In this groundbreaking book, Michael Clemmens offers a new model of treatment for long-term recovery that goes beyond the traditional “disease’ paradigm. Working from the belief that a fuller life for the recovering addict is grounded on a foundation of abstinence, the author explores a “self-modulating” approach, which leads to a change in behavior from within the individual while developing and expanding connections with others.

Michael Clemmens is a licensed psychotherapist with a private practice in Pittsburgh, PA working with individuals and couples. He is a lead faculty member at the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland and Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA. He travels extensively nationally and internationally teaching and offering experiential learning opportunities. Michael is the author of Getting Beyond Sobriety: Clinical Approaches to Long Term Recovery, numerous articles on Gestalt Therapy, and co-author with Arie Bursztyn of “The Embodied Field: Culture and Body” published in The Bridge: Dialogues Across Culture. His newest publication is “The Interactive Field: Gestalt Therapy as an embodied relational dialogue” to be included in the upcoming textbook by Routledge. Gestalt Therapy: Advances in Theory and Practice. Michael’s main interest is in the interaction between physical processes, relational dynamics and the larger contextual field.