Root | Healing that goes deeper | Delamere Health's 6 week program

"Many things can contribute to the development of addictive behaviour. Adverse Childhood Experiences, Trauma, Mental health concerns, anxiety, depression, self-esteem, grief, loss. Addiction, which is nobody’s fault, by the way, can be viewed as a coping strategy that almost works to change the way we feel.

It follows that understanding and working through the root causes of addictive behaviour is a core component of how we recover. If we are to truly grow beyond addiction, though, we need a new set of tools that help us to manage how we feel, on a daily basis. This is where sustained, long-term recovery happens and that is what we’re aiming for. Traditional treatment approaches prescribes a set of tools that are, in truth, fairly generic. Go to meetings, write a journal, stay in therapy. These work to a point – yet if our feelings continue to get in the way, sobriety is perilous at best.

The tools we need depend on which core systems are affected for us. During Delamere's 6 week residential stay we assess core systems as part of each care plan – this enables more precise, evidence-based pathways and an approach that works for the individual.

What we often find in people that have struggled with addiction is that certain systems become either elevated or depleted. It’s little wonder that most of us relate to feeling restless, irritable and discontent in active addiction.

But what are these ‘systems’ and where do they come from? The neuroscientist Pankseep discovered 7 primary affective systems; FEAR, SEEKING, RAGE, LUST, CARE, PANIC, JOY.

Assessing these using Delamere’s unique clinical assessment tool enables us to offer more precise, evidence-based pathways that lead to better, lasting outcomes.

The emotion systems buried in the limbic area of the brain are huge, hormonal forces which can drive us in positive and negative ways.

The Seeking system, for instance which is fuelled by dopamine, can make us feel like we can do anything….it helps us initiate and take action. If it is depleted, we feel apathetic, disengaged, indecisive…stuck.

If the FEAR system is elevated, we are hyper vigilant, anxious, expecting of threat and trauma…

Understanding which systems are dysregulated enables our care teams to intervene appropriately with tailored care plans

So, what does this look like?

A 14-day advanced track is incorporated into a guests care plan at day 21 of their stay. By this stage in their healing journey, a guest has completed Delamere’s Stop & Start phases; they have detoxed fully and begun to process some of what has been underpinning their addictive behaviour. Having completed their assessment, they have a newfound awareness of which systems are dysregulated for them. Care planning for the optional root phase targets those tools, techniques and therapies which help a guest recalibrate such that a system that is out of kilter doesn’t hold them back in their recovery.

Let’s look at what a 14-day advanced track for a guest for whom FEAR is elevated might include

The heightened vigilance, generalized anxiety, excessive threat detection and trauma sensitivity mean that the amygdala, a structure in the brain that helps detect danger, process emotion and store emotional memories is over active and hyper responsive.

Chronic anxiety or fear, even in safe situations
Irritability or emotional volatility (e.g., quick to anger or cry)
Hypervigilance – always “on guard,” scanning for danger
Difficulty calming down after stress or upset
Exaggerated emotional reactions to minor triggers
Frequent panic attacks or intense worry
Intrusive thoughts, especially related to threat or past trauma
Difficulty concentrating (due to the brain prioritizing threat detection)
Catastrophic thinking – expecting the worst
Impaired decision-making when emotionally triggered
Tight chest, rapid heartbeat, shallow breathing (due to fight-or-flight response)
Sleep disturbances (trouble falling asleep, nightmares, hyperarousal)
Startle response – easily startled or jumpy
Fatigue from being constantly on high alert
Avoidance behaviors – staying away from situations that feel risky
Emotional withdrawal or shutdown
Impulsive reactions under stress
Difficulty trusting others

Their ROOT care plan include those therapies and treatments that target the amygdala and promote interoception, the brains ability to sense and interpret signals from the body.

Somatic Therapies, Breathwork, Exposure-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Autonomic Regulation Techniques, Trauma Therapy.

Precision care, not guess work. Matched to your pattern.

Stop, Start, Root, Grow, Bloom."