Addictions are complex and take many forms, from alcohol dependency, drug misuse (prescribed or social) to gambling, sex or excessive/extreme sport or exercise. It is difficult to acknowledge to yourself and then to someone else that you are caught up in behaviours you can no longer control. Initially many try to conceal their addiction, feel shame about it and think change is impossible. This makes it very hard to take that first step towards help. We understand this fear and we provide a safe non-judgemental place where you can start to work things out in your life and take the first steps to freedom.
We understand the fear, we understand how difficult it is to think about change and that first step, and we are ready to work with you at whatever pace you are able for. Addressing an addictive behaviour is one of the most difficult things a person will ever do, and it cannot be rushed. All addictions are very complicated to understand. They tangle a person up in knots with various aspects of their functioning (their behaviours, physical symptoms, thinking and feelings) all becoming enmeshed around whatever it is they are ‘addicted to’.
The type of therapy we provide allows a safe space for you to start to work things in your life out, so that not only do you start to feel ready to make changes in your behaviours, but also you start to have the capacity to figure out how your thoughts and feelings are connected, and are influenced by aspects of yourself that you might not be fully aware of or understand. This way of approaching addictions is so important, because in order to achieve long lasting and sustainable change, in order to improve your life in the long term, you need to understand the ‘whys’ of what you do. It is understanding this which brings a sense of freedom and lasting change. And freedom from whatever you feel addicted to is entirely possible, although reading this you may not feel like this right now. So, give one of us a call, or pop us an email, and we can just take one step towards that freedom together.
