Addiction and Trauma

Importance of treating the trauma to treat the  addiction

Addiction and Trauma; Addiction can break a family system for generations until someone makes the choice to heal the wound. I’ve worked with many suffering from addictions; I feel the depth of their soul as they try to express emotions to me. Over time, I’ve noticed that some therapists only focus on taking the substance away when they try to get help—those therapists don’t talk about their emotional needs, feelings, nervous system & fight or flight. It is tough to recover from addiction without meeting the core needs of the individual. Everyone needed to get attention, be loved, feel enough, and worthy of others. Usually, persons affected with an addiction do not give this to themself. When their family and other support network is also not meeting these needs, they feel pain the feeling of not being wanted, like you don’t matter. It touches a significant area of your subconscious mind. Your wounded inner mind is the place you feel triggered or needy; when trying to push people away, you’re trying to protect a wound of your own. All that pain means there’s something inside you that needs to be loved, nurtured, and healed before the addiction can be cured.

Almost everyone going through addiction I talked about has the concept of “using not to feel” those with addictions are using a substance to regulate their response. This substance could be opioids, alcohol, and gambling. Almost everyone I’ve worked with has reported not expressing their feelings and emotions and internalizing them from a very young age because of how unpleasant the feelings are. The is a fear around how the world seems towards them. Also, they go through a constant fight or flight response of chemicals and hormones in their the body. It’s not surprising people are looking for a way to escape.

The parents;

I hear from the parents of an addicted individual saying the person had a great childhood, never wanted anything, and always available. They’ve never been abandoned or neglected. However, it’s not just traumatic events that affect a child.  Some other factors such as changing schools, losing friends, or being bullied are to name that can significantly impact kids. Mainly when they don’t express their feeling, emotions around the events happening. When feelings of individuals are suppressed in childhood, they often experience more difficulty in adult life due to the inability to deal with the pain and discomfort.

The physical “kick” or withdrawal from the drug is severe, but so is the amount of unresolved trauma, suppressed pain, and emotions. However, this is a way to true healing. To heal is to go through what some call the night of the soul.  Welcome to Edmonton Counselling Services. My name is Bharat Sharam, a qualified  Substance Abuse Professional ( SAP) DOT, Canadian Supervisor in Addiction Counselling. I specialize in helping people who suffer from addictions, providing online or in-person addiction therapy. I include a holistic approach ( mind, body, and soul ) in treating the addiction.  I am committed to our clients. I  ensure complete confidentiality and treat our clients with dignity and respect.