Unlike the confrontational approaches that characterized gestalt therapy in the 1960s, the contemporary model of gestalt therapy embodies the relational and supportive qualities that are especially beneficial to individuals with addictive behaviors. Written by a leading practitioner and scholar in the field, this volume describes the most current gestalt approaches to treating substance abuse and other self-medicating behaviors. It is based on the gestalt view of the self-medicating dynamic as one of pattern repetition and difficulty overcoming rigid patterns of response to sensory experience and lifeÿs routine demands. With the goal of achieving real recovery rather than substituting one addiction for another, the book provides a practical model for helping clients with the gamut of self-medicating behaviors including substance and alcohol abuse, overeating gambling, overworking, rage, and others. It describes a recovery program as a system created to change oneÿs lifestyle over time through the development of disciplines that ultimately shape oneÿs life. The volume with also be helpful to therapists in other modalities as an adjunct therapy when treating self-medicating clients, as well as a spiritual alternative to the 12-step approach. Key Features: Applies current gestalt therapy approaches to the spectrum of addictive behaviors Provides practical treatment models for self-medicating behaviors Written by a prominent practitioner and scholar of gestalt therapy Offers a spiritual alternative to the 12-step approach to recovery Provides useful techniques for practitioners of other therapeutic modalities Book jacket.