Drug Rehab Center

In this 3rd instalment, Geoff clarifies what he means by taking action in recovery. Psychologists tell us that you can learn lots of things in treatment but if you don’t put it into action it doesn’t help all that much. However, action that is meant to keep clients from getting bored or to distract themselves so they don’t have time to think about drugs or alcohol is only a short-term solution. In other words, it is much more useful to live life and take action with a purpose. What is our purpose? Geoff suggests that one of our purposes is to be true to ourselves, to live authentically. We all need to spend our time doing something that is fulfilling rather than merely passing the time.

In this five-part series, Cathy extends her greatest wishes for families impacted by addiction. In part 4, Cathy encourages families to find their ‘North Star’ – that which inspires us, that over-arching goal, helping us move toward a greater, more fulfilling over-all purpose in life.

Over the past four videos in this series on Addiction According to Meaning Therapists, Geoff Thompson has been reviewing the work of meaning-oriented therapists Jonathan Diamond, Jefferson Singer, Kirk Schneider and James Crumbaugh. Their work is by no means identical, but all of these therapists share four core principles:

1. We must treat the whole human being. Human beings are complex and unique. We are not going to separate out their addiction and forget the person with the addiction. Therefore, we don’t treat the addict, we treat the person.
2. You must connect with others. In this era of neuroscience, we are finding that humans are ‘hardwired’ to be in relationship with other people. Evolution has created us this way.
3. You must live life. We need to do something in our recovery. We need to put it into practice. We need to experience life fully. Taking risks is part of recovery. All of these therapists we highlighted in this five-part series pointed out that dangers of isolating and being a couch potato.
4. Start looking at positive things in life. Stop dwelling on negativity. This point reminds us of the importance of attitude. Build your resilience, or what Dr. Frankl calls the defiant human spirit.

In this 4th instalment of Addiction According to Meaning Therapists, Geoff introduces us to Dr. James Crumbaugh who created a model of alcoholism treatment based on the philosophy of Dr. Viktor Frankl. His treatment model can be summarized as five stages:

Stage 1 – make a decision on how you are going to view life. For example, are you a machine? Are you more than a machine? Your choice will determine what options you have available to you.
Stage 2 – develop self-confidence. You must have a belief that you are capable of overcoming your addiction. Remember! Millions of people have
Stage 3 – persevere, think creatively. You are going to have some difficult days and you need to work through these times in order to achieve your objective of sobriety.
Stage 4 – encounter. You need to have a relationship with people. We are relational beings. Our job is to connect with other people. We need other people to give us feedback and validate our existence.
Stage 5 – dereflection (borrowed from Dr. Frankl). You need to stop looking at your life as a failure and start focusing on your strengths, your successes, the times in life when you were courageous.

These five stages, according to Dr. Crumbaugh, are key to overcoming alcoholism and, Geoff believes, can be extended to drug addiction as well. For more information on Dr. Crumbaugh’s program see Logotherapy: New Help for Problem Drinkers.

In part 3 of Addiction According to Meaning Therapists, Geoff Thompson highlights the work of addiction researchers Barbara Ballinger, Robert Matano and Adrianne Amantea whose work is based on the teachings of Dr. Kirk J. Schneider. Dr. Schneider’s form of therapy is called Existential Integrative Therapy. This form of therapy emphasizes that therapists working with clients need to create an experience of deep emotional connection. Therapy sessions are framed to allow the client to experience negative emotion in order to expand their world and participate more fully in their world. After all, negative emotions are part of life, as much as positive emotions.

In part 2 of addiction according to meaning therapists, Geoff Thompson discusses the work of addiction expert Dr. Jefferson Singer, author of Message in a Bottle: Stories of Men and Addiction . Dr. Singer believes that stories that we formulate about ourselves form our identity. Dr. Singer worked with relapsing clients at a facility called Lebanon Pines. In Dr. Singer’s research on men with addiction, a common thread that the stories shared by the clients he worked with reflected (a) a feeling of not fitting in with society and (b) an apparent lack of a cohesive sense of identity.

In part 1 of this new 5-part series, Geoff Thompson introduces us to therapist and author of Narrative Means to Sober Ends, Jonathan Diamond. Jonathan Diamond believes that ‘we are the stories we tell ourselves’. According to Dr. Diamond, our stories are how we make meaning out of our lives. Dr. Diamond believes that individuals struggling with addiction need a new, more empowering story. Our new stories need not be fabrications or falsehoods but can be empowering just by having a different perspective.

As motivational psychologists Elaine Aron & Arthur Aron say, “caring for others is central to meaning.” It’s a survival tactic but much more than that – We need a connection with something greater than ourselves. In this 5th and final video reviewing Paul Wong’s 2nd edition of The Human Quest for Meaning, Geoff Thompson suggests that people avoid others not because they don’t want to be with others but, rather, because they are uncomfortable around other people or feel out of place. Many of the clients at Sunshine Coast feel a disconnection with family and this is typically a focus of their concerns.

In this third installment, Geoff Thompson reviews Dr. Paul Wong’s book on the Human Quest for Meaning. In the preface of his book, Dr. Wong points out that there are subjective and objective meanings. Subjective meanings are things I feel good about. Objective meaning is what the research tells us is rational or observable by our five senses. Objective meaning serves as a “reality check” for our whims and desires. Society, through the criminal justice system, tells us what we can and cannot do based on whether or not it harms others. Objective meaning can also guide us about what we pursue based on what we feel good about. For example, research on wealthy individuals are not necessarily happier than people who have 6-figure incomes. Objective ways of finding meaning need to be integrated with subjective meaning – we need to attach ourselves to the hopes and aspirations of others as well as our own personal desires.

In this 2nd installment Geoff Thompson highlights Dr. Paul Wong’s PURE model: Purpose, Understanding, Responsibility, and Evaluation/Enjoyment. Purpose: what gets you up in the morning? What matters to you? Different people have different purposes in life. Understanding: who are you? What’s going on in the world around you? How do you make sense of the world? Responsibility: are you the author of your life? Do you accept the decisions you make in life as responsible for how your life has turned out? How do you deal with life’s events outside of your control such as illness? Evaluation: do you take a step back and reflect on your life from time to time? Are my goals congruent with what I want out of life? Enjoyment: are you enjoying life? If not, then something needs correcting. According to Dr. Wong, the PURE model represents the main components of living a meaningful life.