Taming the Brain: Conquering Addiction and Eating Challenges

Over 900 years ago, a woman who was incredibly advanced for her time understood that what causes us to overindulge in food, put harmful substances in our bodies, and treat each other in a less than caring manner is a refusal to embrace the whole of life as a pleasurable experience.
This woman's understanding ran counter to the mainstream of her day, which believed that humans are inherently flawed. Why did people believe they were flawed? Simply because then, as now, many were stuck in a brain state that's restrictive, self-denying, and deadening.
We might describe this state as "antibliss," a term coined by an English monk who, like this woman, has seen through the delusion that grips so many and causes them to shut themselves off from the full enjoyment of life.
In October, the Pope will not only canonize this woman as a saint; she will be made a Doctor of the Church—only the third woman to become a Doctor of the Church in history!
Hildegard of Bingen was born in 1098. Wikipedia describes her as "a German writer, composer, philosopher, Christian mystic, Benedictine abbess, visionary, and polymath."
Internationally known writer and speaker Matthew Fox, who has studied Hildegard, tells us she believed that what goes wrong in people involves "a failure in eros," which means we don't "enjoy deeply enough the delights of earth."
That's the opposite of what many of us heard when growing up. We were taught that it's bad to enjoy our physical life too much. It was drilled into many of us to restrict ourselves, deny ourselves, and hold the world and its delights at arm's length. To do so was supposed to make us a better person. In contrast, Hildegard said all those centuries ago that this is what messes us up!
Drawing on Hildegard's insight, Matthew Fox explains, "Humans need to drink in and taste the pleasures of existence lest they be driven to limitless greed and insatiable consumption." In other words, imbalance—shutting part of our humanity down—is what causes us to lead lives that are obsessive and addictive.
To truly enjoy the erotic nature of our existence—whether we are talking about sexual passion, food, or any of the many delights of the world around us—we need to be fully awake as we engage in our everyday activities and relationships. This requires a balanced brain.
Unfortunately, few of us are very aware in our everyday lives. Many of us virtually sleepwalk our way through our day, failing to appreciate the emotional, mental, and physical nourishment each facet of life offers us. We simply aren't awake enough to really enjoy life, deriving fulfillment from its simple pleasures. As a result of this imbalance in the brain, we are driven to overindulge in experiences that are harmful.
When your brain is balanced, you are so aware of everything that you savor and bask in the whole of life. For instance, you really taste the food you eat, enjoying every bite instead of "wolfing it down."
As a result, you eat and drink in moderation, which means you don't pack on the pounds—and you spontaneously shed pounds if you've been used to overindulging. Neither are you drawn to the overstimulation of artificial, chemicalized foods that are designed to foster addiction.
Because your brain is balanced, you enjoy an inner harmony—a peacefulness, calmness, centeredness, and quiet joy. Gradually, your external world begins to reflect this inner harmony.
Consequently, instead of requiring overstimulation from food, drugs, alcohol, or nicotine, simply to be alive is fulfilling. You don't need the added "high" of overeating and substance abuse.
In my next BrainTalk, I'll be explaining how Brainwave Optimization® with real-time balancing creates a sense of deep inner peace and joy. As we relax into this peaceful way of being, which—as Hildegard of Bingen realized—was our original state before imbalance knocked us off center, we find ourselves feeling increasingly at home in the world.
Because this good feeling of ourselves arises within us spontaneously when our brain is balanced and harmonized, we are no longer driven to compulsive eating and substance abuse. We at last enjoy the satisfaction that comes with embracing all the good things around us each and every day.