Kate and I resonated with the pitfalls of traditional treatment presented in Many Roads, One Journey by Charlotte Davis Kasl regarding the journey of addiction. Kasl states, about one of her clients, “And when [the program] didn't work, she assumed she had not done it right. Her passivity - the core of her depression - was being reinforced in her twelve-step program,” (Kasl, 1992, p 148). In our dyad meetings, Kate and I discussed the rigidity of traditional twelve step programs, and the tradeoff many people trying to stop addictive behavior make to stay ‘sober’. During our first class, we were instructed that there are no cookie-cutter treatments. “Everything works for some people, nothing works for everyone,” (Nieto, Lecture, May 30, 2017).
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In The Thirst for Wholeness, author Christina Goff states, “We suffer greatly as a hang onto our justifications and rationalizations, perhaps developing difficulties such as health and relationship problems, low self-esteem, or the inability to find an appropriate place for ourselves and the world. Many people find that the level of pain increases until they become willing to explore the issues behind it,” (Grof, p 207). As an example, she speaks about being on a roller coaster and finding that when she held her body rigidly, each turn and drop causes increasing amounts of pain. When she lets go, surrendering to the movements of the roller coaster, she is then able to enjoy it, eventually …show more content…
The pink cloud stage, an early stage of recovery, feels like a rebirth, giving the individual a renewed sense of life and purpose. Unfortunately, it is a fleeting feeling that can leave the person incredibly disheartened and hopeless. “Eventually, the obvious reality of everyday life reappears, accompanied by the challenges and the dedicated work of healing. Without our addictive behavior, buffers and escapes that allowed us to repress terribly difficult emotions are painful situations no longer protect us. We descend from our oasis of clarity and insight into a raw state of vulnerability,” (Grof, p
In The Thirst for Wholeness, author Christina Goff states, “We suffer greatly as a hang onto our justifications and rationalizations, perhaps developing difficulties such as health and relationship problems, low self-esteem, or the inability to find an appropriate place for ourselves and the world. Many people find that the level of pain increases until they become willing to explore the issues behind it,” (Grof, p 207). As an example, she speaks about being on a roller coaster and finding that when she held her body rigidly, each turn and drop causes increasing amounts of pain. When she lets go, surrendering to the movements of the roller coaster, she is then able to enjoy it, eventually …show more content…
The pink cloud stage, an early stage of recovery, feels like a rebirth, giving the individual a renewed sense of life and purpose. Unfortunately, it is a fleeting feeling that can leave the person incredibly disheartened and hopeless. “Eventually, the obvious reality of everyday life reappears, accompanied by the challenges and the dedicated work of healing. Without our addictive behavior, buffers and escapes that allowed us to repress terribly difficult emotions are painful situations no longer protect us. We descend from our oasis of clarity and insight into a raw state of vulnerability,” (Grof, p