“These addicts give up everything to get clean. They leave their homes, their families, their jobs, they leave…
“When something really does bother you but you don’t let yourself feel it, that’s a problem. That’s what…
“Why do we need to sit in a circle like this? Why do we need a group at…
“Two weeks with Mrs. Perfect and her perfect husband, baby, and career. She could stay with any of…
“She didn’t care about me, why should she? I wasn’t the class queen, I wasn’t pretty. I was…
“I can’t do what I’ve been doing till now, it’s sick, enough is enough. I’ve tried stopping on…
Lena had been attending 12-step meetings for over a year and strongly identified with the other members, but…
“If you know you’re not ready to get married before dealing with these issues, you think another few…
> “So he raised his voice another notch. I repeated, ‘I can’t listen while you’re screaming’ and started…
“I’ve never seen him so angry. In fact, he never gets angry. He never has to, no one…
“The main thing I learned from our group was how mood can affect us. And that people do…
“The moment we all paired off, I unconsciously turned the assignment into a competition. If we didn’t win,…
“You’re picturing an alcoholic desperate for a drink but not allowed to have one. Or a food addict…
Yisroel kept his nose clean. If he didn’t break any rules, he figured he’d sail through his six…
Besides making sure the horses were settled, there was nothing for me to do but watch, leaving me…
“Why,” I asked, “do we continue with certain behaviors but not others? Because they served us well at…
Retorno isn’t your typical tourist attraction, but Norman and Jacqueline weren’t your typical tourists. They were Canadian probation…
Was I ready for this? Could I combine what I’d learned at the ranch with everything I’d learned…
When you paused too long between each effort, you were essentially letting him have his way, every single…
“There are situations in which a person’s participation is entirely against his will. The responsibility does not lie…
“Is anyone willing to share how they deal with difficult emotions? Or maybe I should say, to not…
I was very worried about her. She had so much fear inside her, so much pain, and so…
“ ‘Henny,’ she said, ‘you’re not dying. You’re simply experiencing a feeling you’ve never experienced before. It’s called…
The rabbi shook his head. “Ilana, it’s not the horse that wants to be on the side, it’s…
“I’ve learned so much about myself, why I did what I did, what I was missing, what I…
“Okay, all of you smokers. If you ever read the warning label on a package of cigarettes, keep…
“Don’t go trying to sell me love. Keep your ohavim. I don’t love any of you, you don’t…
A teenage boy approached the offices. Hands and feet cuffed, he was flanked by three police officers. This…
The exercise worked well because we hadn’t realized it was an exercise. No theoretical conversation, no attempts at…
On top of my own frustration, I felt responsible for the others’ enjoyment — or lack thereof —…
I didn’t want to pry or make her uncomfortable. She, on the other hand, started asking a million…
As I spent time at Retorno, I got hooked on the people, the realness. On the process going…
Faygie was as winded as anyone, but stayed on the court. I took in her bright eyes and…
