Empowered Healing: Addiction, Understanding is the key to healing

There are many forms of addiction, and they can be to many different things. Some of those are substances such as drugs and alcohol, others include gambling, work, sex, shopping exercise, money, food etc.

In society, there are two ends of the spectrum regarding people’s beliefs about addiction. Many have empathy and believe there is something that drives someone to it, others believe there is always a choice. The severity of the addiction and what a person is addicted to weigh substantially in people’s opinions.

I have been on both sides of these opinions and beliefs but with age, life experience and experiencing such diversity in healing sessions with clients comes learning and understanding. A more in-depth comprehension of how it all manifests. The truth is that there is ALWAYS a driving force behind an addiction.

Addiction is a symptom of a big problem, never the source of the problem. Most addictions are used to numb the pain, whether physiological or psychological. It is an ineffective attempt at finding a solution. Numbing pain this way is only temporary, never a solution.

Some addictions that may fly under the radar and seem of a lesser degree are shopping, exercise, work, sex etc. Why? Because they are things that can be deemed as necessary, healthy, and just simply part of our everyday lives and relationships.

For example, people who feel like they do not belong and crave belonging often behave in a compulsive or addictive manner to these ‘everyday’ things and/or activities. They are simply replacing the true sense of belonging and reacting and/or participating in a way that is directly affected by their immediate social or physical environment with an addiction.

So, you see, there is always a problem behind any addiction.

These people need to heal deep trauma and emotions. They need to get to the core of their physical and emotional pain. The fact that they would do something that further self-sabotages their physical and emotional state, their relationships, and their socioeconomic status is a telltale sign of the pain and anguish they are experiencing and living daily.

Although the majority of these are physical addictions, there are also emotional addictions. In my experience as an intuitive and certified healer, I have witnessed a myriad of clients with deep-seated emotional addictions.

They include negative and behavioural patterns and habits of all types, both good and bad. Good, when it is compulsive, becomes a psychological problem. These negative behaviours and habits are consuming and exhausting but to extreme ends of fulfilment or lack thereof.

Forensic Healing is a beneficial therapy for this as its main objective is to address behavioural and emotional patterns. Getting to the core of where it all started and being aware of the physical and emotional environment at that time is imperative and powerful in healing and changing those addictive self-sabotaging and destructive patterns. It helps facilitate your healing and transitioning of becoming ‘unstuck’ from those emotional addictions and gaining your own power and control back into your life.

If you are stuck in a pattern of emotional addiction and do not address it or get any form of therapy for it, this can often lead to a chemical addiction.

Here are some details of emotional addictions that can precede chemical addictions:

Anger – This leads to outbursts, relationships suffer, and the person looks for things to bring more ease and calm in their life.
Fear – This creates negative emotions and thoughts which create overwhelm. This leads to the inability to think rationally.
Depression – Struggle leads to a person not caring and, therefore can behave recklessly and self-sabotaging behaviour.
Grief – Feeling alone. The void felt can be so big that a person stops caring about themselves, others and/or life itself, leading to reckless behaviour.
Desire – This can lead to always chasing a high.
Pleasure – Looking for new ways to feel good such as trying drugs, sex, and gambling.
Impulsiveness – Making decisions and trying new things on a whim. High chance they will not refuse or care about the consequences of their choices, behaviours, or actions.

As you can observe there are some similarities and behavioural patterns between these emotions such as depression and grief. Depression and grief also create emotional pain addictions, as do anger and fear.

And whilst desire, pleasure and impulsiveness may not seem to be harmful or a problem in lesser amounts, it certainly can be when it becomes compulsive.

Having had most of my clients experience emotional addictions and patterns and having been through it personally, I can attest to this information. In my sessions with clients, I have found two main cycles with addictions.

With emotional addiction, a person usually begins by getting hooked on feeling a certain way for comfort, which is a relief, distraction or escape that grows into an obsession, compulsion, or addiction.

With substance addictions, the addiction itself gives a feeling of comfort. When sobering up it is replaced by anxiety, guilt, and shame. This is known as a negative feedback loop.

Recognizing and accepting that you have any addiction, be it physiological or psychological, can be difficult and confrontational. Sometimes there is no awareness of addictive behaviour, specifically emotional addiction.

Healing sessions develop an awareness of these addictive cycles and behaviours. They assist in finding out when, where, how, and why they started and with whom. They help with identifying emotional habits and re-wiring the brain’s reward system with positive thoughts and self-talk. Self-esteem care is learned through compassion, understanding and patience for oneself and is vital for sustainable change. These new habits and ways of thinking help a person develop resilience to how a person feels and their own control over their emotions and behaviours.

There are many steps and strategies to overcome addictions. It takes work and time and can feel like a long and slow treacherous road. Therapy, empowered healing, confidence, and celebrating the small victories along the way will help keep your spirits up.

Have faith. You are worth it.

Image by princesscea from Pixabay

Karina Barca, Our Expert

Web

Regular Column: Empowered Healing

Karina Barca is a Melbourne-based Medium, Healer, Psychic, Reiki Master Teacher, Mentor, Forensic Healing Practitioner and Facilitator of ‘Sistahood Sundays’. Through her own healing and empowerment journey, her passion became very clear. To serve, inspire and assist all who want to grow, heal, and evolve.