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Addictions have a variety of causes: psychological, biological, and circumstantial. One of the significant findings from recent research is that addictions often coexist with preexisting dysfunctions such as anxiety, ADD/ADHD, depression, insomnia, post traumatic stress, and more. When seen in this light, one realizes that addictions can often be the result of an individual’s attempts to regulate, an internal imbalance. One of the best ways to understand how these pre-existing dysfunctions can predispose individuals to addiction, is to see them in terms of ‘over-arousal’ or ‘under-arousal’. Those who choose drugs which ‘speed them up’ such as cocaine, or crystal meth are generally under-aroused (as in ADD); whereas, those who are over-aroused (as in PTSD) seem to choose central nervous system depressants such as alcohol, heroin, or sleeping pills, to ‘slow them down’. These misguided attempts at self regulation are often called “self-medication” or “self-soothing”. Unfortunately, drug usage, while temporarily satisfying, only further disrupts the brain.
In whatever way an addiction begins, once a person is addicted they enter into a downward spiral of harmful behavior which is difficult to stop. If a person consistently uses a drug, their brain attempts to adjust itself in order to accommodate the unnatural substance(s) that periodically disrupts its functioning. As this happens, tolerance to the substance develops and withdrawal symptoms occur. These two factors perpetuate the addictive cycle and make it increasingly difficult for the addict to go without their ‘drug of choice’- be it alcohol, cocaine, heroin, or sleeping pills. In short, addictions become acquired and entrenched patterns of brain dysfunction and coping mechanisms (which may or may not include biological predispositions) which severely disrupt the brain’s ability to regulate itself.
Neurofeedback training greatly aids the brain in re-normalizing and harmonizing its functioning after prolonged drug use. For some individuals this will mean training different areas of the brain to ‘slow down’ or to diminish their arousal levels. In other cases, this will mean training individuals to increase arousal levels. Sometimes it is necessary to train certain areas of the brain to increase arousal and other areas to decrease arousal at the same time. Whatever form the actual training takes, Neurofeedback has been proven to be highly effective in helping addicts learn to regulate themselves without the use of drugs. Neurofeedback also tends to diminish or even eliminate extensive withdrawal and/or craving symptoms.
Eugene Peniston was one of the first researchers to apply Neurofeedback training to addictions work. His early research, using Neurofeedback training for combat veterans, who were hard core alcoholics with post traumatic stress disorder, showed amazing results. A full 80% of the veterans that Peniston trained using Neurofeedback achieved sobriety; and, a ten year follow up study revealed that 70% of the veterans remained sober (with 10% having passed away). These results have been confirmed by a variety of other independent studies. Peniston and Kulkosky have continued researching the use of Neurofeedback training for addictions issues and continue to report exceptional results. In one such study (Peniston & Kulkosky, 1990) found that after four years, 80% of the addicts who received Neurofeedback training were still sober compared to only 20% of those who had received ‘traditional treatment’. The majority of studies also report that those addicts who receive Neurofeedback training tend to improve their psychological adjustment scores (as measured by various scales in the MMPI, MCMI, and the 16-PF). As this research becomes more and more prominent, Neurofeedback training will likely become an essential component of cutting edge treatment facilities.
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