Philip Harland

Possession and Desire: a Guide to Working with Addiction, Compulsion, and Dependency Philip Harland

"Choosing the temporary discomforts of desire over the permanent discomforts of possession." A 6-part guide for health professionals, patients, clients, and the lay public on working with addictions, compulsions, and dependencies in any of their multifarious forms and at any of their many levels, from the apparently harmless to the destructively complex. Part I is about understanding the systemic nature of addiction. Part II deconstructs the bodymind stages of becoming addicted. Part III discusses therapist issues around the subject. Part IV, client issues. Part V explains how to resolve addictive contradictions (eg "I must give it up and I can't give it up"). Part VI offers a systematic information activating and changework model for facilitators of all kinds, from self-helpers to experienced therapists.