Money is particularly troublesome for people in recovery. Addicts of all stripes often have stubbornly entrenched money problems long into their recovery from other addictions. I know of no surer route to depression and despair for a recovering addict than chronic and baffling trouble with money. I regularly field calls from people with five, ten, twenty-five years of recovery who are at their wit's end about money and work.And it's not just the bill collectors who are demand

Excerpt from The Money Trap... The problem with psychotherapy for people with chronic money is that it can be uncommonly frustrating-for both the patient' and the therapist. Beside the money or work obsession, people with chronic money problems exhibit mostly the same symptoms others generally seek therapy for: fear, anxiety, problems with relationships, feelings of alienation, a lack of integrity, of integration. Relief is sought from psychic pain. Initially, those with chro

Excerpt from The Money Trap Overspenders Compulsive spending and compulsive debting are a very effective way of keeping unwanted feelings at bay. They are, like any addiction, an attempt to manage anxiety, and to find a way to feel good about yourself. Essentially, compulsive spending and compulsive debting are a defense, a comprehensive system designed to avoid psychic pain. Spending and buying bind anxiety, give a little ego boost, and produce the momentary illusion that a

Excerpt from The Money Trap... Billy's Story...a pretty stark example of how overspending is not about earning enough. Billy owns a small but hugely profitable company that he built from the ground up. But no matter how much the company earns, Billy spends more. He is afflicted with what his friend called, "fabulosity." There don't seem to be enough luxury goods in the world for Billy. No amount fills him up. Although he has a Merceds and a Range Rover, he became obsessed wit