Life Unscripted - Stories of Mental Health and Addiction

The first "wind phone" was an unconnected telephone booth installed in the back yard by Japan artist Itaru Sasaki in 2010 to help him process the grief of losing his cousin who he had spoken to every day. After the devastating 2011 tsunami, hundreds of people came to his house asking to use the wind phone so he moved it to a public place. The unconnected telephone booth became a space for people to speak with deceased lov...

Rapid Transformational Therapy® (RTT®) is a form of therapy that combines hypnotherapy, psychotherapy, and neuroscience principles. RTT® was developed and launched by hypnotherapist/psychotherapist Marisa Peer in 1985. It is based on a detailed  3-session approach beginning with hynoptherapy. Diane Konkin trained with Marisa Peer and is on the show today to talk about RTT® and her practice Advanced Mind Health.

https://www.advancedm...

This is Part Two of my interview with Leonard Buschel, author of High: From Cannabis to Clarity. Leonard got sober in 1994 and in this interview we talk about his 30 years helping people recover from addiction and the Addiction Recovery eBulletin. 

In the previous interview, Leonard about talks about his decision to be a successful drug dealer when he was only 17. Leonard's book chronicles some riotous stories of his days as a ...

Leonard Buschel was 17 when he decided he wanted to be a sucessful drug dealer and became the drug dealer to the stars for more than 30 years. He was also an addict who smoked cannabis from morning, noon to night and spent most nights using cocaine.  In 1994, Leonard stopped using drugs and for the past 3 decades he has worked helping people recover from addiction. His book High: From Cannabis to Clarity is an amazing chronicle of ...

Climate change anxiety is a growing mental health issue. In Canada, massive fires across the country leading to evacuations and homes burning to the ground are leaving people with a sense of dread.

Laurie Sarkadi is a journalist and author who lives off the grid outside of Yellowknife in the North West Territories. Her memoir - Voice in the Wild – in part chronicles her deep connection to nature and watching the deterioration of the...

If you’ve been downtown in St. Catharines recently you may have seen some people wearing bright yellow tee shirts. They are peer support workers, all who have been homeless, and are out every day connecting with and supporting people who are living on the street now.  More and municipalites across Ontario have successful versions of Welcoming Streets.

Welcoming Streets is a one year pilot project funded Niagara Region. The teams wor...

Therapist Julie Christiansen is an expert on anger. One of her most recent books is titled Rise in Rage.  Julie talks about how Canadians are experiencing more bouts of anger and even rage, in part because of the helplessness and the threat to our security we feel from tariffs imposed by the U.S. 

She is also the keynote speaker at this year's Wellness for All event on May 8th to raise money for Canadian Mental Health Associati...

Experience shows that peer support is extremely successful. I’m going to start off with a new pilot program in St. Catharines called Welcoming Streets. It’s a partnership between Reach Niagara and Positive Living Niagara (POS), supported by Niagara Region and St. Catharines. Talia storm leads the Streetworks Program at POS and will co-direct the new porgram.

I’ll also chat with Quest Community Health Centre executive director Nancy ...

We know that gender violence against women and femicides in Canada continue to grow. But an alarming 1/4 of adolescent girls who are dating boys are experiencing an abusive relationship. 

Nicole Regehr, executive director at Gillian's Place, talks about the increase in the number of girls, mostly in high school, who facing gender abuse. 

Gillian's Place is a shelter in Niagara for survivors of abuse and violence. If you nee...

In 2023, 22.9% of people across Canada lived in households that struggled to afford the food they need.  That's 8.7 million people and a devastating 2.1 million children. The new numbers for 2024 from Feed Ontario shows an increase of 30%.

Community Care St. Catharines Thorold Executive Director Betty Lou Souter talks are the increasingly desperate need for food.

Feed Ontario
Community Care St. Catharines...

Sammy Bazely was on the show last week to talk about suicide and the overwhelming feeling that the world, and especially her young daughter, would be a better place without her.

Sammy talked about the time leading up to her suicide attempt and the unexpected family intervention that saved her.

In Part Two, Sammy talks about what life is like now, how she keeps the suicidal thoughts away, and her thoughts on where we need to go as a s...

Sammy Bazely is a young woman who is telling her story of struggling with suicide in the hopes that other people can recognize themselves in her story and reach out for help. 

Sammy is young, married, has a beautiful daughter and runs a successful business.  One day she was overcome by feelings that the world would be a better place without her.

Today is Part One of Sammy’s story of suicide.  

Listen for Part Two of Sammy's story...

When Valery Brosseau was diagnosed with bipolar 2 and borderline personality disorder in her early 20s it didn’t take long for her to realize that talking openly about her illness was healing for her and helped reduce stigma so other people could be open themselves. 

Valery decided she want to devote her career to not only helping people who are living with mental illness but also working with businesses and other organizations to u...

Young caregivers are an invisible and little known support for family members who need day to day help for basic needs. They provide personal care like grooming, helping with medication, getting dressed and feeding. 

But a growing number of children, as young as five and up to the age of 25, are taking on more responsibility for their siblings and parents because of situations like chronic illness, physical and intellectual disabili...