A little over five years ago I was working as a clinician at a treatment center for adolescent sex offenders. The clients themselves were difficult to work with but what was worse was that the administration was abusive and exploited staff and clients. It was a bizarre place that asked for top dollar from the clients’ sending agencies by selling a state of the art therapeutic program but in reality treated both therapists and clients with loathing and contempt. One by one my fellow therapists dropped from the stress and hostility at this treatment center.

Cross Posted at Pockets of the Futureand Dkos.

So many people understand now that the food they put into their bodies becomes an integral part of them that “you are what you eat” has become a slogan. It is experientially logical that putting something into your system makes that something become a part of you and science has also proven this to be the case in detailed (and often alarming) ways. Therefore, many people also now agree, at least in theory if not in practice, that we should only put natural and healthy foods into our systems.

However, “you are what you eat” has a much broader meaning for our health than just whether or not we should eat an apple instead of a candy bar. What is less well known and much less accepted is that all of our experiences, thoughts, feelings, reactions, the energy or condition at the places we frequent, TV shows, what we read, all of our interactions, everything we say, think, do, inhale, watch, hear, smell and taste also become a part of us and leave a trail within us.

Cross posted at Pockets of the Future and Dkos

Update I left out this video

I wrote this diary a little over a year ago under the name of shruticounseling for dkos. It is my favorite entry and I never felt like it was appropriate for that site but couldn’t find an appropriate home for it. It is more of an essay. As I have been reading this site for the last several days, it has come to mind that this is perhaps a more appropriate home for it. Only time wilt tell. Here it is.