The currently ubiquitous "12-step" type approach to treatment based on the so-called "disease concept" and the closely related "Minnesota Model" of chemical dependency grew out of writings in the early part of the 20th century by the founders of certain cult-like, quasi-religious recovery movements, such as AA, who liked the idea because it made them feel less guilty over their past behavior. Therapy of this type is effected through a form of brainwashing in which the patient is required to accept certain false notions as if they were facts in order to even begin the process. These erroneous concepts include the idea that addiction is an incurable inherited disease. This disease is purported by members to be based upon an allergy to the substance of choice - one which causes its victims to respond differently (irresistible cravings) than others do when the offending substance enters their bodies. To further skew the logical framework, the patient is held responsible for the disease and its effects, which makes no sense at all.

     The allergy suggestion is, of course, absurd; allergies are a very specific type of physiological response that is quite well understood. They may involve, among other things, a chemical sensitization of the immune system by the primary challenge of some noxious agent, or allergen, such that subsequent exposure to the offending agent provokes an immune response. This response may include the mobilization of certain types of white blood cells and the release of a cytotoxic agent, called histamine, which, in turn, produces signs and symptoms of a wide variety, but which are all physical (vs. mental) in nature, such as topical dermatitis, watery eyes, respiratory irritation, and anaphylactic shock. Chemical cravings do not ever constitute an allergic response to anything.

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     The preposterous assumption of incurability in recovery movements acts to permanently bind neophytes to the cult in a substitute addiction, called meeting (or group) dependency. Since 12-step ideology has been allowed to dominate the standard ilk of alcohol and drug treatment in the United States, A&D patients are commonly forced to view themselves as "not-OK" compared to others - somehow damaged or defective merchandise instead of whole human beings worthy of all that life has to offer. This is destructive to necessary self-esteem. Often, such a patient is further told that she can never fully recover, but that strict adherence to certain dogmatic doctrine and the mystical belief in some "higher power" may alleviate the symptoms, as long as she attends regular support group meetings for the balance of her natural life - meetings in which the "higher power" is petitioned through self-abasing soliloquies, called sharing. This is obviously a "Band-Aid" approach to the problem at best. A number of patients have been able to suspend drug use for a length of time, but they are condemned to exist as emotional cripples since the underlying problem is never addressed.

     Psychiatrists are generally hesitant to treat addicts or alcoholics because they also view the condition as a chronic disease state that is seldom responsive to therapy. Since psychiatrists are medical doctors specializing in mental disorders, this, by and large, represents the opinion of the American medical establishment, regarding chemical dependency issues. Virtually every substance abuse treatment facility in this country bases its therapy, in one way or another, on the disease concept of addiction, teaching that total and permanent abstinence from all mood-altering substances is the addict's only hope of survival. Patients are led to believe that any use of anything (even mouthwash with alcohol in it) will automatically and irrevocably initiate the cycle of abuse again, and result in the rapid return to abuse of the "drug of choice" at levels equivalent to or exceeding the point where they left off. Trained therapeutic counselors actually tell people with chemical dependency problems - people who have come to them for help - that, even if they do achieve total abstinence, they still have little hope of success unless they join one of the religious type recovery organizations (A.A. N.A. C.A. etc.) before they leave treatment and attend community-based support meetings of such a group as long as they live.

     The public is largely unaware, however, that, utilizing currently available techniques, the operant processes fueling such difficulties can be uncovered, the individual can then re-decide these issues in the light of adult understanding, give up the dysfunctional behaviors, become emotionally literate, and establish effective coping skills, achieving a more balanced and wholesome personality, in other words, they can be cured. The term "cure" here means no longer being an addict; a complete return to a pre-addiction like state of existence is even possible - one in which a person can live and enjoy life as others do, and in which chemicals do not produce cravings or a return to addictive behaviors. It does not mean being condemned to live out the balance of one's life as an emotional cripple with a "disease," always an addict and always "in recovery." It also does not mean being doomed to associate only with disturbed individuals, avoiding the happy, festive places and moments that others share, being forever dependent upon weekly, or even daily, attendance at self-negating "support" meetings.

     Why then the overwhelming rush to embrace such bleak and hopeless vistas like that which the idea of the incurable genetic disease mandates? The answer to this lies in some erroneous archetypical concepts residing in the collective consciousness of our culture. Dr. Stanton Peele, in his books on addiction, discusses at length the perversity of the American concept of the skid-row alcoholic or the wasted, useless, and perhaps evil drug addict. He states that, in England, the prevailing view is different and that most addicts hold down jobs and have families. Peale further suggests that we have created a self-fulfilling prophesy for our pariah class of untouchables.⁽¹⁾

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     In this country, cause and effect are most comfortably and acceptably seen in terms of logic and deductive reasoning that is based upon physically demonstrable evidence of the senses. This elevation of rationality to the summit of American thought has left us vulnerable in areas where feeling is the dominant theme. The mere suggestion of the possibility that some condition may have a purely emotional basis is viewed with suspicion, distaste, and perhaps, even fear - so little is our understanding of such things. Ideas for which no "concrete" proof exists or which seem to run counter to accepted reasoning are often completely disregarded by the average person. Many display confusion, anxiety, agitation, and irritation when faced with matters involving intangible influences. The result is a predisposition toward acceptance of only comfortable explanations and solutions.

     In terms of the emotional difficulties with which a huge and growing number of Americans are finding themselves beset, the comfortable explanations are the ones which suggest that the problem lies within a person's genetic makeup. For the one suffering, there is a certain security in the fatalistic outlook implied by "It's just my nature, nothing I can do about it." For others, the acquittal that such ideas seem to grant society makes them almost irresistible. Apparently, we simply do not want to believe that our offspring are the product of the environment that we created for them - that we could have prevented the suffering if we had done a better job as parents, teachers, friends, and family - although this is almost certainly the case.

     It is the appropriateness of this pervasive fixation with the physical self - the compulsion to blame "bad genes" and the tendency to view human existence as the static and unalterable expression of some predetermined pattern - that I would hope that this article prompts the reader to examine. When we do, we will see that, as more pieces of the puzzle fall into place, another, more correct, explanation will suggest itself, as often occurs during the early evolution of a particular field of study. A prime example is the "endogenous hallucinogen" theory of psychosis that surfaced some years back.

     During the 1950's and 60's much of the investigation of the etiology of psychoses followed the biochemical approach, stemming from a hypothesis advanced by Osmond and Smythies in 1952 that an aberration in the metabolism of neurotransmitters could produce an endogenous hallucinogen, resembling mescaline, that could explain the distorted perceptions characteristic of certain serious emotional disturbances.⁽²⁾ The possibility of the existence of such a compound found support in that some aspects of schizophrenia are produced in healthy subjects under the influence of LSD, peyote, mescaline, and related substances. The clamor of speculation was further inflamed by the controversy surrounding the report of the presence of 3,4-DMPEA in the urine of schizophrenic patients.⁽³⁾ Many millions of dollars went into the experimental use of hallucinogens to create a model psychosis which could be studied clinically, though subsequent research revealed shortcomings in this approach.⁽⁴⁾ It was later demonstrated that DMPEA, although structurally similar to mescaline, possesses no hallucinogenic activity⁽⁵⁾ and is a natural byproduct of metabolism occasionally present in everyone's urine.

     Similarly, one doesn't have to look far to find recent examples of investigators once again attempting to demonstrate a genetic basis for psychological disorders, such as schizophrenia, chemical dependence, etc., for example, by pointing out structural differences in the brains of certain mental patients.⁽⁶⁾ It seems more likely, however, that any actual somatic (i.e. structural/ biochemical) changes, for which a true relationship to emotional dysfunction is proven, will turn out to be secondary to the mental processes involved, rather than the other way around. Results of current research efforts seem to support this premise.⁽⁷⁾

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     Much of the confusion and conflicting opinions regarding the of etiology of emotional disorders arises from the fact that, as a learned phenomenon handed down by example, from parent to child, dysfunction seems to breed dysfunction across the generations, creating the illusion of a hereditary condition. A recent review, however, quoted Harvard medical researchers as saying: "What wires the brain is repeated experience . . . experience is the chief architect," and that critical early windows, requiring certain types of input to create or stabilize certain long-lasting structures, occur during the first ten years of life (the majority by age 6, with the first three years being the most critical to personality formation).⁽⁸⁾ Another such article reported that Michael Meany, biologist at McGill University, has demonstrated experimentally that early experience can actually alter the genetic makeup, and can even determine how the genes that code for brain receptor chemistry are expressed.⁽⁹⁾

     Homo Sapiens is not a weak, mutation-ridden species. Abnormalities do occur, but they are statistically rare and usually lethal. A robust, well-adapted species, such as ours, is hardly going to be rife with genetic flaws in the vast numbers necessary to account for all of the suggested connections to such things as overeating, shyness, aggression, addiction, etc. Down's Syndrome, certainly, but alcoholism - highly unlikely. Even though over half of the 100,000 genes in the human genome direct the development of the brain and central nervous system, this is not nearly enough to code for subtle complex behavioral traits in an individual. Genes code only the general parameters for the development of the brain and CNS. The "fine tuning" of specific characteristics unique to each individual is completely the result of environment and experience.

     It is actually irrelevant, to a large extent, what the outcome of such research turns out to be with regard to the practice of psychotherapy due, in part, to a physiological phenomenon known as plasticity, and due to the fact that the mental and physical (somatic) aspects of brain function actually represent opposite ends of a two-way cause/effect continuum, suggesting that the power of psychosomatic processes can be harnessed for healing. The concepts involved here can be somewhat confusing, since the dividing line between the classifications of mental and physical has become less and less distinct, and since most issues related to the mind and behavior may be examined from either perspective, often leading to contradictory conclusions.

     Stated simply, both thought and brain structure are biochemical in nature; change in either one affects the other. Our genes carry instructions which direct the structural development of our brains and encode the complex interlocking biochemical mechanisms forming the basis of mental function - mechanisms that are self-regulating through information feeding back from our bodies and coming in from our senses. The biochemical dynamics of brain structure and function gives rise to our changing patterns of thought and feeling, and conversely, the biochemistry responsible for persistent patterns of thought and feeling can give rise to changes in brain structure and function.

     Scientists, by the very nature of their training, tend to prefer to limit the scope of their investigations to the purely physical perspective. In some cases, this may cause critical data to be ignored, skewing the resulting interpretation. For instance, it is known that the neurotransmitter dopamine affects the ability to concentrate (therefore the level of consciousness), and mediates the association of pleasure with day to day activities, providing the motivation for goal-directed behavior. There is a growing body of evidence which suggests that the "energy level" disorders, such as Narcolepsy, Hyperkinesis, and Attention Deficit Disorder, are closely related aberrations of a single aspect of neurophysiology - the level of dopamine excitability and response within the basal ganglia, limbic system, and associated areas of the brain.^(10),11 Abnormalities in cerebral dopamine receptor chemistry are also clearly implicated in addiction related phenomena.⁽¹¹⁾

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     By focusing solely on the tangible aspect of existence (i.e. on the physical self), limiting ourselves to the perspective of biochemistry in our evaluation of the disorders mentioned in the preceding paragraph, we might feel compelled to conclude that we are seeing the result of some congenital pathology, such as an inborn error of metabolism or other genetic defect. Our only recourse would then be to attempt to chemically alter the affected physiology with drugs. Failing this, the condition might become labeled as incurable or unresponsive to treatment, and all serious efforts forsaken. The absence of a clear-cut physical explanation and method of treatment may even result in dispute as to the reality of the condition (ADD, Narcolepsy) or worse, a hopeless prognosis (addiction), and abandonment of the patient to mysticism (12-step programs).

     When we take a cognitive step backward and expand our focus to the larger picture, it emerges that the biochemistry is only one aspect of something greater - something which also includes the patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior that result from those chemical reactions - the mental aspect of consciousness. It then becomes clear that psychological patterns (and, by extension, the underlying biochemistry) are the result of past experiences, and that this must be also taken into consideration when attempting to establish causality for behavior. From this broader perspective, we can see that it is quite probable, based upon findings mentioned previously (see footnotes: 7, 8, & 9), that the number of dopamine receptors in the brain, their placement, and their excitability are all determined predominately by the treatment a child receives during the crucial early development phase of the mind and brain - the first three years of life. This, in turn, points to a strong learned (i.e. resulting from experience rather than heredity) component for all of the above dopamine-related conditions, and conversely (since we are saying that experience affects brain chemistry and structure), it supports the idea of reversing the causative processes, using the mind as the interface with the brain through which actual physical change may be brought about.¹⁰

     The fact that state of mind can affect the state of the body is not a new discovery. Medical science has long recognized that certain mental states, those in which unresolved stress is allowed to accumulate excessively, can bring about actual physical infirmities - the so-called psychosomatic (psycho-physiological) phenomena. In fact, a widely used college-level text on Abnormal Psychology states that almost any affliction may have psychogenic origins.⁽¹²⁾  Most people are familiar with the example of chronic anxiety producing changes in the lining of the stomach, changes in its muscular activity, and an overproduction of digestive acid, facilitating bacterial infection and the formation of gastric ulcers. Less well known is the fact that mental depression may cause immune response to become sluggish, leading to infection or cancer; severe and unchecked, it may even precipitate suicide or other self-destructive acts.

     A fully-developed, healthy, and emotionally balanced personality copes successfully with difficult and painful experiences, permitting resolution of stress-induced tensions before they build to harmful levels. On the other hand, as we have just seen, stress may have deleterious effects upon behavior, and, both mental and physical health, if mechanisms for dealing with it are faulty, absent, or too immature for the type or intensity of stress involved. This is because, when the mind is under stress, the functioning of the brain is, by definition, affected, and, since the brain regulates virtually all bodily processes and behavior, it follows that stress which builds beyond a certain level can begin to disrupt these regulatory functions, causing or aggravating behavior disorders and even physical illness. The mismanagement of potent psychodynamic forces - the denial of unacceptable aspects of reality, the repression of frightening or painful memories or other unresolved emotional turbulence - produces changes in the brain that may result in profound disturbances.

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     Imagine, by analogy, that some thoughts have a certain sound that, with repetition and reinforcement, become the equivalent of a form which can then affect physical reality in much the same way as we understand, for example, that sound in motion, such as the echo of a voice across a mountain valley, has been observed to be able to trigger an avalanche. With such imagery devices we can begin to see how the sealing-off or repressing of parts of our personalities; of fears, insecurities, or leftover terrors from childhood; and of other information with powerful emotional content could result in the trapping of tremendous destructive forces. This psychic pressure cooker triggers cascades of neurochemical reactions, affecting health and behavior, which, if they persist over time, can lead to structural accommodations within the brain, causing changes in the type of processing for related thoughts and feelings in the future. In other words, persistent patterns of mental activity cause changes in brain structure, leading to changes in personality and behavior.

     The brain, therefore, is not the static organ that it was once thought to be. The continual recording of experience as memories results in dynamic structural changes in the interconnections between brain cells. We know that the brain even possesses the ability to physically reorganize itself when its functioning is compromised. The loss of some somatic function, as occurs when part of the brain dies from a stroke or is removed surgically may precipitate processes which reassign the lost functions to other areas of the brain. When there is sensory loss, such as blindness, the interpretive regions for other senses often enlarge in attempt to compensate. Such emergency adaptations are examples of a phenomenon known as plasticity - a capacity that is greatest when we are young, though some reorganizational capability persists throughout life.

     What we are only just now beginning to discover the significance of, is the vast scope of psychosomatic processes and the fact they can also produce positive results, such as how the quality of a patient's mood, will, and outlook can impact health and the healing process. Advanced treatment centers are beginning to make use of this knowledge to develop a form of psychosomatic therapy, called Behavioral Medicine to combat life-threatening illness. Patients with cancer andcoronary artery disease are taught to create mental images of turning on their body's defense and repair functions and to envision them carrying out their jobs, attacking and correcting pathology at the diseased sites. Substantial increases in recovery and survival are being seen.

     A major turning point in our understanding begins with the realization that the mind and brain are not only the ultimate directors of bodily function and arbiters of physical health, but that they are, in addition, their own best self-regulating and repair mechanisms. From this, it seems to logically follow that the most appropriate and most promising possibilities for correcting psychological disturbances lie in promoting and developing the ability to consciously influence these processes. This is fortuitous, since the almost unimaginable complexity of the brain virtually precludes physical intervention, given the present level of our understanding and technology.

     At the current state-of-the-art, even utilizing computerized techniques, brain surgery is still in a state of almost stone-age like crudity when compared with the structural complexity of the organ upon which these procedures are perpetrated. Whereas, neurosurgery can be of some benefit with certain physical maladies, like aneurysm and epilepsy, this will probably never prove to be a viable approach to emotional difficulties. With the ill-considered prohibition on the use of entactogens and perceptatropics, we are left with only the standard arsenal of psychotropic maintenance drugs for medicinal therapy.⁽¹³⁾ These are clumsy tools at best, and are, more often that not, blunt and barbaric weapons; the only legitimate use of which should be as an extremely short-term adjunct to the control of life-threatening situations until more humane and appropriate therapy can be instituted. The deliberate application of electric shock to a human brain should be made a criminal offense of malicious aggravated assault and battery most heinous.

     Left with less direct and more subtle methods as our alternative, priority must be given to prevention in order to slow the rate of growth of the problem. To stem the tide of dysfunctional young adults flowing out of our homes, our children must be taught the importance, care, and feeding of each of their Physical, Emotional, Intellectual, Animal, and Spiritual Selves. They should know how their personality is organized and how what they do with what they think and feel affects the state of their mental and physical health and the quality and direction of their lives. Parents should be shown how their own emotional well-being and behavior affects that of their offspring.

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     In this way, we will begin to nurture these children into firmly grounded, confident, and competent adults - individuals aware of, and comfortable with, their feelings, capable of fully relating to one another, freely giving and receiving love. Such people do not see life as a condition from which they need to escape; they have no need for chemical solace. When problems develop, the most efficacious of future approaches to the resolution of emotional and behavioral difficulties will likely be based in the more compassionate and holistic types of techniques, whereby, the mind is taught how and encouraged to heal itself.

     A pioneer in psychiatry, Dr. Eric Berne (1910-1970) developed new social psychology, called Transactional Analysis (TA), during the 1950's and 60's. TA is a radical departure from the mainstream of psychoanalytic theory and practice that focuses primarily on people's external behavior, seeking to understand their interactions, and secondarily, on analyzing their internal psychological processes. The principles of TA were brought to public attention during the 1960's and 70's through a series of hugely popular best-selling books, including: Games People Play, Eric Berne, 1961;⁽¹⁴⁾ I'm OK - You're OK, Thomas Harris, 1967;⁽¹⁵⁾ Born to Win, Muriel James/Dorothy Jongeward, 1971;⁽¹⁶⁾ and Scripts People Live, Claude Steiner, 1974,⁽¹⁷⁾ which are still in print, along with scores of other titles published since then.

     TA concepts and terminology were formulated in such a way as to be accessible to the client as well the therapist, since one of the fundamental tenets of TA is that psychotherapy should be a 50/50 conjoint effort between the two - that people in emotional difficulty are nevertheless intelligent human beings, capable of understanding the cause and its solution, and that they must be involved in that solution for it to be effective. Unfortunately for everyone, this very characteristic of accessability so intimidates many stuffy academic types - those who have grown quite comfortable obfuscating the limits of their understanding behind impenetrable walls of nebulous jargon and who take great foolish pride in their pyrotechnic feats of verbal legerdemain - that the psychotherapeutic mainstream has consistently all but ignored the benefits of this highly effective, information based psychology of human communication that has helped vast numbers of people through its thousands of practitioners the world over.

     The painfully simple fact is that it does not require a doctorate in medicine and four to eight more years of specialization training to help people solve emotional/behavioral problems. Actually, it has been shown that, with a little guidance, lay persons often make quite good transactional analysts (you can easily imagine the stir this creates in the halls of academia and the dismay it brings to the psychoanalytical sanctums lined with books and degrees). TA provides a simple and systematic method for pinpointing the origin of dysfunction, for mapping its effects on the structure and function of the personality, for elucidating the exact nature of the self-defeating "life script," and finally, for devising an effective strategy of antithesis and resolution of the core issues that are perpetuating the client's difficulties. Going a step further, a properly informed and motivated client can accomplish a great deal in initiating the healing process on a self-directed basis. In fact, this writer has managed to correct a very serious behavioral problem of his own through just such a self- mediated process, restructuring critical aspects of personality at a fundamental level. Here is a brief account of what happened as an example of the possibilities inherent in this approach.

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     I received formal training in organic medicinal chemistry - the research and development of new drugs - at the University of Tennessee and the University of Minnesota, and in Medicine, at East Central University Medical School in the Dominican Republic. Over the years, I worked as a surgical assistant, an analytical chemist, a scientist in pharmaceutical research, and at other intellectual pursuits, blithely ignoring the development of the entire emotional aspect of my nature. It seems I have an exceptional intuitive gift for drug chemistry, but, as you might imagine, in combination with a crippling and tenacious addiction to intravenous methamphetamine use, these skills proved incendiary in their effect, and the resulting self-destruction quite spectacular in nature. Fifteen years, four drug convictions, two marriages, untold jobs, homes, and relationships later, having been expelled from both medical school and a prestigious PhD program in pharmaceutical research, I found myself in jail, bleeding, screaming, and crazy, floundering in the blackest depths of a chemical dependency of the most savage, destructive, and intractable type.

     When I finally accepted the reality of this addiction and sought help, I was shocked to discover how woefully primitive was the prevailing understanding of such problems and frightened by how backward and inadequate were the commonly available approaches to their treatment. None of the philosophies behind the methods had any validity for me; they were inconsistent within themselves and with reality in general. By 1995, I had pursued every avenue of hope, including medicine, psychotherapy, prodigious feats of will power, several spiritual disciplines, 2 or 3 attempts at standard CD treatment, and 12-step groups. (I had even been discharged from a court-ordered long-term treatment program at a Minnesota state hospital - a program designed for the most difficult of cases - in 1989 with the pronouncement that I was completely "untreatable" and a prognosis of less than a year to live.) From my perspective, the substitution of one faulty system of beliefs and coping skills for another seemed ludicrous in the extreme - totally unacceptable. The suggestion that I could never again have another glass of wine or an antihistamine tablet without triggering a return to self-destructive cycle of IV methamphetamine use was also clearly nonsense. This type of solution could never be effective for me.

     In time, I came to see that I was dealing with some sort of learned behavioral phenomenon, and, from my extensive readings in psychology, I suspected it stemmed from the retarded development of the emotional aspect of my nature. Proceeding on the assumption that anything learned can be unlearned or at least be given up in favor of better information, I eventually worked out a self-directed form of psychotherapy based in the highly effective non-mainstream techniques of Transactional Analysis and its radically different view of human behavior. With myself as the obligatory subject of the experimental application of this system, I was able to completely cure myself of this obscene affliction nearly four years ago - a total impossibility according to the disease theory, yet undeniably real in my case, as those that know me can attest.

     For the benefit of those still suffering, in hopes that they too might make the choice to live, I have recorded my story in the book Of Frogs and Princes⁽¹⁸⁾ which is currently being reviewed for publication and from which much of this article is condensed. Within its pages, I recount the evolution of a dysfunctional personality trapped in the violent throes of a severe and frighteningly destructive addiction which conventional methods were utterly incapable of resolving. It chronicles the horrors of my 15-year-long descent into the abyss of chemical madness and my fierce struggle for survival, for self-understanding, and for the emancipation of my spirit from chemical bondage. It is my hope that this will prove a valuable asset to the millions who are desperately seeking the answers which I have so painfully had to construct for myself.

     It is clear that the management of feelings has a profound effect upon health, both mental and physical, and, just as mental disharmony can cause or aggravate many types of disorders, emotional balance and internal harmony can promote good overall health and help to resolve existing problems. In order to benefit from this understanding, we must become an emotionally literate culture⁽¹⁹⁾, andtransactional therapeutics must become more than just a perk of living in California, where it thrives. In seeking solutions to the troubling issues that impinge upon our lives and our loves in such a distressing and often tragic way, we would do well to incorporate these principles not just into the mainstream theory and practice of psychotherapy, but wherever their use is likely to contribute to the improvement of the human condition, from pre-natal training classes, to public school curricula, drug treatment centers, prisons, and halfway houses.

     As the diseasing of America is brought to an end, a more enlightened climate can evolve in its place - one combining understanding with a compassionate will to help and one which is almost certainly going to be required if we hope to eradicate this scourge from the population in the foreseeable future and heal this bleeding wound in our society through which is spilling our dearest blood, the lives of our children. Then, when we have removed the spiritual and emotional void from our troubled hearts, the abuse of drugs for the chemical management of feelings will be seen for what it truly is, a toxic and farcically artificial and ineffective substitute for the love and life affirmation which those substances are employed to replace.

     One of the great pioneers in the study of the mind, Carl Jung, stated: "The most significant task facing the individual is the achievement of harmony between the conscious and the unconsciousmind."⁽²⁰⁾  It is clear to me that the most significant impediment to the maturation of humanity as a whole and to the resolution of the difficulties we face is our failure to recognize and address these issues and the failure of our institutions to evolve in such a way that this is possible. The most pertinent challenge to the world society of the new millennium is to find a way to make this happen.

 

1. Peele, Stanton PhD - The Meaning of Addiction: an Unconventional View (1998); Diseasing of America: Addiction Treatment Out of Control (1989); Love and Addiction (1975).

2. Osmond, H. and Smythies, J.R., J. Ment. Sci., 98, 309 (1952).

3. Friedhoff, A.J., and van Winkle, E., Nature, 194, 897 (1962).

4. Jarvik, M. E., Psychopharmacology: Pharmacological effect on behavior (edit. by Pennes, H. H.) (Hoeber, Inc., NY 1958).

5. Shulgin, A. T., Sargent, T., Naranjo, C., Nature, 212, 1606 (1966).

6. See for instance: Swerdlow, Joel - Quiet Miracles of the Brain, National Geographic, June 1995, vol. 187 no. 6, pp. 10-18; Gorman, Christine - Anatomy of Melancholy, Time, May 5, 1997,vol. 149 no. 18, p. 78.

7. Case in point, a UC Berkeley neuroscientist published his findings in the British scientific journal Nature that differences in behavior cause (rather than being caused by) differences in brain structure. Studying sexual behavior in male rats, Dr. Marc Breedlove found that brain cells controlling movement could be changed by altering the rat's sexual behavior. This may very well herald a fatal blow to the suggestion that sexual orientation could be genetically determined. Nature (London): 10/23/97.

8. Nash, J. Madeline - Fertile Minds, Time, February 3, 1997, vol. 149 no. 5, p.48.

9. Begley, Sharon - Holes in Those Genes, Newsweek, January 15, 1996, vol. 127 issue 3, p. 57.

10. Brink, Susan - Doing Ritalin Right, U. S. News & World Report, November 23, 1998, vol. 125 no. 20, p. 76.

11. Nash, J. Madeleine - Addiction, Time, May 5, 1997, vol. 149 no. 18, p. 68.

12. Richard R. Bootzin / Joan Acocella - Abnormal Psychology -current perspectives, 5th ed. (New York: Random House, 1988)

13. It is interesting to note that the great pioneer of neuropharmacology, Dr. Alexander T. Shulgin, produced scores of entactogens, during the 60's, 70's, and 80's with potential and even, as with DOET, MDMA (ecstacy), and DOB, demonstrated ability to provide access to the subconscious and produce increases in the highly desirable intangible quality known as creativity [Shulgin, A. T., and Shulgin, A. - Pihkal, A Chemical Love Story (Transform Press, 1991)]. Their significance to the advancement of psychotherapy is incalculable, yet irresponsible drug legislation has taken these important tools out of the hands of helping professionals.

14.  Berne, Eric MD - Games People Play (New York: Grove Press Inc., 1964)

15.  Harris, Thomas MD - I'm Ok - You're Ok, (New York: Harper and Row, 1967)

16.  Born to Win - Muriel James/Dorothy Jongeward, (New York: 1971)

17.  Steiner, Claude M. - Scripts People Live (New York: Grove Press Inc., 1974)

18.  Dawntreader, Carl - Of Frogs & Princes, (c) 1996, in review for publication

19. The term emotional literacy was coined by Dr. Claude Steiner. See his extensive development of the concept in his recent works: Achieving emotional Literacy (New York: Avon Books, 1997) and Cyberpsychology: Love, Power and Redemption In the Age of Information Machines (not yet published, available on diskette from the author at: www.claudesteiner.com)

20. C. G. Jung - Psychological Types; or, the psychology of individuation, (New York: Pantheon Books, 1964).

 

 

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