Bio

I’m glad to be alive and I’m glad to be sharing my life with you!

I grew up in a small town on the plains of Colorado.  Back then there was no Internet.  Online was where you hung clothes to dry.  There were no cellular phones. (If they did exist they were likely as big as backpacks).  The Atari 2600 was the source for computerized entertainment.  I could (and did) walk to school until I got my driver’s license and a car.  Terrorism was something that existed far away and long ago.  Climate Change was addressed only in science fiction.  An African-American had never been president.  Music came in the form of cassette tapes.  The VCR opened up homes to new forms of Internet.  The introduction of cable TV transformed three stations into thirty, then three-hundred.

Davy's six months old!

Beyond the grass of the back yard of my childhood home lay the Rocky Mountains.  When I looked west, my eyes beheld majestic white-capped peaks.  Seeing them inspired me to dream and connected me to nature.  I’m still dreaming and my connection to nature remians strong.  For the last month, with a friend, I have been spending a morning in nature taking it in and letting it light me up.

School was a focal point of my life.  I went through school getting good grades and never disappointing a teacher.  I was a “good” boy.  The only ‘B’ I received in 7th through 12th grades was for the swimming portion of 7th Grade Physical Education.  For some reason, I never learned how to breath correctly in the water until later in life.  While my report cards were consistent as the winter snow, my emotional ledger was a little imbalanced.  I didn’t have any names for it, but I had a sense that something just wasn’t right.

I entered the University of Colorado in 1988 and quickly experienced depression. After seeing therapist after therapist through the University over the course of four years, I was told that I needed to get outside support.  I did though my depressive cycles continued.

In 1992, soon after arriving in San Diego, learned about Compassionate (Nonviolent) Communication (CC) when a friend gave me Marshall Rosenberg’s “Introduction to CC” tape.  Eight years later an interaction with my father showed me how CC could change my life for the better. This experience led me to focus my energy on CC to guide my communication within myself and with others.

Happy 39th Birthday (April 7, 2009)

From 1993 until 2008, I took Lithium for Biploar Disorder.  Though I know she had my best interests in mind, I think my Psychiatrist misdiagnosed me.  I have experienced much depression (of this there is no doubt), but I have not experience Mania or even, Hypomania (Mania’s less intense step-brother).  After fifteen years on Lithium (that means I consumed over 15,000 little yellow pills), my kidneys were not happy.  At my doctor’s request, I got off Lithium.

This began a new phase in my life.  In retrospect, it’s clear that Lithium is a powerful drug that not only “took” my depression away, it “took away” many of my emotions on the other end of the spectrum.  Anxiety was one.  I had developed ways of being and coping that would naturally stimulate anxiety.  I never felt it on Lithium so when I felt anxiety after Lithium I was overwhelmed.  I have had my ups and down (more cycles of depression) since 2008.  The last depressive cycle ended in October of 2009 which is almost six months ago.

This April I celebrate my fortieth birthday.  I don’t know what the future will hold, but I look forward to living it moment-by-moment.

I’m excited to be offering my gifts of time, energy, and expertise to make the world a more compassionate place. I invite you to journey with me to a world where everyone is skilled at communicating with heart.

David R. McCain
San Diego, California, March 2010