ABSTRACT
This article synthesizes contemporary neuroscience research on stress vulnerability and its effects on information processing, and is presented as the scientific basis for a new approach to drug-addiction treatment for chronic substance-dependent persons. Research shows that deficits in representational integration, resulting from differences in the way information is processed under extreme stress conditions, requires multi-moclal treatment strategies that can accommodate the special learning needs of clients with chronic substance dependency. One new treatment approach, an integrated sensory-linguistic model based on dual representation theory, is introduced. This treatment model encourages clients to take hold of the sensory and emotional elements related to the addiction process through in vivo visual processing experiences that are integrated with cognitive-behavioral techniques, rather than leaving this material vulnerable to implicit activation by environmental triggers. The treatment model's direct linkage to this contemporary body of scientific research is explicated. The paper concludes by outlining important new opportunities for research on stress vulnerability and addiction.
