Topic: Neuroscience Meets Recovery

Tremendous progress has been made in developing animal models for addictions, new treatments based on these models and testing those in patients with drug and alcohol dependence.  We will review the most current research and State-Of-The-Art for tobacco, alchohol, and other drugs of abuse and provide a framework for understanding current progress, limitations and hope for the future. 

Our beliefs shape our entire life-our reality!  This presentation will take participants into the world of neurobiology of the origin of our beliefs-how they are formed (generally via reductionistic activity) by various areas of our brain and how our beliefs contribute to both physical and mental illness.

 Much has been written regarding the brain and religious and/or spiritual beliefs.  This presentation will give participants an understanding of how religious/spiritual beliefs affect the brain and how practices such as meditation can foster positive neurobiological change.  Various meditation techniques and their application will be presented.

The reward, pleasure or reinforcement system is intergrated throughout the brain and might be best described as the "Seeking System".  This presentation gives an advanced neurobiological look at how this system is intimately involved in addiction, craving and the dysfunctional memory and learning process as seen in those suffering from substance use disorders.

There are two primary worldviews of the reward center's role in addiction.  One is to see the dopamine spike produced by drugs as causative to addiction and dopamine as something to be blocked while the other sees a primary dopamine deficit that needs to be corrected.  The speaker will present the science available for each point of view and discuss the clinical implications to improve treatment.

While Substance Use Disorders have primarily been thought of as those involving chemical substances like tobacco or alcohol, more recently process addictions have been studied.  Once the DSM 3 diagnostic scheme was changed to accomodate cocaine and minimize withdrawal or abstinence, gambling and sexual compulsivity have been studied and suggested to be addictions.  These process addictions have much neurobiology and phenomenology in common with chemical addictions and this contruct may be especially helpful in understanding the obesity epidemic and logical public health and treatment approaches.

The physiology of the human stress response and the research behind the heart-brain communication will be discussed.  A brief live demonstration will occur using one of the HeartMath tools.

This workshop will look at multigenerational addiction, and its impact on the family system and its' members.  New methods of treating addiction including diet, daily aerobic exercise, natural supplements, acupuncture, meditation and neuro-feedback will be examined.

Dr. Wetsman will discuss modern, cutting edge findings that illuminate the biology of addiction and how these can change how we treat the illness.  Multiple fields are becoming involved and they need addiction professionals who understand their work to help them understand addiction.

Long ignored by medicine, addiction treatment became the bailiwick of a series of psychosocial treatments most commonly based on the Minnesota Model and models derived from it.  Recently, as new medications have become available, more and more physicians without any knowledge of traditional recovery models have entered the field.  Consequently there has been some needless polarization of the field between two groups who have more in common than they know.

Two of the basic HeartMath tools will be taught and applied to situations in a clinical setting.

How we conceptualize and label complex clinical presentations has a profound effect upon the clinician, the patient, and the therapeutic process.  This workshop will examine and refarme some of the challenges and fundamentals of treating perhaps the most vexing population we encounter: Borderline Personality Disorder.

The diagnoses of PTSD, and Minor Traumatic Brain Injury, and the prevalence of suicide, violence and addictive behavior in veterans returning from Iraq have been dramatically portrayed in the national media.  We will address the interface of these apparently disparate problems based on the neurophysiology of trauma, and its effects on memory, emotions and behavior.

This powerful approach incorporates current understandings of psychology, neurobiology and contemplative approaches to permanently dissolve aspects of the false-self (ego).  This dissolution or emptying of self opens one up to spiritual healing.  This realization is the key to serenity and selfless service-sources of true happines.

Trauma is basically a disruption of homeostatic regulation of brain and body systems, including the HPA axis, endocrine and immune systems, based on the storage of procedural memory for events of the trauma which recurrently emerge and recapitulate the event.  This process leads to many common, poorly understood medical diseases and syndromes of dysregulation that defy conventional treatment.

The audience will see live demonstrations using the emWave PC computer software system and be introduced to the use of the emWave PSR hand held device.

This workshop will explore the multidimensional nature of Complex PTSD and attempt to simplify and normalize some of the more distressing and confusing aspects of this condition.  Although cognition will be emphasized, the interpersonal, spiritual and biological aspects of Complex PTSD will be explored.

This workshop will review some of the key symptoms overlapping all three conditions.  Implications for differential diagnosis, treatment and long-term recovery will be reviewed.  Multi-dimensional strategies will be considered and discussed.

Twenty years ago, the prevailing wisdom saw alteration of the neurotransmitter function at the synaptic sites as the Holy Grail of treating depression.  With the advent of a more integrative approach to what it means to be human, we now can see how highly complex and interactive the entire chemical, electrical and mechanical elements of the body work together to keep the system in balance.  Changes in any one of these elements can result in varying forms of depression, anxiety and attention difficulties.  This course will be a practical look at the Neuro-Hormone and related elements.

For the past twenty years, the relationship between dopamine-mediated reward and addictive drug use has been explored in depth.  Newer research has begun to show the relationship between dopamine reward and a variety of other brain mechanisms, including those underlying learning and memory.  This presentation examines this research and places it in the context of understanding addiction as a chronic medical condition.

The trajectory of brain development from childhood through maturity allows for the understanding of the social brain (prefrontal cortical areas) and the survival emphasis of the unconscious mind and ego.  This presentation will address the development of unconscious secondary rewards and punishers as seen in addiction and trauma.

This presentation will examine the scientific evidence for recovery from chemical dependence, contrast it with recovery from drug abuse, and relate both to changes in brain function as a person progresses from abstinence to quality recovery.

Dr. Yakov Marshak and Dr. Sonia Marshak describe The Marshak Method^TM, a unique, patent pending, methodology for treating chemically dependent adults based on holistic and scientific principles.  Developed in Russia with astounding success, The Marshak Method uses genetic polymorphism analysis of genes associated with compulsive/addictive behaviors to identify weak points in catecholamine and serotonin neurotransmission.  Based on the results of genetic testing, treatment is tailored to each individual.  The Marshak Method uses a comprehensive approach incorporating exercise, nutritional supplements and diet to efficiently restore brain biochemistry and stabilize patient at higher positive mood levels.  The Marshak Method includes strong therapeutic component along with the 12-step based philosophy for the foundation of recovery.

This presentation explores recent findings regarding how cannabis influences brain function and what clincial implications these findings may have.  Topics include brain cannabinoid receptors and THC-like substances (endocannabinoids), the effects of cannabis on learning and memory, interactions between cannabinoid and opioid systems, and clinical implications.

If addiction is a "disease", what does that mean?  This lecture goes beyond the Disease Model argument to ask the mose exciting questions about addiction: Where does spirituality fit in with all this brain science?  What's to keep the addict from using "I have a disease" to avoid responsibility? Does punishment and coercion really work to change addictive behavior, and even if it does- should we do it?  The exciting field of Neuroeconomics- the science of how people make choices-is introduced.

We are in an epidemic of prescription opioid dependence in the United States.  This workshop will present a review of opioid usage in the U.S.  A discussion will occur about new, outpatient medication treatment for managing these patients.  There will be a special emphasis on the pharmacology of buprenorphine and why it is a unique opioid.  There will also be a discussion on how to manage a successful Suboxone clinic so that your patients derive maximal benefit from this medicine and increase their chances for recovery.

There is no need to be pessimistic about the chances for recovery from addiction.  There are certain groups of addicts that have higher than 80% chance of achieving their first year of sobriety after their first time through treatment.  This lecture talks about these groups and how all patients can have similar success rates.  The concept of Post-Acute Withdrawal symptomology is introduced as well as the Occupational Model of recovery.  Challenges of depression, anxiety and insomnia in early recovery are presented along with non-pharmacologic treatments.  Emphasis is on building skills to manage the symptoms of Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome and reduce relapse risk after discharge from treatment.