Neuroscience of Spirituality

To many who start the recovery process and lifestyle, the news that it involves a spiritual awakening is bad news.  There is an assumption that the beloved relationship with science and facts must be forsaken for the healing of self-destructive addiction.  For these people, the neuroscience of spirituality is wonderful news!

The neuroscience of spirituality, also named Spiritual Intelligence (SI), is a powerful framework for the recovering person’s process of awakening.  SI is the journey of deepening consciousness or awareness of self.  This transcendence is rooted in the science of the brain.   3 types of spiritual intelligence can be defined:

• Emotional intelligence (EI) which lives on the right side of the brain
• Intellectual intelligence (IQ) which lives on the left side of the brain and
• Spiritual intelligence (SQ) which is a layer of matter circling the right and left sides of the brain

This is exciting news as people are usually identified as either “right-brained” indicating a more creative person or “left-brained” indicating a more logical or scientific-minded person.

Recovery is the journey of ceasing physical addiction, changing daily life behaviors and the evolving consciousness that stems from the integration of those changes.  While this journey of raised consciousness has been accepted in recovery circles for decades, the neuroscience of spirituality is now scientific evidence that this is occurring.  

The primary theory validating this experience is called Integrated Information Theory (IIT).  IIT is the explanation that our brain takes information inputs from the external world via all three intelligence pathways and brings them together in one holistic experience.  The inputs are received and integrated.  It is the interpretation of these streams of information as one unified experience that generates consciousness.  

Since the information being gathered is a mix of objective, clearly defined information and subjective, undefined information that is cooked into one integrated spiritual experience, the outputs generated by varied people with unique life experiences will vary greatly.  It is this reason that the wisdom of AA’s original teaching, A God of His Own Understanding, continues to save lives today.  The effectiveness of allowing each person have their own conception of a higher power is validated by this scientific theory.  

If you are struggling with addiction, alcoholism, and/or mental health, know that there is hope. There is a solution. Harmoniously fusing together the best elements of clinical care, holistic healing, and 12-step philosophy, Enlightened Solutions has created a program of total transformation for men and women seeking recovery. Call 833-801-5483 today for information on our partial care programs in New Jersey.