EMDR & Addiction Recovery
If you’ve achieved sobriety or stability when it comes to your addictions, but you find you’re still struggling with compulsive behaviors in daily life, a trauma focused therapist can help you…
Learn to relax your central nervous system using skills for reducing stress and managing intense emotions.
Create a routine for strengthening your executive functioning skills by: planning your day and week in a way that supports your recovery and wellbeing.
Identify a support system and grow your community of people who support your recovery and personal growth.
Cultivate a daily practice that includes creative arts, reflective journaling and mindfulness.
Envision what a recovered and empowered life looks and feels like for you.
Develop a felt sense of what would be different.
Work towards goals that make life worth living.
Break that vision into small, achievable tasks (SMART GOALS).
Get clear about what resources are helping you, have helped you or could help you in the future.
Identify triggers and limiting beliefs: what’s getting in the way of your recovery?
Pick 3-5 daily practices that you know and can do on your own and make them a consistent part of your life
Work through peer relationship struggles and get confident reaching out instead of engaging in avoidance behaviors
We may also use our time together to proactively discuss other future plans, contemplative practices and personal or philosophical challenges or orientations in recovery.
Many Paths: Buddhist Recovery, Recovery Dharma, Refuge Recovery, Psychotherapy, 12 Steps, ACOA, MAT & Harm Reduction
Healthy recovery looks different for everyone.
Our therapists have worked extensively with people who struggle with substance use and codependency in 12 step communities, buddhist recovery communities, and ACOA communities. I’ve also worked in harm reduction agencies and needle exchanges. I whole heartedly support Medication Assisted Treatment and am committed to helping people who prefer to work on substance use moderation with a harm reduction plan.
Whether you’re abstinent and wanting to identify a higher power and setting boundaries with your sponsor or you’re finding that ayahuasca journeys are supportive and need a person to process your experiences with, you have a lot of experience being you and knowing what’s worked and what hasn’t.
I often work in collaboration with harm reduction psychiatrists, physicians, group facilitators, sponsors, spiritual directors and a whoever is on your team of care providers. I’m available to offer a referral to a list of wonderful providers whenever I can.
Mindfulness, Trauma, Mindfulness, CBT & Self Compassion
Most people impacted by addiction or a substance use disorder (your own or a close friend or family member’s) can benefit from slowing down and learning to use mindfulness to encourage an open, nonjudgmental awareness of your thoughts and emotions.
I enjoy working with people around spiritual themes in recovery like secular or religious conceptions of a higher power, relationships as a sober person, atheism and agnosticism, conflicts about forgiveness (for self and others), finding meaning and purpose and cultivating authenticity and self compassion.
Most clients find it helpful to develop a strong foundation of cognitive behavioral coping skills and investigate ambivalence. We’ll make sure you have the tools you need to surf urges. We’ll also unearth life stressors and early childhood traumas that drive unconscious and compulsive behaviors so that you can live a life that’s more aligned with your values.
If you’d like to discuss more about EMDR in addiction recovery please schedule a free consultation call.
Insurance
While I do not participate as an in-network insurance provider, almost all of my clients are reimbursed by their insurance providers on an out-of-network basis, some are covered at in-network rates. I can help you find out exactly how much will be covered in our consult call.
Payment Options: Cash, Check, Health Savings Account, PayPal
