The Black Hole: Trauma and Addiction

February 3rd, 2014 | Posted by Tian Dayton in ACoA | Addiction | Addiction Discussions | Addiction Education | Adolescents | PTSD | Relationships | Trauma - (Comments Off on The Black Hole: Trauma and Addiction)

It has long been understood in the vernacular of the addictions field that those whose “lives become unmanageable” through excessive use of drugs and alcohol may be trying to “drown their pain.” While initially, addicts may feel they have found a way to manage a pain-filled inner world, this synthetic form of mood management can …
Read more

Broken Rituals: Restoring Our Connection to Hope and Happiness Around the Holidays

December 11th, 2013 | Posted by Tian Dayton in ACoA | Addiction | Addiction Discussions | Relationships | Trauma - (Comments Off on Broken Rituals: Restoring Our Connection to Hope and Happiness Around the Holidays)

Who wants to be dark and dreary around the holidays? Everything around us suggests that this is a season of merriment, that holidays are meant to be a time of touching togetherness and affirming bonds of family and friends. But for those whose lives have been affected by living with addiction, this season can also …
Read more

Tools of the Trade: Why Trauma Requires Experiential Healing

May 13th, 2013 | Posted by Tian Dayton in Uncategorized - (Comments Off on Tools of the Trade: Why Trauma Requires Experiential Healing)

Tools of the Trade On my blog, “Tools of the Trade” I am going to regularly post experiential “exercises” that I have created and tested over time. Much of the experiential work that I do is based on the principles of psychodrama and sociometry, however the integration of research alongside experiential exercises, is my own …
Read more

One Billion Rising..By Dancing?

March 12th, 2013 | Posted by Patricia O'Gorman, PhD in Addiction | Uncategorized - (Comments Off on One Billion Rising..By Dancing?)

One billion? and we’re not talking about the Sequestration, which is planning to cut one trillion anyway, or the population of the US that is only about 315 million.  No, we are speaking about a global effort involving more than three times the population of the US — we are speaking about women uniting around …
Read more

Who doesn’t self-medicate, at least a little? Sinking into a plate of pasta and a glass of wine or chowing down on French fries after a stressful day really does work to smooth out the rough edges and give us that “ahhhh” feeling. But when does this sort of behavior cross that invisible line between …
Read more