Kimberley L Berlin, LCSW

Alcohol and substance abuse disorders have baffled medical practitioners for centuries. Addiction is more than a neurological or physical disorder. It is a malady that eats at the soul. "Spiritual Recovery: A Healing Path for Addiction" merges ancient wisdom with modern-day neuroscience and introduces the powerful effects of spiritual practices to heal the overall damages of alcohol and substance use disorders to the brain, body, and soul. Much has been written about spirituality and healing the brain. Little has been written about how spirituality can heal the brain from addiction. Understanding the connection between science and the human spirit casts new light on what the experience of “recovery” can mean.

The effect is to bring a new dimension to the field of alcohol and substance use disorder treatment because, unlike most presentations in the market that discuss "meditation" as a tool for recovery, this presentation discusses "spirituality" (of which meditation is a part) as a path to recovery. Neuroscientists have proven that spiritual practices positively affect and heal brain areas. Still, to date, no training has taken the wisdom of ancient spiritual guidance and applied it to treating alcohol and substance use disorders.