ABSTRACT
The use of addictive psychoactive substances can be found in the earliest human archives, as can abnormal patterns of substance use, over time spawning the concept of addiction/substance misuse. Correspondingly, the relationship between mental health and problematic substance misuse also has a long and complex history, and this chapter explores new advances in dual diagnosis treatment using an integrative arts psychotherapy approach within a residential rehab setting.
The rationale for the development of the RAFT integrative arts programme is explained in relation to moving away from the 12-step disease model of treatment, widely associated with traditional rehab programmes, focusing instead on the so-called “self-medication” hypothesis. This assumption conceptualises addiction as developing from an individual’s reliance on a drug/substance to alleviate or change a range of painful affect states, including self-regulation vulnerabilities, problems with self-esteem, relationships, and self-care functions associated with mental health disorders including depression, personality disorders, PTSD, and complex trauma.
Clinical case material and theoretical perspectives integrating Attachment theory, contemporary Neuroscience, Gestalt, Psychoanalytic, Self-Psychology, and Jungian concepts with different Arts Psychotherapy interventions are illustrated and explained in relation to relapse prevention and achieving lasting recovery.
