Drowning the judge

Addiction, trauma and the superego

Abstract

This paper considers the relationship between trauma and addiction, developing the idea that the superego is a useful concept in understanding this relationship, and also useful in the treatment of people with addiction. The thesis is that in the people with addictions who have a trauma history, whether it be direct trauma or the more indirect trauma of early neglect, the trauma frequently contributes to a punitive superego and addiction is a mechanism to protect the person from feeling the pain inflicted by a punitive superego. Focus on affect tolerance, forgiveness therapy and working with guilt and shame are useful in the treatment of these clients. This paper is taken from a dissertation written as part of an MHSc in Psychotherapy completed by the first author at Auckland University of Technology. The clinical illustrations in the paper come from the work of the first author.