Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Addictions are alarmingly prevalent worldwide, leading to severe health issues, disruptive relationships, diminished productivity, and increased criminal behavior, which collectively impose substantial and tragic costs on individuals, families, and society. Addiction arises from a complex interplay of factors, including genetic predispositions, environmental triggers, and individual behavioral patterns, rendering addiction research and treatment particularly challenging. Although considerable data on the neurophysiology of addiction exists and pharmacological interventions are available, patient compliance and motivation remain crucial factors that have been relatively overlooked. Spirituality may play a significant role in fostering healing behaviors and deserves more attention in addiction treatment. Due to the unique interaction between genetic and environmental factors, healthy spirituality may come more naturally to some individuals than others. This hypothesis is supported by the literature we review, which situates spirituality within the cognitive and emotional processes of self-identity and religiosity. Evidence suggests that recovery from substance use disorders is often more successful when individuals have well-defined life goals. The brain's Default Mode Network (DMN) may be instrumental in this context. We introduce the novel concept of the Neurospirituality Connectome, which we posit as central to the understanding of reward processing. This proposed synergy between the psycho-neural substrates of cognition, emotion, and spirituality could provide a self-sustaining impetus and framework, aiding patients in navigating the complex psychophysiological landscape of addiction recovery.
Source: PubMed Central
Authors: Kenneth Blum, Eric R Braverman, Milan Makale, Foojan Zeine, A Kenison Roy, Jag Khalsa, David E Smith, David Baron, Nicole Jafari, Debasis Bagchi, Catherine A Dennen, Abdalla Bowirrat, Albert Pinhasov, Panyotis K Thanos, Keerthy Sunder, Kevin T Murphy, Miles R Makale, Edward J Modestino, Kai-Uwe Lewandrowski, Alireza Sharafshah, Igor Elman, Aryeh Pollack, Chynna Levin, Rossano Kepler Alvim Fiorelli, Sergio Schmidt, Alex Pl Lewandrowski, Shaurya Mahajan, Daniel Gastelu, Gianni Martire, Joseph Morgan, Rajendra D Badgaiyan
Institutions: Eötvös Loránd University, University of Vermont, Ariel University, Western University of Health Sciences, University of California San Diego, California State University, Long Beach, Tulane University, University of Maryland, Baltimore, University of California, San Francisco, Stanford Medicine, Stanford University, The Chicago School, Texas Southern University, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, University of California, Riverside, Curry College, University of Arizona, Fundación Universitaria Sanitas, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, University of Guilan, Harvard University, Hospital Universitário Gaffrée e Guinle, Texas Tech University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
Language: English
Subfield: Health
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: Dopamine Neurotransmission in Tourette Syndrome, Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical and Translational Science (GHUCCTS), Serotonin receptors that potentiate addiction-related behavioral and molecular effects induced by methylphenidate plus SSRI exposure, Skeletal Effects of Methylphenidate
OpenAlex ID: W7117444725