"Who is escaping what!" *
An addiction is a chronic disorder in which an individual is motivated by a subconscious intention to use a substance, or engage in an activity that gives them an immense amount of pleasure. Yet the long term side effects can become painful and harmful to the quality of everyday life.
Compulsive behaviors and addictions can temporarily provide an emotional and mental viewpoint of confidence, control, validation, and/or other positive qualities lacking in one’s life. And yet also, the opposing negative motives fuel emotions seeking to be enacted through behaviors and patterns of behaviors that are experienced in such ways as self-judgement, self-punishment, and self-loathing.
The addictive behavior patterns do not stop until the root of the problem, the motive, and the emoting is understood and healed. In short, the patterns persist until digested and eliminated. Psychologically speaking, all addictions are an addiction to fear. The fear is often based upon a biological imperative to complete an unsuccessful past defensive flight response to an overwhelming threatening event. An incomplete flight response becomes frozen in the body and fuels a somatic need to escape, and possibly thereafter an emotional syndrome of escapism.
Addiction changes the somatic processing and structures of the brain through the limbic system, also known as the “brain reward system.” This part of the brain is responsible for producing feelings of pleasure and will manifest thoughts such as, “I deserve this,” or “Let’s do that again.” Thus the physiological effects affect the psychology of the person. The abuse of addictive substances and behaviors triggers this system which can prolong a continuous cycle of destructive behavior to self, others, and the environment.
Common addictions include but are not limited to:
- Drug or alcohol abuse
- Gambling
- Belief Systems
- Internet
- Shopping
- Food
- Sex
- Relationships
Seek Professional Assistance
People who have developed an addiction may be unaware that it is out of control, which is why counseling is an essential part of working through and managing this condition. An addiction of any sort can siphon off your vitality for life. One need not go through the recovery process alone.
Many treatment plans focus on talk therapy and behavior therapy and can be performed in a group or through one-on-one sessions. During these sessions, patients assess the physiological, mental, and emotional reasons behind their addiction(s); the cravings and triggers that are in them and about them; their self-consciousness; and what helped them control impulses in the past. Clients also learn to resolve the past drivers of escapism and establish self-caring skills so they can manage the compulsions without relapsing.
* Yes, this is a statement not a typo, I am exclaiming here that "who", your persona, is attempting to escape "what", you as existence. This separating choice establishes a false regime of escapism from the individual. The individual is indivisible. The individual is the "what" that they, the ego and alter ego states, are attempting to escape. In fact, attempting to escape from the mutual bonding and joining of the whole to the individual creates an attachment need to something other than the individual's life force. An addiction to this "ego-self " is an attempt to escape your own individuality. Thus, addiction is merging with attachments within the belief syndromes of the persona, effectively creating an illusion of separation from one's essence. In truth there is no escape, only resolution.
{see Vitalize: The Forever Choice is the fortunate choice of choosing and attending to healing now, forever.
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