In this talk, Mark will provide a brief and detailed overview of how he manages Schema Therapy in addiction practice in Central London (Harley Street). He will reference the current book utilised for assessment and treatment.

Schema therapy was developed by Jeffrey Young in the Mid 80s after he found CBT to be less helpful for some individuals than others, especially those with chronic characterological concerns. It draws on a variety of different therapeutic approaches, such as imagery, re-scripting, and gestalt chair work techniques. Mark will then discuss how the Schema therapist examines the route/origins of the client’s experience, not merely dealing with an outward symptom such as drug or alcohol abuse, whereas traditional therapists may focus on simply alleviating the symptoms.

He will focus on discussing the Schema therapist’s application by looking at the childhood developmental origins of the problem i.e the core psychological vulnerabilities. When a schema is triggered a coping style is activated i.e unrelenting standards may trigger workaholism or being continually busy. The main drive of schema therapy is to access the parts of the client that hurt and are vulnerable (the vulnerable hurt child).

Many forms of therapy have touted their effectiveness with addictive disorders. Some of them work for a few people. Most do not. Internal Family Systems therapy starts off by recognizing that there are two distinct parts or “subpersonalities” opposing each other when addiction is ongoing (members of an “internal family” of parts). One part really wants to get high, get freedom and relief from “shoulds” and “musts.” It only cares about the present. The other part is intensely critical, in fact often punitive and scornful, because it is looking toward the future, not the present, and it knows what damage to expect. IFS therapy helps people in addiction to fully accept both parts, get to know them through internal dialogue, forgive them, and soothe them. There is no hint of forcing the addictive voice to stop and go away. Through this recognition and compassion, we soothe both parts, their antipathy starts to wane and become more like a game between children with different motives (which is pretty much what they are). The result is that both parts lose their compulsive determination, and a third voice, characterized by compassion, gradually takes responsibility for enduring our anxieties and living a more peaceful life.

This is a time of unprecedented access to high-reward, high-dopamine stimuli: drugs, food, news, gambling, shopping, gaming, texting, Facebooking, Instagramming, YouTubing, tweeting… The increased numbers, variety, and potency are staggering. As such, we’ve all become vulnerable to compulsive overconsumption. Yet, it is possible to find contentment and connectedness by keeping dopamine in check.  

In this talk, Professor Anna Lembke will provide a practical, science-informed approach to addressing compulsive overconsumption of everything from food, to sex, to video games.

After participating in this workshop, participants will be able to:

— Describe the neuroscience of pleasure and pain and what happens in the brain as we become addicted

— Explain homeostasis and how repeated exposure to drugs of all kinds tilts the hedonic set-point to the side of pain

— Identify dopamine fasting as a practical, feasible, and effective way to reset reward pathways

— Review the science of hormesis: How intentionally engaging in pain/discomfort can improve mood and well-being.