Addiction recovery

The question is never, "Why the addiction" but "Why the pain"?
- Dr. Gabor Maté

Addiction isn’t a failure of willpower, it’s not a defect or some character flaw, although for myself it really felt like that for a very long time.

It’s a response, often the most intelligent or accessible one the time, to deep and unacknowledged pain in the form of anxiety, fear, shame and doubt. For me he first time I got drunk at age 12 was the first I truly felt relaxed. Like a giant noisy ceiling fan had been switched of. What a relief.

Whether it’s substances like drugs or alcohol, porn, food, compulsive helping, or the constant drive to be perfect or numb, addiction is often a short term and temporary attempt to escape the unbearable: loneliness, shame, anxiety, or and push or numb over an unknown gnawing often unnamed aguish.

I support people in recovery through a trauma-informed, somatic and relational approach. One that recognises your addictions are not your identity, they’re strategies that once helped you survive, or self soothe but have now become the problem themselves.

“Can we bear the unbearable? How to bear the unbearable?”

- Nick Mulvey “A Prayer of My Own.” -

My Own Recovery Journey

I’ve been sober from drugs and alcohol for over 10 years, something that, for most of my life, I would’ve thought impossible. Unless you’ve been there, it’s hard to fully grasp the despair that arises when, no matter how hard you try or how many attempts you make, you just can’t seem to recover in a permanent and stable way.

For me, the biggest breakthrough came when I truly understood that the origin of my addiction wasn’t because I was just “F**ked Up!” , it was the unacknowledged, unnamed and unhealed trauma of childhood. As I started therapy and began to develop a new set of skills, understandings, and insights, I was able to relearn how to relate to myself, to my heart, my body, and my mind. That shift in relationship, especially to the parts of me that felt broken or exiled, is what eventually interrupted and broke the addictive cycle.

This lived experience is part of my practice. It means I’m sitting across from you, not just with professional training, but with a deep understanding of how hard this addiction recovery can be and an equally deep, lived sense of how truly possible recovery is. I know one thing we need as recovery addicts is hope. So really work to help foster and support you in feeling that optimism and hope in your future.

“Awareness, per se, is curative”

- Fritz Perls -

How I Work

I can work side by side with a 12-step program or something independent. I offer slow,
grounded support for the deeper work: be it at the beginning of you sobriety where things

can feel most acute, or as you are settling into the journey you want feel more secure in your sobriety.

My approach includes:

Addressing childhood trauma and unmet emotional needs

We explore the origins of pain with gentleness, not to dwell, but to understand.

Somatic & body-based practices

Addiction disconnects us from the body. We begin to rebuild that relationship through
Safe and Sound Protocol, grounding, somatic tremoring and felt-sense work.

Attachment & relational healing

Many addictions are rooted in unmet needs for safety, connection, and affirmation.
We work in relationship to gently repair those early fractures.

Gestalt present-moment exploration

We notice what arises here and now — emotion, tension, silence — and allow it to be
met with presence.

Spiritual integration (if relevant)

Especially important for those recovering from religious trauma, where addiction was
shaped by shame, secrecy, or existential fear.

Who I work with?

I support people with:

In early or stable recovery, wanting to go deeper into the emotional roots of their addiction.
Battling to remain or keep your sobriety.
Carrying unresolved trauma from childhood abuse, neglect, or religious shame
Struggling with self-worth, chronic guilt, or feeling like they’re “never enough”
Wanting to feel again — safely, gently, without being overwhelmed
Seeking meaning and reconnection in life after substance use

“ Addiction is always a response to human suffering. The real question is not what you’re addicted to, but what pain is underneath, and how we can hold it differently.”

Gabor Maté

Lets Talk

If this speaks to something inside you, even if it’s quiet or hesitant, I invite you to book afree 30-minute consultation. We can talk, ask questions, and see if it feels right.