Addicted
to Drama

Healing Dependency
on Crisis and Chaos
in Yourself and Others

  • “Dr. Scott Lyon’s new book Addicted to Drama compassionately unpacks the underlying dynamics that keep many of our relationships stuck in cycles of stress and chaos. Offering relatable examples and actionable steps, this book will help readers break free of these patterns to create deeper and more authentic relationships.”

    — DR. NICOLE LEPERA
    The Holistic Psychologist, New York Times best-selling author of How to Do the Work

  • "One of our lifetime's most significant and silent endemics stems from jumping from one crisis to another and creating chaos to run from deeper pain, depleting our vital energy, resources, and time. Dr. Scott Lyons offers a step-by-step process to solve this draining dilemma and heal the underlying pain. Read, learn, heal and find safety away from drama—in yourself and from those who are addicted to it."

    — DR. PETER LEVINE
    Founder of Somatic Experiencing® and international best-selling author of Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma, and In an Unspoken Voice

  • "Addicted to Drama is a must read for anyone caught up in this vicious circle. As the founder & president of Cancer Schmancer Movement, identifying dis-ease in one’s life and gain the tools to distance yourself from unhealthy habits is the beginning of living your best life in optimal health. This journey we all begin at birth is a learning experience and a constant quest to become more refined, present and mindful."

    — FRAN DRESCHER
    Actor, Author, and Health Activist

  • "Dr. Scott’s new book guides readers through a compassionate journey of understanding how an addiction to DRAMA is playing out in our lives and being replicated on a mass scale. Dr. Scott shows us that there is hope, with a fresh perspective on healing trauma and liberating ourselves from crisis, chaos, and the addiction, the never-ending cycle of drama. Read this book to heal yourself and make a change in the world."

    — JUSTIN MICHAEL WILLIAMS
    Grammy-Nominated Artist & Author of Stay Woke: A Meditation Guide for the Rest of Us

BUY THE BOOK →

Do you know someone who seems to thrive on chaos…

A person who manufactures crisis where there is none, makes mountains out of molehills, and whose very presence feels like an inescapable whirlwind?  

You may even label them a “drama queen.”

This person might be someone close to you.  This person might even be you.

Discover the science and psychology of drama addiction—and a path to healing.

For a person addicted to drama, the drama is often how they survive—or think they do.

In this groundbreaking book, clinical psychologist and mind-body expert Dr. Scott Lyons turns the notion of the “drama queen” on its head, showing that drama is an addiction and those who are suffering with it are experiencing a much deeper psychological, biological, and social pain.

For a person addicted to drama, the intensity becomes their way of coping.  Their life is a constant cycle of crisis, chaos, and chronically high levels of stress. They may never be able to relax without an internal alarm going off, sending them spiraling back toward chaos. Drama is the stirring, the excitement, the exaggeration, the eruption, the unrest, and the medicine to feel alive in relation to the numbing of the internal and external world around them. For a person addicted to drama, the drama is often how they survive—or think they do.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Scott Lyons

Dr. Scott Lyons is a licensed holistic psychologist, educator and author of the book Addicted to Drama: Healing Dependency on Crisis and Chaos in Yourself and Others, with Hachette publishing. Scott is also the host of The Gently Used Human Podcast, a delightfully depthful and often hilarious exploration of what it is to be human, to have lived life, and come out gently used.

As a renowned body-based trauma expert, Doctor of Osteopathy (Spain) and Mind-Body Medicine specialist, Scott helps people to break free from cycles of pain, limited beliefs, and trauma. Scott is an innovator in transformative wellness and trauma therapy, teaching over half a million people internationally over the past twenty years how to relieve stress and restore vitality. Scott has worked with many of the country’s top leaders and CEOs as an executive coach and wellness consultant.  

Scott is the creator of The Embody Lab—the largest online learning platform for body-based trauma therapies—and developer of Somatic Stress Release™, a holistic process of restoring biological resilience, taught in over 20 countries.

Scott is a Certified Body-Mind Centering™ Teacher and Practitioner, Cranio-Sacral Therapist, Visceral Manipulation Therapist, Neuro-Developmental Therapist, Infant Developmental Movement Educator, Registered Movement Therapist and Educator, Trauma Therapist, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, Thai Massage Practitioner, Clinical Hypnotherapist, Mindfulness-based Executive Coach, Experiential Anatomy/ Developmental Movement and Yoga Practitioner, and a 500-hour registered yoga teacher. Additionally Scott holds a BFA in Theater/Psychology, MFA in Dance/Choreography, MS in Clinical Psychology, and a PhD in Clinical Psychology and Mind-Body Medicine.

Scott has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, Fast Company, HuffPost, The Guardian, National Geographic, Men’s Health, Goop, Bustle, and Well + Good. He has also appeared on The Mel Robbins Podcast, The Jordan Harbinger Show, The We Can Do Hard Things Podcast, Girls Gotta Eat, The Sabrina Zohar Show, Pursuit of Wellness, The Human Upgrade, and The Chopra Well.

Take the drama quiz!

Are you or is someone you know addicted to drama? Take the free quiz to find out!

Takeaways from the Book

With studies, primary research, and patient stories, Dr. Lyons deconstructs this little-understood addiction, sharing:

  • what drama addiction is and what it is not

  • how to identify patterns of drama addiction in yourself and others

  • the somatic effects of drama addiction, including chronic fatigue, autoimmune disease, joint and muscle pains, and other conditions

  • the origins of drama addiction— and how we are heading towards a global pandemic of a dependency on crisis and chaos

  • accessible exercises for recovery and healing

Rather than dismiss addiction to drama as just attention-seeking, Dr. Lyons offers clear-eyed empathy, humor, and practical strategies to help us understand and break free of the drama cycle.

Order    

your copy.

“As a therapist and researcher, I have had the opportunity to work with individuals struggling with addiction in various forms, and I know firsthand the destructive impact that drama and chaos can have on an individual's life. In this book, Dr. Lyons expertly examines the root causes of drama addiction and provides practical strategies for healing and recovery. Through a blend of personal anecdotes, scientific research, and practical tools, Dr. Lyons guides readers on a journey towards a more peaceful and fulfilling life.”

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— DR. DIANE POOLE HELLER

The Power of Attachment