Addiction Therapists in Oak Lawn, IL.

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.

When we hear about addictions, substance abuse is generally the type of addition that comes to mind. However, addictions to sex, shopping, porn, internet, video games, work, exercise, and gambling are common examples. Addiction to any of these will have an impact on the way you live your life. My specialized training has been in the treatment of gambling. When I practiced in California, I was a certified provider through the California Problem Gambling Treatment Service Program, California Office of Problem Gambling. My initial training, plus follow up training and experience with individuals with gambling addictions, have helped to increase my effectiveness.

Our team of professionals includes several clinicians with addiction treatment specialties. We understanding that the treatment of addiction involves understanding and treating the underlying problems of addition. We employ a holistic approach to addiction treatment involving counseling, medication management, and referral to outside support groups.

I have worked wirh hundreds of substance abusers in the past, and I work with people who are abstinent and involved in a program such as AA or NA. Many times the substance abusers have an underlying psychiatric disorder and may be "self medicating" and I will make appropriate referrals for medication.All of the substance abusers that I have worked with have an underlying trauma or depression or unresolved grief.

Addiction changes normal desires and priorities. It changes normal behaviors and interferes with the ability to work, go to school, and to have good relationships with friends and family. At Portrait Health Centers, therapy can greatly benefit the person seeking treatment for addictions and substance abuse. Schedule an appointment at Portrait Health Centers today!

I have many years of experience helping those struggling from substance addictions learn the path of sobriety. My approach to addiction treatment is holistic, focusing on regenerating a person's relationship to their body, mind and soul. Without this focus on the entirety of the individual, success in recovery is often limited. I truly believe that addiction robs the human spirit of the ability to accurately think, feel and experience the true world. I work with each person to lift the veil and discover the emotional and psychological pain in need of kindness, discovery and healing in order to begin the life-long journey of sobriety.

Unlike what we commonly believe, addiction is not a chronic brain disease. Rather, it’s a symptom of compulsions — compulsions that help us escape from dealing with our underlying emotional issues. If their underlying issues are not addressed, the addicts will be back through the revolving door, with addiction resurfacing in another form. Please note: what addicts truly seek is not a drink, a substance or a gaming fix itself. The drink or the gaming fix is merely a displacement of something else they really seek. Something interpersonal. The key to therapy lies in coaching them to use proactive actions to address their underlying feelings more directly, instead of running away from them

Doing something despite its harmful effects on you is addiction. Craving or having a strong desire to do this behavior (when you try not to) is called withdrawal. You know if this describes your relationship to a substance (drugs, alcohol, food), or an activity (sex, gambling, internet). You can't hide behind so-called denial. You know. You fact that you searched for the word "addiction" (that's how you found me), tells you that you know. If you are searching because you have a friend or love one that you suspect has a problem, you have a choice to make. Will you hide your suspicions or will you tell them to get some help? I know addictions. Whatever your reason for reading this, I can help you decide what you want to do.

I teach the skills from DBT(Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) and also use concepts and exercises from ACT(Acceptance Commitment Therapy). Both of these therapies mesh beautifully with the Twelve Step Programs. For instance, DBT and ACT emphasize acceptance, values, and meditation. I reinforce clients working their programs through the use of these therapies.

Additions can often be understood as an effort to numb the pain resulting in one’s failure in their relationship with the self. Feeling unable to experience adequate levels of self-esteem can reflect difficulty in loving and caring for yourself or accepting love from others. Feeling vulnerable and exposed can reflect difficulties in feeling able to protect yourself resulting from difficulties with setting effective boundaries, while losing yourself in the face of other’s beliefs can reflect difficulties with identifying and sharing who you know yourself to be. These and other symptoms can lead you to seeking to numb yourself from the pain of feeling overwhelmed. Reconnect with yourself.

I treat all kinds of addictions: sexual, pornography, internet pornography, and gambling. My approach involves a step-wise diagnosis and analysis of the problem. Rule out other diagnoses. Rule out all the risk factors and determine if the individual needs hospitalization if he or she is substance abuser. While treating all addictions including drugs and alcohol I like to get the family involved.

As a CADC (Certified Alcohol/Drug Counselor) I have experience working with clients dealing with substance abuse history, and focus on obtaining and maintaining sobriety, relapse prevention skills, as well as addressing underlying core issues and spiritual growth from a 12-step perspective, so that effective lifestyle changes are a part of the recovery process. I also work with family members, resentment and codependent traits, to assist the change process and healing in clients' family dynamics as well.

One of the most amazing things is witnessing people free themselves from the depths of addiction. I use multiple treatment approaches to first help an individual stabilize the addictive process. Then I help them work to fully understand the underlying reasons as to why they are addicted in the first place to help avoid relapse. Stopping is only one part of the process - understanding is another.