Hi there,
I'm Hanna.
I'm a neuroscientist and a therapeutic photographer and a felt sense practitioner and I help people moving their nervous system back from a state of trauma and addiction to a state of safety.
And today I want to do a little practice with you to befriend your addiction.
Often when we speak about addictions and have experienced the state of addiction,
Addiction can feel like something very evil and something that is trying to control us,
Like some sort of entity that is going against us and we have to fight really really hard.
But when we look at it from a neuroscience perspective,
Addiction is a way your body is coping with a certain situation that seems threatening and where your body doesn't know how to deal differently with it.
Where your body doesn't know how to deal differently with it.
Differently with it.
And initially that behavior really helped you to survive and to get through those moments and now it's harmful and it seems like you cannot let go,
You cannot live without it and you have to fight against it really really hard.
So today we want to change a lot of that perspective and just be curious and really listen to what your addiction has to say.
And that's why I call it befriending your addiction.
We want to kind of sit down with it like friends do and just curiously listen to its ideas,
What it has to say and maybe even counting the times where it really helped you.
So we find more of a compassionate approach to it.
So we find more of a compassionate approach to move your nervous system to also understand that it was there to support and that in fact it was always fighting for your survival,
Not against yours,
Even if it doesn't feel like that right now.
So to start I invite you to just get comfortable and,
You know,
Sit somewhere where you feel safe and and supported.
Maybe a nice comfortable couch or chair,
Maybe somewhere you can lean on and know and know your back is supported,
You're held.
And just imagine going to sit down at a table with a person and that person is your addiction.
And just be curious,
How does that person look like?
How's the hair?
The clothes?
How does it look at you?
Just try and observe that person and be really curious about it,
Don't shy away,
No matter how it looks like,
Just be curious.
And maybe you want to ask a question.
You can be like,
I wonder why you're wearing this or I wonder why you're here.
I wonder why you're in my life.
I wonder why you look at me that way.
And I invite you to just listen.
Sometimes it's a really short conversation.
Sometimes it's a longer conversation.
Sometimes it doesn't come with words,
It comes with feelings,
With memories.
I invite you to take a piece of paper and maybe write those things down and really listen to your addiction,
Really understanding why it did help you in those Why it did help you in those situations.
What was the initial thought of it?
In what way did it support you?
You can just listen to some really nice music while you're doing this.
Or you just can sit in silence.
There's no right or wrong way in doing this.
Just try and listen to it and maybe next time you feel an urge or a craving,
Listen to that little whisper that tells you what it is trying to protect you from.
And over time,
Learning to understand addiction with a more compassionate approach will also give you more compassion to your nervous system and understanding that you can learn how to protect yourself and you can learn to move yourself back to a state of safety.
I hope this little practice will be beneficial to you.
And if you enjoyed it,
Please do leave me a review or comment.
I love to hear your journey.
I love to hear what you experienced.
And if you know someone who might benefit from this,
Please do forward it to that person.
And I just hope you have a day where you just truly love yourself and love your body and your nervous system and what it does for you all the time because it loves you.
You are supported.
You are held.
Hope you have a great day.
Bye.
