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RISE IN RECOVERY… WHERE THE SCIENCE OF ADDICTION MEETS

THE SPIRITUALITY OF HEALING

Kimberley L. Berlin, LCSW, CSAC, MAC, SAP

OBJECTIVES

v  Gain basic knowledge of how neuroscience research supports spiritual approaches to addiction treatment.

v  Understand how “spirituality” is defined and can be applied to secular persons in recovery.

v  Learn basic spiritual techniques that can improve the quality and duration of recovery.

INTRODUCTION

“All problems are psychological, but all solutions are spiritual.” Thomas Hora, MD

Treatment for addiction is a person-centered event. Only an individual can engage in recovery. A team of supporters can be there to guide, help, facilitate or sponsor, but it is the substance use disordered/dependent person who has to go through the actual journey.

Treatment for addiction and engagement in recovery is not for the faint hearted; it is one of the most courageous acts a human can engage in because it is, in and of itself, a monumental turning around of ones entire being – body, mind and spirit.

Science is now proving what spirituality has been speaking to, all along.

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NEUROSCIENCE OF ADDICTION

In the past twenty-five years technology has advanced to such a degree that we can now: v  See the effects of alcohol and

drugs on the brain with fMRI and SPECT scans;

v  Break down genome sequences to determine genetic influences for addiction;

v  Or intercept neuronal activity through advanced chemistry.

NEUROSCIENCE OF ADDICTION

In short..... v Limbic System v Cortex v Amygdala v Hippocampus v Prefrontal Cortex v Serotonin v Dopamine v Cortisol

NEUROSCIENCE OF ADDICTION

Erickson, C.K. (2018). The Science of Addiction: From Neurobiology to Treatment. 2nd Edition. New York City, New York: WW. Norton & Company

v  The “textbook” of neurobiology and treatment;

v  10 Myths of Addiction;

v  Medical/Disease model of addiction;

v  12 Steps, Motivational Interviewing;

v  Psychopharmacology; v  Medication Management.

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NEUROSCIENCE OF ADDICTION

Amen, Daniel. (2005).  Unchain Your Brain.  Mind Works Press. 

v  Dr. Amen and SPECT scans;

v  The NFL – brain trauma;

v  65,000 Brain Scan Data Bank;

v  Addiction revealed in scans;

v  Breakthrough understanding of effects of substances on brain; v  Whole Brain Health, Memory, Wellness.

NORMAL BRAIN

ALCOHOL

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MARIJUANA

HEROIN

BUDDHA’S BRAIN

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BUDDHA’S BRAIN

Hanson, Rick.  (2009). The Practical Neuroscience of Buddha's Brain.   Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications, Inc.

v  Negativity bias;

v  Neuroplasticity;

v  “First and Second Darts”;

v  Activating the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS);

v  Internalizing the Positive; v  Compassion and Kindness;

v  Focused Attention, Open Awareness, Rapture & Joy.

NEGATIVITY BIAS

NEGATIVITY BIAS

Negative experiences create a viscous cycle of pessimism, over-reaction and an inclination to negativity. Negativity Bias:

v  The brain is primed for avoidance of unpleasant, negative experiences;

v  It actually creates a background of anxiety and fosters an increase in negativity;

v Creates anger, sorrow, depression, guilt, shame. v Negativity Bias will highlight past losses and failures; v  Trauma is the #1 negativity bias

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NEGATIVITY BIAS

Negativity Bias Impacts the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS): A.  Fight, Flight, or Freeze B.  “Tune In, Turn On and Drop Out” Remedy for reducing the bias: 1.  Activate the Parasympathetic (PNS) 2.  Foster positive experiences 3.  Internalize the Positive

AWARE

AWARE

Siegel, D. (2018). Aware

v  “Eudaimonia” v  Mind versus Brain; v  Wheel of Awareness; v  Cultivating Attention and Intention; v  Flow and Energy of Mind; v  Compassion & Kindness; v  Attention, Awareness, Intention; v  Connection and Integration.

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ALTERED TRAITS

ALTERED TRAITS

Goleman, D., Davidson, R.J. (2017). Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body. New York City, New York: Penguin Random House.

v  From 1974 to 2017 the relentless pursuit of science to prove

meditation alters our minds, brains and our personal traits. v  Meditation as Psychotherapy; v  Neuroplasticity; v  Altering Traits, Lasting Change; v  Kindness, Generosity, Patience; v  Awakening.

HUNGRY GHOSTS

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HUNGRY GHOSTS

Mate, G. (2007). In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts.  North Atlantic

v  Trauma as source of addiction;

v  Brain responses to trauma – direct link to addiction;

v  Anxiety, Not-enough, Incompleteness as baseline;

v  Resentment and fear – “vaudeville team of unhappiness”;

v  Mindful Awareness to release grip of addiction; v  Attending, Compassionate Curiosity, Knowing;

v  Bare Attention.

BRIDGING BRAIN & SPIRIT

1.  “How Enlightenment Changes Your Brain” Newburg & Waldman, (2016).

2.  “The Spiritual Brain” Beauregard & O’Leary, (2008)

3.  “The Body Keeps the Score” Van Der Kolk, (2014). 4.  “Internal Family Systems” Schwartz, (2017). 5.  “Recovery 2.0” Rosen, (2014).

SPIRITUALITY

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SPIRITUALITY DEFINED

“All problems are psychological, but all solutions are spiritual.”

Thomas Hora, M.D.

Spirituality is a broad concept with room for many perspectives. In general, sense of connection to something bigger than our smaller version of ourselves, and it typically involves a search for meaning in life. As such, it is a universal human experience—something that touches us all. It is a moving beyond the self to a greater knowing.

SPIRITUALITY DEFINED

v  Subjective experience of a sacred dimension; v  Deepest values and meanings by which people live; v  Often in a context separate from organized

religious institutions; v  Quest for an ultimate or sacred meaning; v  Often in a context separate from organized

religious institutions. “Spiritual but not Religious”

THE SPIRITUAL BRAIN

ü  Parietal lobe increased activity (Newburg & Waldman)

ü  Temporal lobe increased activity (Beauregard & O’Leary)

ü  Left brain stem increased activity (Beauregard & O’Leary)

ü  Reduced activity in Anterior Cingulate Cortex (Newburg & Waldman)

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THE SPIRITUAL BRAIN

Mindfulness practice and expertise is associated with a decreased volume of grey matter in the amygdala (red), a key stress-responding region. (Image courtesy of Adrienne Taren)

THE SPIRITUAL BRAIN

Pre-frontal cortex activation and correlative cerebellum activity during prayer.

THE SPIRITUAL BRAIN

Regions of brain activated during spiritual experience, particularly, reward center: Nucleus Accumbens.

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SPIRITUALITY – THE GOD THING...

Good, Orderly, Direction Grow Or Die

Group Of Drunks

Glory Or Death

Gift Of Desperation

Generator, Operator, Destroyer Greatest Of Designers

Generator Of Dimensions

SPIRITUS CONTRA SPIRITUM

In 1961, Bill Wilson and Carl Jung exchanged letters discussing the formation of Alcoholics Anonymous almost 30 years prior. Jung wrote that the craving for alcohol, at the lowest level, was a “spiritual thirst of our being for wholeness”. He explained: “You see, “alcohol” in Latin is spiritus, and you use the same word for the highest religious experience as well as the most depraving poison. The helpful formula therefore is:

Spritus Contra Spiritum

12 STEP-FACILITATION THERAPY

1)  Alcoholics Anonymous is not a treatment method but a fellowship of peers, connected by their common addiction, which is guided by its 12 Steps and traditions. The only stated requirement for admission is a desire to stop drinking.

2)  AA makes no commitment to a particular causal model of addiction; rather, it limits its schema to the concepts of loss of control and denial. Historically, AA has emphasized two themes in its program:

3)  Spirituality: Belief in a “Higher Power,” which is defined by the individual and which represents faith and hope for recovery.

4)  Pragmatism: Belief in doing “whatever works” for the individual, meaning doing whatever it takes in order to avoid taking the first drink.

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12 STEP-FACILITATION THERAPY

Acceptance 1)  Acceptance by patients that they suffer from the chronic and

progressive illness of alcoholism. 2)  Acceptance by patients that they have lost the ability to control

their drinking. 3)  Acceptance by patients that, since there is no effective cure for

alcoholism, the only viable alternative is complete abstinence from the use of alcohol.

Surrender Acknowledgment on the part of the patient that there is hope for recovery (sustained sobriety) but only through accepting the reality of loss of control and by having faith that some Higher Power can help the individual whose own willpower has been defeated by alcoholism.

INTERNAL FAMILY SYSTEMS

Schwartz, R.C. (2018). Greater than the Sum of our Parts. Louisville, CO: Sounds True Publishing.

v  Shift from a mono-mind view to a multi-faceted mind view;

v  Healing trauma, substance use disorders, pathology, anxiety, depression;

v  Identification of “parts” of our selves that have “frozen” in time as a result of specific traumatic events;

v  Some parts are “exiled”, some parts are managing everything to keep balance in the system, some parts put out the fire of extreme emotions;

v  As parts are healed, “Self” emerges as the true leader of the individual, and becomes connected at a higher level;

v  A deep spiritual experience unfolds for this evidence based approach.

BIOFEEDBACK & NEUROFEEDBACK

E.O. Peniston, Kulkosky, P..J. (1989). Brainwave Neurofeedback Therapeutic Protocol: The Future Psychotherapy for Alcoholism. Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research: Volume 13, Issue 2, p. 155-354

v  Alpha brainwave training v  Theta Rhythm State

v  Protocols for treatment of alcoholism & relapse prevention v  Increased Alpha & Theta brainwave production v  Prevention of increased beta-endorphin levels v  Normalized personality measures

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BIOFEEDBACK & NEUROFEEDBACK

v  BETA WAVES (14 TO 40 HZ) are associated with normal waking consciousness. This is the mode that gets us through our daily round of tasks. But it is also the mode that can create stress, particularly toward the faster end of the frequency range. Through meditation however, it is possible to combat stress by slowing down the brain waves.

v  ALPHA WAVES (7.5 TO 12.5 HZ) are generated in states of deep relaxation, including light meditation. This frequency range has been called the gateway to the subconscious mind and the voice of intuition.

v  THETA WAVES (4 TO 7.5 HZ) represent a deeper state of relaxation and meditation. They are also associated with light sleep and the dream state. Brain energy in the Theta range is sometimes linked with visualization and creativity.

v  DELTA WAVES (0.5 TO 4 HZ) are the realm of very deep, dreamless sleep and forms of meditation where the consciousness is completely withdrawn from sensory experience. Deep healing and regeneration occur in the Delta state.

v  GAMMA WAVES (ABOVE 40 HZ) are a more recent discovery and somewhat mysterious. While meditation is generally associated with lower-frequency wave patterns such as Alpha and Theta, a study by Davidson, Lutz and Ricard found that longtime practitioners of Buddhist meditation were able to generate and sustain high-frequency Gamma-wave brain states. Meditation on love and compassion, which is central to Buddhist practice, was particularly linked to brain activity in the Gamma range. Gamma-wave activity is also associated with distraction-free learning and cognition.

MEDITATION

MEDITATION

Common elements include: 1)  Attention 2)  Focus 3)  Awareness 4)  “Holding” 5)  Attending 6)  Insight

TYPES OF MEDITATION: §  Transcendental Meditation (TM) §  Zen & Za-zen §  Vipassana §  Lojon §  Kundalini §  Metta §  Mantra §  Trataka §  Kriya §  Nada §  Savasana

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MEDITATION

v  Source are the Veda’s created in India approximately 2,000 BCE.

v  Upanishads are one of several texts in Veda’s directing practitioner to spiritual practice.

v  Spiritual, life-affirming hymns meant for incantation; reveals an intimate, almost mystical bond between worshipper and environment – sense of awe and kinship with the spirit that dwells in all things.

v  Science of consciousness, attention, and the knowing Self.

v  Within Self is the Supreme.

MINDFULNESS BASED STRESS REDUCTION

v  Kabat-Zinn, Jon.  (1990) Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life.  New York City, NY: Hyperion Books.

v  Wherever You Go, There You Are

v  Full Catastrophe Living

v  Coming to Our Senses

MBSR – evidence based technique for pain management, stress and anxiety management, depression, substance abuse disorders, alcohol use disorders, and relapse prevention.

BREATH

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BREATH TECHNIQUES

Evidence based research on breath as primary technique for activating the parasympathetic nervous system. 1)  Reduces the sympathetic “fight-flight” response

2)  Reduces the production of cortisol - stress hormone

3)  Reduces blood pressure

4)  Increases dopamine production – calming hormone

5)  Increases oxygen to brain and body cells

6)  Increases secretion of anti-aging hormones (Telomere Effect)

7)  Improves Cardiovascular system

8)  Affects noradrenaline (focus, attention)

BREATH TECHNIQUES

1)  Dirga Breath

2)  Breath Strokes (Inhale/Hold/Exhale)

a)  7/ 5 / 7 b)  6/ 4 / 6 c)  12/ 8 / 12

3)  Sipping Breath

4)  (Sitali) breath

5)  “Blowing a kiss” exhale

6)  (Nadi Sodhana) a)  Left/Right b)  Right only c)  Left only

7)  Ujaya Breath

8)  Agni Pranayama

MANTRA & THE SANSKRIT EFFECT

v  Mantra is the use of sound to affect consciousness: v man means mind and v  trang means wave or projection.

v  Mantras are used during meditation to help clear the mind and focus on the present moment.

v  Mantras are also vocalized in song – otherwise known as “Bhakti Yoga” – or devotional practice.

v  Every mantra produces a unique sound and vibration that, when recited, is able to stimulate various areas of the brain, bringing about positive results that include relaxation, clarity, and natural healing.

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MANTRA & THE SANSKRIT EFFECT

Hartzell, J. (2018). A Neuroscientist Explores the “Sanskrit Effect”. Scientific American: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/a-neuroscientist-explores-the-sanskrit-effect/

v  Over 10 percent more grey matter across both cerebral hemispheres, and substantial increases in cortical thickness.

v  Correlate with enhanced cognitive function.

v  Most prominent was the effect on the hippocampus, where we record new information and set it to memory

CONCLUSION

There are many paths to recovery – the treatment field can recognize that introducing a comprehensive approach using evidence-based spiritual practices will enhance the journey of healing.

Guiding clients to a spiritual path through these practices deepens a purpose-driven life, connection, and personal insight.

Treatment specialists who are well-versed in these techniques and knowledge can impart to clients supporting the recovery process.

QUESTIONS...?

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Thank you!

Kimberley L. Berlin, LCSW, CSAC, MAC, SAP 604 South King Street, Leesburg, VA 20175

(202) 491-8687 kberlin@compassionatebeginnings.org