Addicted To Fragmentation.
It's helpful that modern neuroscientific understanding of the brain and ancient wisdom of indestructible wholeness complement each other. This is clear when we consider the issue of addiction.
In psychotherapy, we learn of the addiction circuit in the human brain. It goes something like this. It comprises the expectation, reward and addiction circuit in the brain. There are two critical neurochemicals involved in this process that mediate motivation and reward. These are the opioid and dopamine systems. Dopamine is appetitive (motivation/expectation), and opioid is consummatory (reward/fulfilment).
There are four main brain structures involved.
[Diagram Created By Human Givens Institute]
The boss–executive function
The secretary – filter communications to the boss
The security officer – the monitoring and alarm system that alerts the secretary of changes
The memory store – the record of experiences
These work together, something like this.
The security officer checks for all changes to the body. Whatever chemicals are present are monitored, and if any chemical change occurs, this system creates an alert. This all happens below the level of consciousness.
The security officer informs the secretary about changes.
The secretary sends any files (memories of the relevant experience relating to the change) regarding these changes to the memory store.
The memory store is entirely of positive reinforcing experiences of this (euphoric recall).
The secretary takes the memory and releases dopamine into the brain (the motivating chemical)
The secretary presents the memories soaked in dopamine to the boss.
The boss (executive) tries to resist the desire created by dopamine-soaked memories.
The boss is unable to beat this process through sheer willpower.
The boss eventually relents and partakes in the behaviour and is rewarded by the release of opioids (pleasure).
Healthy physiological balance is maintained through this system where there is wholeness present. However, where psychological fragmentedness is present, this system gets hijacked as activities are sought that release physical pleasure, which is a substitute for wholeness. The tendency is to find those experiences that accentuate this motivation reward circuit as a substitute for inner peace. This is the basis for becoming addicted to experiences as if they were the basis of our happiness. This is why psychological fragmentation is so persistent. It is, in effect, an addiction. Thus, even after there is a recognition of the wholeness of being this, the memory store of seeking wholeness in objective experience has often been established, and there is a period where there may be the pull towards seeking again.
As they say in psychotherapy, once an addict, there is always the propensity for relapse. Once recognition of wholeness has taken place (which includes the experience of physiological needs being met quite naturally) this has the impact of reprogramming those memories that imply wholeness lies in achieving objective experience and thus accentuating the seeking of them. It becomes clear that any memories that might be recalled of experiences where wholeness was believed to be achieved in objective experience are false and have lost their power to influence motivation. Therefore, our motivations become naturally healthily balanced.
Thus, the recognition of being the reality that is always present (this) and not a separate fragmented reality identified with bodily sensations and the sense of indestructible wholeness this reveals is the solution to solving all addictive behaviour that arises from seeking pleasure to cover up fragmentedness.
We discuss this intersection of neuroscience and the understanding of true nature in my weekend, the Universal Family.
Love,
Freyja