Liam O'Mahony, expert in trauma and addiction counselling, discusses the complex relationship between developmental trauma and addiction, emphasizing the storage of trauma in implicit memory. They also explore compulsive caregiving and unmanaged empathy in the field of addiction treatment, highlighting the importance of top-down and bottom-up thinking in complex systems.
Developmental trauma is a significant factor in addiction, often resulting from a lack of developed capacities for relationships, emotional regulation, and self-image.
Addressing addiction requires a balanced approach that acknowledges the role of developmental trauma, views symptoms as communication, and integrates bottom-up modalities.
Deep dives
Liam Mahoney's Personal Journey and the Connection Between Developmental Trauma and Addiction
Liam Mahoney, an expert in addiction treatment, shares his personal journey of joining the army at a young age and how his history of developmental trauma made him vulnerable to alcohol addiction. In the Irish army, a culture of heavy drinking exacerbated his dependency on alcohol. Liam highlights the lack of developed capacities for relationships, emotional regulation, and self-image among individuals with addiction and developmental trauma. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the intimate relationship between developmental trauma and addiction, labeling it as the unseen road to addiction.
Complexity and Complications in Addiction Treatment
Liam and Bonnie Badnock discuss the importance of acknowledging and navigating complexity in addiction treatment. They note that developmental trauma often resides in implicit memory, making it challenging to address without an explicit framework. Liam introduces the concept of compulsive caregiving and unmanaged empathy prevalent in addiction treatment, emphasizing the need for a balanced, 50-50 approach in the client-caregiver relationship. He highlights the limitations of a goal-oriented approach that focuses solely on symptom management and advocates for viewing symptoms as communication and roadmaps to what's disconnected in individuals. Additionally, Liam highlights the overreliance on top-down modalities in addiction treatment and emphasizes the need for bottom-up modalities that work with the body and nervous system.
Curiosity and the Holistic Recovery Summit
The podcast hosts express their excitement for Liam Mahoney and Bonnie Badnock's presentation at the Holistic Recovery Summit. They emphasize the importance of curiosity in addiction treatment, particularly when dealing with complex systems. Liam and Bonnie's conversation at the summit is expected to delve further into the connection between developmental trauma and addiction, promoting a deeper understanding of holistic recovery. They encourage listeners to attend the summit's free sessions to gain valuable insights from renowned practitioners in the field of addiction treatment.
We talk to Liam O'Mahony who's interest is the related fields of Attachment, Neuroscience and Trauma and he is particular passionate about how research from these areas can be integrated into the work of psychotherapists and addiction counsellors.
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