ADDICTION and CODEPENDENCY

In addition to being a licensed Psychotherapist and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, I am also a certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor. Addictions, both substance and codependency, are my specialties. I work with the addict/alcoholic, the co-dependent, and the Adult Child of Alcoholic or child of a dysfunctional family. Inner child work, body based trauma resolution, and 12 step informed recovery are my passions.  I specialize in supporting the addicted individual, and co-addicted family members find a path out of the pain.

In addition to early recovery, I specialize in helping those who have time in recovery/sobriety. Often, though recovered from the primary addiction, individuals find themselves repeating painful patterns in other areas of their life, or simply feeling unfulfilled and empty. Sometimes it is only after initial recovery that painful memories, increased anxiety or depression, and difficulties in relationships become even more painful and unbearable.  Behaviors can be deeply rooted in the brain and the subconscious. Often unhealed trauma is at the root of stuck painful behavior and emotions. Through the use of Somatic Experiencing and Brainspotting accessing the wounded self through the body allows healing on a deeper level. I have found this type of modality to be especially helpful for the addict/alcoholic. As a person in recovery as well, I understand how working with the body, going into the body, is the very thing that most addicts/alcoholics choose to avoid at any cost. This though, is actually the arena of the most healing.

Working with the client in this way can help with anxiety, negative self-talk, and increase the ability for the client to feel comfortable in their bodies. This in turn, makes it possible for addicts to stop compulsively reaching outside of themselves for a “fix”, whether that be a drug or drink, a person, unrelenting goals, workaholism etc. To be able to pause and be in peace, is a goal for many of us, to respond versus react. To pause is especially key for addict/alcoholic in maintaining sobriety. Feeling one’s feelings and leaning into the discomfort, the very thing that many have used substances to cope with, becomes the very doorway into an expanded ability to experience serenity, emotionally self-regulate, and have a more fulfilling life.