Since 1991, Dr. Lee Jampolsky's self-help classic Healing the Addictive Mind has given well over 100,000 people around the world the tools to create significant change in their lives. Now he continues his proven and trustworthy blend of practical and positive psychology with HEALING THE ADDICTIVE PERSONALITY. Dr. Jampolsky's straightforward approach, based on firsthand experience, presents ways of healing addictive thinking, behavior, and destructive relationship patterns with forgiveness, compassion, and the potential for limitless opportunity through an eleven-week action plan.A personal note from the author: “Many people live in a self-imposed prison and don't even know it. I did. For years I was so busy building walls I did not see that I was imprisoning myself behind them. My addictive thinking and behavior became the bars of my cell. I denied feeling empty inside and instead looked for new things to acquire, substances to take, and goals to achieve in order to feel better about myself. Sometimes I felt momentarily free, powerful, and whole, but in the end my addictive cycle only compounded my loneliness and despair. If you recognize this pattern in yourself, this book is addressed to you. Today, I am able to tell you I now know what true freedom and happiness are and I offer the path that I intend to follow every day of my life.”Reviews:"This 178 page book is a miraculous Godsend because it goes deep to expose the profile of the addictive personality, and then broadens from there to show us how to recognize the characteristics of the addictive personality and understand why it develops in the first place. The layout of this awesome teacher helped me to see how I can go from a place of addictive thinking to having a truth-based personality.I liked how the negative core beliefs were laid bare, and the healthy counterparts were readily available because many times there is denial associated with addiction and it helped me see the true man behind the curtain and not just the illusions I have been living with. The cunning foe of addiction has become such a part of our society that I would recommend this crucial and charming champion to anyone at any stage of their spiritual growth and development. This precious gem will help many on the path to serenity and it has found it's way to my spiritual toolbox. Thanks, Dr. Lee for this most excellent way out.—Riki Frahmann www.mysticlivingtoday.com

Explores the nature of addictive thought patterns, arguing that they develop through a dependence on outside forces to achieve peace of mind, and offers a program for overcoming negative patterns.

New York Times Bestseller! "New, scientifically-based approaches that recognize the biological basis of addiction have brought major advances in the treatment of addiction. Dr. Urschel is at the forefront of this treatment paradigm." Dr. Larry Hanselka, Psychologist The Proven Scientific Approach to Conquering Addiction and Defeating the Disease Healing the Addicted Brain is a breakthrough work that focuses on treating drug and alcohol addiction as a biological disease—based on the Recovery Science program that has helped thousands of patients defeat their addictions over the past 10 years. It combines the best behavioral addiction treatments with the latest scientific research into brain functions, providing tools and strategies designed to overcome the biological factors that cause addictive behavior along with proven treatments and medications. Using this scientific approach, you will learn to conquer the physical factors that keep people tied to drug and alcohol addiction. The proven fact is addiction is not a moral failing or an issue of not having enough willpower. It is a disease of the brain that can and must be treated like other chronic medical illnesses —such as diabetes, hypertension, or asthma—in order to defeat the disease. This revolutionary program can triple the success rate of patients, from 20-30% to 90% There Is Hope. By understanding addiction and using 21st-century breakthroughs, for the first time drug and alcohol addiction can be, and will be, defeated.

A gripping, ultimately triumphant memoir that's also the most comprehensive and comprehensible study of the neuroscience of addiction written for the general public. FROM THE INTRODUCTION: "We are prone to a cycle of craving what we don't have, finding it, using it up or losing it, and then craving it all the more. This cycle is at the root of all addictions, addictions to drugs, sex, love, cigarettes, soap operas, wealth, and wisdom itself. But why should this be so? Why are we desperate for what we don't have, or can't have, often at great cost to what we do have, thereby risking our peace and contentment, our safety, and even our lives?" The answer, says Dr. Marc Lewis, lies in the structure and function of the human brain. Marc Lewis is a distinguished neuroscientist. And, for many years, he was a drug addict himself, dependent on a series of dangerous substances, from LSD to heroin. His narrative moves back and forth between the often dark, compellingly recounted story of his relationship with drugs and a revelatory analysis of what was going on in his brain. He shows how drugs speak to the brain - which is designed to seek rewards and soothe pain - in its own language. He shows in detail the neural mechanics of a variety of powerful drugs and of the onset of addiction, itself a distortion of normal perception. Dr. Lewis freed himself from addiction and ended up studying it. At the age of 30 he traded in his pharmaceutical supplies for the life of a graduate student, eventually becoming a professor of developmental psychology, and then of neuroscience - his field for the last 12 years. This is the story of his journey, seen from the inside out.

With over 20 years of experience between them, clinical therapists Christy Cosper and Darrin Ford have poured their expertise and personal discoveries into a book designed for healing and growth from addictive behaviors. Steeped in science and grounded in mindfulness, the authors have written a workbook for the addict that examines the poison of addiction, offers antidotes, and raises awareness of the self. Written in both the first and third person, Transforming the Addictive Mind contains a variety of voices who have treated and struggled through addiction. The exercises, meditative activities, case studies, and personal stories are written simply enough to follow, while having the elements needed to foster honesty, compassion, and gentleness with one's self and relationship to others.

Many books cater to the fitness and nutritional needs of the general public. But little of this advice is specifically directed toward those who have the literally life-or-death need to keep alcohol, drug, gambling, sex, internet and other addictions at bay. How exercise and diet speed up the recovery process and promote relapse prevention is a case rarely made, even by most treatment facilities! Rebalancing the Addictive Mind is an evidence-based, accessible guide that explains how and why exercise and diet produce faster physical, psychological and emotional recovery from addiction and significantly reduce the chances of relapse. And how anyone, despite almost any age or infirmity, can benefit from the principles outlined in this book. Author Shelley Poerio, a licensed addiction counselor and certified fitness trainer, describes how substance dependence and behavioral compulsions change the brain and body, provides guidance and solutions to undo the damage, and motivates change in the recovering individual. Family members gain insight into how to support their loved-one in recovery and better understand how addictive thinking and behaviors get out of control. Counseling and medical professionals will appreciate the cognitive-behavioral, solutions-focused therapeutic approach and the integration of exercise and nutritional concepts with 12-step recovery principles. Ms. Poerio bases her case on the biochemical science of addiction. In the early sections of the book, she examines the anatomy and functions of the brain, and explains the ability of substance and behavioral addictions to exploit brain chemistry and create cravings and dependence. A crucially important aspect of this story, for teenagers and their parents, is that teens are particularly susceptible to developing addictions. Fortunately, the biochemistry of addiction can be turned against itself. Many of us know the positive feelings of well-being that result from working out and eating well. Rebalancing the Addictive Mind reveals in detail why this is just what the doctor ordered to fight addictions. Exercise and diet are uniquely qualified to replace the highs produced by drugs and alcohol, and undo the damage they cause. Aerobic and strength training act as safe substitutes that stimulate the brain's neurotransmitters in much the same way that addictive substances do. Exercise promotes improved brain function and neuronal growth. Proper nutrition prevents the mood swings that can provoke a relapse, and corrects the addiction-caused deficiencies that harm major organs and bodily processes. With a bristling arsenal of therapeutic weapons, exercise and diet use restorative biology to fight the biology of addiction, and empower the brain and body to heal themselves. Ms. Poerio - a former track athlete at Stanford University - draws not only on the latest research, but on her own experience. The plans she outlines combine elements of her workouts with future pro and Olympic athletes at Stanford, and with young (and old) substance abusers as the counseling/fitness-program developer at the Phoenix House of the Mid-Atlantic in Arlington, Virginia. All of her strategies are easy to put into practice, and set realistic goals. They produce encouraging results for the average person in recovery in part because they are simple to do and likely to be used regularly. Above all, however, Rebalancing the Addictive Mind speaks to and motivates its readers on a very personal and understanding level. Ms. Poerio, an alcoholic/addict in recovery since 2001, introduces the book by describing her own substance-induced suicidal ideation that forced her on the road to rehabilitation. Her book includes simple anecdotes - about her work to help her clients and herself - that make it clear she has "been there and done that," and that anyone armed with her book and the willingness to put in some work can do it too.

Hijacking the Brain provides the first-ever scientific explanation for the success of Twelve-Step programs. Hijacking the Brain examines data provided by recent rapid growth in the fields of neuroscience, neuroimaging, psychology, sociobiology and interpersonal neurobiology that have given us new, dramatic insights into the neural and hormonal correlates of stress and addiction, cognitive decline with addiction, as well as for the relative success of Twelve-Step Programs of recovery. Addiction is recognized by experts as an organic brain disease, and most experts promote Twelve-Step programs (AA, NA, CA, etc.) which invoke a 'spiritual solution' for recovery. To date, no one has described why these programs work. 'Hijack' tells us why. In 'Hijack, ' the role of 'working The Steps' for reducing stress and becoming emotionally centered is discussed in depth. A full chapter is devoted to the rewarding and comforting physiology of meditation and the spiritual experience. The author uses examples from animal sociobiology, as well as sophisticated human brain-imaging studies, to demonstrate that empathic socialization and altruism are instinctive and 'naturally rewarding' and, along with Step Work, act as a substitute for the 'synthetic rewards' of drugs of abuse. 'Hijack' does not challenge the Steps or the Traditions of Twelve-Step programs. The sole intention of Hijacking the Brain is to 'connect the dots' between an 'organic brain disease' and a 'spiritual solution' with sound physical, scientific evidence. Avoiding strict scientific language as much as possible, 'Hijack' is written for the layperson and abundantly illustrated.

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER More people than ever before see themselves as addicted to, or recovering from, addiction, whether it be alcohol or drugs, prescription meds, sex, gambling, porn, or the internet. But despite the unprecedented attention, our understanding of addiction is trapped in unfounded 20th century ideas, addiction as a crime or as brain disease, and in equally outdated treatment. Challenging both the idea of the addict's "broken brain" and the notion of a simple "addictive personality," The New York Times Bestseller, Unbroken Brain, offers a radical and groundbreaking new perspective, arguing that addictions are learning disorders and shows how seeing the condition this way can untangle our current debates over treatment, prevention and policy. Like autistic traits, addictive behaviors fall on a spectrum -- and they can be a normal response to an extreme situation. By illustrating what addiction is, and is not, the book illustrates how timing, history, family, peers, culture and chemicals come together to create both illness and recovery- and why there is no "addictive personality" or single treatment that works for all. Combining Maia Szalavitz's personal story with a distillation of more than 25 years of science and research,Unbroken Brain provides a paradigm-shifting approach to thinking about addiction. Her writings on radical addiction therapies have been featured in The Washington Post, Vice Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times, in addition to multiple other publications. She has been interviewed about her book on many radio shows including Fresh Air with Terry Gross and The Brian Lehrer show.

This is one of the few books available that focuses on understanding and treating addiction from a holistic and spiritual perspective. Numerous vibrational therapies are suggested, a deeper appreciation of the subtle energy bodies and chakras is offered, and there is a study of the karma of addiction and relevant past life patterns. Specific addictions include coffee, tobacco, marijuana, sugar, alcohol, cocaine, and heroin.

"The Addicted Brain" explains clearly and vividly what has been learned about how and why some people become addicted and abuse drugs or other substances, the relatively long-term changes these substances can make in the brain, and the progress being made on treatments.