Your brain on drugs
Categories: Medications and research
An excellent and revealing article by Janet Firshein at PBS’s “Moyers on Addiction” site brings to light the physiological basis for craving and how it can lead to relapse. Computer imaging confirms that changes in the brain occur in areas specific to the drug consumed - and take place prior to ingestion.
Firshein compares addiction to other long-term diseases like hypertension, a familiar analogy because it’s the one often cited by our medical director, Dr. Linda Garcia. An internist and addiction specialist, she treats patients for both conditions and says the parallels are important in understanding how to develop an effective, individualized, multi-faceted recovery program.
One of the reasons I’m so passionate about treating alcohol dependence with multiple therapies is founded in that very premise. Medication and nutritional supplements may work quickly to blunt craving, but long term behavior changes are equally important. It’s why I’m convinced strategies like hypnotherapy, positive visualization, relaxation and EFT are critical. I believe they are some of the most powerful tools in addressing the conditioned response that’s apparently hard wired in our brains.
The key, says Firshein, is in identifying cues which lead to relapse and then “talk back to the urges”. I can’t imagine any more powerful place to do this than the subconscious mind and I’m sure it’s why self-hypnosis has been effective for so many people who follow our program.
I encourage you to read the article and explore the site, it’s fabulous.
By the way, this animated presentation is one of many on the site and depicts GABA function before and after alcohol consumption. One of my goals for MWO is to develop a collection of visual tools like this which can be called upon during hypnotherapy to “reverse” the process and break the cycle. Sorta like biofeedback…on steroids.