Holistic Addiction Treatment: A Neuroscience-Informed Path to Lasting Recovery

Explore holistic addiction treatment rooted in neuroscience, trauma-informed care, and somatic healing. Discover a path toward lasting recovery and connection.

Are You Struggling with Addiction and Searching for Something More Than Just a Quick Fix?

If you’ve tried traditional addiction treatment and still feel stuck, caught in cycles of shame, relapse, or emotional pain, you’re not alone. Many people with addiction issues find that willpower alone isn’t enough. That’s because addiction isn’t just about substances or behaviors. It’s about unresolved trauma, emotional disconnection, and a nervous system stuck in survival mode.

At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we believe in treating addiction through a holistic lens—integrating neuroscience, somatic therapy, trauma-informed EMDR, and attachment work. True recovery means more than abstinence; it means restoring your connection to yourself, others, and the present moment.

What Is Holistic Addiction Treatment?

Holistic addiction treatment addresses the entire person, not just symptoms or behaviors. This approach recognizes that addiction often arises as a response to emotional overwhelm, unprocessed trauma, or chronic dysregulation of the nervous system.

Rather than focusing solely on stopping a substance or compulsive behavior, holistic care invites healing across multiple dimensions:

     – Physiological (regulating the nervous system and improving sleep, nutrition, and physical health)
    – Psychological (processing trauma, resolving inner conflict, building emotional resilience)
    – Relational (repairing attachment wounds and developing healthy intimacy)
    – Spiritual (reconnecting with purpose, meaning, and inner truth)

The Neuroscience of Addiction: Why You Can’t “Just Stop”

Addiction alters the brain’s reward system, particularly the dopamine pathways involved in motivation, pleasure, and memory. Over time, these pathways can become hijacked by compulsive patterns, making it difficult to resist urges, even when you want to.

Additionally, unresolved trauma and chronic stress keep the nervous system in a sympathetic (fight-or-flight) state, leading to heightened anxiety, impulsivity, or emotional numbing. These physiological changes often make addictive substances or behaviors feel like the only relief.

That’s why trauma-informed and nervous system-regulating therapies are essential components of effective recovery.

Why Trauma-Informed Care Matters in Addiction Recovery

Many individuals struggling with addiction have a history of:

     – Childhood neglect or abuse
    – Sexual trauma
    – Developmental trauma
    – Complex PTSD (C-PTSD)
    – Attachment wounds

Without addressing these root causes, recovery may feel superficial or unsustainable.

At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we integrate Attachment-Focused EMDR (AF-EMDR) to help clients process painful memories and develop new, embodied emotional responses. This allows the brain and body to shift from survival mode into safety, connection, and trust.

Somatic Therapy: Rewiring the Nervous System for Recovery

One of the most overlooked aspects of addiction treatment is the body’s role in healing. Somatic therapies—like Somatic Experiencing, trauma-sensitive yoga, neuroaffective touch, and breathwork—help clients release stored tension, complete trauma responses, and access deeper states of regulation.

These body-based practices:

     – Help you identify triggers and pre-relapse signals before acting on them
    – Cultivate a sense of grounded safety within your body
    – Restore your ability to feel pleasure, connection, and vitality—without substances

By integrating bottom-up processing (body to brain) with traditional talk therapy, somatic healing accelerates recovery and builds a foundation for long-term emotional resilience.

Addressing Intimacy and Sexuality in Addiction Recovery

Addiction often impairs or distorts one’s capacity for intimacy. For some, sex or relationships are part of the addictive cycle; for others, emotional closeness feels unsafe or overwhelming.

At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we specialize in helping clients:

     – Rebuild trust after betrayal trauma
    – Explore sexual healing in the wake of abuse
    – Understand desire discrepancies in relationships
    – Reconnect with the body as a source of wisdom, sensuality, and safety

Healing intimacy wounds is a crucial but often neglected aspect of long-term recovery.

Our Integrative Model at Embodied Wellness and Recovery

Our whole-person approach to addiction recovery includes:

      ✔️ Attachment-Focused EMDR for trauma resolution
      ✔️ Somatic Experiencing & Trauma-Sensitive Yoga for nervous system regulation
      ✔️ Psychoeducation and CBT for cognitive restructuring
      ✔️ Internal Family Systems (IFS) and parts work for self-integration
    ✔️  Spiritual exploration for those seeking meaning and transformation
    ✔️ Individual therapy, couples therapy, specialty programs, and intensives tailored to your needs

Whether you're seeking support for substance use, sex or love addiction, compulsive behaviors, or relational trauma, our team is here to support you with expertise, compassion, and deep respect for your story.

Hope Is Possible. Healing Is Real. You Don’t Have to Do This Alone.

If you're exhausted from trying to will your way into recovery or feel like no one really sees the depth of your pain, know this: Healing is not about fixing what's broken; it's about remembering who you truly are beneath the pain.

You deserve care that honors your complexity, your story, and your capacity for transformation.

At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we believe in a recovery process that integrates the mind, body, and spirit—and empowers you to reclaim your life with clarity, compassion, and courage.

Ready to Begin a New Chapter in Your Recovery?

We offer in-person and virtual sessions, individualized intensives, and customized treatment plans that fit your unique needs.

📍 Serving Los Angeles, Nashville, and nationwide through virtual care
🧠 Trauma-Informed | Somatic | EMDR | Relationship and Intimacy Experts

Reach out today to schedule a free 20-minute consultation to see if Embodied Wellness and Recovery could be an ideal fit for your recovery needs.

📞 Call us at (310) 651-8458

📱 Text us at (310) 210-7934

📩 Email us at admin@embodiedwellnessandrecovery.com

🔗 Visit us at www.embodiedwellnessandrecovery.com

👉 Check us out on Instagram @embodied_wellness_and_recovery

🌍 Explore our offerings at Linktr.ee: https://linktr.ee/laurendummit

References:

     – Maté, G. (2008). In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close encounters with addiction. North Atlantic Books.

     – Porges, S. W. (2011). The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self-regulation. W. W. Norton & Company.

     – Van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Viking.