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Drug addiction from a psychodynamic perspective: Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) as transitional phenomena
Author(s) -
Potik David,
Adelson Miriam,
Schreiber Shaul
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
psychology and psychotherapy: theory, research and practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.102
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 2044-8341
pISSN - 1476-0835
DOI - 10.1348/147608306x164806
Subject(s) - psychodynamics , addiction , psychotherapist , psychology , methadone maintenance , methadone , psychological intervention , eclecticism , premise , phenomenon , psychiatry , medicine , philosophy , theology , linguistics , physics , quantum mechanics
Purpose. To present a psychodynamic (specifically object‐relations) approach to the understanding of drug addiction and recovery among patients in Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT), and to discuss the role of psychodynamic psychotherapy among drug addicts, focusing on the processes which patients undergo during counselling. Methods. We review some psychodynamic explanations of the drug addiction phenomenon, and illustrate the psychodynamic comprehension framework of the issue according to Winnicott's theory, by describing a few psychotherapeutic interventions with our MMT patients. Results. The main premise is that treatment in a MMT program is accompanied by changes in‐patients' life‐styles and behaviour, which are parallel to transitional phenomena. As such, methadone and counselling serve as transitional objects during these processes. Conclusions. Drug addiction is a widespread phenomenon that affects many areas in the addicts' life; therefore, some eclecticism from therapists has a beneficial effect on the outcome.