Welcome to the Addiction as Dissociation Model (ADM)!
*Get FREE access to our online presentations: HERE
ADM is being developed by Dr. Adam O’Brien and Dr. Jamie Marich. ADM details how addiction is a manifestation of trauma-related dissociation and how the underlying mechanisms of addiction help explain pathology, dysregulation, and reestablishes a common sense approach and way of classifying “mental health disorders” or diagnoses. Because other addiction models (and society at large) do not take into account that drug use itself is traumatic (by the body’s standards), an unconscious dissociative aftermath is produced, which impacts temporal time and space that create many of our mental presentation. At extreme degrees, drug use creates or produces dissociative experiences, unconscious reenactments of unresolved psychological material, and splits in personality.
Path of the Wounded Healer was developed out of ADM and is a transdiagnostic approach to addressing all forms of traumas, dissociations, and addictions – even the ones that haven’t been codified by existing research or established diagnostics.
The dissertation research was on the state of active addiction and the intersectionality between trauma, dissociation, and addiction presentations. The study aimed to capture the themes of trauma-related symptomology and how dissociative forces and processes are what we traditionally see as pathology. This ultimately led to a operationalized definition of addiction, established addiction as transdiagnostic, and identified the basis for missing diagnoses from psychology that include: process, perfectionism, altruism, and ambitious addictions.
Dr. Adam next focused on creating the necessary next steps to establishing his research as a dissociative-informed approach that respects the autonomy of healing. He developed the Path of the Wounded Healer (PWH) approach out of his clinical work and what he learn from the doctoral process. While performing analysis his work (O’Brien, 2023b), he found that the Healer was missing from societal professional field. Particularly, the newly minted profession of Recovery (e.g., Recovery Advocate, Recovery Coach). As a result, the Wounded Healers Institute (WHI) has now become the educational home for people to become independent Healers or learn the art of healing from Healers. Because the dissociative aspect to healing is so critical and defines healing, our re-educational programming centers on educating participants on trauma, dissociation, addiction (drugs, drug use, and drug policy), historical context, and spiritual development. We also provide community healing events, healing retreats, posttraumatic growth gym and spa, psychedelic care, and recovery community.
WHI is now at the forefront of traumatology, dissociation, addiction, psychedelic care and science, spiritual and moral development, neuroscience, and consciousness research. Participants (sponsors, parents, paraprofessionals, and professionals) and members of WHI can learn from healers, as healers have been learning from them. AND YES! we are also training participants to become psychedelic sitters, guides, clinicians, and healers. We are holding to the tradition of psychedelics being essential to our recovery tradition and with the most accurate definition of addiction to date, we set to create a new narrative that research, science, and evidence are saying about the use of psychedelic in recovery.
More information can be found at our free class: HERE.
Publications
Demystifying dissociation: A clinician’s guide. Addiction Professional. 16(4) (Marich, & O’Brien, (2018). Retrieved from: HERE
Addiction as Dissociation Model by Adam O’Brien and Dr. Jamie Marich (O’Brien & Marich, 2019). Retrieved from: HERE
Healing Addiction with EMDR Therapy: A Trauma-Focused Guide (Springer Publishing Company, September 2021)
O’Brien, A. (2023). Addiction as Trauma-Related Dissociation: A Phenomenological Investigation of the Addictive State. International University of Graduate Studies. (Dissertation). Retrieved at woundedhealersinstitute.org/courses/addiction-as-dissociation-model-course/
O’Brien, A. (2023b). Memory Reconsolidation in Psychedelics Care. In Path of the Wounded Healer: A Dissociative-Focused Phase Model for Normative and Pathological States of Consciousness: Training Manual and Guide. Albany, NY: Wounded Healers Institute. Retrieved at woundedhealersinstitute.org/courses/addiction-as-dissociation-model-course/
O’Brien, A. (2023). Path of the Wounded Healer: A Dissociative-Focused Phase Model for Normative and Pathological States of Consciousness: Training Manual and Guide. Albany, NY: Wounded Healers Institute. Retrieved at woundedhealersinstitute.org/
O’Brien, A. (2024). Healer and Healing: The Re-education of the Healer and Healing Professions as an Advocation. Re-educational and Training Manual and Guide. Albany, NY: Wounded Healers Institute. Retrieved at woundedhealersinstitute.org/
O’Brien, A. (2024). Path of the Wounded Healers for Thrivers: Perfectionism, Altruism, and Ambition Addictions; Re-education and training manual for Abusers, Activists, Batterers, Bullies, Enablers, Killers, Narcissists, Offenders, Parents, Perpetrators, and Warriors. Re-Education and Training Manual and Guide. Albany, NY: Wounded Healers Institute. Retrieved at woundedhealersinstitute.org/
You can also find more resources HERE