Articles
Please enjoy these articles from past and current Summit faculty. Click on the title to open the article. (All articles are in html format.) If the author's name is highlighted, click on it for information about the Summit for Clinical Excellence Conference where he or she will be speaking this year.
Addressing the Problem of Prescription Drug Abuse/Addiction
Recently I conducted a consultation and treatment planning session for a therapist whose patient has been on prescription opiates and benzodiazepines for over ten years. My colleague's concern increased after her patient, who was significantly over-medicated, drove herself to therapy. My colleague's patient didn't seek out this problem. But after ten years of using only medication to address her chronic pain, as well as for emotional and stress management, the situation finally became too much for her—she became caught in a prescription drug trap.
Assessment: Evidence-based Measures
Until recently, clinical understanding of trauma exposure and subsequent symptomatology tended to emphasize relatively straightforward psychological reactions to a single, relatively circumscribed traumatic event. Typically, such reactions are thought to involve posttraumatic stress, various forms of anxiety, and depression.
The Binge Eating Cycle: Breaking Free
We develop patterns of behavior early in life. We start associating certain events with certain behaviors. One such pattern is our behavior with food. Being fed by our parents when we were young may come to represent being cared for or being loved. On the other hand, not being fed when we were hungry may have produced a deep insecurity about whether there would be enough food in the future.
Buddha Meets Jesus: Paths to Selfless Love
If Buddha were to meet Jesus today, they would immediately recognize that they were kindred spirits, despite the centuries and cultures that separate them Both were wise men from the East, Buddha from India and Jesus from Palestine, even though their mesage travelled in different directions. Buddha's influence followed the rising sun and embraced nearly the whole Eastern world, while Jesus' followers spread his Gospel West to Europe, and eventuall the America.s
Creating Boundaries: One Step On The Path To Freedom
People with eating disorders have a poor sense of boundaries and have a hard time saying, “No.” Boundaries are imaginary or real lines around our physical, emotional, or spiritual self that set limits for us and others. Imaginary lines protect our thinking, feelings, and behavior. Real lines allow us to choose how close we allow others to come to us, as well as if and how we allow them to touch us.
Freud Meets Buddha: Paths to the Relief of Suffering
If Freud and Buddha were to meet today, they would have most fascinating conversation and realize how they had in common, despite the centuries that separate them. Both were revolutionares who challenged the traditions and authorities of their day. Both encouraged their follower to recognize the richness of their inner life and the authority of their own personal experience. They were scientists, endlessly curious, who carefully investigated the workings of the mind.
Lust, Anger, Love: Understanding Sexual Addiction and the Road to Healthy Intimacy
Sex is one of the most powerful forces in the human condition. It can drive individuals to the pinnacle of emotional and physical ecstasy or, conversely, spiral other people into depths of despair and anguish. The power of sexual energy and expression exists because our sexuality is tied, or connected, to the core of who we are; it is our essence, our life force, our creativity, and our passion.
The Misunderstood Male
Take this simple true or false quiz to see how savvy you are about men. Questions and answers are based upon gender research and developmental studies.
Pain Management with Coexisting Addictive Disorders
Before finding a solution, we need to look at the problem of pain. Chronic pain is a serious health concern confronting many people today. Pain is often disabling for many people and there are few safe alternatives when seeking help. As a result, some patients may end up suffering or developing an addiction to the medications they are using to help manage their pain.
Relationships and Recovery
I have learned many things about myself that I did not know when I had my eating disorders. One is that food was my best friend, my primary relationship. I "went" to food like some people would go to a trusted friend or confidant.
Why Diets Don't Work
Most of the methods we may have tried to control our eating have not worked long term. I hope to explain why diets don't work and present some ideas for you to consider that do work.
Wisdom Tales: Using Storytelling Traditions to Understand and Treat Eating Disorders
Traditional folk tales and multicultural myths can be used as powerful tools in the treatment of eating disorders because they are repositories of ancient wisdom about the human condition and because they teach the language of symbolism, imagery, and metaphor. These wisdom tales can help clients gain insight into their disordered eating behavior and can function as effective catalysts for bringing about change in eating patterns.
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