ABSTRACT
The author of this chapter argues that addiction to chemicals and behaviour arises as a creative response to annihilatory anxiety caused by trauma. This trauma can include geographical dislocation and adoption, relational neglect and sexual abuse, all of which disrupt the attachment patterns of children. Addiction to sex and fantasy evokes an illusion of connection, but its prolonged intensity inhibits the creation of neural pathways, making it almost impossible to maintain healthy relationships. The chapter argues that a psychodynamic therapeutic response, supported by recovery groups, can help uncover the unconscious triggers that cause rage and shame, expressed in compulsive, self-defeating behaviours. This, in time, fosters a capacity in the addict for the development of a solid sense of self.
‘Scars are like years, he said: one follows another and it’s all of them together that make a person who they are’ (Seethaler,2015: 30).
