Addictions – recovery IS possible
Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, a neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School, states; “When people take substances, they’re seeking a certain experience – whether it’s escapist or transcendental, or just wanting to move into a different psychological state – that is to get away from whatever is making them unhappy.”
Other studies have also shown that accompanying the desire to escape the unhappiness, or pain, is a loss of emotional connection with one’s body and a vital sense of meaning or purpose in life.
The feelings of separation, dissatisfaction, emotional pain and low self-esteem, create a fertile space for an addition to take hold.
Prevention and healing comes in the form of experiencing a sense of connectedness to something ‘greater’. This may take the form of a spiritual belief, a belief and excitement about the future, and connectedness to the world around. With this comes a sense of inner strength and worthiness to honour the core beliefs. This then gives a person a deeper sense of their place in the wholeness of their lives. Meditation has been found to enable a person to have a shift in consciousness to access that experience of wholeness and the inner strength that comes with this.
It must be stressed that meditation is not necessarily a religious practice. Rather it is a practice of experiencing one’s deeper ‘self’ more fully than can be done under ‘normal’ circumstances. A non-religious recovering addict declared the following; ‘Meditation allowed me to tap into a gentle quiet space, that allowed me to experience my life differently, and from there I could heal my heart and thoughts and start loving my body.’
This connection of mind, body, heart and meaning seems to be very significant. In a survey of more spiritually inclined people, it was found that they were eight times less likely to use mind altering substances than non-spiritual people.
HeartMath is a well-researched technology that has been used as an effective tool in assisting in both preventing addiction and in recovery. This tool helps regulate behaviour by developing coherence. Read an excellent article HERE from The Sanctuary at Sedona.
Being addicted is a very complex situation that requires expertise. It unfortunately often entails a long road to recovery. This is due to the chemical dependency the body develops as the addiction takes hold. If you feel that you need help, or would like guidance on helping someone you care for, call our help line 08002BWELL (0800229355) to set up a free session with one of our skilled counsellors.
Although the journey to healing from addiction may be long and extremely challenging, there are fortunately many stories of success. So, if there is any addiction in your life, do not give up hope. Call our counsellors – they are very caring.
Please call our helpline to set up a free session with one of our skilled counsellors on 08002BWELL (0800229355)
