Sober Synthesis

SHAOLIN MASTER (MUST WATCH) Become Unshakeable | Shi Heng Yi 2021 – YouTube

What are the Neuroscience Principles of the Pleasure/Pain Cycle?

• Dopamine is responsible for movement and motivation, including seeking pleasure.
• Healthy/homeostatic motivation includes the balancing of pleasure and pain. For every bit of pleasure, there is a mirror experience of pain/let down (conscious or unconscious). Craving is the experience of wanting more of the pleasure. Balancing the pleasure/pain cycle allows us to, more consistently, experience pleasure and tolerate pain/discomfort. 
• Just anticipating a pleasure experience can release dopamine almost as much as the actual experience. Dopamine is very sensitive to subjective experience.
• Each time we repeat an experience (e.g. a drink, a candy bar), pleasure decreases and the let down/pain increases. This cycle, when uninterrupted, contributes to addiction.
• We have a significant dopamine crash when we experience disappointment with an anticipated rewarding event (reward prediction error).
• Dopamine biases us to notice what we don’t have more than what we do have, thus motivating pursuit.
• Serotonin is the neurochemical responsible for contentment with what we have here and now (e.g. gratitude, mindfulness ). Serotonin is essential for processing emotions.
• In early recovery, our dopamine is depleted. This can significantly decrease motivation and pleasure. With sobriety, our brains heal and dopamine homeostasis can return.

What Activities Support Emotional and Motivational Balance?

• Weave mindfulness into pleasure activities (e.g. mindfully savor a piece of chocolate). 
• Notice something novel about a repeated experience to enhance healthy pleasure.
• Be mindful of expectations. Fewer expectations often reap more reward/pleasure.
• Plan for possible disappointment, especially during special occasions. 
• Plan for our homeostatic “let down” after a celebration.

Proposed questions for thought/sharing:

1. How do you celebrate differently? How have those changes supported your recovery/wellness?

2. How are celebrations challenging? Do you have ideas on how to approach a celebration differently?

3. Have you been surprised by your experience with celebrations in recovery?

Disclaimer

This summary is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed.