Over the past several weeks, I have been posting blogs on the subject of addictions and the treatment of addictions. I have now assembled those various postings into an article which I’ve included in the Library portion of my web site. I hope that people will find this article of interest; that it will give […]
Archive | July, 2011
Working with Addictions, Psychotherapy Part II
An important dimension in the process of working with addictions is how the client and I examine other ways of healthier coping. I often say to clients that everyone deserves a break, some respite from what is difficult in life. We often talk about some of these more positive respites (developing hobbies, doing meaningful volunteer […]
Working with Addictions: Psychotherapy Part I
From my clinical experience, I have often seen that these behaviors have persisted for a very long time in a person’s life. It is not surprising to see that during the person’s childhood (perhaps beginning in adolescence) there was some use of some substance as a means of coping. In these circumstances, it is important […]
Working with Addictions: Predictability
When working with addictions, it is vitally important to understand the role that predictability, and the desire for predictability, has in a person’s life. The repetition of these behaviors creates habit; and with any habit, a person comes to know just what he is going to experience. If it is the habit of drinking to […]
Psychotherapy and Discovery
Psychotherapy is about discovery. At the heart of the work that the client and I do is the quest for discovery. It might be to discover just what is causing distress and suffering in the person’s life. In this regard, our quest is multi-leveled. There is of course the immediate level: a loss that the […]