Welcome to the nine part series Understanding Addiction and Supporting Recovery Reverberations of Addiction s Impact in the Family with Presenter Claudia Black Webinar series brought to you by the National Association for Children of s (NACoA), with Co Sponsorship from the American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC), the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE), and the Entertainment Industries Council (EIC), and National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children (DEC) with support from the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Reverberations of Addiction s Impact in the Family with Claudia Black, Ph.D www.claudiablack.com Senior Fellow & Clinical Architect Claudia Black Center The Meadows 1
chronically Rageful Rageful chronically chronically Rageful Overeater Sister Died Age 9 Therese s Family of Origin Issues chronically Grandfather Chronic poverty Rageful Died shortly after birth of father Grandfather overeater gambler Rageful Sister overeater Died age 9 Overlook (deny, rationalize, Caretake others minimize) behavior which hurt Fault self for family s problems deeply Discount own perceptions, give Appear cheerful when hurting others benefit of the doubt Make excuses for the hurtful Believe no options are available behavior Believe she is at fault, it is her job Avoid conflict to minimize to find the answers further anger Not ask for help Tolerate inappropriate and hurtful behavior Accommodate Prioritize the needs of other over own 2
Grandfather Chronic poverty Died shortly after birth of father Grandfather gambler overeater Rageful Healthy Parenting Practices chronically Rageful Son Age 7 Daughter Age 10 Overeater Sister Died age 9 Basic needs of safety, food, shelter Appropriate role modeling Warm and supportive relationship between the parent and child Parental monitoring and supervision Maintaining awareness of the child s peer relationships Understanding the child s individual risk level Establishing appropriate parent child communication Amelia Arria, Ph.D. Trauma stress that causes physical or emotional harm from which you cannot remove yourself Larke Huang (SAMHSA) Autonomic Nervous System On a daily basis, our nervous systems experience periods of increasing arousal and periods of decreasing arousal. Each one of us has a Window of Tolerance or an where we can experience nervous system fluctuations while st having the capacity to regulate ourselves. Sympathetic Nervous System Activation During times of threat the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system is activated. This activation prepares the body for FIGHT or FLIGHT by increasing heart rate and breathing rate, inhibiting digestion, sending blood and energy to the muscles, pupil dilation, tunnel vision and narrowed range of hearing. Parasympathetic Nervous System Deactivation When a threat is no longer present, the parasympathetic branch helps to deactivate the autonomic nervous system. This deactivation restores balance and allows the body to REST and DIGEST by reversing the effects of the sympathetic branch. This deactivation of the nervous system also makes social engagement possible again. 3
Regulated Arousal Dysregulated Arousal Sympathetic Hyperarousal Anxious, panic, restless, hyperactive, hypervigilant, exaggerated startle, emotional flooding, impulsivity, risk-taking, poor judgment Parasympathetic Hypoarousal Flat affect, depression, lethargy, numb, disconnected, dissociation, despair, self-loathing, hopeless, full of shame, victim identity Children of addiction are 2 to 4 times more likely to be sexually abused. They are prime for victimization as they 1. Are often starving for attention 2. Are less apt to speak up because of fear of not being believed. 3. Give others the benefit of the doubt. 4. Don t trust their own perceptions. 5. Don t know what they feel and can t use feelings and cues as signals. 6. Are confused about appropriate boundaries. 7. Experience shame upon shame which fuels powerlessness. Dear Lord Be good to me, the sea is so wide and my boat so small. Epigram for the National Children s Defense Fund Trauma Repetition 1. Doing something self destructive over and over again, usually something that took place in childhood and started with a trauma 2. Reliving a story from the past 3. Engaging in abusive relationships repeatedly 4. Repeating painful experiences, including specific behaviors, scenes, persons and feelings 4
Grandfather Chronic poverty Died shortly after birth of father Grandfather gambler overeater Rageful Therese s Family of Origin Issues that impact her parenting chronically Rageful Emotionally distant Son Age 19 Daughter Age 22 Overeater Sister Died age 9 Overlook (deny, rationalize, Caretake others, not take care of minimize) irresponsible behavior self, allow others to take which hurt deeply advantage of her Appear cheerful when confused, Fault self for family s problems hurting Discount own perceptions, give Make excuses for the others benefit of the doubt irresponsible hurtful behavior Believe no options are available, Avoid conflict to minimize remain in victim position further anger Believe she is at fault, it is her job Tolerate inappropriate and hurtful to find the answers, not hold son behavior accountable Prioritize the needs of others Not ask for help, don t want help, over own, diminish her own only wanting to stop needs, not expect respect for self Accommodate, anything to avoid conflict, anything to feel loved Possibility for Recovery Mindfulness is the ability to cultivate awareness of the present moment while putting aside our lenses of judgment. It is being in connection with the direct experience of the present moment, the here and now. Identify primary disorders Potential for co-occurring disorders and multiple addictions Prioritize treatment of intergenerational family dynamics Benefits of Mindfulness Meditation Reduced rumination Stress reduction Boosts working memory Focus Less emotional reactivity More cognitive flexibility Relationship satisfaction Health benefits such as: increased immune functioning reduced psychological distress increased information processing speed Tai Chi Yoga Expressive Arts Song Drumming Chanting Meditation Labyrinth Therapy Practices EMDR Somatic Experiencing (SE) Sensorimotor psychotherapy (SP) Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) Neurofeedback Action Based Psychodramatic Techniques 5
Do Not Ever Underestimate the role you w play in someone s life when you empower them with validation and truth. www.claudiablack.com 206.842.6303 Thank you for attending the nine part series Understanding Addiction and Supporting Recovery Reverberations of Addiction s Impact in the Family with Presenter Claudia Black Webinar series brought to you by the National Association for Children of s (NACoA), with Co Sponsorship from the American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC), the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE), and the Entertainment Industries Council (EIC), and National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children (DEC) with support from the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). 6