Process Addiction Treatment Program
At Morningside Recovery, process addiction clients work with an addiction case manager and primary therapist who understand that process addictions such as gambling, shopping or spending, exercise, sex, or work serve only to mask pain or numb emotions. For many, these common activities too-often morph into behaviors that are actually addictions. Individuals become obsessed with a particular activity as a way to avoid dealing with the reality of their feelings, and they have the compulsive need to continue the activity despite negative consequences.
At Morningside, treatment of process addictions places emphasis on education and individual and group therapy sessions that concentrate on real-life situations. All therapy and curriculum is research-based. Morningside therapists are experts various therapeutic modalities, including cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). CBT has been shown to be particularly effective at treating process addictions, providing the skills to find a sense of relief often sought through process addictions. These skills help them meet the world in realistic terms, instead of seeking the temporary relief of processes like over-exercising, shopping, or gambling. CBT is flexible and specific, which is necessary for unique process and is also compatible with any necessary medications. In addition, Morningside also incorporates experiential therapies into a client’s individualized treatment plan. These experiential activities provide therapists unique insight into a client’s every day interaction with his process addiction.
Early treatment can deal with process addictions singularly, but often treatment leads to the discovery of a co-occurring disorder such as anxiety or chronic depression. If psychiatrically indicated, medication for clients with a dual-diagnosis of a process addiction and a mood disorder serves to support therapeutic goals and client well-being. In a client where a secondary disorder is diagnosed, proper medication can make therapy more effective. Chronic psychiatric imbalance can block a client’s ability to successfully communicate in therapy.
Clients are matched with an appropriate, licensed therapist based on the clients’ full diagnosis and psychiatric and social histories. Individual therapy sessions are scheduled as often is necessary to achieve maximum benefit. Through therapy clients explore how and when their chosen activities became problematic and are guided along a proven therapeutic path to recovery. Clients continue to meet with their addiction case manager on a weekly basis to discuss treatment plans, progress and other issues they might face. Progress through each phase of treatment is done at an individual’s own pace. At Morningside, we recognize that every recovery is personal and unique.
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