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Compulsive Theft, Spending & Hoarding Newsletter April 2013 

The Shulman Center on the move and in the news…   March 27, 2013–Mr. Shulman is quoted in an article on shopping addiction in Business Insider online. See Article March 28, 2013–Mr. Shulman is quoted in an article on shopping addiction in The Daily Beast online. See  Article April 1, 2013–Mr. Shulman is quoted in an article on shopping addiction in Everyday Health. Se April 10, 2013–Mr. Shulman has penned the “Foreword” for upcoming book Shoplifters: Are They Out of Control? by California forensic psychologist John C. Brady. April 11-12, 2013–Mr. Shulman will be attending the Michigan Social Workers Annual Conference in Lansing, MI and will be networking about his work.  April 13, 2013–Mr. Shulman will co-present on relationship issues at the half-day mini-workshop “Living Recovery in an Addictive World” in Ferndale, MI. April 2013–Mr. Shulman has an article about honesty in the workplace in the Jack Hayes International quarterly newsletter. October 4, 2013–Mr. Shulman will be have a booth at the Annual Royal Oak, MI Health Fair.  October 7-9, 2013–Mr. Shulman will be presenting on employee theft at The 3rd Annual Lifestyle Intervention Conference in Las Vegas, NV. October 25 and October 27, 2013–Mr. Shulman will be presenting 2 all-day seminars on compulsive theft, spending and hoarding at Jewish Family Services in West Bloomfield, MI.
A RECOVERY MESSAGE in PASSOVER AND EASTER From Slavery to Freedom, From Death to Rebirth As most of us slough off the winter snow and delight in the new buds of spring, Passover and Easter remind us of the triumphs of breaking free and being reborn. You don’t have to be religious to embrace these vital themes and journeys.

This is a great time to ask ourselves the following questions: 
What did I learn during my winter slumber? 
What have I been enslaved to and how am I finding new freedom from this?
How have I recently died (symbolically) and who has this process given rebirth to?

During my winter slumber I found myself unexpectedly busy and fruitful these last three months of 2013. So much so that I hardly got to enjoy much winter’s slumber! What does it mean to be free? According to Buddhist teachings, spiritual slavery is borne of an over-involvement with our egos and an oppressive attachment to worldly goods, pursuits and relationships. But, as it was for the Israelites in Egypt and Jesus on the cross, deliverance is possible. But we must work out our liberation with diligence–that’s where recovery comes in… In Buddhism, to achieve such self-liberation is to achieve enlightenment, or nirvana, a state of clarity and release from suffering. Few people have found this enlightenment and, so, for most the quest continues through a constant cycle of death and rebirth (whether figuratively or actually in terms of reincarnation).  In much the same way that we continue to learn and grow through therapy, recovery and other self-development work, each year we celebrate Passover and Easter (as well as the transition from winter to spring), as a reminder of the story of death and rebirth, slavery to liberation.
For those who’ve wandered “40 years” between enslavement and freedom (how many have been in their addictions that long!) and those who have felt crucified and resurrected and those budding flowers of spring both delicate and strong beyond measure, we face the cycle of the seasons within and without. We must grow, we must move toward freedom and toward rebirth. It is our calling and destiny.  NEW DSM-5 CRITERIA FOR HOARDING DISORDER Theses are the proposed criteria for hoarding disorder in the forthcoming (May) DSM-5: A. Persistent difficulty discarding or parting with personal possessions, even those of apparently useless or limited value, due to strong urges to save items, distress, and/or indecision associated with discarding. B. The symptoms result in the accumulation of a large number of possessions that fill up and clutter the active living areas of the home, workplace, or other personal surroundings (e.g., office, vehicle, yard) and prevent normal use of the space. If all living areas are uncluttered, it is only because of others’ efforts (e.g., family members, authorities) to keep these areas free of possessions. C. The symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning (including maintaining a safe environment for self and others). D. The hoarding symptoms are not due to a general medical condition (e.g., brain injury, cerebrovascular disease). E. The hoarding symptoms are not restricted to the symptoms of another mental disorder (e.g., hoarding due to obsessions in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, lack of motivation in Major Depressive Disorder, delusions in Schizophrenia or another Psychotic Disorder, cognitive deficits in Dementia, restricted interests in Autistic Disorder, food storing in Prader-Willi Syndrome).* Specify if:With Excessive Acquisition: If symptoms are accompanied by excessive collecting or buying or stealing of items that are not needed or for which there is no available space. Specify whether hoarding beliefs and behaviors are currently characterized by:  * Good or fair insight: Recognizes that hoarding-related beliefs and behaviors (pertaining to difficulty discarding items, clutter, or excessive acquisition) are problematic.  * Poor insight: Mostly convinced that hoarding-related beliefs and behaviors (pertaining to difficulty discarding items, clutter, or excessive acquisition) are not problematic despite evidence to the contrary.  * Delusional: Completely convinced that hoarding-related beliefs and behaviors (pertaining to difficulty discarding items, clutter, or excessive acquisition) are not problematic despite evidence to the contrary.   Honesty is its own reward.–Anonymous Walk in peace.The Shulman Center 2013 Events Calendar  Ongoing … The Baton Rouge, Louisiana court system has a court-ordered, facilitated educational program for retail fraud offenders. The program is based on material from Mr. Shulman’s book Something for Nothing: Shoplifting Addiction and Recovery. Mr. Shulman created a 1-hour employee theft online course with360 Training. Learn why people steal from their jobs, how to deter it, prevent it, and what to do when confronted with it. Enroll at: http://theshulmancenter.360training.com Mr. Shulman created an online continuing education course on compulsive shopping and spending called Bought Out and $pent! based on his book and Power Point presentation. The course, CEs offered, through The American Psychotherapy Association. at: http://www.americanpsychotherapy.com
RESOURCES OF NOTE… START YOUR NEW YEAR with MONEY LIFE-COACHING!Tom Lietaert of Sacred Odyssey and the Intimacy with Money programs offers individual money coaching as well as various group workshops on money. Check out Tom’s two websites at:www.sacredodyssey.com / www.intimacywithmoney.com CONSULTING AND EDUCATION ON FRAUDGary Zeune of Columbus, Ohio has been a friend and colleague of mine for nearly two years. He has been a consultant and teacher on fraud discovery and prevention for nearly 30 years. He is interviewed in my book Cluttered Lives, Empty Souls: Compulsive Theft, Spending & Hoarding. I recently saw Gary in action recently when he presented an all-day on fraud to metro-Detroit accountants. www.theprosandthecons.com THE SHULMAN CENTER THERAPIST TRAINING PROGRAM! If you’re a therapist and wish to be trained & certified in the assessment/treatment of compulsive theft, spending and/or hoarding, CONTACT THE SHULMAN CENTER NOW! See:http://www.theshulmancenter.com/counselor-training.html  THE FLY LADY ASSISTS WITH CLEANING & DECLUTTERING I recently was told about a website resource that lists strategies for cleaning and de-cluttering and sells various books and products that help with this; so, I’m passing it along… See:http://www.flylady.net Mr. Shulman’s booksavailable for purchase now! Click here to shop amazon.com   Something for Nothing: Shoplifting Addiction and Recovery (2003) See also:www.somethingfornothingbook.com      Biting The Hand That Feeds:The Employee Theft Epidemic… New Perspectives, New Solutions (2005) See also: www.bitingthehandthatfeeds.com     Bought Out and $pent! Recovery from Compulsive $hopping/$pending (2008) See also: www.boughtoutandspent.com       Cluttered Lives, Empty Souls: Compulsive Stealing, Spending and Hoarding (2011) See also: www.clutteredlives.com Contact The Shulman Center: Terrence Daryl Shulman, JD, LMSW, ACSW, CAADC, CPC  Founder/Director, The Shulman Center for Compulsive Theft, Spending & Hoarding P.O. Box 250008 Franklin, Michigan 48025 E-mail: terrenceshulman@theshulmancenter.com Call (248) 358-8508 for a free consultation!Our Web Sites:The Shulman CenterShoplifting AddictionsKleptomaniacs AnonymousSomething For NothingShopping Addictions Shopaholics AnonymousBought Out and Spent Employee Theft SolutionsBiting the Hand that FeedsHoarding TherapyHoarders AnonymousTerrence Shulman Books by Terrence Shulman:  Something for Nothing:Shoplifting Addiction and RecoveryBiting The Hand That Feeds:The Employee Theft EpidemicBought Out and $pent! Recovery from Compulsive $hopping and $pendingCluttered Lives Empty Souls: Compulsive StealingSpending and Hoarding All book are available for $25.00 each (includes shipping and handling).  Click here to purchase

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