Shadow Dancing

"Shadow Dancing" is illuminating and transformative, with a passionate plea to shift from the conventional medical model to a more nuanced, trauma-aware, and integrated methodology.

Drawing from his rich experiences as a nurse in addiction treatment centres in the Netherlands and the UK, Paul du Buf champions the importance of a holistic understanding of addiction, exploring the complex interplay between trauma and addiction and articulating the significant steps required for services to transition successfully into becoming trauma-aware.

"Shadow Dancing" urges the inclusion of aspects of the polyvagal model, integral theory, and internal family systems model into addiction treatments, adding depth to its narrative.

This work is the culmination of Paul du Buf's years of knowledge and skill, amalgamated into a compelling blueprint for the future of addiction treatment.

Paul graduated as a registered nurse in 1994. In the Netherlands and the UK, he worked with addiction services in prevention, treatment, aftercare, dual diagnosis, project management, training and innovation.

He became trauma-informed and a somatic practitioner to support his clients better and become more effective in his work.

His passion is the relationship between trauma and addiction, how to deal with the cause of addiction and the legacy of trauma.

In addition to his work as an independent prescriber, his focus is on supporting addiction organisations to become trauma-informed and integrated.

In 2023, he was recognised by the International Council of Nurses for his work and experience and received certification as a Global Nurse Consultant.