Emotions can get the best of most of us. Who hasn’t “seen red” when angry, or felt great sadness. That’s just a part of living this life. For some, though, emotions can be overwhelming and seemingly uncontrollable. Whether hard-wired from birth or affected by trauma, these people feel emotional pain more strongly than others andRead more
EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprogramming, has been used to treat PTSD, anxiety, and other disorders caused by traumatic experiences. Robyn Blythe, LSCW and Clinical Director at Ventura Recovery Center, uses EMDR to help those struggling with drug addiction. She has found that by treating trauma, she can heal what is for many the underlyingRead more
The Brain Reacts to Drugs and Alcohol With long-term alcohol or drug abuse, the brain physically changes. The brain actually shrinks and its ability to process information is damaged. When this happens, the parts of the brain that regulate impulse control, stress management, and information processing can all be harmed. The limbic system is anRead more
A Typical Day at Ventura Recovery Center What can I expect at rehab? Is it like being in the hospital? What do you do all day? What kind of people are there? Many people feel that they are in the dark when it comes to drug or alcohol rehab. To answer a few of theseRead more
Sad, depressed, bored. That’s how many “normal” people think recovering addicts must feel. This, actually, couldn’t be farther from the truth. Anyone who visits an AA meeting or meets a former addict who is active in the recovery community might be in for a pleasant surprise. Recovering addicts and alcoholics are “not a glum lot,”Read more