In the first post we introduced Dr. Gabor Maté, who came to Port Hardy on November 15 to speak about "Healing Addictions with Compassion". In the last post we looked at what causes addictions. In this post we will dig deeper into his talk and look at how to heal addictions.
So, if people become addicted to fake their brains into making the chemicals that make them feel good, how can we help heal addicts? We know that, every time they give in to the addiction, the craving starts again as soon as they stop, and it's the craving that drives them into bad behaviour.
It's important to realize that there is genuine comfort in giving in to the addiction, it acts like medicine. Another important thing to realize about addicts is that, because their brains have tuned out stress, their brains are immature and it can be difficult for them to make responsible, long-term decisions. They don't mean to be mean.
So, as we said in the first post, the worst thing we can do is punish addicts, or cause them more stress or pain. This only makes the problem worse, since that's what helped cause the addiction in the first place. Sending people to jail, or cutting them out of our lives, or treating them badly, doesn't help them to heal from their addictions.
The best thing that we can do is to develop a strong relationship with addicts. We must build trust, to show them that they won't be abandoned, that they are wanted, that we do care about them. Whenever people are defensive, if they are expecting to be hurt or taken advantage of, they can't transform, learn or change. So, in dealing with addicts, we must be kind so they are not on the defensive.
Dr. Maté said that we must be like a mirror, to show the addict their own self. The more we heal ourselves, the more brightly we can reflect others, the better we can help others heal.
During Dr. Maté's talk, Port Hardy Councillor Eric Ralph asked what Dr. Maté would suggest for an addictions healing centre. Here are the qualities that he suggested:
- It must be in nature, so the participants could connect with nature
- Healthy food
- Lots of activity, like dancing, yoga, or drumming
- Counselling & emotional support
- Ceremonies
- Relationship counselling
- Skills learning, learning how to build and work the land
- Most importantly, lots of TIME for addicts to heal
In the next post we will look at the effects of child abuse, and how to deal with abuse and abusers.
- By Jessie Hemphill, Gwa'sala-'Nakwaxda'xw Communications Officer