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Integrating Ancient Wisdom with Modern Somatic Healing
Recent developments in neuroscience, somatic psychology and trauma research are opening the door for an exciting synthesis of ancient wisdom traditions and Western approaches to healing. We are experiencing a historical shift from the traditional cognitive (top down) approach to therapy to an approach more heavily focused on body awareness, sensations, and regulation (bottom up). Traditional cognitive approaches often prove ineffective due to a client feeling unsafe, being disembodied, hypersensitive or dissociated. Bottom-up approaches allow clients to begin the therapeutic process with a focus on psychoeducation, awareness and self-regulation, allowing for a greater capacity to heal. I would like to honor the ancient Indian and African wisdom traditions from which much of my teaching and own healing has been informed. It is a great privilege to share these offerings and brings much humility. I am merely a beginner.
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What is TraumAddiction?
Treating trauma and addiction simultaneously is essential because both conditions are deeply intertwined, sharing common roots in dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), or dysautonomia. Both trauma and addiction can be seen as responses to overwhelming experiences, where the individual’s nervous system remains in a chronic state of perceiving threat. This dysregulation drives individuals toward substances or behaviors that temporarily alleviate distress but ultimately reinforce harmful cycles of avoidance and dependence.
Addiction as a Traumatic Response
Addiction is often traumagenic, meaning it frequently develops as a response to trauma. A person experiencing high levels of distress might turn to addictive substances or behaviors to escape unbearable emotional pain. Even when the negative consequences of addiction become clear, the ongoing distress compels individuals to continue these behaviors, despite the harm they cause. The pursuit of relief through addiction, despite diminishing pleasure and increased life impairment, reflects the chronic pain and dysregulation trauma survivors endure.
Interconnected Patterns of Intrusion, Arousal, and Avoidance
This chart (adapted from: Gentry, E., Menna, A., and Scofield, M.,2004) illustrates the cyclical patterns of trauma and addiction:
- Intrusion: Traumatic sensory cues—thoughts, feelings, sensations, sounds, or smells—intrude into the present moment, bringing past pain back to life.
- Arousal: These intrusions trigger heightened arousal in the nervous system, leading to feelings of threat, hypervigilance, muscle tension, and an increase in energy.
- Avoidance: To escape this arousal, individuals often turn to substances or behaviors that numb or distract from the distress, creating a short-term sense of relief but reinforcing a long-term pattern of avoidance.
The Role of Treatment
Effective trauma and addiction treatment requires establishing a therapeutic alliance, providing clients with self-regulation skills, and offering psychoeducation. By understanding how their nervous system works, clients can begin to interrupt these cycles. Inviting clients to set intentions for who they wish to be between stimulus and response empowers them to make conscious choices rather than reacting from a place of dysregulation. This approach is based on work from J. Eric Gentry PhD, LMHC, DAAETS, founder of the Forward-Facing Freedom model. https://forward-facing.com/about-j-eric-gentry-phd/
Both trauma and addiction are progressive, debilitating, and potentially fatal if left untreated. The interruption of the threat response through self-regulation and connection is crucial to recovery. With a regulated ANS, individuals no longer need external agents to cope, leading to a healthier, more autonomous life.
Reference: Gentry, J. E., Menna, A., & Scofield, M. (2004). Trauma addiction: Safety and stabilization for the addicted survivor of trauma. The Gift from Within. 1-30. Retrieved from http://www.giftfromwithin.org/html/safety.html