Marc Lewis's Blog, page 3

Part 1. Lying about your addiction doesn’t make you “inauthentic”

Hello readers. Are you still out there? I haven’t gone near my blog for over two months. So no new posts, a few comments dribbling in, and of course not as many readers. Something had to give. Having to sell our house in the Netherlands, buy a house in Toronto, move goods, furniture, children, etc, […] (Read the rest.)

Redressing addiction — with Internal Family Systems therapy

On January 28 I started a series of posts reviewing promising psychotherapeutic approaches to addiction. I managed to cover a few, though with stops and starts — mostly due to Covid hassles and anxieties. So today I’m continuing the series with a post on Internal Family Systems (IFS). I wanted to understand it better before […] (Read the rest.)

How to fight addiction in the season of Covid-19

Obviously the impact of lockdown and social distancing has been serious for many of my readers, and I’ve struggled to think of what I could share that might help. Finally I think I’ve got something to say. Even as the world closes down around you, you have to stay open! In my last scientific article […] (Read the rest.)

Expediting abstinence: Drugs that can help replace addictive habits

…by Colin Brewer… Last post I suggested that we can attend to (rather than reject) our cravings and pursue integration rather than abstinence. Today, a contrasting view: Colin Brewer, a renowned and controversial addiction doctor, explains how Antabuse and naltrexone can free us from endless ruminations while new habits take root and grow. ……………………………… Having […] (Read the rest.)

Expediting abstinence: Drugs that replace addictive habits

…by Colin Brewer… Last post I suggested that we can attend to (rather than reject) our cravings and pursue integration rather than abstinence. Today, a contrasting view: Colin Brewer, a renowned and controversial addiction doctor, explains how Antabuse and naltrexone can free us from endless ruminations while new habits take root and grow. ……………………………… Having […] (Read the rest.)

An alternative to abstinence: Craving, care, and harm reduction

At the heart of the discussion about addiction and recovery lies a trilogy of questions: whether abstinence is necessary or even helpful, what “harm reduction” offers in its place, and what is the best way to deal with cravings. These questions are intertwined. In fact they merge into a single issue. Today I want to […] (Read the rest.)

Post-addiction Buddhist blues (and how to soothe them) in the era of COVID-19

The coronavirus pandemic reminds us not only of the proximity of death (and other fun stuff) but of the unsolvable (irresolvable? insoluble? — I can’t even resolve that) contradictions we face throughout our lives. Here’s one that’s had me chasing my tail for awhile: How should we address ourselves with compassion and love when in […] (Read the rest.)

ACT for addiction

Here’s a guest post by a therapist who has been using ACT for clients with addictions for many years. Jaime highlights core principles using examples from his practice. I follow with a longish comment on aspects of ACT that I find especially important.   …by Jaime Booth Jenkins BSW MAPP… “Between stimulus and response there […] (Read the rest.)

Psychodynamic psychotherapy: Too much talk or a clear lens on addiction?

Last post I said I’d review schools of psychotherapy that promise to target addiction, and ACT and IFS were at the top of my list. I’ll get to these, but I thought I’d spread the net a bit wider. So I’m starting this series with a look at “psychodynamic” or psychoanalytic psychotherapy. I think the […] (Read the rest.)

Steering out of addiction: Practices that work

In my psychotherapy (and chats, consultations, etc) with people in addiction, I combine skills I’ve picked up over 35 years studying clinical psychology, developmental psychology, psychoanalysis, and neuroscience. But it’s not enough. I need retooling. I’ve developed some good intuitions about how to do psychotherapy…mostly by doing it, putting theory into practice. And I can […] (Read the rest.)