Rossa Forbes is a contributor to Goddess Shift: Women Leading for a Change
I write about schizophrenia, not alcoholism, but I find The Alcoholism and Addiction Cure very informative even if alcoholism or addiction is not your particular problem. On the surface, schizophrenia seems to have nothing in common with alcoholism and addiction. There are no 12-step programs for schizophrenia. To begin with, the author doesn't shy away from using the word "cure". He doesn't consider alcoholism or addiction either "incurable" or a "disease". These are symptoms that are coping mechanisms that one has chosen in response to life's pain. Medical professionals who refuse to use the word "cure" in the context of certain mental health problems deprive people of hope and virtually guarantee that their problems are forever managed, never cured.
Mental health professionals are being disingenuous when they say that the cause of schizophrenia or alcoholism or addiction is unknown. Some people will stop right there and think to themselves, "well, if a doctor says this, there's not point in my looking any further." It is true that there is no one neat scientific explanation that can explain away the cause, but that doesn't mean that a cause or causes cannot be found. Chris Prentiss makes a clear cut case for finding the cause of the pain by looking at the problem through the prism of the family story. Through my own research and willingness to undertake psychotherapy, I now have some insight into the cause(s) of my son's problems. The causes are both psychological and physiological. I have developed a working theory that makes sense to me. I may be entirely wrong about what the real causes are, but it doesn't really matter because I have noticed whatever we are doing seems to be working. I can empower healing in my son by changing the way I relate with him, by showing conviction that he will recover, and by understanding that his problems have a context.
Chris Prentiss eventually came to realize that his son's descent into alcoholism and addiction was due to the son's deep rooted anger with his father. The family background that he describes in his book provides a plausible explanation for this outcome. Many people will protest that everybody is angry with their father (or their mother) and that most people who are angry with a parent don't descend into drug addiction. Well, actions do make sense if you care enough to pay attention. There is a logic to life.
Another reason why I like the book is because the author maintains that if you want to get to the bottom of your problems, the multiple therapy approach is best and it works faster. Many people can go for years seeing the same therapist and never become well or else not well enough. This may be because they are undergoing the wrong therapy or perhaps because they do not have a good rapport with the therapist. It also may be because they are told they that they are sick individuals and need lifelong meds.
Since the goal for everyone should be to resolve their problems as quickly as possible, people should be free to pick and choose their therapy and their therapist, and use several different therapy approaches. People should be free to choose but in reality they are not, as I have found trying to introduce other therapies while my son was under the care of a psychiatrist. Just because psychiatry is slowly opening the door to acknowledging the value of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for schizophrenia doesn't mean that CBT should be the only therapy employed. CBT may not work for you. Alcoholics Anonymous may not work for you. Chris Prentiss has shown what worked for his son and he has some valid criticisms of the current institutional approach to handling serious mental health issues.
Get more detail about The Alcoholism and Addiction Cure: A Holistic Approach to Total Recovery.
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