I am a counselor and coach who specializes in attachments,codependency and metabolic health I use Buddhist principles to aid in recovery and to help promote happiness. I also write and teach about these issues. I have a private practice in Reno, NV and work nationally on the phone 775 230-1507 and on whatsapp FaceTime and messenger. Email: mhappenow.happe@gmail.com
I was recently interviewed about my Autism and how therapeutic ketosis has helped. Here is there blurb:
At 75 years old, Michele Happe has lived through addiction, recovery, food struggles, and serious health challenges. But discovering ketogenic nutrition changed everything. What began as "dirty keto" quickly turned into a life-altering shift, bringing steady energy, mental clarity, and freedom from anxiety and depression that had shadowed her since childhood.
In this video, Michele opens up about her deeply personal journey:
Coaching others with autism, addiction, and compulsive eating to harness the same benefits
Michele's story is proof that it's never too late to reclaim your health. Metabolic therapies like ketogenic and carnivore diets can transform both body and mind, helping people find stability, resilience, and freedom at any stage of life.
* If you find Michele's story inspiring, check out her THINK+SMART page (https://www.metabolicmind.org/
th...) on our website, and subscribe to Metabolic Mind for more real stories and science on ketogenic therapy and mental health.
Ruby is an attractive very intelligent engaging woman in her late fifties. I worked with Ruby briefly in the early 2000's. At that time she was sober and working a 12 step program. Within the last year she came back to me for further work. She was working on what she called her issues with debauchery. Her issues were now food addiction gambling, drinking and smoking cigarettes. Her relapse was profound and causing her much distress. She was able to give up alcohol and food addiction for a clean keto diet but her issues of gambling remained. We discovered that part of the issue was an issue with her husband who was also debaucherous with her. In other words he was her "lower companion". Another stressor in the marriage was her husband was the exact opposite of her politically and he was a very devout catholic and she was more a metaphysical Christian.
As we were dealing with her addictive issues and marriage issues, I asked about childhood trauma. She indicated that she had dealt with that years back with another therapist. She told me the story though. Her father was clearly a malignant narcissist, alcoholic and sadist. He would come into her room when she was just a little girl and would force her to drink alcohol until she would pass out. She did not know if he sexually molested her and she was in a black out. (I assumed that is exactly what happened as he had that reputation in the family and her older sister clearly remembered being sexually molested by him). He also tortured his children. While napping he would approach Ruby with a stand up vacuum cleaner and suck her hair into the roller causing her considerate fear and pain. This man later died by suicide to her great relief.
I was curious to uncover the current patterns that dictated by this early abuse. Ruby was groomed to tolerate a lot of abuse especially from intimate partners. She had been married a few times and all of those marriages were terminated due to abuse or infidelity. Her current husband is kind but very avoidant of conflict which renders him the weaker partner. Ruby wears the pants in this relationship which is the inversion of the previous pattern of overt abuse. Her current husband is passive aggressive rather than overt, the opposite side of the same coin. If Ruby slips and gambles and smokes he slips too. if Ruby abstained from both addictions so does he. She easily takes on the mantle of aggressor and the partner who demands compliance in most areas of the marriage, except for his political views and religious convictions.
As our work together progressed and a good bond was created, Ruby indicated that she was willing to look again at her trauma issues. I was very gentle with her and showed her kindness and empathy as she shared how her past trauma mimicked much of the subsequent trauma. We talked a lot about how she was groomed by her original trauma. I suggested that she create her own room which was to be her sanctuary and she did. We were just about ready to delve into inner child work at this writing. As she read the previous parts of this trauma blog she indicated that she was learning more about self compassion and was willing to implement the work involved in achieving that.
I feel honored to be Ruby's guide through some of the worst trauma I have ever heard. My own motherly instincts guide me in helping her adopt a supportive loving inner mother for her wounded inner child. She is now abstinent from alcohol, gambling, food addiction and smoking! We continue our work together with loving kindness for each other.
Much love and be well,
Michele Happe MA mhappenow.happe@gmail.com 775 230-1507
Search for my Metabolic Mind Page and my Psychology Today page
Trauma yields different reactions based on who receives it. I had a client years ago who was nightly molested by her step father who suffered greatly with food issues, anxiety, and depression. She was activated and disregulated perpetually. She walked through life like a deer in the headlights. Her step sister on the other hand was approached by the step father and she fought him and told him to "get the fuck out of her room"!. She had no trauma reaction. He never approached her again. She was a tough cookie and her sister was introverted and very sensitive.
So now a little about me. I am a trauma survivor. It started with my dad who was sexually inappropriate with me since I was 3. His behavior was mostly covert. I remember being in fear and loathing around him and literally clung to my mother. When I was old enough to spend the night at a friends, I would always end up needing to call my mom because of extreme stomach upset. In college I started having panic attacks and anxiety all the time. I was a chubby kid and began lots of crazy dieting starting with diet pills....with my dad. He always said we were cut from the same cloth. I didn't realize how profound that statement was until my 60's when I realized I was on the autism spectrum. At that time I realized he was too. He was a brilliant materials engineer and accomplished trumpet player with many hobbies and special interests. As I was saying before, when college started I became anorexic and self harming. I lived with suicidal ideation which haunted me and terrified my boyfriend at the time who would hold my passenger door closed while driving when I threatened to jump out of our VW Bus.
Through all of this trauma reaction I was a great student and found solace by going to school, learning and studying. It was the greatest distraction. While I was a student there I became a geology tutor where I got my thirst for teaching. The lab was the place where I felt most comfortable. I was a very good geek!! I had my Masters in Psychology at 23 and got a gig student teaching at my own community college in my home town. I taught at that community college for a few years and when the bottom dropped out in education in the 70's I started my own business in advertising, representing commercial artists. I had realized I preferred self employment even though I know that job wasn't for me. After being a drug and alcohol counselor intern I got hired as a director of an eating disorder unit at a mental hospital. I loved the job of supervising counselors and doing educational outreach but I hated working in that environment. I felt the place was a "snake pit". My anxiety blossomed and I walked off that job, applied for disability and got on Prozac which I called "club med". That was when I started a private practice in the early 90's and where I continue to work with clients as a life style and recovery coach until the present. Oh and by the way I got sober, dealt with my eating disorders, codependency and got into therapy. No one ever diagnosed my Level 1 autism until I diagnosed myself in my 60's.
My own case history reveals how trauma affects the susceptible. My autism was my susceptibility and my gift. Level 1 Autism is a remarkable tribe. We are often introverted, highly sensitive, easily hurt and disregulated, highly intelligent and talented in many areas where we have special interests. Mine are currently digital painting and learning everything I can about metabolism and therapeutic ketosis. My work is my social life. This is true for many of us on the spectrum. But not everyone with deep sensitivities are on the spectrum. Some of us are just born with the tendency for fear and anxiety, and are more likely to be damaged by trauma. Men and women might react differently, but both can fall victimized by trauma.
The reason I suspect trauma damage is when I see the symptoms outlined in part 1. Those symptoms are usually an attempt to deal with trauma damage. In the language of autism, they are stimming attempts to help regulate the system whether it is throwing up a meal, cutting, or becoming a powerful politician who is dominated by the need for success, power and retribution. The reactions to trauma are varied and complex, but treatment is generally the same. I believe that we need to develop a compassionate relationship with our own trauma and learn helpful and healthy ways to re regulate ourselves when we are triggered into disregulation.
In part 3 I will share more about treatment and share some case histories with you, so stay tuned.
Trauma doesn't go away, it morphs.It can morph in both positive and negative ways.Trauma affects different people in totally different ways.Highly sensitive people are usually more profoundly affected than others but I will get into that later.My way of helping people deal with trauma is to work on developing a relationship with it which can at first be very threatening and traumatic yielding tears or sometimes anger.
A very common reaction to dealing with trauma without help and guidance is to attempt to bury it, hide it, lie about it, and overall try to forget about it. What we know about these techniques is "what we resist persists". This is how trauma morphs into negative outcomes. I'll list some of the ways these negative outcomes emerge. Keep in mind that all of these outcomes are vain attempts to regulate oneself, but unfortunately only serve to disregualate in the end. In other words, what originally "solves" the problem eventually becomes the problem.
Substance Abuse alcohol and drugs
Eating Disorders, anorexia, compulsive eating and purging of food.
Codependency, abandoning self in favor of others to our detriment.
Depression leading to isolation and a numbing effect
Anxiety causing further avoidance of triggers leading to isolation
Narcissism seeing oneself as a victim and seeking retribution.
Sociopathy similar to Narcissim where retribution morphs into criminality by
becoming an sexual abuser or rapist
becoming a violent abuser
becoming a murderer
Borderline Personality Disorder where lack of a self base creates disregulated manipulating
behavior which creates a come here go away dynamic.
When I meet with a client we make a list of all the issues they are dealing with and want help with. If I see any of the above I work with providing a safe and supportive environment where trust and therautic bonding can take place. Once I see that there is good rapport and respect I ask about trauma. I think most of us experience trauma in our history. Being trained in Drug and Alcohol Addiction and Eating Disorders very few clients are without any trauma. When I account a client with anti social issues I help them define them which angers or irritates them causing them to quit working with me. This is my intention because 1) I don't like to be conned and 2) counseling or coaching these types is generally not helpful to healing with is rare and usually only gives them better methods to con and hurt others who they generally see as objects and are only capable of transactional relationships.
To be continued in. Part 2...The Susceptible
Be well
Michele
mhappenow.happe@gmail.com 775 230-1507
Wednesday, August 6, 2025
If you suffer from addictions of any kind and want to recover
Then follow these steps
1). Clean up your nutrition by reducing carbs, first sugar then grains then starchy vegetables. Reduce your carbs to 20 grams net and eat only whole real food. Eat moderate protein and replace carbs with healthy fats like animal fats olive oil and coconut oil.
2). Begin an exercise program like walking, weight training, swimming biking or playing sports at least 3 times per week.
3). Get adequate sleep shooting for 8 hours based on your own biorhythms. Whether you are a night owl or a lark accepting these rhythms will enhance your sleep experience.
4) Attend support meetings of your choosing. If you don’t like groups find a recovery coach, counselor or therapist. If you are dealing with previous trauma, make sure you find someone who is experienced in dealing with this.
This may feel like a very tall order but it is worth it to create a long and healthy life without addictions..
Live as clean a life as possible and you will not only reverse your addiction but will feel and function better than ever. These steps also reverse many mental health conditions and metabolic health conditions like obesity and diabetes.
It is clear from current research and scientific studies that there is a direct relationship between metabolic disorders and nutrition...but there is more. In this post I will be talking about trauma, especially consistent repetitive childhood trauma which clearly affects the mental health of the adult as well as the physical health.
What metabolic disorders do we see affected by trauma? I'll provide you with a list.
Obesity
Chemical dependency and addiction
Depression and anxiety
Personality disorders such as Borderline, Histrionic, Narcissistic, Dependent, and Depersonalization
Heart disease
Type 2 diabetes
Irritable bowel disease
Chronic fatigue and other autoimmune diseases
and more.
The energy in every cell in our body depends on the mitochondria in each cell. This is the powerhouse of each cell. When the mitochondria is damaged, the cell is weakened and becomes dysfunctional, resulting in all of the above listed diseases and disorders. Chris Palmer MD, a psychiatrist is another one of my heroes. He was surprised to find that when one of his schizophrenic patients who was morbidly obese asked for a way to lose the excess weight, the ketogenic diet he recommended not only precipitated weight loss, but also took aways his hallucinations and delusions. This was a patient who always rejected the diagnosis of schizophrenia before ketone adaptation. After his weight loss and resolution of his schizophrenic symptoms, he remarked to the Dr. "you know I think I was schizophrenic"! Dr Palmer has written a book called Brain Energy which addresses brilliantly the importance of mitochondria in a most compassionate and passionate way.
Poor nutrition, junk and over processed food and in many cases excess carbohydrates weakens mitochondria. Environmental toxins like smoking, pollution, chemicals, alcohol, many drugs and pharmaceuticals also damage mitochondria. And so does stress and trauma both emotional and physical. It is no secret that trauma of any kind causes an immediate spike in blood sugar produced by the liver by a process called neoglucogenesis. Prolonged stressors and trauma can contribute to hyperinsulinemia which causes insulin resistance, the precursor of all the above listed illnesses...and many more.
Now about trauma. I work with many clients who have endured unspeakable traumas. What I usually see initially are metabolic disorders like obesity and addiction. Once we do a rigorous history of family it becomes clear that without exception, trauma is the underlying comorbidity. So this trauma must be dealt with. The most common reaction to trauma is the effort to deny its existence or to push it away through aversion by saying, "that is in the past and I shouldn't be affected by it anymore".....only compounding the deleterious effects of the original trauma especially in the case of complex post traumatic symptoms, meaning chronic repetitive traumas of childhood.
Having suffered my own traumas of sexual molestation and corporal punishment as well as a sudden loss of my brother when I was 17, I have done extensive work of my own, in this area. I find that the most effective way to deal with trauma is to develop a relationship with it because it never really goes away. It rears its head after triggers are activated and learning self soothing and compassion as well as acceptance of the prolonged effects of the trauma are crucial. This relationship minimizes the stress caused by the PTSD and CPTSD, mollifying the negative influence on our mitochondria.
We must remember always that the brain is a part of the body and both work together in both health and ill health. They cannot be separated. Watch Dr. Palmer explain:
So if you have experienced trauma or if you have chronic metabolic illness it is important to get help through nutritional guidance as well as stress reduction and trauma work. If you are willing to take this deep and sometimes frightening dive into changing your life style and improving your overall health and longevity you will experience a promotion of happiness which is a profound healing force.
Until next time, I am Happe to help.
Call or text me: 775 230-1507 or email: mhappenow.happe@gmail.com
I have been sober since 1980...I have always been grateful for my sobriety because it has helped me clean up my act in so many other ways. But now I discover that the dangers of consuming alcohol are so much more profound than I ever knew. I will be posting a link to one of my hero's in the mental health and theraputic ketosis space, Dr.Chris Palmer, a psychiatrist at Harvard. He is working with the most "hopeless" mental health disorders schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Who knew ketones would be a profoundly helpful treatment to eliminate the heart breaking symptoms of these disorders.
Back to alcohol. What I have learned is that alcohol damages the mitochondria in every cell of our body. Mitochondria are responsible for energy created in those cells. This can even occur in what is considered healthy levels of drinking especially if you have a genetic predisposition for alcoholism. The most profound damage happens first in the liver (we all know that) and second, to the brain!
Many believe that the brain gets its primary energy from glucose...but this is not true. The majority of the world population are fueling their brains with glucose because of the over consumption of carbs. What the brain actually prefers are ketones, a fatty acid, for fuel. This is also true for the liver by the way. The harmful byproducts of alcohol sneak into the brain preferentially and at first make us feel better but ultimately damage the brains ability the receive the energy it needs to function. Not only do ketones heal the brain and liver and so many other systems in the body like the heart, but they also heal and reverse the whole metabolism.
Even moderate consistent amounts of alcohol can do damage to the brain, liver and even the gut promoting many types of cancer, demential and cirrhosis of the liver.
This is a brief intro to a wonderful video with Dr. Chris Palmer. If you want to be scared about you drinking please watch...he gives solutions to the problem at the end which are very hopeful indeed.
After having been a licensed addictions counselor since 1987 and running an eating disorder unit. I have retired my license and shifting my focus to coaching and using Buddhist principles to promote happiness. My focus areas are addiction recovery, nutritional coaching using low carb/carnivore nutrition, coaching high functioning autism spectrum, codependency recovery and general life coaching. I help codependent clients free themselves from the grasp of narcissistic partners and family members. I have been helping people for over 30 years, and I share my own recovery in these areas with my clients who I hold very dear.
If you are in recovery and having difficulty with life on life's terms but don't feel comfortable in 12 steps I can serve as a recovery coach to help you through issues that can cause relapse. I have expertise with neurodivergent clients. I am very low carb myself and have recieved numerous benefits along with exercise and embracing my own introversion.
Our mental and general health depends on lifestyle issues such as nutrition, avoiding toxins as well as toxic relationships, exercise, loving relationships and spiritual practice such as meditation.
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