Addiction Counseling & Therapy
Is your compulsive behavior or substance use creating dissonance in your life and relationships?
Are you...
- Wanting to create or restore a partnership that supports addiction recovery and healing and growth for both partners?
- Using alcohol, food or other habits to numb out uncomfortable or intolerable emotions or memories?
- Frequently arguing about patterns of use with your partner and wishing you could talk about it more productively?
- Wondering what impact your pornography use or sexual interests have on intimacy with your partner?
- Ready to let go of old mindsets, beliefs and habits that keep you stuck in old, unhealthy patterns?
- Ready to create a new way forward that fosters a deeper, healing connection with your partner—one that embraces and restores the best authentic aspects of who you both are?
You may not be a natural born singer and you may not be famous. But, whether it be shared in whispers in small moments or loud enough for the world to hear, we each have a gift. However, due to our humanity, things get in the way. When we come to an awareness of both our gifts and our weaknesses, we gain the power to move our energy towards living to the highest degree possible. We can help.
Addiction, which is the compulsive misuse of various substances and behaviors, rarely has only one victim. It disrupts careers, strains families, alienates friends and loved ones who care deeply yet feel powerless to help. It can create an enormous amount of internal conflict and stress between partners and spouses.
I’m using to the highest degree possible the gift that God gave me to use. I’m happy with that.
— Aretha Franklin
Tackling Addiction is essential to healing
However, a loved one, whether it’s an intimate partner, a family member or even a friend, can be a valuable source of support, inspiration and motivation for change. Additionally, our loved ones need to heal. For these reasons and more, tackling addiction as a couple is essential to long-term healing.
Would you like to take part in a unique, collaborative and holistic approach to addiction therapy that can empower you to overcome the impact of addiction and also create a new way of engaging in relationships that supports you and loved ones in reaching their highest potential?
Addiction & Compulsive Use Is an Unfortunate Consequence of Our Culture
Our society sends confusing messages about sex, drugs and alcohol. Our culture equates alcohol with having a good time and can even be important socially and professionally. Pharmaceutical companies create powerful, addictive drugs that find their way into neighborhoods and homes. The sheer abundance, accessibility and affordability of pornography and online dating sites help drive porn and sex addiction. Even our culture’s obsession with food contributes to the prevalence of unhealthy eating patterns, such as food addiction.
These addictive behaviors don’t hook everyone to the same degree, however, they can easily keep us from our authenticity, joy and sense of who we are. You may be compulsively eating to deal with a sense of inadequacy, or you may drink to cope with the stress of trying to “succeed.” Or, maybe you seek out sexual experiences outside your intimate partnership to give you that sense of being loved and desirable. But, these strategies clearly have a cost and create a new set of challenges to overcome. With so many triggers and opportunities, it’s easy to understand why addiction, in all its forms, is a pervasive part of our society. This leaves many of us depressed, anxious, lonely and addicted.
Fortunately, our addiction treatment can assist you individually and help partnerships overcome challenges. In the process, you can learn to live in harmony with your authentic values, desires and gifts.
Heartswell Addiction Counseling Offers You a New Way of Living
When a person becomes ensnared in addiction or even frequent or compulsive use, they become separated from their authentic connection to their sacred inner world. We lose touch with our emotions, desires, and innate wisdom, which impacts thoughts, behaviors, and the way we relate to others. In this separation, we feel lost, dissonant, depressed, anxious and confused. We suffer and our relationships become difficult and tiresome.
Heartswell offers a process of restoration to our authentic core that can create insight, purpose and direction. We can increase and restore awareness of our behaviors and the impact we have on others. Addiction therapy, ultimately, can bring you back to wholeness as you direct your energy towards establishing new healthy habits. We help you to reconnect with your essential self and to live in harmony with yourself. As we do this we also open channels for you to authentically love and be loved.
This approach to healing has a clear roadmap. We’ll guide you step by step and do regular checks on your progress. We’ll adapt your roadmap as needed along the way. It’s a process of awakening to and expanding our awareness of our authentic self. We’ll help you reclaim and restore these hidden aspects of ourselves and find meaningful ways to embrace and express them. We discover the unique way in which you can be a valuable contribution to those around you.
If you have a partner, you’ll go through this process side by side. This fosters deeper connection, one that celebrates each partner as they are, as well as the partnership itself. As you intentionally give your energy to this work and develop supportive relationships, addiction loses its power.
ROADMAP FOR HEALING
We adapt the roadmap to suit each unique individual. We integrate Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), somatic therapies, and energy models—all of which help us to access the inner world in different ways. We also employ additional healing practices, such as exercise, yoga, mindfulness, meditation and other supportive workshops. Through these and other modalities, we learn to listen differently to internal stressors that trigger the habitual behavior and instead, let them guide us to a meaningful, purposeful life.
Concerns you might have
I am considering addiction therapy for my addiction or compulsive behaviors, but I still have some concerns.
Differing levels of tolerance for use of alcohol, pornography and other addictive behaviors can easily become an issue in a relationship. Addiction therapy can help you untangle these differences and provide a safe space to explore your own values and listen to those of your partner. By understanding this, we can help you learn what it takes to stay emotionally connected to each other, even amidst differences.
Asking for help can be daunting. After all, the traditional expectation in our culture is that we must solve our problems on our own. But asking for help isn’t co-dependence, it’s interdependence, which is a fundamental human need and makes life meaningful. We are hardwired for connection. Sharing your story with others and allowing yourself to be loved through that process is one of the most courageous and empowering things you can do.
I DON’T BELIEVE THAT ADDICTION COUNSELING WILL WORK.
Some have had ineffective results from addiction therapy. Not all therapy gets to the bottom of it. While there is no quick way to overcome, our approach to treatment for addiction is evidence-based and more comprehensive than many other psychotherapy practices.
EFT is an extensively researched, reputable addiction therapy model, and somatic models are drawn from cutting-edge discoveries. But, in truth, we draw most strongly on the power that resides within you and those you love. We also utilize the strength and resolve of a community of support. In that way, you truly are not alone in your journey.
If you are struggling with addiction, treatment is one of the most valuable investments you can make. It’s an investment in your career, your family and your physical and mental well-being.
Counseling for addiction can improve so many aspects of your life you may ask yourself, “what is my life, or my marriage worth?” The new beliefs, practices and connections are yours to keep forever.
Freeing yourself from addiction and the value of restoring your authenticity is worth more than you could ever pay.
Please also see our fees and insurance information about how to see what benefits are available to you.
I am considering addiction therapy for my addiction or compulsive behaviors, but I still have some concerns.
If you or your partner are struggling with addiction, we can help. Please call 202-630-9738 or contact us to schedule an appointment or set up a free, no obligation, 15-minute pre-treatment consultation.
