Addiction Therapists in Esquimalt, BC.

Addictions are habits you want to break, and you cannot succeed unless you are wholly aligned with this intention. We have many people inside us, and we are typically unaware and out of contact with our feelings. The difficulty in breaking habits is achieving a commitment in yourself, and dispelling further desires, needs, and yearnings. That part of you who is reasonable, reliable, and committed is irrelevant if they have no authority over the parts of you who are not. Changing a habit is all about addressing the need and the needy part of you. That part must be brought on-board through body work, hypnosis, expanded awareness, or physical change. Once you do that, habits change quickly.

Do you feel that your drinking is stopping you from living the life you've dreamed of? Are you tired waking up with a pounding headache, dragging yourself out of bed thinking, “why did I do that?" Does a couple of drinks end up being a runaway train? Do you worry that if an emergency happened, you won’t be in proper shape to help your loved ones? Are you sick and tired of having your life revolve around alcohol? If you answered yes to any of the above, counselling can help. With powerful techniques, accountability, and genuine warmth, I help clients fully understand and master their drinking habits - so they can finally have the robust health, career, and relationships they deserve.

Addictions are complicated and complex. They involve so many aspects of our live, our psyche and our soul. They can take the form of substances, behaviours or even ways of thinking and beliefs. From my perspective, they involve an inability to be in the moment, to be present, as we are, in all of our discomfort. Our work on addictions will likewise be complex and involve every aspect of your experience. We will find ways to mitigate the effects i.e. harm reduction. We will also try to get underneath what might have caused the addiction originally. We will work toward a larger, more expanded, more free perspective of seeing yourself.

The question is not "why the addiction but why the pain" - Gabor Mate. Addiction is rooted in human suffering and complex social problems. Drawing on the work of Gabor Mate, Narrative Therapy, Systemic Family Therapy, and Response-Based practice, I will begin to address the pain and suffering experienced by individuals and families. We will also exploring the social context the contributes to an addiction culture. One of the goals is to start to separate the person from the addiction. Each individual is so much more than the addiction they experience.

There are many forms of addiction, usually defined as the need to perform certain behaviours, even at the cost to relationships, finances and quality of life. These can be compulsive need to drink, take substances, sexual behaviours, violent behaviours, shopping, computer usage etc. I usually work with cognitive therapy to find the underlying need that the addiction is satisfying, look at the belief systems that keep the behaviour going, and work to replace the behaviour with new and healthier behaviours.

While most treatment approaches to addiction include 12 step programs, rehabs, and now sober living houses, Grey Matters International, Inc. provides a wildly successful alternative to traditional models of addiction treatment----that keeps the brain in mind. That is, talking to the conscious brain while the primal brain is deciding things even before you are consciously aware? Well, that is the problem to solve in addiction. We have the solution utilizing a new cutting edge neuroscience-centered brain rebalancing system. Contact kevin@kevinflemingphd.com or call 877-606-6161.

I provide support for those considering or determined to reduce or eliminate substances, problem gambling, or other compulsion. Whether the goal is cutting out the addictive behaviour or minimizing its impact, I work through motivational interviewing to help people access addiction treatment if needed. If treatment is not needed, I target the underlying problem such as anxiety, depression, or family conflict. So if you have a family member who requires assessment and direction, or you yourself need to know that you addiction is in good hands while you focus on another problem, I can help.

Understanding what our addiction means, how it takes control over our behaviour and choices in life is an early step in recovery. You may be filled with pain and self-hatred, wanting escape, and that drives us into addiction. The need for relief, however brief, destroys lives. Together we can understand and heal your trauma. You have to want change more than anything, but you can do it. Cognitive Processing Therapy can help you heal from your trauma and get on the sober path.

In my view, most addiction is a response to trauma, alienation or absence of relationship ties - and often both. There is a robust correlation in the scientific literature between trauma and addiction. Trauma can lead to a dysregulated stress system, which may increase vulnerability to addictive behaviors. Individuals with trauma histories may be more vulnerable to addiction as a means of regulating their mood, quieting intrusive thoughts. A trauma-informed perspective addresses both the experience of trauma and addictive behaviors people may adopt.

I have experience and training in substance and process (behavioural) addiction. I draw on EMDR to help reduce the urges that result from specific triggers related to the addition. I also use a the psychotherapy process to help clients work through the painful experiences that resulted in addictions, work at repairing relationships and moving forward.

I am honoured that you are interested in my services and I would like to tell you a little bit about myself. I have been described as slightly non-conventional in the counselling world, which suits me perfectly, and also tends to suit youth who are trying to stand up to the force of the problems in their life. I am very comfortable working with this population, and I feel fortunate that I can connect with teens the way I do, conventionally or in a way that makes sense to them.

There are many kinds of addictions including substance, sexual, internet, porn, shopping, shoplifting, some phobias and gambling. Specialized addictions counseling and medical intervention are advised where appropriate. Janice Graham will support you by helping you understand why you turn to addictive behaviours. You will identify the needs you are trying to meet and plan ways to resolve these needs and meet them in ways that do not destroy yourself and your relationships or involve you with the law. The place of 12 step programs and other support groups will be reviewed. My treatment approach is compassionate and accepting.

Gravitate Counselling Inc.'s counsellors help clients struggling with addiction to process past trauma that may be contributing to their struggles, explore their readiness for change, identify triggers and higher risk situations, develop skills to reduce or eliminate harmful substances or behaviours in their life, build a support network to help sustain positive change, and make a plan that supports lasting change. Counselling for addiction can also focus on identifying and addressing damage to other areas of life due to the addiction, including relationships, finances, employment, health, and more.