Thoughts on Bad Habits and Addictions
Anything you cannot go painlessly without that leads to unwanted consequences is either a bad habit or it has become an addiction. Only you know for sure.
Both bad habits or addictive behaviors serve a very distinct purpose. They sedate, tranquilize or control discomfort felt inside. Sometimes a person may feel lonely, anxious, full of grief or regret because of things that happened in their lives. Sometimes they have no idea why they feel the way they feel. Certain behaviors may help you disengage so you can leave the uncomfortable emotions behind. Temporarily that is.
For the past 20 years I have worked with people with a variety of addictions, bad habits, and negative ways of thinking. Each person wanted to break free from the stranglehold a bad habit or an addiction had on their lives. They felt that they had lost control - often isolating - cut off from friends and family.
After I received my master's in developmental psychology, I worked in traditional settings that treat drug and alcohol addictions and found the therapies to be, for the most part, unsatisfactory. In too many cases once the person left treatment they often relapsed. This concerned me. So I set out to find alternative therapies and techniques that were effective.
What I have discovered has helped my clients. For 10 years I have had my own private practice using cutting edge techniques that not only help people end their bad habits or addictions, but also assist them in getting to the root cause of why the bad habit or addiction occurred in the first place. So whether it is a food addiction like binge-eating, binge-purging, or opioids or alcohol abuse, the techniques are effective.
