Listen to Jan Winhall and Cece Sykes discuss using Polyvagal Theory and Internal Family Systems to heal addiction. They explore trauma's link to addiction, empowering self-criticisms, and a holistic approach for recovery. Discover the interconnected nature of trauma and addiction and their upcoming Holistic Recovery Course.
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insights INSIGHT
Addiction as a Process
Cece Sykes prefers "addictive process" to "addiction" because it emphasizes the developmental and systemic nature of addiction.
It highlights the chronic polarization between managing and soothing parts, not just substance use.
insights INSIGHT
Addiction and the Nervous System
Jan Winhall explains that addictive behaviors are the body's survival mechanisms in trauma feedback loops.
The body oscillates between sympathetic (fight-flight) and dorsal vagal (numbing) states.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Focus on Progress
Focus on what's working, not just what's wrong, when treating addiction.
Avoid the "back to square one" mentality after relapse, as it reinforces shame and ignores progress.
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In this insightful episode, I’m joined by world leading addiction treatment experts — Jan Winhall and Cece Sykes. Jan has been working closely with Stephen Porges to develop a Polyvagal informed model for treating addiction, while Cece is one of the world’s foremost experts on leveraging Internal Family Systems for healing addictive processes, having recently co-authored a book with Richard Schwartz and Martha Sweezy on this subject.
Both Jan and Cece will be teaching a module on our upcoming Holistic Recovery Course, which provides mental health professionals with an evidence-based and multidimensional framework for re-humanizing and healing addiction at its core.
If you’re interested in being part of the first live cohort which launches in the final week of July, make sure to sign up for our email list at https://theweekenduniversity.com.
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Jan Winhall, MSW, FOT is an author, teacher, and psychotherapist in Toronto, Canada. She is author of “Treating Trauma and Addiction with the Felt Sense Polyvagal Model”, by Jan Winhall, Routledge, 2021. Jan is an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Social Work, University of Toronto and Co-Director of Borden Street Clinic, a psychotherapy and teaching centre. She is a Coordinator with The International Focusing Institute and Director of Focusing on Borden, a psychotherapy and training centre. Jan presents internationally on trauma and addiction.
Cece Sykes, LCSW, ACSW is an IFS Senior Trainer, US and international. Contributed to Levels 1 and 2 IFS training manuals and teaches L1 as well as L2 Trauma and Addiction. Cece has over thirty years of clinical experience working with individuals, couples and families, specializing in work with the effects of trauma and addiction. Her chapter on compassionate approaches to addictive process appears in IFS: Innovations and Elaborations, 2016, Routledge. Cece also has special interests in spiritual practices intersecting with therapy and in the impact of psychotherapy upon the life of the therapist and she lectures, consults and leads workshops on all of these topics. Cece lives and works in the city of Chicago.
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Interview Links:
— Cece’s website - https://www.cecesykeslcsw.com
— Jan’s website - https://janwinhall.com
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