MMP079 - Understand your Brain to Overcome Addiction (Dr. Roby Abeles)

In this episode, we continue our exploration of the application
of the Brainspotting modality.


Brainspotting is a modality discovered by Dr. David Grand. Please
visit www.brainspotting.com to learn more.


Our guest, Dr. Roby Abeles, discusses addiction and how the brain
is wired for reward.


She discusses some amazing processes that allow for overcoming
addiction.


We also explore post-addiction/post-trauma growth. We discuss how
we can become better human beings as a result of positive
post-addiction growth.


Here are the six mantras from this episode:


Mantra #1: There is no such thing as a perfect childhood (it is
all about a spectrum of experiences).


Mantra #2: You can bounce back from just about anything (and it
is easier and can be more fully integrated with support from
others).


Mantra #3: The student can become the teacher.



Mantra #4: You can be so much more helpful to others when you can
be vulnerable and authentic.


Mantra #5: When a person is feeling an addiction, their brain
cannot neurologically connect (between the deeper reward centers
of the brain) to the consequences of that addiction.


Mantra #6: Given that addiction is a result of a lack of neural
pathways in the brain (not a person having negative
characteristics like a “lack of control”) we must work to remove
shame around addiction in our society.



Mantra #7: The brain is wired for reward.


Mantra #8: Brainspotting can create new neural pathways in the
brain to help people overcome addiction.


Mantra #9: A healing journey can be seen along the same lines as
the Hero’s journey (see Joseph Campbell’s 17 stages of the Hero’s
journey).


Mantra #10: When it comes to healing, including Brainspotting
sessions, the most important person in the room is the client.


More about Dr. Roby Abeles


Dr. Roby Abeles is an accomplished integrative, somatic
neuro-psychotherapist, with over 34 years of experience in
diverse clinical, academic, government, and human services
environments in Australia and the USA.

Dr. Abeles knows the complexities of addiction through her own
personal journey which began in utero. She was prescribed
tranquilizers and anticonvulsants from ages 2-12, and by then she
had already become addicted to several other substances.


She is a survivor of several sexual and physical assaults during
the active phase of her addictions. She entered rehab in 1985 and
has been clean and sober ever since.

Dr. Roby received her early addiction treatment training at the
Betty Ford Center in California. She soon learned that addiction
is always pre-dated by overwhelming life experiences. We are
often not able to identify these experiences as “trauma”. And we
were not able to process and integrate these experiences when
they occurred.

Dr. Roby’s own life experiences led her to a life-long study of
trauma and addiction which continues today. She has co-developed
the MATES Brain Regulation Program. ‘MATES’ is a simple and easy
program to help people learn easy self-regulation techniques so
they have alternatives to self-soothing with ritualized,
compulsive (addictive) behaviors.

She has also been trained in the revolutionary 21st Century
brain-based Brainspotting (BSP) therapy and is an international
trainer. Based on neuroscience, she developed a way to stop
addiction cravings using a BSP technique called the “Crocodile
Set Up”, and most recently has developed “The Hero’s Journey” BSP
Set Up to transform adversity into a personal story of not just
survival, but heroism.

Dr. Roby Incorporates mind, body, and spirit into all her
therapeutic work and teaching by combining Brainspotting, Somatic
Experiencing, Spiritual Psychology, Narrative therapy, and Ego
State therapy, to ensure all levels of client experience are
truly resolved and integrated so they can have a clear path
forward.

Degrees:
PsyD in Clinical Psychology
MA in Counselling Psychology
MA in Spiritual Psychology
BA in Chemical Dependency Counselling


LINKS:
The Crocodile Set Up
http://thecrocodilesetup.com.au/


Brainspotting Australia Pacific
http://www.brainspottingaustraliapacific.com.au/


For BSP trained therapists
Facebook page Brainspotting and Addictions
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1088689974585814/