An Alternative, Soul-Based Approach to Addictions
My Approach To Addictions
I do not see addiction as a disease. Nor do I believe that the only way to recover from addiction is by living in fear of relapse for the rest of your life.
By going beyond merely managing the symptoms of addiction, I help you to heal the sources of your addiction and access the wisdom contained within it.
Addictions often manifest when the soul yearns for greater connectedness. With skillful facilitations, addictions can be a powerful gateway to access deeper understanding and awareness of life. My focus is in empowering you to reconnect with your own personal power and rediscover your innate joys in life.
My Stance On The 12-Step Model
Although my approach contains some fundamental differences to the 12-Step approach, I do acknowledge and appreciate the supportive power of being part of the 12-Step community, especially in the early stages of freeing from addiction. Therefore, I do advise most of my clients to take advantage of the support which that network can offer, to develop a rounded approach to their recovery process. Many of my clients, however, choose not to, citing an incompatibility between the values propounded and their own personal values, as well as very often a lack of spiritual awareness in the rooms. I respect these choices.
I feel it is also a matter of personality. Most of my clients are spiritually sensitive, and they value an individualised approach to their process.
What To Expect When Working With Me
I offer an empowering approach to working with addictions – using unconventional yet grounded methods to heal the client deeply from the underlying causes of addictions.
Healing and liberation from addictions is a collaborative process between the client and myself. When considering working with me, it is important that you understand that:
I do not offer a quick fix. Instead, I will gently guide you to the places in you that need healing and create-hold the space for your healing. I will show you where to go to retrieve misplaced power and fragments of your being.
I cannot make the actual change for you. True change requires you to make that grounded choice internally to want to change. Together, we may have accomplished lots of deep healings, but if you still choose to hold on to your old ways, nothing can override your free will. Even if the drive towards addiction has been ‘fixed’, you can still at every moment choose whether to embark on a new path or return to more familiar patterns and behaviours.
When both caveats are understood, then the stage is set for some very fulfilling healings that we can accomplish together which can liberate you from your addiction once and for all.
When working with addictions, I employ the best of what works clinically while creating the spaciousness for you to explore their recovery individually. I draw from a variety of methods and techniques – cognitive-psychological tools, creative processes, visualisations, movement medicine, breathwork, symbolism, psychospiritual alchemy, mystical practices and intuitive guidance – to help you open up to your own greater resources. These tools are grounded in practicality and easy to implement in one’s daily life.
I treat every client as an individual. I respect that the underlying issues that drive individuals to addictions are unique and as such there is no fixed formula. You will receive dedicated, personalised therapy tailored specifically for your unique history and spiritual path.
What you need to know
Before Working With Me
I am not a doctor. Not do I belong to any professional board, group or association in the conventional world of therapeutic practitioners. If you’re looking for a ‘qualified’ or ‘licensed’ practitioner, I’m not that person.
I do know a lot about human suffering, and I know how to guide people out of it.
The best candidates for working with me are those who are not currently in active addiction and are looking for support in staying clean. If you’re still abusing substance, I will require that you seek clearance from your medical practitioner and if need to undergo a medical detox before coming to me.
How Does Addiction Come About?
The Truth About Addictions
At some point in life, most of us find ourselves addicted to one thing or another. Work, relationships, smart phone, food, sex, shopping.
Addictions usually start off as a defense against something we’re afraid to confront. A painful emotion. A harsh reality. We reach out for something, someone, or act out a behaviour to make us feel better immediately so we can avoid the unsettling feelings inside us.
Even for those addicted to drugs and alcohol, your path to addiction probably began long before you decided to consume drugs or alcohol excessively. You or those around you might have noticed an imbalance in your lifestyle:
- Spending more and more time at home by yourself;
- Getting obsessed about the way you look;
- Inability to move on from a relationship that has ended;
- A messy, chaotic lifestyle filled with stress, dramas and anxiety;
- Struggling to cope with a life transition.
These kinds of behaviours are often precursors to addiction. Even if you don’t end up doing drugs or alcohol, staying stuck in these behaviours can cause substantial damage and make you very unhappy.
As long as you’re obsessed with getting some kind of validation from the outside world, you’re operating under the same internal dynamics as those who are addicted to drugs and alcohol.
Addiction is a symptom of a greater unease within ourselves. This unease, if un’treated’, can lead us into full-blown addiction that can destroy our career, relationships, self-esteem and stability.
If your addiction has cost you many things you value in life, you probably look back and regret choosing the path of avoidance. Yet, most likely, no one has ever told you the Truth:
Wthin this unease, lies your power.
At some point in life, most of us find ourselves addicted to one thing or another. Work, relationships, smart phone, food, sex, shopping.
Addictions usually start off as a defense against something we’re afraid to confront. A painful emotion. A harsh reality. We reach out for something, someone, or act out a behaviour to make us feel better immediately so we can avoid the unsettling feelings inside us.
Even for those addicted to drugs and alcohol, your path to addiction probably began long before you decided to consume drugs or alcohol excessively. You or those around you might have noticed an imbalance in your lifestyle:
- Spending more and more time at home by yourself;
- Getting obsessed about the way you look;
- Inability to move on from a relationship that has ended;
- A messy, chaotic lifestyle filled with stress, dramas and anxiety;
- Struggling to cope with a life transition.
These kinds of behaviours are often precursors to addiction. Even if you don’t end up doing drugs or alcohol, staying stuck in these behaviours can cause substantial damage and make you very unhappy.
As long as you’re obsessed with getting some kind of validation from the outside world, you’re operating under the same internal dynamics as those who are addicted to drugs and alcohol.
Addiction is a symptom of a greater unease within ourselves. This unease, if un’treated’, can lead us into full-blown addiction that can destroy our career, relationships, self-esteem and stability.
If your addiction has cost you many things you value in life, you probably look back and regret choosing the path of avoidance. Yet, most likely, no one has ever told you the Truth:
Wthin this unease, lies your power.
That unsettling feeling you’ve been avoiding can lead you to many places within you where your true power lies waiting for you to reclaim it.
I specialise in helping you heal the sources of your addictive behaviours that are causing you unhappiness.
I believe that treating the symptoms of addiction is by itself ineffective in the long run since addiction is simply the manifestation of a deeper unease within a person.
Not only that, I will guide you to find your personal power by accessing the wisdom contained in what you might currently perceive as undesirable.
Contact me if you’d like to work with me on your addictions.
