In Bessel van der Kolk’s latest masterpiece, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma he writes about a study specific to traumatic memory that I believe has significant implications for those who struggle with addiction. The study takes us into the science of repressed memory, and helps prove that often… [Continue Reading]
Mark Girard Working with Altered States
For the past few years I have taught a foundations course on addiction treatment to graduate students. An important aspect of the course is helping students understand that longterm successful outcomes necessitate resolving underlying drivers of addictive behavior, namely, adverse childhood experiences. In an effort to illustrate concretely how this may be done, I enlisted… [Continue Reading]
Where the Wild Things Are
Last night my wife and I went to a lecture by Joseph LeDoux, the author of The Emotional Brain: The Mysterious Underpinnings of Emotional Life and the Synaptic Self. His research has primarily focused on understanding the emotions of fear and anxiety through animal models, and how these emotions impact memory. One of my favorite chapters in… [Continue Reading]
The Trauma of Death…and the Gift of Life
It was just like any other day, arriving home from high school, popping into the kitchen for a snack. The phone rang and I can still hear the words of my best friend’s older brother as if it was yesterday … John, you should sit down. Last night Doug took his life. Let me be clear, Doug was… [Continue Reading]
3 Critical Lessons From Neuropsych Testing
Years ago I worked as an assistant for two neuropsychologists, essentially doing all the face-to-face testing. Usually, this meant 4 to 6 hours crammed into a small stuffy office conducting various cognitive, memory, and intelligence assessments. 3 Important Lessons I Learned: Although watching patients attempt to stick square objects in round holes had its moments, the lessons… [Continue Reading]