Healing the Roots of Addiction
By Marilyn Wise, LICDC
Addiction is a condition plagued with the attachments of shame, judgment and secrecy. Those attachments carry energies that fuel addictive cravings and thoughts. Similar to the arcade game of trying to whack the bobbing heads of plastic gophers, many people will overcome one addiction only to have another pop up to replace it. However, when explored deeply, addictions also can offer opportunities to illuminate, empower and integrate our inner selves. Ultimately it may be easier to surrender our addictions if we stop condemning them and see them for what they are – possibilities for pointing the way to higher consciousness.
As conceptualized by “the law of attraction,” the vibrations or frequencies that come from our thoughts and emotions attract us to people and experiences with similar vibrations. Many of our shameful, judgmental and secretive thoughts and beliefs lie just below the surface of our consciousness, acting as powerful agents, attracting more shame, judgment and secrecy. These hidden thought patterns and beliefs often originate from unresolved trauma or pain. Unhealed and sometimes unremembered, emotionally charged experiences can be referred to as the “roots of addiction.” They result in dark, empty spaces in our hearts that call to be filled.
Continuing with the same metaphor, addiction can be likened to a tree. The trunk is our addictive thoughts and behaviors. The branches are all the ways in which these behaviors affect our lives. The roots are the genesis of the addiction. The unhealthy influences to which we are drawn fuel the addiction and feed the roots.
Examining the example of an addiction to love or sex, one root might be an inadequate amount of personal contact and holding as an infant .Another may be sexual objectification as a young child or young adult. The trunk (behaviors) may then grow into distorted thought forms and “acting out” with unfulfilling sexual or romantic liaisons. The branches are likely to become the fallout of failed marriages or other relationships. Attracted influences, such as romance novels or friends with their own self-destructive dramas, may be feeding the roots.
There is, however, a parallel metaphor that replaces the tree of addiction with the tree of transformation. The roots of this tree are what nourishes and revives our spirit, what inspires and fills our hearts and souls with love. The trunk is being love, as opposed to seeking love outside of one's self. The branches are the new and amazing effects that “being” has on all aspects of our lives. What feeds these roots are things like spirituality, inspirational groups or books, nature or whatever gives us the vibrational charge that attracts inner peace. The goal in this new paradigm is to excavate and heal the roots of the tree of addiction while creating a flourishing tree of transformation.
Addiction is: 1) anything we want to stop and cannot, 2) what we try to control and cannot, 3) anything we use to numb feelings that we do not want to feel or 4) thoughts and actions that are contrary to our higher selves. In his book, Healing the Addictive Mind, Dr. Lee Jampolsky defines addiction as “a continued compulsive external search for happiness, despite the fact that such a pursuit always leads us into pain and conflict.” The key word here is “external,” for the answers to peace and happiness lie deep within. Dr. Bruce Lipton, a cellular biologist, discusses in his book, The Biology of Belief, asserting that our physiology can be changed by the healing of hidden subconscious trauma or belief systems.
Healing is a process entailing reprogramming and transforming traumas and wounds energetically within the body and mind, restoring the psyche to its original state of health and wholeness. Virtually all of the modalities currently used to treat addiction can be valuable, and there are no simplistic answers. The various components of mind, body and spirit must all be addressed. The Twelve Steps programs can be very powerful, as well. Fortunately, there are many approaches to reprogramming the subconscious, including energy psychology, hypnosis, guided imagery, neurolinguistic programming and art therapy to name just a few. Bodywork, such as massage, cranial sacral and polarity therapy, can also be a strong asset in calming and balancing the nervous system. In treating addiction, it is helpful to have many tools in the toolbox, individualizing the therapy to the client.
One of the most powerful reprogramming devices is our powerful ability to imagine and self-direct a new, more positive outcome to the painful experience. While accessing our memories in a trance-like state we can transform the traumatic (root) experience and rewrite the damaging script that has been driving our lives. This process can replace victimization with empowerment. The vibrations carried by self determination as well as understanding, compassion and forgiveness of self and others can diffuse the charge created by what triggers the cravings. It can be compared to bringing a light into a dark room, causing everything to appear different.
Addiction is not limited to compulsive destructive behaviors but is highly prevalent in our society as addictive thinking or emotions. Examples of addictive thought patterns include “Men always disappoint me” (possibly traced to early memories of a distant father) or “I am not worthy of love” (potentially rooted in emotional abuse during childhood). Inside of all of these belief systems is the relentless force of fear. By focusing deeply inward and experiencing stillness and resolution, we can transform those thoughts and fears, release the blame and shame that have been blocks to love and remember our true selves.
To quote The Course in Miracles, “Addiction is born out of thinking we are less than whole. Today let me not see myself as limited in any way.” When we change our thoughts and beliefs, we change our vibrational energy fields, freeing ourselves to connect with the truth and joy of our divine nature.
Marilyn Wise is a licensed chemical-dependency counselor, presently working on a master's degree in art therapy. She is trained in many holistic healing modalities and is affiliated with the Insight Learning and Wellness Center on Emery Road in Cleveland and Holistic Psychology Associates in Hudson. She and her partner, Jonathan Davis, offer speaking engagements and experiential workshops on “Healing the Roots of Addiction.” She can be reached at (440) 622-8782 or www.livingthelight.net.
