It's a self-evident fact that people have to be present physically, mentally and emotionally in therapy to receive it. People who have undergone trauma or suffer from addictions appear to dissociate from their current reality when their trauma or relapse is restimulated. For this reason, it is necessary that the initial therapeutic phase includes an orientation focus on the process, relationship and solutions which will address observed treatment obstacles. Those individuals who respond favorably to the philosophy "Talk about it and you'll feel better" are usually able to integrate therapeutic principles into their lives and easily progress to productive results. However, for most people in the intervention phase of recovery, discussions relating to the nature of this dysfunction intrinsically seem to significantly elevate arousal, causing predictable repetitive evasive maneuvers or termination of the therapeutic relationship. This appears to be closely related to brain functioning.

Deep within the brain is an almond size structure called the amygdala, the function of which is self-preservation. The function of the amygdala has been experienced in action by most when reflex responses occur, such as automatically jerking one's hand away from a closing door. Such reactions are formulated and stored from an initial experience. The amygdala is responsible for our "fight, flee or freeze" reactions when we are highly aroused by situations in which our survival is perceived to depend upon instant response, with no time for strategic analytical planning. These reactions are very quick but also very uncoordinated and predictable. When the brain perceives threat, it bypasses the decision-making systems so no time is wasted figuring out information impertinent to immediate survival, such as the make and model of the car speeding toward us as we cross the road.

A classic example of the reactive nature of responses when under threat is what happens to experienced right-handed paratroopers who jump out of planes wearing left-handed flight suits. Despite specific instruction and training to just reach an inch to their left to pull the ripcord when needed, documentation reveals cases of some who end up plummeting to their death, with holes dug into their flight suits on the side their amygdala had been repeatedly telling them the cord always had been in previous jumps. I believe herein is the answer to the question, "How could she repeatedly exchange her family for chemicals?"

During the initial phase of recovery, addicts react as though they're going to die, and report feeling as if they would die if they go beyond their familiar patterns of behavior. When I use the word chemicals, I'm referring to all mood altering chemicals, including alcohol, and I'm also referring to people with alcoholism when I use the word addict. The notion of intervention is therefore so threatening, it raises their levels of arousal to the point they just start pulling out canned reactions. As a result, their lives become quite reactive and very predictable to outside observers. The addicted individual usually has very limited insight into his or her reactiveness.

The addicted brain appears to confuse chemicals with necessities of life such as air, water and food. So, the brain itself becomes conditioned to remain vigilant in situations that pose a long-term threat to its relationship with chemicals. In fact, the more potential power an intervention holds, the more anxious and resistant the addicted person is likely to feel about acting upon it. Furthermore, while the appearance of self-regulation by the addict can sometimes sound sincere, every self-generated plan for recovery that comes from an addicted brain has the equivalent of a computer virus. They can run seemingly perfectly by most observations for a while, but months and occasionally years later, another relapse happens that dwarfs previous ones in comparison. The proof in this statement is simple: If their self-made abstinence plans could have worked, they would have.



ADDICTION vs. ALLERGY
Those allergic to strawberries are only likely to eat them once. Being that no addiction is involved here, their brains wouldn't be going offline to twist their thoughts into the conclusion to eat them again. Addicts, on the other hand, have an internal rationalization device which functions as an expert attorney seeking the loopholes. The thinking processes all matters involving the addict's relationship to chemicals. Concerning strawberries, for example, an addict wouldn't conjure endless streams of evasive reasoning gleaned from the search for loopholes that explain why the behavior can be continued despite ill reactions. If that were the case with strawberries, the distorted thinking to justify continued consumption might follow similar lines such as, "Hey! Perhaps it was the added sugar." Then, "Next time I should only eat frozen ones that have the bacteria killed by frost." Then, after surviving 4 bouts of bad reactions, "Finally figured out! Next time I need to dehydrate them first, and they'll be consequence free."


THE SOLUTION
If this is sounding hopelessly bleak so far, it's not at all in the following light: I have never seen the process below fail. An addicted person's "way out" first begins with the decision to stop "planning" his or her own recovery strategies, for the reasons of inherently contaminated thinking as mentioned in the virus analogy above. Secondly, they decide to follow suggestions of addiction experts who have a working knowledge of the 12-steps. The 12-step program is a compilation of principles which people who live with peace of mind naturally apply to living and relationships. Even in pre-problematic stages of chemical use, an addict's nonapplication of natural values and systems employed by most people resulted in further discomfort and alienation from peers, society and family. These painful conditions, in one form or another, preceded chemical abuse. It was initially the seeking of relief from these conditions which led to chemicals as a solution. Drugs closely approximated the peace and comfort they were seeking. Addicts, by definition, always lack a natural understanding of these prescribed guidelines. Even so, when the suggestions are followed despite the addict's instinct to do otherwise and despite discomfort that results from fear of the unknown, they are on the way out.

Given varying degrees of symptom severity, there are different levels of care available. The levels begin with those that are least restrictive yet most effective. They include:

Aftercare instructions include: discontinued involvement with drug-using culture (negative support groups), 3 or more 12-step meetings per week, abstinence between meetings, one or more contacts per week with 12-step sponsor following his or her suggestions on recovery issues, and sometimes undergoing professional therapy.

How long do they do this? For the rest of their lives.

These 4 to 16 hours per week might sound like a huge commitment, yet it is very small in comparison to the time the addict invested supporting chemical use. It's even a smaller responsibility when you consider the addict will no longer have to waste life in retarded stupors, keep track of what lies they told to whom, keep people at a distance, maintain facades, black out, get in trouble, lose relationships, and lose jobs and health. As they adhere to the aftercare instructions, they increasingly feel more peace of mind and comfort.


SO WHERE DOES EEG BIOFEEDBACK FIT IN?

In regard to the above intervention strategy, only 5-10% of people seeking traditional 12-step treatment overcome their resistance to taking the necessary actions. The common denominator of the 90+% who relapse is the insistence to maintain and enforce ultimate veto power with regard to their recovery plans. The EEG patterns in individuals when they go into this reactive mode are consistently observable. Their alpha brainwaves elevate significantly higher than their theta over the portion of their brain that is supposed to be processing and integrating their current sensory input. Alpha is the idle rhythm of the cortex. The disease of addiction literally shuts down brain function when the long-term relationship with chemicals is threatened. When employment of 12-step guidelines threatens the disease and is met by resistance from the addict, alpha activity has been documented to significantly increase above their theta. This stage is therefore predictable, observable and, most importantly, addressable.


EEG biofeedback can train the brainwaves that are associated with these almost automatic defensive maneuvers which results in improved states that enable individuals to more comfortably and effectively apply the 12-step portion of treatment. As a result, two to four times more EEG biofeedback clients have continued 12-step work beyond treatment, thus maintaining long-term ongoing abstinence.

In addition to the brain losing hyper-reactivity, EEG biofeedback also improves cognitive function. It was observed that people undergoing sessions twice per day normalized the Test Of Variables of Attention in an average of 13 sessions. Our protocol normalized attention spans, impulsivity and variability, and also significantly improved 5 of the 10 scales of the MMPI-2 (a psychological test).

THE FEEDBACK PROCEDURE
Three wires which pick up the EEG activity are pasted on the scalp. An amplifier quite similar to EKG equipment magnifies the EEG signal and feeds it into a computer.

The computer displays the feedback to the patient by means of a computer game. For example, one game is Pacman; as the patient's brain finds levels of functioning that are optimum, the Pacman eats the dots more efficiently, thus rewarding improved brain states.

If the patient's attention drifts from the task the Pacman slows and darkens. Through a process called operant conditioning the brain further develops functionality at higher levels. Even if the individual doesn't understand how it works or fails to believe in the efficacy, the brain utilizes the feedback to improve and regulate itself.

It defies common sense to ponder why everyone with addictions doesn't die from it. This may be because, despite the brain going off-line with regard to normal survival conduct, the drive of human beings to evolve spiritually and mentally is ultimately more powerful than the physical body. It is this factor which, when employed, enables some to take the necessary actions despite tremendous magnified fear of the unknown. Taking such actions despite their fears builds continuing courage to confront negative brain-induced projections. Progress then begins to snowball in a positive direction. In essence, once addicts have given up their veto power, they experience the natural rewards of the 12-step principles. This is where formal treatment ends, as there is nothing more to be gained, and the person is officially in recovery. With traditional 12-step treatment used alone, we see around 10% survive which in itself is great compared to other diseases with no success rate.

I believe the reason that everyone with addictions doesn't die from it is because, despite going off-line, the part of them that drives them to evolve spiritually and mentally is more powerful than the physical body. Therefore, some take the necessary actions despite the tremendous magnified fear of the unknown. This builds enough courage to confront more of these negative brain induced projections. Progress later begins to snowball in a positive direction. That's when someone is in recovery and formal treatment over. With traditional 12-step treatment alone we see around 10% survive, which is even great compared to other diseases with no success rate.

Recognizing and understanding the reactive mechanism as being tied to brain function has significantly altered my perception of the client's voluntary participation in resistance and manipulative behaviors observed in addiction treatment. Even with gained comprehension, I firmly hold the position that it must be addressed and corrected or the patient will not survive. Fortunately we now have a very powerful tool to assist them in their "letting go" process on their way toward cortical freedom. When we give the brain feedback about its alpha and theta it develops an ability to control arousal and better integrate therapeutic sensory experience. So when one's sponsor is sharing suggestions on how to handle a situation, the addict won't be nearly as likely to react to the sponsor as some overbearing authority figure from their past. The addict's former negative support group (those they partied with or those remaining resistant in treatment) will also lose a tremendous influence over the addict's behaviors and attitudes.