Table of Contents
Acknowledgments 9
Preface Dr Michaela Glöckler 11
Foreword: A Pandemic in Our Times 13
Chapter 1 Awakening to Addictions 17
Needs and gratification 18
The will 22
Necessity and freedom 22
The dependency continuum 23
Experiencing addictive tendencies 24
Our struggle between gratification and self-control 25
Chapter 2 Understanding Addictions 26
Encounter with addictive tendencies in children 26
An experiential approach to understanding and caring for children 27
Approach to children with addictive tendencies 29
Holistic child and adolescent development 30
The nature of addiction 36
Psychodynamics of addiction 38
Addictive partnership 39
The environment of addiction 40
The addictive brain 41
The body-soul-spirit continuum 44
Chapter 3 Managing Addictions in Children and Young Adults 46
Understanding the nature of addiction 46
Self-reflection and self-care 47
Understanding a specific child and his needs 47
Effective management 50
The challenge and opportunity of addiction 58
Chapter 4 Food Addictions and Disorders 60
Eating disorders in young children 60
Eating disorders in older children and adolescents 63
Understanding the nature of food addiction 68
Helping youngsters with food addictions 72
Chapter 5 Sanctioned Substance Addictions: Caffeine, Nicotine, Alcohol 75
What is your experience of these drugs? 75
What is a drug? 75
Caffeine 77
Tobacco 79
Alcohol 83
Understanding the nature of sanctioned drugs 91
Understanding the sanctioned drug-dependent youth 94
Helping youngsters with sanctioned substance addictions 95
Chapter 6 Illicit Substance Addictions 99
Experiencing drug abuse and drug addiction 99
The human constitution 100
Earthly experience-cosmic experience 101
An approach to understanding the illicit drugs 104
Earthly drugs 105
Cosmic drugs 109
Earthly and cosmic drugs 115
What are the dangers for young people becoming addicted to illicit drugs? 117
Drugs as one-sided pathology 118
Helping youngsters addicted to illicit substances 118
Chapter 7 Tyranny of Entertainment Media 125
Why do you watch TV and how does it make you feel? 126
The addiction phenomenon 127
The rise of the TV genie 128
The effects of TV 131
Helping youngsters dependent on entertainment media 135
Chapter 8 Computer Enslaved Children 140
Daily experiences 140
Modern electronic enticements 142
Dependency and addiction 143
Who are you, computer? 144
What do you do to our children, computer? 148
Warning: potential side effects 149
Our responsibility 156
Helping youngsters dependent on electronic gadgetry 156
Chapter 9 Shades of Addiction to Violence 162
Daily news items 162
Our own experience of violence 163
Pictures of violence 163
Disruptive behaviour disorders 166
Self-Injury 169
Understanding violence 172
Survival of the fittest 177
Higher command 178
Where does violence originate? 179
Dehumanisation through media training 185
Addiction to violence 187
Helping youngsters addicted to violence 189
Chapter 10 Sexually Addictive Behaviour 193
The daily reality 193
Sexual activities that can become addictive 194
Experiencing sexuality 203
Understanding sexuality 204
Development of sexuality 207
What changes normal sexuality into abnormal sexual behaviour? 210
Sexual addiction 212
Helping youngsters with sexually addictive behaviour 214
Sexual distortion and its restoration 218
Chapter 11 Addictive Behaviour Patterns 219
Internal behaviour dependency 219
Addictive behaviour responses 220
Our personal experience 222
Understanding the addictive behaviour pattern 223
Internal guardian 226
Management and caring 227
The struggle of our times 230
Chapter 12 The Battle for the Human Soul 231
The struggle for freedom 231
Hazards of growing up 233
Development of the soul 234
Formation of the constitution, temperament and character 235
Awakening of the I 237
Forces of darkness 238
The origin of negative forces 239
The battleground of the soul 239
The battle 241
The quest for freedom 242
Notes 245
Appendix 1 A Blueprint for Understanding and Managing Addictions in Childhood and Young Adults 261
Appendix 2 Awakening to Deep Experience 263
Bibliography 271
Index 284
