Addiction, and its lesser sibling ‘dependency’, take many forms – but the underlying reasons are similar.
There is a desire – often out of awareness – to feel better, to change the emotional state, and to do this quickly.
What all addictions bring is the buzz of Dopamine in the brain, and other chemicals kick in too when you ‘win’ or ‘score’ and feel powerful.
Whether that be winning an online-game, or when your horse rides first past the finishing line, or the beautiful internet chat room porn star who appears to like and want you, or your ‘substance of choice’ (drugs, alcohol) tricks your brain into releasing some of its Dopamine treasure as a ‘reward’ for your actions.
These chemicals cause you to feel good as well as motivating you to keep doing what you did and to feel good again!
There is a common cycle of dependency and addiction:-
(1) Feeling bad
(2) Seeking out and experiencing a substance or activity
(3) Feeling temporary relief and a ‘high’ that this brings
(4) Feeling shame, guilt, and perhaps even self-loathing
(5) Feeling bad again… and so it continues.
As a psychotherapist I don’t work with chronic addicts – because they aren’t (usually) in a place of being able to take in the therapeutic work or to make good use of it.
What does interest me is why they became addicted to something in the first place.
I am now keen to test QPP on those interested in becoming free of addiction – to help them to clear away the negative S.C.R.I.P.T. (c) that has been driving their behaviour and making them seek the quick fix and the emotional reward that it brings.
I admit that they would be a difficult group to work with, or be able to comply with the QPP procedure – and the results might take longer than the usual three weeks or so.
If you are an addict, or you have an unhealthy dependency, then QPP will help you to see the reasons for this and to change your S.C.R.I.P.T. beliefs – and give your brain a much needed ‘tune-up’ too.
In my book ‘Into Minds – an introduction to Quantum Psyche Process’ (p48) I cite psychologists Eugene Peniston and Paul Kulkosky who found that alcoholics who spent time in Theta (brainwave state – part of QPP) “showed a far greater recovery rate from their alcohol problems… with sustained prevention of relapse…a transformation of personality… and sharp reductions in self-assessed depression.”
Exciting stuff – and I sincerely hope in future to be able to research the longer-term effects of QPP upon addictive behaviours… which will have enormous far-reaching effects.
By Maxine Harley (MSc Integrative Psychotherapy) MIND HEALER & MENTOR
