Addictive Behaviors | San Diego Couples & Family Therapy

“To thine own self be true.”

– William Shakespeare

We are all pleasure seekers. There are pleasure centers located within the human brain, which, when activated, are associated with feelings of euphoria. This is part of the daily cycle we all experience. During the day we go through naturally occurring periods when we feel comfortable, secure, happy, and fulfilled – and this is followed by periods when more negative feelings are aroused (anxiety, insecurity, discomfort). We humans are highly reinforced by positive feelings of pleasure. We want to experience euphoria again and again. Fortunately, that’s not all there is to life.

Addictive behavior can be seen as an attempt to control our daily cycles by maximizing pleasurable feelings and decreasing the frequency of negative feelings. At first we may even succeed for a while in doing this, but our basic natures have a way of catching up with us. We probably need our down phases of the daily cycle as much as we need the more positive ones – if for no other reason than that the negative parts of the cycle help us appreciate the positive ones even more. Our negative experiences strengthen us and help us to become survivors. They assist us in learning wisdom and integrity. There are few things in nature which are not cyclical. Attempts to find constant pleasure through addictive behavior are always futile. The negative phase always revisits us and brings balance back into our lives. There is no escaping our basic nature. And there is no escaping the escalating and debilitating results of the addictive process.

Addiction is an uncontrolled search for gratification through a relationship with an substance or activity to the exclusion of other more diverse life experiences. The substance or activity with which the addict forms a relationship varies with each person. Common sources of addiction are alcohol, tobacco, illegal drugs, prescription medication, sex, love, food, shopping (and shoplifting), gambling, television, computers, and work.

Dr. Baya Mebarek, Psy.D., LMFT
www.sandiegofamilytherapy.net

San Diego Couples and Family Therapy serves the surrounding areas of Sorrento Valley Road as La Jolla, UTC San Diego, Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe, Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Penasquitos, Poway, University City and Escondido.

Dr. Baya Mebarek

Dr. Baya Mebarek is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of California. She specializes in couple therapy, pre-marital therapy, and in the treatment of children, adolescents, adults, couples and families dealing with depression.

17:44 09 Mar 23

Dr. Baya Mebarek is an exceptional therapist who has helped my wife and me rediscover our marriage's love. When we first came to her, we struggled with communication issues, and it seemed like we were constantly at odds with each other. Dr. Mebarek was incredibly patient and understanding, creating a safe space to express our feelings and concerns without fear of judgment.Dr. Mebarek gave us practical tools and techniques to improve communication and deepen our connection. She helped us see that our differences were not weaknesses but strengths that complemented each other. Through her guidance, we understood each other's needs and perspectives better, which brought us closer together.One of the most significant changes we experienced was learning how to listen actively to each other. Dr. Mebarek taught us how to communicate more effectively by paraphrasing and validating each other's feelings, which helped us to avoid misunderstandings and arguments.We are so grateful to Dr. Mebarek for helping us to save our marriage. She is a knowledgeable, compassionate, and insightful therapist who truly cares about her client's well-being. Thanks to her guidance, we now have a stronger and more loving relationship than ever before. We highly recommend her to anyone seeking to improve their relationship.

15:59 07 Dec 22

It’s always said that it takes two people to make a relationship work. Reality is that it takes three people. Dr Baya has been able to consistently keep our marriage on track sometimes the things that we go in with seems so difficult and so damaging and yet when we leave it all seems so small in the bigger picture. We have been going to her for over two years and I credit, her expertise in the field of marriage counseling for the reason my marriage is not only still existing but much better than it would be had we not started seeing her.

01:32 14 Oct 22

My now husband and I went for premarital therapy. She is absolutely fantastic. She is to the point and extremely intelligent. We both love working with her as a couple!

15:16 04 Oct 22

I have collegially associated with Dr. Baya Mebarek for over two years. During this time she has demonstrated a keen sense of intuitive insight, a highly-ethical regard for her profession, and genuine regard for those she serves.Dr. Mebarek is gentle and strong. She understands people and knows how to help them find and live their best life.I am confident that she does and will provide incredible care to those she serves, and will build and hold trust and therapeutic alliance, and will safeguard clients' entrusted and protected confidential information.

16:35 13 Oct 21

I would highly recommend Dr. Baya. We have been using her services for a few months now and see progress after every session with her. She is the first therapist we’ve used that we feel truly cares about the issues of her individual clients and listens well, but can also give great advice when necessary. Other than being a great therapist, we feel she is also a wonderful person and very punctual, which I always appreciate.

22:23 05 Mar 19

Dr. Mebarek is an illuminated soul. She told me not what I wanted to hear, but absolutely what I needed to hear. She is a seer & teller of truth, and will give you her professional opinion, which is like gold. I would recommend anyone to go talk to her in her cool & cozy office. She might save your life.

20:11 05 Jan 14

When you seek out a health practitioner, you want someone who is competent at their craft. Of equal importance, it makes a considerable difference to be treated by someone who is compassionate, nurturing, and has a grounding and calming presence. Dr Baya Mebarek is all of these things. She is genuinely interested in how her patients feel and is dedicated to helping trigger positive changes for a better mental, emotional, and spiritual well being. She is present, thoughtful and effective in her treatments. I live in SF and don't get to see her as often as I would like but I travel down to get my needed dose! I highly recommend Dr Mebarek.

Pleasure and Addictive Behaviors

“To thine own self be true.”

– William Shakespeare

Dr. Baya Mebarek

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