You hold it together for everyone. Except yourself.
You’re reading this because there’s something you cannot stop. It might be a substance, like drugs or alcohol. It might be a behaviour like gambling or sex.
Sometimes, it might not feel like a problem. An extra drink or line can keep the party going. Working too hard, having too much sex, can feel like you’re living life to the full.
And you can probably keep it together, for other people. You can hold off when you’re at work. You can keep your boss happy and keep paying your bills. Or maybe it’s your kids or loved ones you can hold on for. You can be present and show up. They might not suspect a thing.
You can say no for other people. But you cannot say no for yourself.
It’s when you clock off, or say goodbye, that the feelings start. They bubble up and soon it feels impossible to resist. The urges keep coming. There is nothing worse than being by yourself.
But in sessions, you won’t be. And together, we will breathe.
I cannot take away your cravings, but I can listen.
Together, we will build a space where it feels safer to feel your feelings. Every cell in your body may want you to run away, so we won’t rush. We will take things at your pace. We’ll explore what happens around your addiction, the feelings of release and the tensions beforehand. And we’ll explore your life outside of addiction — who and what do you love. You are more than an addict, after all. You’re a person.
And so, I won’t insist on abstinence or sobriety. You don’t need someone else in your life that you have to be good for; someone else you can let down. I am certain you don’t need another source of shame in your life.
What I do ask is for honesty. I want you to experience feeling seen. I want you to be honest with me and see for yourself, and feel in your body, that I am not going away. You can be who you are. You do not need to sand down your edges. You do not scare me. You are not the monster of your imagination.
I don’t know who you are. But I would like to find out.
