My goats are pretty well trained. I can let them roam free on our land and when I call, they come running right back to the barn, usually. I used the reward system in my goat’s brains to train them.

This is Hildegard as a kid. She is grown-up now and loves grain. When she tastes grain she gets a shot of the neurotransmitter dopamine and feel-good chemicals, like serotonin and endorphins, in her reward system. This encourages her to take another bite of grain. I taught Hildegard to associate my call with bite of grain. So when I call, her brain says, “Go get the grain in the barn.” And Hildegard usually answers the call with action.

You and I have reward systems, too. What activates yours?

Some of us struggle with addictions. Some of these addictions are significantly life-destroying. I have the privilege of working with some brave women who are overcoming substance addictions. This blog is material from last weeks class.

Recently I discovered encouraging research findings about a simple tool to help our brains, specifically the reward system in our brain, begin to heal from the ravages of substance addictions. God designed our brains to heal. This Soul Sculpting Project helps us tap into that healing design.

Soul Sculpting Project: Working with God’s Design to Heal our Brains

God designed our brain’s reward system.

The system’s job is to train us to do an action.

The system is designed to help us survive and thrive. It keeps us moving, eating, and connecting with other people.

Substance addictions seem sinister to me.

Addictions take this wonderful system created by God, and apply it to something that does not give life or help us thrive.

When we use a substance like cocaine, heroin, nicotine, alcohol, methamphetamine, cannabis, morphine, . . . here is what happens:

• We use the substance
• Our brain’s reward system turns on and dopamine floods into the dopamine receptors.
• Dopamine encourages us to repeat an action. Do it again.
• After repeated use a protein collects in our brain that helps us learn from experience. This protein helps us to be even more responsive to the substance. We get a huge surge of dopamine – at even the thought of having this particular substance. Our brain has learned to crave it.

It gets worse.

• The substance floods our brain with too many feel-good chemicals. This flood sets off an emergency alarm and our brain turns on the anti-reward system to create a reasonable balance of chemicals. This system dampens the effect of our feel-good chemicals.
• When we turn on this anti-reward system over and over, we eventually train our brains to keep this system on all the time. It’s a kill-joy. Life feels dull and depressing, all the time.
• As we continue substance use, we damage the whole brain reward system. We have less dopamine available and dopamine receptors become unavailable.

So is the situation hopeless?

No, God has provided ways out.

One of the ways that has been well researched is plain old physical movement.

God has designed us so that:

• When we exercise/move, our dopamine receptors become available again.
• When we get our body moving we can reverse the anti-reward system take-over and turn on a healthy reward system.

Research has demonstrated that exercise/active movement is as effective or better than an anti-depressant.

What does exercise do for our Reward System?

God designed us to move. Movement activates our reward system which encourages us to choose to move. Movement sends our brain dopamine and other feel-good chemicals, like serotonin, endorphins, and nor-adrenaline.

So how is exercise different from substances?

Exercise sends these chemicals in healthy doses so our anti-reward system does not need to turn on. Exercise gently stimulates our reward system and actually makes it stronger.

Consider this study:

• Who: Adults in treatment for methamphetamine addiction.
• What did they do: One hour of jogging, walking and strength training, three time a week.
• What happened: After eight weeks their brains had an increase in dopamine receptor availability. They were healing. See work of Chelsea L Robertson et al.

Added bonus:

Physical activity also has the effect (in both people and animals) of reducing craving for drugs.

How can we use the system God has designed to heal our brains?

Soul Sculpting Project: Working with God’s Design to Heal our Brains

Creating our own exercise/movement program.

1. Explore a variety of ways to get on the move. Which ones call to you? What is fun? (Lean toward more active /heart-rate up) Listen to your body. What works for you?
2. Consider Scheduling this chosen movement into your week. (Even daily)

The women in the recovery program I work with are my heroes. When they heard this information they immediately began to make plans for getting ‘on the move’. Join me in cheering them on.

“I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

“Psalm 139 :14

Gratitude for the work of Dr. Kelly McGonigal, The Joy of Movement

Our goats waiting for some grain. Hildegard is the one on the on the far end.