively to ensure that clients receive the most thorough, integrated, and comprehensive evaluation.

Offered at The Meadows for more than 20 years, the Survivors Week workshop examines the origins of adult dysfunctional behaviors by exploring early childhood issues; these can play important roles in various addictions, mood and anxiety disorders, painful relationships, and other emotional issues. In this revolutionary educational and experiential process, participants learn to identify and address family-of-origin issues that took place from birth to 17 years of age. The primary focus of the workshop is to learn to deal with the emotions that accompany any less-than-nurturing past event, and then to work on resolution of the consequential grief and anguish.

Each participant will meet with a member of our highly trained psychiatric staff who will provide a thorough psychiatric consultation. All of the psychiatrists at The Meadows are board-certified by The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and all have received training in The Meadows’ therapeutic model. They strive to view a person’s mental health issues in a holistic context and consider all therapeutic options.

The in-depth medical evaluation includes a comprehensive history, physical examination, and thorough laboratory workup. A medical evaluation is extremely important when diagnosing and treating mental health concerns. Often there is a direct correlation between medical issues and psychiatric symptoms. When the underlying medical issue is diagnosed and treated appropriately, the troublesome psychiatric symptoms may remit without medication.  A medical examination is also very important in the evaluation of alcoholism and drug addiction, as these disorders frequently lead to medical problems. Our board-certified primary care physician is also certified by the American Society of Addiction Medicine. Psychological testing is also valuable to the assessment process. The results are interpreted by The Meadows’ Director of Psychology. Finally, a thorough nutritional evaluation addresses the nutritional needs of the client and any potential problems with food, such as an eating disorder.

At the conclusion of the week, the client meets with our professional staff to discuss the preliminary diagnostic findings and treatment options. A complete report is then sent to the client within two weeks.

For more information, please call 800-632-3697.

New Book from Meadows Fellow John Bradshaw

Thursday, April 2nd, 2009 | News & Announcements | No Comments

The Meadows of Wickenburg is proud to announce that John Bradshaw‘s latest book, Reclaiming Virtue, is now available for pre-order at Amazon.com. Bradshaw has written three New York Times bestselling books (Homecoming: Reclaiming and Championing Your Inner Child; Creating Love; and Healing the Shame That Binds You), and is a Fellow of the Meadows.

“John Bradshaw has written this book for the millions of decent, caring people who are struggling every day with painful choices, who are appalled—as he is—by the greed and shamelessness that plague our society, and who long for guidance for themselves and their children in an increasingly complex world.” (Amazon.com)

With positive reviews from Booklist, Publishers Weekly, and Common Boundary magazine, Reclaiming Virtue: How We Can Develop the Moral Intelligence to Do the Right Thing at the Right Time for the Right Reason will be released on April 28, 2009.

The Meadows Announces DrugRehabFAQ.com

Monday, March 30th, 2009 | News & Announcements | No Comments

The Meadows Addiction Treatment Center is excited to announce its latest web project: DrugRehabFAQ.com.

The goal of the the new site is to clarify some of the basic questions relating to a patient’s decision to enter a drug rehabilitation facility. In the future, the blog will also answer questions related to the experience itself, expectations and continuing care, which is a vital factor in long-term recovery success.

Some of those questions are:

• How do I know if I need rehab?
• How should I decide on a rehab facility?
• Should my family be involved with my rehab treatment?

For the answers to these and other FAQs, visit DrugRehabFAQ.com.

Process Addictions Conference 2009

Monday, December 8th, 2008 | News & Announcements | No Comments

The Meadows is pleased to announce Claudia Black and Maureen Canning will be presenting at the Process Addictions Conference in Las Vegas on April 22-24, 2009.

Claudia Black will be discussing “Deceived: Facing Sexual Betrayal, Lies and Secrets” as well as “Barriers to Recovery: Anger, Secrets & Family Enabling Clinical Strategies.”

Maureen Canning will be presenting “Lust, Anger, Love: Understanding Sexual Addiction and the Road to Healthy Intimacy.”