I Can’t Help It, I Was Triggered: How the Language of Powerlessness Can Inhibit Recovery from Addiction
Posted on May 22, 2020
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D.
We know that self-efficacy is vital to successful recovery from addictive problems. We know that feelings of helplessness and hopelessness are cornerstones of depression. We know that underlying issues like depression tend to fuel addictive problems. Yet, mainstream addiction treatment continues to promote language that encourages and reinforces feelings of helplessness and an external locus of control, two things that are consistently associated with poor outcomes in the treatment of most mental health concerns. Here, we will set our targets upon one of the most widely used and rarely questioned terms in addiction that reinforces feelings of helplessness, ‘triggers.’
Encouraging an individual working to overcome addictive problems to ide...
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