To Life!

HEALTH

Search For Self

Friendship
House
speaker links
childhood
trauma to
addictions.

zN

October 20 . 2005

Ronelle Grier

Special to the Jewish News

etting go of painful child-
hood memories and
reclaiming our authentic
selves was a topic that attracted
more than 400 people Sept. 23-
25 to the Meer Family Friendship
Center campus in West
Bloomfield.
Dr. Shelley Uram, a psychia-
trist from the Meadows, a multi-
addiction treatment center in
Arizona, addressed several dif-
ferent audiences.
More than 100 people attend-
ed a lecture sponsored by the
Daniel B. Sobel Friendship
House, a program for Jewish
people and family members who
are recovering from various
addictions, including drugs and
alcohol, gambling, eating disor-
ders and co-dependency.
Dr. Uram also led a workshop
for 300 local professionals on the
treatment of unresolved child-
hood trauma that carries over
into adulthood and adversely
affects self-esteem, intimate rela-
tionships and a variety of other
issues.
Her visit concluded with a
Shabbat dinner and discussion
with 30 participants from the
"Women Helping Women" pro-
gram, which is funded by a grant
from the Jewish Women's
Foundation and provides sup-
port for women in recovery as
well as women with close family
members with addictions.
Now in its second year, the
program uses a peer mentoring
approach to offer friendship and
acceptance to Jewish women who
may have felt isolated and
ashamed. Because addiction is
not widely discussed within the
Jewish community, many women
believe their situations are
unique, and they find great com-
fort when they realize that they

Dr. Dram: "Our brains are hard-wired for suvival."

are not alone.
"I think Dr. Uram's presenta-
tions provided a wonderful
opportunity for people to learn
more about the actions we can
take to make our lives more spir-
itual and meaningful," said Rabbi
Yisrael Pinson, Friendship House
director. "I'm also happy that the
community had a chance to
learn about the Meadows, with
whom we hope to have a long-
term partnership."

Childhood Roots

The Meadows bases its treat-
ment programs on the idea that

most addictions stem from
childhood trauma.
"Our brains are hard-wired
for survival;' said Dr. Uram,
"and it interprets anything it
perceives as dangerous in the
same way, whether it's physical,
emotional, verbal, sexual, obvi-
ous or subtle."
Dr. Uram explained that dan-
ger, whether it's real or per-
ceived, is locked into the limbic
area of the brain, causing the
person to respond in a certain
way when a memory of the
original event is triggered.
These responses, which can
occur as a result of a situation,

a piece of music or even a
familiar smell, often occur
unconsciously and seem almost
automatic.
"The degree of discomfort we
feel is in direct proportion to
the degree to which our lives
are not aligned with our own
authenticity:' said Dr. Uram.
"This is the root from which
many addictions stem. We want
to medicate ourselves to allevi-
ate the discomfort we feel from
turning away from our true
selves. You can't change your
authentic self, but you can dust
it off' and bring it into your
life."
Dr. Uram went on to say that
spiritual practice is an effective
way to get in touch with one's
authentic self. She added that
there are a variety of tech-
niques for achieving this,
including prayer, yoga, medita-
tion or spending quiet time
communing with nature.
"Talking therapy is neces-
sary, but it isn't enough," said
Dr. Talia Ziv, a psychotherapist
in private practice in West
Bloomfield. "Addictions are a
defense against emotional trau-
ma, and stopping the use is the
first step toward healing. Then
some 'feeling release' therapy
can help the client get in touch
with the pain."
Sarah Shafkind of Royal Oak
said, "I related to all of it. As a
human being, I don't know how
anyone couldn't relate."
Jeff Kranitz of Farmington
Hills said, "I think I gained
more from tonight's program
than I have from many 12-step
meetings. The raw information
and professional opinions
helped me understand more
about my own problems, how
unhealed wounds that are car-
ried over from childhood can
have consequences in our adult
lives." ❑

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