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| Addictions are a maladaptive coping
strategy to life stress. They begin as an individual’s adaptation to tension, distress or
pain, and subsequently gain increased control over a person’s life and choices. Stress chemicals
combined with addictive substances have detrimental physiologic effects on brain structure
and function. While genetics and family interactions play a role, the addictive process is
all too familiar with it’s negative all consuming obsession. The addict is seeking relief
from pain and suffering yet destroying their physical, social and spiritual self along the
way.
EEG Biofeedback is a valuable complement to residential, family intervention and the 12-step tradition. It supports the formation of the brain’s essential communication pathways and helps clients live more effectively with a variety of emotions. Research has demonstrated its profound effects to inhibit seizures and promote improved attention, sleep, concentration, memory and learning capacity. But the real promise of EEG like that of the great paths of knowledge is a sense of inner peace and serenity which naturally leads to a change in consciousness. My clinical experience with this life changing modality started with the work of two patients
suffering from addictions and from our efforts together I saw transformation. Since that time a number of clinician have also researched and demonstrated how addicts can be helped with these methods. In 1997, Matthew Kelly completed a three year study where EEG biofeedback was successfully combined with traditional native methods with a group of Dine= (Navajo) people. More recently Dr. Trudeau (2005) has underscored the applicability of EEG biofeedback for adolescent substance abuser.
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