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Rob Hejna holds BA in Psychology and Masters in Clinical Social Work degrees from University of Michigan. But those are the bare bones of his background. He is known as an innovative therapist, first developing unique approaches to play and interactive therapy with children and youth in wilderness settings, correctional programs, psychiatric clinics, and special education; and later forming a unique blend of analytic and behavioral approaches with adults he terms "holistic systems".  His clients say of him: "There are therapists, and there's Rob." Forming strong therapeutic bonds is essential to his work, which is interactive and goal oriented. As a long time performing musician, published writer, mantra meditator, Reiki practitioner, student of metaphysical healing, karate instructor, and more recently a grandfather, Rob is a vibrant personality, relating with clients from a wide variety of perspectives and encouraging them to discover their own inner wisdom.

Rob Hejna at the shore of Mackinac Island, MI

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    Life, Duality, and Bipolar

    Abstract images of light and dark waves

    When we are alive on this planet, we experience duality--that is, contrast, opposites. Perhaps the most pervasive sense of duality for all of us occurs as newborns, when our primal sense of omniscience (we think we are everything) is forever altered as we realize we are separate from everything. But we have no sense of "self", as we have no words at that early stage. Therefore we experience a profound feeling of emptiness, "nothingness". Except, our survival instinct tells us we must fight to exist. This essential, inherent struggle sets us up for our human issue with control versus no-control. In fact, in this way, to be human is to have a bipolar reference to life. Our primal struggle with wishing to be everything, while fighting off being nothing stays with us in our unconscious. It's at the root of all our personal drama, and even the drama so many of us love to read in stories and watch in movies. When someone is diagnosed as having a bipolar disorder, it means the natural drama-struggle between everything and nothing has become dis-regulated, ie the ego has lost control of it so it has taken over influencing our functioning mind. In many cases, medication is necessary to help regulate the moods. But in some cases, just hearing this story, and using mindfulness in finding ways to conceptualize one's self as a "somebody" between the poles, can give a tremendous boost in finding relief from "disorder".

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