Beverly J. Matthews, Psychotherapist

A tour of my new office at Atlanta Center for Wellness

A little perspective

This the wise man residing in the Tao sets an example for all beings. Because he doesn’t display himself, people can see his light. Because he has nothing to pr...ove, people can trust his words. Because he doesn’t know who he is, people recognize themselves in him. Because he has no goal in mind, everything he does succeeds. ~Tao Te Ching See more

We all want to feel whole. . Anyone who suffers from addiction has found their own way to cope with emotional and physical trauma. . Trauma is complex. Like... a web. . We have experience shock trauma, where in a flash, our nervous system experiences so much intensity that it exceeds it’s ability to function properly. . Then there’s relational trauma, where we have a chronic experience of not feeling safe and nurtured in our environment and relationships. . Then there is generational trauma that is passed down from trauma survivors through epigenetics and environmental coping cues and behaviors. . Experiencing disruption of any or all types of trauma creates a complex trauma response in the body. . We feel trauma as stress, anxiety, depression, etc and we need to cope to feel better. . Because the world is not trauma-informed, addicts cope with trauma through forming an addiction which in the moment feels like medicine and relief. . This is why addiction is so hard to stop, bc for the addict it feels like they are giving up their medicine. . To truly heal addiction, we must focus on healing the shock, relational and generational trauma of the addict as well as the physical body. . Addiction healing modalities must include restoring microbiome homeostasis, vagus nerve health, brain health and trauma work. . For recovery to last, the addict must continue this work and most importantly rapidly change their environment (including relationships) to match their need for continued healing and recovery. . Addiction can be reversed through root cause trauma-informed care, environment and lifestyle. . Remember to get out there, take action and make it real! -Mastin Kipp