As a nurse working with people with addictions, I have struggled to find my place in a system that has been created and evolved in response to a crisis called addiction, an out-of-control situation affecting the individual, friends and family, and the community. I will share how I discovered wholeness in my work, how this changed my work, relationship with others, and my sense and experience of self. One particular client taught me and brought about an important shift in my understanding of addiction, the role of shadow, trauma, and our physiology. Changing my paradigm from a monolithic to a differentiated understanding of self was another major shift. Considering our multiple parts allowed me to find the integrative process towards finding wholeness.
