Complimentary Approaches to the Treatment of Chemical
Dependency
Brack Jefferys, Ph.D., LPC, CCS, LCAS, RN, LMBT(#44) Disclaimer
“Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe anything because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.”
Siddhartha
Wellness Model
“The significance of the lotus is not to be found by analyzing the secrets of the mud from which it grows here; its secret is to be found in the heavenly archetype of the lotus that blooms forever in the Light above.”
Aurobindo
Complementary Principle
The concept that two contrasted theories, such as the wave and particle theories of light, may be able to explain a set of phenomena, although each separately only accounts for some aspects. Critical for understanding addiction and treatment Pribram: The brain does not produce consciousness like the kidneys produce urine, the brain modifies and experiences consciousness According to Max Planck, Nobel Prize in Physics 1918 , "Consciousness is primary. Matter is derivative of consciousness.” Particle/wave, Hylotropic/holotropic, involution/evolution
Brain and Mind
“When scientists muster the courage to face this evidence unflinchingly, the greatest superstition of our age – the notion that the brain generates consciousness or is identical with it – will topple. In its place will arise a nonlocal picture of the mind…. My conclusion is that consciousness is not a thing or substance, but is a nonlocal phenomenon. Nonlocal is merely a fancy word for infinite. If something is nonlocal, it is not localized to specific points in space, such as brains or bodies, or to specific points in time, such as the present.” Larry Dossey MD Implications of the Work with Holotropic States for Psychiatry, Psychology, and Psychotherapy Grof 2016
Vast expansion of the cartography of the human psyche Architecture of emotional and psychosomatic disorders Therapeutic mechanisms - biographical, perinatal, and transpersonal Strategy of psychotherapy and self-healing intelligence of the psyche The role of spirituality in the human psyche and in the cosmos Insights into rites of passage, religion, and mysticism Insights into the psychology of wars, bloody revolutions, and genocide The nature of consciousness and its relation to matter Addiction: A Transpersonal Definition
A disease or disorder characterized by the compulsive search for satisfaction from the use of mind or mood altering drugs (including alcohol) that has damaging consequences in any area of a person’s life. An additional important feature of addiction is the experience of oneself as disconnected from existence, life or one’s Source of Awareness. Differences Disease vs. Disorder: Brain Disease or Risk Behavior
NCSAPPB Scope of Practice: Addictive disorder or disease
Disease
Disorder
Models Medical/biological Models Neurobiological Pleasure Reward Neuropsychological Dysphoria Genetics Predisposition and Protective factor Trauma model Affects brain functioning/neurochemistry May activate genetic predisposition Others Pert Pribram: Professor at Georgetown Brain does not produce Mind Models continued
Psychological/Sociological The empty self/false self Object relations Micro-social Macro-social Emphasis on the external/consumer society Psychological/Sociological catalyst for genetics Trauma Wesley Clark & William White See perinatal trauma below
Perinatal Psychology: Gateway between the personal and transpersonal Grof 2016
BPM I BPM II BPM III BPM IV Perinatal/Surrender
Regressive aspects Anesthesia and maternal imprinting Perinatal trauma, self destruction and death Surrender models Biological basis of surrender and change Psycho-spiritual change and perinatal matrices Maternal Imprinting
> 1 hour but < 10 hours crossing the placental barrier Myelination of nervous system Role of imprinting (somehow pre natal and post natal are accepted as important systematic exclusion of the perinatal) Specific mechanical interventions associated with specific approaches to suicide
Self Destruction and Trauma
Trauma (Clark, White 2009) Suicide /Violence Gestalt Psychological surrender as movement toward wholeness Opening to psycho-spiritual process of change and surrender – challenges in tradition therapy
Biological Basis of Surrender
False self anchored in the sensorimotor preverbal/precognitive perinatal trauma Surrender of the false self “Ego death” as death of a “false self” and current therapeutic strategies Somatic basis of surrender BPMs, developmental psychology and transpersonal themes of surrender
Bill Wilson, the co-founder of AA described an experience of surrender in 1939 that freed him from the compulsion to drink and laid the foundation for twelve step recovery (Alcoholics Anonymous, Inc., 1984, p. 120-121).
“ The terrifying darkness had become complete." Bill said "In agony of spirit, I again thought of the cancer of alcoholism which had now consumed me in mind and spirit, and soon the body." The abyss gaped before him. In his helplessness and desperation, Bill cried out, "I'll do anything, anything at all!" He had reached a point of total, utter deflation—a state of complete, absolute surrender. With neither faith nor hope, he cried, "If there be a God, let Him show Himself!" What happened next was electric.
"Suddenly, my room blazed with an indescribably white light. I was seized with an ecstasy beyond description. Every joy I had known was pale by comparison. The light, the ecstasy—I was conscious of nothing else for a time... I know not at all how long I remained in this state, but finally the light and ecstasy subsided. I again saw the wall of my room. As I became more quiet, a great peace stole over me, and this was accompanied by a sensation difficult to describe..."I seemed to be possessed by the absolute, and the curious conviction deepened that no matter how wrong things seemed to be, there could be no question of ultimate Rightness in God's universe. For the first time, I felt that I really belonged. I knew that I was loved and could love in return."
Grof found that a very similar process occurs when clients experienced the transition from BPM III to BPMIV. (1985. p.123).
This experience of "ego death" seems to entail an instant merciless destruction of all previous reference points in the life of the individual... and involves a sense of annihilation on all imaginable levels- physical destruction, emotional debacle, intellectual defeat, ultimate moral failure and absolute damnation of transcendental proportions. This experience of "hitting the cosmic bottom" is immediately followed by visions of blinding white or golden light of supernatural radiance and beauty. The subject experiences a deep sense of spiritual liberation, redemption and salvation. He or she typically feels freed from anxiety, depression and guilt, purged and unburdened. This is associated with a flood of positive emotions toward oneself, other people and existence in general. Approaches to Surrender
The educational approach Awakening-day at a time Mindfulness Wilber Radical rearrangement Experience-may be a part of the day at a time approach or set the stage for new perspective on recovery Jung “spiritus contra spiritum” Grof Transpersonal Models
(“Looking for God/Self/Source in all the wrong places; you can never get enough of what you don’t really want”) Addiction as spiritual emergency: compelling value of experience + devastating effects of behavior=existential crisis of transcendent significance Maslow Needs Meta-needs (B needs)? Grof Consuming need for transcendence Innate healing intelligence** Jung “Low level….union with divine” Therapy and/or spiritual quest
Recovery: Life style change and/or Spiritual Quest Types of Spiritual Experiences True Self/True Nature Recovery related to the world’s great traditions
Types of Spiritual Experiences Grof 2016
. Experiences of the “immanent divine:” . Discovery of our basic identity with all of creation in transpersonal experiences . Individual psyche is a microcosm that contains the macrocosm (“as above, so below,” “as without, so within”) . Experiences of the “transcendent divine:” . archetypal world universal and not culture-bound . (C .G. Jung’s “collective unconscious”) . Visions of archetypal figures are endowed with enormous energy and evoke powerful emotions, but healthy observers realize that these are not the supreme principle in the universe. They represent a bridge to the Absolute, but should not be confused with it; that leads to idolatry . Identification with archetypal figures brings the danger of “ego inflation”
Spirituality Versus Idolatry Grof 2016
Graf von Durkheim: “Deities should be transparent to the transcendent” Joseph Campbell: " If a deity blocks off transcendence, it cuts you short of it by stopping at itself; it turns you into a worshipper and a devotee, it has not opened you to the mystery of your own being” Narcotics Anonymous “When we come to a final definition of God we stop growing spiritually.”
The Supreme Spiritual Principles Grof 2016
The deepest philosophical questions appear to be answered or else appear irrelevant other than how one actualizes this awareness through service and compassion in life
Absolute Consciousness: radiant source of light of unimaginable brilliance, superior intelligence and creative power, beyond space and time, personal characteristics, sense of humor; Hindu concept of Sacchidananda (Infinite Existence, Consciousness, and Bliss)
Experience of this principle can take two forms : encounter that maintains the subject- object dichotomy (Ramakrishna, St. Teresa, Christ) or complete dissolution of personal identity (Sri Ramana Maharshi);
Supracosmic and Metacosmic Void: primordial Emptiness and Nothingness, containing all of existence in a potential form; source of all creation; transcendence of space and time and of all polarities - macrocosm and microcosm, good and evil, agony and ecstasy, masculine and feminine, singularity and plurality, form and emptiness, existence and non-existence (Grace and mystery)
The True Self: Who Am I? Grof 2016 Hinduism: “Atman is Brahman” (“Tat tvam asi”)
Alcoholics Anonymous: “The Great Reality is within”
Siddha Yoga: "God dwells within you as you”
Buddhist scriptures: "Look within, you are the Buddha”
Confucian tradition: "Heaven, earth, and human are one body”
Jesus Christ: "Father, you, and I are one”
St. Gregory Palamas: "For the kingdom of heaven, nay rather, the King of Heaven is within us”
Kabbalist Avraham ben Shemu'el Abulafia: "He and we are one”
Mohammed: ”Who so knoweth himself knoweth his Lord”
Mansur al-Hallaj: "Ana'l Haqq – “I am God, the Absolute Truth, the True Reality, this is a statement of absolute humility"
Treatment Approaches
Medical/Biological Detoxification Nutrition Stress Mgmt. Exercise Don’t use, stay clean/sober HALT Medical evaluations and interventions Special note on medication and recovery “medicalization of process” Levels of consciousness-chakra 1
Treatment Approaches
Psychological or physical trauma from family reinforces or aggravates trauma from Basic Perinatal Matrices. Abandonment or failure of caretakers to meet developmental needs of child allow perinatal material to emerge more easily into everyday life, coloring the experience of the here and now. (Grof) Healthy Childhood - Meeting needs mitigates influence of perinatal trauma Provides psychological platform for surrender experiences and basis of mature relationship to transpersonal. (Grof, Wilber) Social: Culture and society provide a context for acceptance, expression and integration of the following categories of human experience and either provides specific methodologies for working with these or suffers the consequences in terms of social deterioration (Maslow,Wilber). Treatment Approaches
Psychological/Sociological Individual, group and family therapy Psycho-education Skill development (RP) Active case management Support group attendance Community involvement, meetings, fellowship Sponsorship Steps 1-3 Levels of consciousness-chakras 2-3
Treatment Approaches
Perinatal experiences act as a source of trauma and information about primary relationships including engulfment/ abandonment as well as issues concerning death, sexuality and aggression. Perinatal experiences act as a doorway between individual and collective or transpersonal (Grof)
Treatment Approaches Professional Strategies-Perinatal Level Gestalt-somatic Body centered-experiential therapy, bodywork Reichian, sensorimotor therapy, somatic experiencing, Pesso System Psychomotor confronting shadow/character defects death/rebirth/surrender experience “fighting fire with gasoline” Hero’s/Heroine’s journey Levels of consciousness-chakras 4-5 Steps 4-9
Treatment Approaches
Transpersonal Models Transpersonal dimension is the ultimate source of psychological/spiritulal energy. Most energetically charged material from the unconscious / superconscious. Affects and addresses biological, psychological, pre and perinatal issue too. NOTE: The various components of addiction; medical, psychological, sociological, perinatal and transpersonal form an interconnected matrix. Most issues have a multidimensional nature, logically connected to a central theme that is consistent throughout the spectrum of experience i.e. COEX Systems. Treatment Approaches
Professional strategies – Transpersonal Body centered-experiential therapy, bodywork ( see above with a transpersonal context), EMDR Mindfulness and other forms of meditation & prayer Guided imagery, movement, dance therapy, expressive arts (Jungian, Assogioli, Grof, Wilber) Holotropic Breathwork Psychedelic psychotherapy, (ibogain, Ayahuasca (DMT), MDMA, Psilocybin, Peyote, LSD) Levels of consciousness – chakras 6-7 Service work & daily spiritual practice Steps 10-12
References
Anonymous, 2009, Alcoholics Anonymous. Online 4th Edition, AA World Services, Inc. New York. Anonymous, 1984, Pass it On, Bill Wilson and the AA Message, AA World Services, Inc. New York. Anonymous, 2009, Narcotics Anonymous, Online 6th Edition, NAWS, Inc. CA Baer, R.A., 2003, “Mindfulness Training as a Clinical Intervention: A Conceptual and Empirical Review”, University of Kentucky, American Psychological Association Bishop, S.R. et.al., 2004, “Mindfulness: A Proposed Operational Definition”, Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, V11 N3, American Psychological Association Bowen, S., Chawla, N., Marlatt, G.A., Parks, G.A., 2007, Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention MBRP Treatment Guide, Draft, Version 5, Addictive Behaviors Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Washington August Gersten, D, 1993, Am I Getting Enlightened or Losing My Mind?, Harmony Books, New York Grof, S. and Halifax, J., 1977, The Human Encounter with Death, E.P. Dutton. Grof, S., 1985, Beyond the Brain, Birth, Death and Transcendence in Psychotherapy. SUNY Press, New York ------,1988, The Adventure of Self-Discovery SUNY Press, New York ------, 2000, Psychology of the Future: Lessons from Modern Consciousness Research. SUNY Press, New York Grof, S. and Grof, C. 1990. The Stormy Search for the Self. Jeremay Tharcher. Los Angeles Grof, S, and Sparks, T, 1986-2008, Grof Transpersonal Training Program, Mill Valley, CA. Grof, S,. (2016) “The psychology of the future” Shilf Network Hendricks, G. and Hendricks, K., 1991. Radiance: Breathwork, Movement and Body Centered Psychotherapy. Wingbow Press, CA. ------, 1993, At the Speed of Life, A New Approach to Change through Body-Centered Psychotherapy. Bantam Books, New York. Hendricks, G., 1995, Conscious Breathing: Breathwork for Health, Stress Release and Personal Mastery, Bantam Books, New York. Jacobson B et al. Opiate addiction in adult offspring through possible imprinting after obstetric treatment. British Medical Journal, (1990), Vol301, p1067-1070. Jacobson B, Nyberg K, Eklund G, Bygdeman M and Rydberg U. Obstetric pain medication and eventual adult amphetamine addiction in offspring. Acta Obstet Gynaecol. Scand. (1988), 67, p677-682. Jacobson B et al. Perinatal origin of adult self-destructive behaviour, Acta psychiatr. scand. 198776, pp364-371. Jefferys, B., 1999, Transpersonal Psychotherapy with Addicted Patients, monograph. The Center for Transpersonal Resources, NC. Joines, V. and Stewart, I., 2002. Working with Personality Adaptations, Lifespace Publishing, NC. Kornfield, J., 1993, A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of the Spiritual Life, Bantam Books ------, 2008, The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology, Bantam Books Levine, S., 1979, A Gradual Awakening. Doubleday, New York. Marlatt, G. Alan, 1996, “Harm Reduction: Come as You Are”, Addictive Behaviors, 21(6), pp 779-788 Nyberg K et al. Socio-economic versus obstetric risk factors for drug addiction in offspring. British Journal of Addiction, (1992), 87, p1669-1676. Nyberg K et al. Obstetric medication versus residential area as perinatal risk factors for subsequent adult drug addiction in offspring. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, (1993), 7, p23-32. Nyberg, K et al. Perinatal medication as a potential risk factor for adult drug abuse in a North American cohort. Epidemiology, 2000, vol 11, p715-6. Prentiss, C., 2006, The Alcoholism and Addiction Cure. Power Books, CA, Small, J, 1983, Transformers:Therapist of the Future. DeVorss Publishing. ------., 1998, Becoming a Practical Mystic, Quest Books, Wheaton, IL. Sparks, T., 1993, The Wide Open Door: the 12 Steps, Spiritual Traditions and the New Psychology. Handford Mead, CA. Walsh, C., “Mindfulness Handouts”, Odyssey & Victorian Addiction Centre, Ph: 61 (0)3 9347 4300 email: [email protected] web: www.cwalsh.com.au Internet Resources/References
Mindfulness Training http://www.spiritrock.org/ http://www.audiodharma.org/ http://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/
Harm Reduction http://depts.washington.edu/abrc/ http://www.csat.samhsa.gov/default.aspx
Brain Disease http://www.projectcork.org/
Pre and Perinatal Psychology http://www.birthpsychology.com/ http://www.eheart.com/cesarean/index.html
Transpersonal Psychology http://www.atpweb.org/ http://www.itp.edu/
Spiritual Emergency http://www.spiritualcompetency.com/ http://holotropicbreathwork.ning.com/
12 Step Recovery http://www.na.org/ http://www.aa.org/
Training Programs http://hendricks.com/ http://seinstitute.com/ http://www.pbsp.com/ http://www.holotropic.com/ http://www.eupsychia.com/