Addiction and The "Gut Brain" ( Close Off All Escape Routes Part 2)

What happens when a person has determined to close off all the escape routes they have used over and over in the past,but they have a body that will not allow them to break free?

Addiction goes beyond reversing bad choices and making a decision to stay in a process of renewing your mind and waiting upon The Lord. Breaking free from physical addiction , of course includes all the things I mentioned in my last post, but it also must include a deeper level of understanding and knowledge.

Addiction has been misunderstood for far to long. 

However,advancements in the science of addiction, combined with many Christian Ministers and Counselors beginning to gain wisdom on the spiritual aspects of addiction, are bringing true freedom to untold numbers of those caught in the cage of their own soul.

I want to focus on the latter of the two mentioned above.I have linked a couple articles at the end of this post that do a good job explaining the science of this. 

Let me share with you what The Lord has put on my heart about this subject. I pray it blesses you and encourages you during the often painful and difficult process of breaking the addictions that keep so many bound.

All addictions, all outburst of emotion and all deep seeded issues of the soul flow from this thing Science calls The Enteric Nervous System. Over 100 million nerve cells make up this mysterious part of our soul. It occupies the same area of our being that we are told that our spirit man abides, where we are led by The Spirit, where The Holy Spirit abides in us.

I really want you to consider this. The very place we need to be led by The Spirit of God, is also the very area that will hinder us the most when we are bound by addiction, anxiety or depression. During our development in the womb the brain and "the gut brain" are formed together, made up of the same substance.

This wasn't a mistake, this was an intentional part of how God created us, but something went wrong. That something was the fall of man. 

I believe, and I believe this is by The Spirit, that this "gut brain", The Enteric Nervous System was originally designed to have perfect communication with our Central Nervous System and our Endocrine System. And also, before The Fall, that these systems were in perfect harmony with our spirits. We were one, there was no disease in us, no separation of spirit , soul and body. We were divinely created beings, nothing lacking, full of light.

We were created perfectly and had perfect communion with God.

But, then, mankind fell. The body become disjointed. The systems of our bodies began to lose their divine nature. The separation and broken communication of our three part being represented perfectly our separation from God.

What does this all have to do with addiction?

Everything!

The gut brain, I believe is the fallen part of man that once had perfect communion with God. Instead of a place where food is broken down and turned into foul waste, it was a place of pure light and energy, a place where our bodies of dust met our indwelling spirit and where our indwelling spirit met with God.

Now in its fallen state, it is the place our enemy and all the ills of this life push and drive us to sin and destruction. It is the thing that The Bible tells us if we are led by, it will lead us to our destruction.

THE FLESH!

So close to our spirit man, so connected with our Central Nervous System, and The Endocrine System, it is no wonder that our guts hurt so much when we are broken, scared, lonely or suffering from withdrawal and addiction.

I am sharing this for both those suffering from addiction and those who long to help them break free. Freedom is promised by Our God. He wants His children free. He wants you free.

Jesus took all of the penalty for sin upon Himself, we are destined for freedom!

It will take a great commitment on your part, but you can and will be free, if you lean on Him and follow some essential, but simple rules. I am willing to bet, that when some of you read the word "rules" you felt something in your gut turn.  That is okay, it is your flesh, kicking against your spirit. 

You just learned your first lesson. Your gut brain, will not cooperate with you on this journey, not at first anyway. 

I am going to list this next part as steps, just to simplify it and enable you to write them down or print them out. Every step is essential, every step key.

1. Find an experienced Christian Counselor/Minister that understands addiction and both the spiritual and natural aspects of addiction, anxiety, depression.(I list all three because all three come from the same place.) This is essential for you. You need somebody to help you and there are those called to do just that.

2. Determine to stay with it. Depending on your level of addiction, type of addiction or the make up of your system, you will suffer some major discomfort. Some withdrawal will require help from a medical doctor to get through, this is why step one is so important. 

3. We are rebuilding our Spirit, Soul and Body. I was not prepared for how my body and mind would react to the withdrawal I went through breaking free from my addiction. Prepare your mind and heart for this. Again, going back to step one, a good Christian Counselor will be crucial in this step.

4. Create space in your life for healthy fun. Exercise, Hike, go to the movies (Movies that don't feed the lust of the flesh). Seek peaceful places in nature and in your life that will fill in the margins a bit.

5. Never give up. Find a spirit filled church that preaches The Word. Endure the pain, discomfort and all that comes from withdrawal. Withdrawal is actually good, it means the thing that once kept you in prison is losing its grip. You have denied its right to keep you and your flesh and body are having a temper tantrum like a scolded child.

God Bless!

Below are some articles explaining the science a bit more.

Excerpt from great article

Click title for the rest of article:

The gut as second brain

Our gut microbiota play a vital role in our physical and psychological health via its own neural network: the enteric nervous system (ENS), a complex system of about 100 million nerves found in the lining of the gut.

The ENS is sometimes called the “second brain,” and it actually arises from the same tissues as our central nervous system (CNS) during fetal development. Therefore, it has many structural and chemical parallels to the brain.

Our ENS doesn’t wax philosophical or make executive decisions like the gray shiny mound in our skulls. Yet, in a miraculously orchestrated symphony of hormones, neurotransmitters, and electrical impulses through a pathway of nerves, both “brains” communicate back and forth. These pathways include and involve endocrine, immune, and neural pathways.

At this point in time, even though the research is inchoate and complex, it is clear that the brain and gut are so intimately connected that it sometimes seems like one system, not two

Excerpt from article linked below.

Click on title for full article

The Brain-Gut Connection

If you’ve ever “gone with your gut” to make a decision or felt “butterflies in your stomach” when nervous, you’re likely getting signals from an unexpected source: your second brain.  Hidden in the walls of the digestive system, this “brain in your gut” is revolutionizing medicine’s understanding of the links between digestion, mood, health and even the way you think.  

Scientists call this little brain the enteric nervous system (ENS). And it’s not so little. The ENS is two thin layers of more than 100 million nerve cells lining your gastrointestinal tract from esophagus to rectum.

What Does Your Gut’s Brain Control?

Unlike the big brain in your skull, the ENS can’t balance your checkbook or compose a love note. “Its main role is controlling digestion, from swallowing to the release of enzymes that break down food to the control of blood flow that helps with nutrient absorption to elimination,” explains Jay Pasricha, M.D., director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Neurogastroenterology, whose research on the enteric nervous system has garnered international attention. “The enteric nervous system doesn’t seem capable of thought as we know it, but it communicates back and forth with our big brain—with profound results.”