Addiction or Substance Abuse Therapy and Treatment
Short and Simple Symptoms of Addiction
• Drink/use more than you intended
• Experience negative consequences
• Need more substance to get the same result
EMDR (Eye movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapists specializing in Addictions understand that psychological injury and its aftereffects can cause a person to seek escape from the uncomfortable and negative thoughts and feelings that seem to take control.The easiest and most available escape in this culture is substances. The numbing “high” or quick relief experienced from drugs or alcohol is a welcome break from the depression, anxiety, craziness, stress, or trauma that underlie the discomfort. Despite the desire to “handle it myself,” most alcoholics and addicts eventually face the fact: “on my own, I can’t manage.” Making the nightmare go away with a substance, however, can lead to addiction, and then the individual has two disorders instead of one. The “co-occurring disorders” must both be treated.
The negative fall-out from alcoholism and addiction does not always appear right away, so it can become more difficult for a person to learn from the negative consequences of his actions. They do not always show up immediately. Sadly, the suffering gradually worsens. Since the process of addiction is rather subtle, it can go on without interruption until loved ones clamor or until the addicted person hits bottom.
When the addict is ready to accept the reality of addiction with its negative consequences and takes responsibility to start healing the traumas that initially caused him to drink or use, he has reached a turning point. It is essential that any healing plan include treatment of the underlying trauma, as well as the physical addiction. Otherwise, once the person is clean of the substance, there is the risk of traumatic feelings, thoughts, and flashbacks returning in full force. Those intense feelings often trigger relapses. In fact, it’s been reported that the average person in recovery experiences 8 relapses before their recovery stabilizes. We have found that rocky road can be smoothed by adding trauma treatment to the recovery plan. Our EMDRIA-Certified EMDR specialists are eager to help and support your progress.
