Addiction
Addiction often leads to cognitions that encourage the substance or behavior at hand to continue. Additionally, addiction often leads to avoidance of withdrawal symptoms that in turn lead to a vicious cycle of use despite knowledge that continued use will lead to conflict, guilt, and shame. With prolonged use of may substances, there will often come residual conflict across many area of life. There often is a perpetual feeling of unsurmountable guilt and shame directed at self and others. And in some extreme cases, addictions can lead to serious medical issues or death.
My approach to treating addiction:
Addictions is complicated, and often is accompanied with many external variables outside of the control of whomever is addicted. I like to use an approach to addictions that is client centered and collaborative. I work with clients in generating an effective and useful empirical based intervention that is tailored in identifying current maladaptive thought and behavioral patterns fueling addiction. We will then establish a plan that is aggressive towards replacing the maladaptive thought and behavioral patterns with a more reasonable and sustainable thought and behavioral pattern. I have found that Cognitive and Behavioral Treatments along side a variety of additional treatments is often necessary. I have learned with experience that many people have a personal relationship with their addiction, this often warrants a personal treatment designed to help you understand how you can use choice, responsibility, acceptance, and freedom as agents in your thought patterns.
