BODY SOBRIETY®
Liberate
Yourself from Addiction
by Lori D. Miller, D.C.
Copyright © 2008, 2011 by Lori D. Miller
Body Empowerment
Enterprises
8271 Melrose Ave., Suite 107
Los Angeles, CA
90046
310-738-2899
lori@bodysobriety.com
www.bodysobriety.com
Smashwords
Edition
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Dedicated to . . .
G.G. Rose, Nana and Papa who have supported me, guided me and taught me more than a thousand books could possibly convey.
All of those who have walked through our doors with their tales of struggle and inspiration, I thank you. It is your hard work and victories that have inspired me over the years.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Foreword
by Janet Smith, Ph.D.
Introduction
Chapter
1: The Healing Journey
Finding and understanding
your sanctuary Unfolding your inner wisdom
Creating and developing
connection to yourself and to the world
Rest and Regenerate to
achieve successful sobriety
Chapter
2: Re-education of the Body Communicating with and honoring your
body
Understanding your relationship with your body
and re-educating your core
Comprehending the connection between
your mood and your body
Understanding the addict’s
brain
Explaining NSA and SRI and their positive effects Exploring
the body’s seasons
Chapter
3: Nutrition
Eating right
Sugar and the addict
A
healthy colon
Chapter
4: Exercises
33-minute routine to propel your path
to sobriety Physically anchor sobriety in your body
Exercise
set 1: Breathe
Embracing positive self-talk to
manifest your goals
Exercise
set 2: Giving thanks
Empowering your beliefs
Exercise
set 3: Minding your words
Seeing your future and
mental rehearsing to achieve your sobriety
I am so grateful for all the people who have been in my life. I’ve been blessed with great teachers and friends from whom I’ve learned so much.
To all of my teachers, for initiation of my transformation process. I would not be where I am in my life without you. Thank you for your vision, support, love and generosity.
To my parents, thank you for your unwavering love and support. You have been unduly patient.
To Coach Teresa, your help has been invaluable and will always be remembered, thanks.
To my partner, I believe that you, as a result of my growth and work, were given to me as a gift. You are a reminder that the universe is working exactly as it should.
In this book, Body Sobriety, Dr. Miller takes your hand and walks you through the steps toward an integration of body and mind. Her tone is hopeful, upbeat and firm. She makes you feel she knows what she is talking about and that she can help her readers get to a more balanced lifestyle. Her approach is straightforward and clear. She gives the reader a sense that she understands him or her, and that she will lend a guiding voice out of the chaos of addiction. She provides a plan and program to follow.
Dr. Miller respects the body and its connection to the mind. She knows the body and its wisdom and teaches in understandable language the energy flow between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. She is at her best when distilling her considerable knowledge into everyday language that makes perfect sense. We respond, “Of course I must redirect blood flow to my “higher brain”!
Dr. Miller explains that this is how we access higher brain functions of the cerebral cortex, such as consciousness, perception and decision-making. And she tells us how these functions get diverted through physical and emotional tension. Through the explanation of spinal analysis (NSA) and breath integration (SRI) we realize the importance of reducing stress on body and mind. She takes us through stages (four seasons) of discovery as we become aware of our own patterns that cause our energy to be locked physically and blocked emotionally.
Trauma and tension, when they cannot be released, accumulate in body and mind, creating symptoms from headaches to back pain to anxiety and fear, all of which limit our capacities in love, friendship and creative work. Addiction is an attempt to deal with these tensions, but its relief is temporary. It is used as a self-regulating and soothing tool, but ultimately becomes a problem in its own right, requiring more and more to do the job. Fueling the reach for a drink, pills or food is a state of discomfort that the addict is desperate to “fix.” Addiction may end in a downward out-of-control slide with no hope for a way up. Dr. Miller gives us a foothold and a way to a better solution.
By increasing the effectiveness of the mind-body communication system, she demonstrates a step-by-step program that lays the foundation for well being. By attending to physical exercise, emotional trauma, self-talk, breathing and nutrition, Dr. Miller gives us the tools for a healthier, happier, sober lifestyle. She is careful to remind the reader that her program dovetails with other approaches such as psychotherapy, medical treatment when indicated and community building. She acknowledges many branches on the road to wellness.
Body Sobriety is a compact and useful program in the hands of a dedicated and skilled practitioner. It invites the reader to get on board, to take responsibility for his or her body and life. Dr. Miller means to provide the tools to do just that.
– Janet K. Smith, Ph.D. Clinical Psychologist
To keep the body in good health is a duty . . . otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.
—Buddha
Disease, genetics, disadvantaged childhood, trauma, lack of willpower—the list of theories on what causes addiction is endless. But no matter what the initial motivation, one thing is certain: Addiction is the attempt of an individual, consciously or subconsciously, to escape. Not from the world, or from family, or from past, present and future problems—but from himself or herself.
That’s quite an impossible task—how do you escape from yourself? Even if you’re as high as a kite or in the midst of a drunken blackout, you can’t run away from your body. And it is from the body that all else springs forth—mind, spirit, emotions.
However, there are ways to feel as if you have escaped—alcohol, pot, pills, cocaine, sex, video games, television, the Internet, all done to the extreme, until they are self-destructive.
No matter how negative an addiction’s consequences, there are some emotional reasons to continue the behavior. The addiction temporarily restores a feeling of well-being, of control and mastery. And it effectively blocks feelings of frustration.
In the quest for recovery from addiction in the mind-body-spirit paradigm, the mind and spirit seem to merit the most attention. The body’s involvement is shortchanged, usually dismissed with the all-purpose adage to exercise and eat right.
But consider that you experience everything through your body: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. Your five senses help you acquire and process information that will be used by your mind and infuse your spirit. If your body is impaired, so is your life.
Imagine experiencing your world with an unhealthy body. It’s like driving a car with the windshield covered in mud, the tires nearly flat and the engine oil reduced to sludge since it hasn’t been changed for sixty thousand miles. Now think about driving a clean, well-maintained car, with clear vision and purring engine: that’s smooth operating!
Just as the condition of the machine affects its performance, the condition of your body affects your performance. How can you steer clear of alcohol and drugs when your vehicle is damaged?
Once taught to listen, respect and understand your body in all of its beautiful complexities, you will naturally shift into a more balanced lifestyle with ease rather than struggle. It’s like a tuneup—getting your body ready to work at peak performance and improving the connection among the body, mind and spirit.
The Body Sobriety Program gives you the tools to create a sober life. As you read on, you will find out amazing things about your body, why it is so difficult to kick your addiction, how to begin your healing process and prepare yourself to regain, with ease and not struggle, a balanced and happy life.