How to Truly Heal From an Addiction

Addictions and Avoiding Dealing with the Root Cause

I must start by saying that this is a HUGE topic. I’d like to touch on a few aspects that may guide you to deeper healing and change. Whether it’s a substance addiction or a habit like doom scrolling, shopping, or gaming; addictions take over a person’s life and prevent them from living in balance and harmony. 

Our world makes it too easy and actually promotes addictions through a quick-fix consumerist lifestyle. Think about it. There is a product for every problem, but do these products really address the underlying cause or cure what you are avoiding?

Addictions: Avoidance and coping

Often people gravitate to a vice to avoid feeling discomfort, particularly from past trauma. The problem is that this avoidance goes beyond those who’ve experienced trauma and society as a whole is being pulled into habits that create addictions, particularly around technology. Everything from gaming to doom scrolling to FOMO creates a disconnect from a person’s sense of self, from being present and from being an active participant in their life.

Getting to the Bottom of The Addiction – Fear and Anxiety

Groups like AA emphasize that alcoholism is a disease and it’s a lifelong battle. Other schools of thinking – and I – disagree. Addictions are a way to cope with an emotional challenge or trauma. They become a crutch, and when stress is high, these addictions are the go-to. It gets more complicated when it is a substance, because the body is affected in a different way than with something like a social media addiction. 

What’s important to note with all addictions is that there is both an avoidance and a deep anxiety or fear. When undergoing treatments that don’t address processing and releasing these core anxieties and fears, the person transfers their addiction to another. For example, you may know someone who had a drinking problem, they stopped, and then became a gym junkie instead. 

How to Truly Heal From Addictions

What are your core beliefs that keep you stuck, trapped, and in a loop? If you are able to identify these core beliefs, then you can begin the path to freedom from the fear and anxiety that stops you from living. Because fear and anxiety are normal human experiences and emotions, it’s important to note that the fear I’m talking about is the kind that pulls you to unhealthy habits and addictions.

This process of discovery and releasing fear can be done in many ways. I’d like to share some modalities I’ve experienced and found transformational. They are less popular, yet more effective, than traditional therapeutic methods that take a significant amount of time – or don’t really work at all – for processing trauma and core anxieties that keep the addictions going, like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. CBT is a very popular form of therapy that focuses on behaviour change and is easy to test its efficacy. However, it does not address the root cause of a problem nor does it process trauma and anxiety. 

EFT tapping

With EFT tapping, the belief is that any discomfort or disorder is a result of an energy blockage which causes an imbalance in the flow of energy in your body. This imbalance can be released through gently tapping specific acupressure points while also making statements connected to the issue. This unique combination removes blockages that cause stress on the nervous system and negative thinking programmed into the subconscious minds (e.g. limiting beliefs). 

Having just completed Part 1 of my EFT tapping certification I can say that it is an amazing technique that truly clears past disturbances in the system. This can be anything from a traumatic experience to an ongoing challenge that has created a negative belief and association with a situation. Extensive research over the years, especially from Dr. Peta Stapleton, has shown again and again the effectiveness of EFT tapping for everything from anxiety, addictions, phobias and other mental health challenges. 

In the context of addictions, I would say this is one of the most effective methods, as it gets to the core anxiety that is causing the addiction. If there is any hesitation or resistance to getting into the key anxiety, there are many techniques that allow you to gently reduce the intensity without even having to talk about it. Eventually, doing a more direct approach is doable and the anxiety can be cleared and the addiction will no longer be a part of your life or in your system.

Focusing

Gendlin, the founder of Focusing, writes ‘The word “Focusing” means to spend time, attending to that inwardly sensed edge. When that happens in the silence, the next thing and the next come gradually from deeper and deeper.’ Deep within are the memories we have of an event, a deeper meaning or an understanding of a situation. It is here that you can gain clarity on what is stuck inside of you and allow it to shift and transform without you having to do anything, by just allowing and observing.

A felt sense is what comes up when we connect with a particular issue, topic, or just the state we are in at any given moment. For example, when we think of someone we have a sense of who they are, it is a felt sense – we don’t list a bunch of qualities about them, instead there is this sense of who they are.

Both EFT tapping and Focusing emphasize a non-judgmental approach to the problem. By accepting what is there – no matter how intense or ugly it is – that part of you can finally get what it needs, be processed and shift to a more loving and supportive sense of self. Having experience and training in both, I would say that using them together is extremely effective in processing any blocks. 

Neuro Emotional Technique NET

Neuro Emotional Technique (NET) is a non-invasive approach to addressing emotional blocks and limiting beliefs that create stress patterns in your body and life. It uses muscle testing and checks of specific meridian points to narrow down and identify the blocks. Once identified, you simply hold the meridian point with your finger and breathe deeply. During this time, it is ideal to connect briefly with the emotion associated with the situation or recall any events associated with this pattern. You may feel a shift in energy, perspective, or a release of tension in the body.  

The results are noticeable, and the effects continue to unfold after the session on all levels. You’ll notice a shift in your beliefs, how you approach that old pattern, and even a sense of lightness. I’ve been doing this technique for over a year and highly recommend it in conjunction with some form of trauma coaching or another therapeutic somatic approach. 

Brainspotting

I recommend Brainspotting over EMDR because it is a gentler approach that is less complicated and time-consuming. EMDR has become the new popular modality with well-known therapists like Gabor Maté sharing about it. However, it involves many steps and protocols before you can even go through the eye movement technique to process your trauma. It is very effective and still a modality to consider, especially if you want to process single event trauma’s. 

This is why I recommend Brainspotting instead: it grew out of EMDR and is more precise. In Brainspotting, you move your eyes to find the exact spot where the memory is being stored. There are techniques used so that you can go back and forth between a supportive state and the memory, in order to process the trauma safely and in a less intense way.

I tried it with a local practitioner to try it out, on a matter around guilt. I was amazed that after doing it for only 5 minutes, I was relieved of the guilt around the situation, and memories came back as to why I didn’t do what I was feeling guilty about. 

Deep Brain Reorienting

It is a newer technique, and the results are astounding. AND it’s extremely important to find the right practitioner who can safely take you through this process. Although EMDR is a lengthy process before you can even do the rapid eye movement processing, it’s helpful if the practitioner doing DBR has this training as well. It ensures they can take you through the DBR process safely without you being re-traumatized. 

DBR works with brain-stem to process the shock energy from both emotional and physical trauma. It tracks the original physiological sequence in the brain-stem where danger is stored. It is not overwhelming to go through the process and allows for true healing. This means a shift in your sense of self, physical changes due to the releases of tension and stored trauma in the body, and a shift in how you relate to the world. 

Again, with this particular technique, do your diligence to find someone who is experienced and has a good reputation. It’s extremely effective when done by the right practitioner. 

Consider That You Can Be Free Of Addictions

Addictions don’t have to be something that you try to manage and control the rest of your life. Unlike popular messages that say you have it for life, you can free yourself of this coping mechanism if you can free yourself of the core anxiety driving it.

Take some time to research the different modalities that can truly process these anxieties and find the one that you feel will help you. The ones I provided are not the only modalities that can be a part of your healing process so be open to what’s out there.