Beyond Shame - by Georgi (Hardcover)
About this item
Highlights
- BEYOND SHAME presents a comprehensive, compassionate model for thinking about addiction that harnesses the latest in scientific and clinical knowledge about the complex factors that contribute to the disease.
- Author(s): Georgi
- 434 Pages
- Psychology, General
Description
About the Book
BEYOND SHAME presents a comprehensive, compassionate model for thinking about addiction that utilizes the latest in scientific and clinical knowledge about the complex factors that contribute to the disease.
Book Synopsis
BEYOND SHAME presents a comprehensive, compassionate model for thinking about addiction that harnesses the latest in scientific and clinical knowledge about the complex factors that contribute to the disease. The author, Jeff Georgi, offers an original theoretical framework as well as practical therapeutic strategies to show the multi-factorial nature of addictive disease as
Having a biologic component: addiction is not just a brain disease even though the central nervous system and its limbic energy play critical roles in the illness.
Triggered by psychological liability: when the needs of childhood are not met, an internalized sense of shame tied to the belief that "I'm not good enough" can make people vulnerable to addiction.
Reinforced by social context: We live in a culture that continues to stigmatize people who have addiction, and the cultural judgment further reinforces their disease.
Existing in spiritual bankruptcy: Addiction takes people out of the present moment and challenges their ability to be in relationships, often leading to loneliness and disconnection.
Framed by individual experience: Individuals are driven to seek relief through alcohol and drug use when their life choices or experiences continue their shame cycle.
In particular, Jeff draws specific attention to the role that spirituality can play in helping people integrate the different dimensions of their lives to fully understand the nature of their illness.
As a Handbook for Practitioners, BEYOND SHAME offers clinicians and counselors a flexible, research-supported approach to guiding their patients and families through recovery.
Jeff Georgi has been a clinician for over 40 years, helping thousands of people achieve lasting and stable recovery from active addiction. Licensed in the state of North Carolina as an addiction specialist, clinical supervisor, and as a certified group psychotherapist by the American Group Psychotherapy Association, Jeff is the former clinical director of the Duke Addictions Program, has served in the Duke Medical Center's departments of Surgery, Obstetrics and remains a Consulting Associate in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science. With his wife, Becky Georgi, Jeff founded Georgi Educational and Counseling Services (GECS), an educational and training organization, which works with agencies, treatment centers, and practitioners to improve patient care. Their seven-year commitment with the South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services (DAODAS), Columbia, South Carolina is one of their many success stories.
Review Quotes
Jeff Georgi has provided a must-read comprehensive overview for anyone in the business of helping individuals with addiction. He has distilled decades of clinical experience to develop a model that professionals and patients alike can understand and relate to. Read this book-and learn from one of the best."
- ASHWIN A. PATKAR, MD, DFAPA, DFASAM, chief, Avance Psychiatry; adjunct professor of psychiatry, Rush University Medical Center
We all understand that recovery is more than abstinence. And addiction is more than ingestion of some substance. Treatment is one path from one to the other. Success requires the counselor or therapist to appreciate multiple dimensions in the life and very being of the client. In this book, Georgi presents five critical domains in a manner that is both erudite and engaging. Success also requires engagement and commitment of the client. The second half of his book details a practice design that evokes participant commitment. This modification of traditional practice brings profound change to counselor pride and client outcome. And as capstone, the resulting connection awakens (or re-awakens) the spiritual capacity within each of us. This book is more than a hope or a theory. In SC, Georgi collaborated with more than a hundred counselors over several years to help move clients from addiction to recovery. The lives saved thereby is measurably significant. But the number of lives, families and communities improved is immeasurable.
As is my gratitude for his contribution.
Bob Toomey, Previous Director, Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services of South Carolina
Addiction is a complex disease...it is a disease of the brain, the body, the family, the social environment, and indeed society itself. As such, there is no one-size fits-all way to treat it. Every person is different in terms of how they come to be addicted, and what it will take to get them into recovery. That being said, there are some common themes, and Georgi has brilliantly laid them out in this incredibly comprehensive book. In the first 6 chapters, he deftly breaks down the five key domains of vulnerability to addiction: Biological, Psychological, Social, Spiritual, and Experiential. Each chapter takes a deep dive into scientific research, with clinical examples that emphasize key points. Georgi's years of success in treating patients and steady zeal for knowledge shine through on each page. In the second half of the book, he provides concrete steps for clinicians to integrate his model into practice. He unpacks each component with relatable examples, scientific evidence, practical advice, and a focus on the goal-always-of showing us all that addiction is no one's fault, and that people CAN get better!
When we--as clinicians who treat patients with addiction, as friends or family members of someone with addiction, or just as a concerned member of the public-understand the complexity of how addiction develops, we begin to understand the role that all of us play in recovery. Georgi's book helps us all to take a big step in that direction.
Nicole Schramm-Sapyta, PhD, Associate Professor of the Practice, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences
As the Director of a county-wide commission that treats substance use disorders in Conway, SC, Jeff has provided clinical training for my staff for many years. Based on the information contained in his book these training courses have empowered staff to provide consistent and highly effective treatment services to those suffering from addictive disorders. I highly recommend Jeff's book for any clinician or agency looking to improve treatment quality and effectiveness to a population that remains misunderstood and stigmatized.
John Coffin, BSW, MS, Executive Director, Shoreline Behavioral Health Service