Addictions is nothing new to the human race. In the past, when thinking of addictions, most people think of people have an addiction to drugs, sex or alcohol. In today's digital world, humans are experiencing various forms of addictions like never before, which have created many to become emotional high addicts. Once high, you need more and more of the source in order to fulfill the hormonal flow going on in the brain.
As mentioned in a former blog post, Is Love the Most Powerful Force on the Planet?, in the past, our ancestors only experienced highs from procreation, sex and child birth. The sad and scary part of today's addictions, is that many of these addictions are warping man's minds, creating real-life monsters, psychopaths, zombies out of many people's souls. According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, addiction is, "a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry. Dysfunction in these circuits leads to characteristic biological, psychological, social and spiritual manifestations. This is reflected in an individual pathologically pursuing reward and/or relief by substance use and other behaviors. Addiction is characterized by inability to consistently abstain, impairment in behavioral control, craving, diminished recognition of significant problems with one’s behaviors and interpersonal relationships, and a dysfunctional emotional response. Like other chronic diseases, addiction often involves cycles of relapse and remission. Without treatment or engagement in recovery activities, addiction is progressive and can result in disability or premature death." It is common for people to have more than one addiction today. In fact, some people trade in one addiction for another. I had a Dietician friend who worked in a bariatric clinic and had "arguments" with the doctors as she expressed this is a psychological, and not just an addiction to bad food. She found that post surgery, many of these people traded in their food addiction for gambling, alcohol, smoking or some other negative habit/addiction. Another example is that research has found that people who have sex or love addictions or trauma, also have eating issues / addictions. The point is that many issues root to a spiritual and psychological warfare. Here are some addictions that plague the modern man's soul that goes beyond drugs, gambling, sex and alcohol abuse.
Video Games
"Gaming disorder" is a serious issue today, especially amongst techies. Introduced in the 1970's, games today are far from the origins of the "Oregon Trail." Today gaming addiction is seen on the same level as gambling. Now that games are available 24/7, most people are hooked, playing for hours everyday instead of once at the arcades. Research is still trying to figure out as most believe gaming addiction is a type of impulse control disorder. Some have the thrill of winning which releases dopamine, a brain chemical that elevates mood and provides a rush of energy. Many question what games do the subconscious mind as most games today are violent and include mass killing. Games "encourage" a sedentary lifestyle, which further isolates people from humans. Some people can play games and never be addicted, but most people fall into the rabbit hole and get lost in, or addicted to, a virtual reality.
Pornography Addiction
Porn is one of the major issues today, which affects more men than women. Today's porn is nothing like it was 20-40 years ago. For many, watching porn starts off as innocent but can eventually lead to a "dangerous" place mentally and socially. Porn has four stages as noted from Diagnosing and Treating Pornography Addiction. Dr. Victor Cline provides a model of pornography addiction with 4 progressive steps:
When the final sexual fluids are released, the body secretes serotonin, which promotes relaxation and calmness. Overall, porn hijacks the brain and short-circuits the system.
Love Addiction
We all dream of falling in love with Mr. or Mrs. Right. Some people, like adrenaline and outdoor junkies, have an addiction of falling in love. They love the high one gets from the initial stages of romance, but once the honeymoon phase wears off, they discard the relationship, in search for the next perfect person. Some love addicts put their partner on a pedestal and put more energy and attention towards them than themselves. At the core, many love addicts have this fantasy that their partner will rescue them, and provide them unconditional attention at all times, resolving any issues or problems they have. When in love, love encompasses their entire existence. They have a fear of being alone or rejected. The excitement of new love, triggers the release of these neurotransmitters, stimulating the brain’s reward system. Most love addicts have issues from childhood trauma or a lack of love from their youth, which needs to be resolved. Some of this I believe has been programmed in our heads from chronic Disney fairy tales from our youth.
Shopping Addiction
Consumerism was a great experiment, and guess what it worked. In today's decadent society, many people are addicted to shopping and finding something new. Compulsive shoppers experience a euphoria when purchasing new goods. However, like the hedonic treadmill, the euphoria wears off, but needs to be refilled with buying something else. Endorphins are released, which blots out discomfort. It is said that compulsive spending or shopping affects about six percent, or 17 million people, of the US population. One root of the problem is the lack of control one has in their life or on their impulses.
Exercise Addiction
Believe it or not, exercise can be addictive. There is a reason runners get addicted to running because of the "runner's high." There is a tipping point, when healthy exercise turns into an obsession for whatever reason. Some may exercise hours per day because they fear getting fat, or want to lose weight because they think they're fat. Some exercise because of control in their life where others use exercise as a replacement to some other addiction.
Food Addiction
Marketers and modern day boxed foods have done a GREAT job at controlling the US population. Some people have a poor palate addicted to salt and sugar, but most have emotional eating issues. These issues lead to consuming high amounts of comfort food or actual eating disorders themselves. Whatever the root cause of the issue is, the brain is affected by emotional eating disorders / impulses. The American Addiction Center states, "The brain is designed to react to a specific amount of dopamine, researchers say, and when it is provided with a dopamine signal that is too big, changes can result. The brain can turn off dopamine receptors, to muffle the next overeating onslaught, and that means people might eat even more during the next session. Dopamine feels good, and a rush feels wonderful. People who want that rush might need to eat more to get it. This is the same cycle of dopamine flood and response seen in people who take drugs like heroin or OxyContin. These people also need to take in more to feel the same rush, and these people find it hard to stop taking drugs. Similarly, people with a long history of overeating might also find it hard to stop, due to the brain’s changes. These people are not making the choice to overeat. They are dealing with damaged brain cells." Workaholics This is a tough addiction to identify because some people are born to work and make a difference in this world. Some people's lives and identity revolves around work. They don't have hobbies and everything else in life is secondary. Some work so much because they are security junkies. Some workaholics are perfectionists and are their toughest critics. When work controls the life of someone, it is important to step back and analyze how your job affects your life. Have you suffered from addiction? Do you know of any "uncommon" addictions that are becoming more common in today's digital age? In college, I suffered from exercise and some form of food addiction, which is in part the reason why I wrote, "Finding Om: An Indian Journey of Rickshaws, Chai, Chapattis and Gurus." so people can heal, discover pieces of their psychology and find the connection to their spirit all while enjoying this crazy thing we call life. Let's Connect!
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The spiritual world is much like the mundane, material world. In the real world, we graduate from schools and universities and get promotions at work. The spiritual world is the same with life purpose lessons.
Overcoming negative, traumatic or hurtful situations is not easy. But we have a choice to learn and grow from it, and graduate our souls to the next level or experience in life. Living a life in vengeance or an "eye for an eye," will not leave anguish and despair in your soul, but you'll continue to manifest the same situations until you "get it." Many people who do not ascend end up leaving a carbon footprint by destroying others. Think of a tyrant boss who's soul is suffering from some personal issue, and at work they use their power and control to destroy the wellbeing of their employees. Those employees, with no boundaries or spiritual backbone, go home and vent or take their stuff out on their family, which could potentially ruin the marriage. Those who overcome their hurt and use empathy, and forgiveness (but not forget) transcend and graduate to the next step in life. How does one do this? With various tools in healing, counseling, yoga, meditation or spiritual development. The goal is to rewire the brain and begin to tap more into the higher mind. As always, inspired by the sun, Elizabeth Join Mind Body Soul Food Every Sunday for some inspiration, or Sunspiration, where we analyze quotes and sweet nothings in 150 words or less. Get inspired everyday with our Instagram account, sunspiration_everyday with inspirational quotes, motivational messages & sweet nothings. 
We perceive and interpret countless thoughts throughout the day. Many people do not realize that we have two distinct levels of our mind. The higher mind, and the lower mind. The two levels of mind are in operation at moment in time. In order to live an optimal life, a balance of both is needed.
THE LOWER MIND – FEAR, DOUBT & DISBELIEF
The operations and movement of life on planet earth are usually interpreted through our lower mind. The lower mind is the concrete mind, which focuses on logic, reason and fact. Because it is factual in nature, the thinking is very linear (which logic usually is), and keeps us in a limited belief cycle. Because the lower mind is limited coupled with facts based on past limitations, this keeps us in the same cycle of accessing limited beliefs.
The lower mind is the representation of our wounded or damaged ego. Some say this is the deception part of our mind because it convinces the ego we are limited and are separate from universal power and truth. Manipulation results as the ego believes in needs to lie and cheat his or her way through to success. The ego has many layers but include two prominent gateways, the inferior and superior ego. The inferior ego is the part of having a low self-esteem and not thinking you are good enough or worthy. The superior ego is the part of thinking that you are better and smarter than everyone else, and no one can do the job like you can. If a person is aggressive and violent and has a superior ego complex, he or she can become dangerous. Physiologically speaking, the reptilian brain also known as the instinctual or dinosaur brain, is the lowest part of the brain. The reptilian brain is based on autopilot survival modes of fight or flight. The lower mind activates the need to procreate and mate and to stay safe. Spiritually, the lower mind houses negative thoughts and emotions. Fear also operates here, which triggers negative thinking and behaviors. This is why movies, the news and video games have such an impact on our brains, because it instills fear and triggers lower mind thinking. This is the part of us that is skeptical, analytical, materialistic and opinionated. This keeps us in our old patterns, belief systems and ways, which does not encourage growth and faith. For some, they’ll continue to repeat the same karmic patterns until they’ve learned to tap into the higher mind. Since the lower mind operates on logic, the business world, financial establishments, schools and governments are mainly operated in this level of thinking. Therefore, so many people are losing “faith” in these organizations because nothing ever changes in these establishments besides the date and some new faces. THE HIGHER MIND – PURE KNOWLEDGE & DIVINE DESIGN
The higher mind is the gateway to our soul and intuition. This is the part of your mind that your higher self is communicating through. The higher mind surpasses ego, transcends boundaries and holds universal truths. This is the part of the mind that knows no matter how difficult the situation is, we are loved, worthy and continuously protected and guided by the divine and God. This is the part inspired by beauty, vulnerable emotions, aspirations, ideals and archetypes.
The higher mind is the entryway to genius ideas, creative power and innovative ideas/solutions. Your intuition communicates to you through your higher mind. Positivity and the silver lining perspective also speaks to people through their higher mind. Many things in life are illogical because spiritual experiences are not always linear or concrete like our lower minds tend to analyze. The higher mind does not worry about the “how.” It knows a change or something will occur, but “how” it will happen is not the worry.
THE KEY TO LIFE IS BALANCING BOTH MINDS
The higher and the lower mind continuously plays mind games. Most people need to break the habit of hanging out in the lower mind. When the lower mind is triggered, some people react with visceral emotions or impulses and are like wild animals needing to be tamed.
The goal is to calm the lower mind, and began to tap into the higher mind to receive answers and guidance. If people can open the lower mind, but allow leadership from the higher mind, many profound changes can occur in life. Imbalances occur because people tend to live primarily in the higher or lower mind. Artists continuously tapped into their creative power sometimes cannot navigate on planet earth. Those continuously living in their lower mind will never ascend because of fear or believing in that there is nothing better out there for them. One example is say someone is a sugar addict or a smoker. The body feels like crap long term and eventually the higher mind is going to start “crying” and request that the body start eating healthier or stop smoking. Using logic, one may start to research support groups, cessation products or a health coach. A person who experiences childhood trauma may feel permanently lost or damaged enough to where they unworthy of love and acceptance. These people tend to live in the past and need to focus on changing the present and connecting to a higher source for help and healing. The higher mind can lead them out of mental anguish and despair, but it takes a while to retrain the brain and rewire the neurons to get out of negative thinking patterns. What are your thoughts on the higher vs. the lower mind? Let's Connect! 
Memories live inside us. Good or bad, memories have a way of uplifting or plaguing a man's soul. And I'll never forget the time spent in Nice, France. It is one of my favorite cities in the world. Part of my soul thrives in the ocean, and with it's Roman, Greek and Italian influence, Nice is a place of its own.
Words cannot describe the feelings and aura of Nice. At sunset, the ocean is like a canvas painting. The old town is as beautiful as a rose garden in the summer. And the food recipes are as ancient as Rome itself.
Check out my travel images + stories from my travel blog, The Lemon Tree. Discover more at: 20 Amazing Photos from Nice, France that Will Stir Your Soul
Ratatouille is a French Provencal stewed vegetable dish that originates in Nice, France. There are many versions of it, but usually it consists of eggplant, bell pepper, zucchini, onion, garlic, tomatoes and local green herbs for flavoring. The dish originated in the 18th Century and "touiller" means "to stir up."
I made this the old traditional way of stirring vegetables in a pot to simmer. In modern times, food bloggers create beautiful circular arrangements of squash and zucchini for baking, but the easier and less time consuming way is to make it like they did in the 1700's. Enjoy! 
Old-Fashion Ratatouille
Cooking time: 20-30 minutes Serves: 3-4 Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil 4 garlic cloves, chopped 1 small onion, chopped (used purple) 2 peppers, chopped (any color, I did one red + one green) 1 very small eggplant, chopped 1 yellow squash, chopped 1 zucchini, chopped 1 14.5 oz can of crushed tomatoes 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped 1 tbsp fresh oregano 2 sprigs of thyme salt+pepper to taste Directions: In a pot, cook the onion + garlic in olive oil for several minutes. Add the eggplant and peppers and cook + stir for several minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until edible and fragrant. Continue to stir so the vegetables do not stick on the bottom of the pot. Enjoy as a side dish or part of the main course. Let's Connect! Enjoy my other recipes below!
There is a part of me that is so strong, like a Scottish Warrior. And there is a part of me that is so sensitive like a delicate flower.
Throughout my 34 years on this globe, I've long known that the way to changing the world is through the use of healing yourself. My journey of this began in Australia at 20 and then in India at 22, which is why I wrote Finding Om. So many people on this planet have issues, but do not want to confront them. Some of it is cultural as hiring a psychologist is shameful. No matter what generation you come from, all of us have experienced trauma in some form or another. Some trauma roots from world wars, others from abuse from drug-induced hippies, and now today, from mass violence that plagues societies. We are rarely just ever okay. Those who live in a bubble are probably fine, but those who have endured hardships, abuse, divorce, violence and other forms of trauma need healing. But only you can heal you self. The first step is admitting you have a problem, and the second is putting action to actually healing yourself. Healing doesn't happen overnight. Like everything in life, it is a journey of rediscovering yourself and loving yourself. Discover videos on how to heal ourselves on my YouTube Channel. As always, inspired by the sun, Elizabeth Join Mind Body Soul Food Every Sunday for some inspiration, or Sunspiration, where we analyze quotes and sweet nothings in 150 words or less. Get inspired everyday with our Instagram account, sunspiration_everyday with inspirational quotes, motivational messages & sweet nothings. |
AuthorElizabeth Rae Kovar M.A. is Author of her memoir, Finding Om and is a Fitness Trainer, Yogi, Reiki Master, Presenter and Lover of Life. To view her portfolio please visit www.elizabethkovar.com 
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