HALT is For Real

In the 12-Step fellowships you will often hear the word HALT as an acronym for things leading to a possible relapse. When these things happen, it is time to do something about it.The letters stand for:

• Hungry
• Angry
• Lonely
• Tired

When hungry- literally or figuratively- fill the hole. When angry talk it out with someone. When lonely connect with others. When tired- rest.

Well, as in so many, many things relating to addiction and psychology recent brain research has continued to affirm so many things that have been passed down as folk wisdom in the recovery community. It happened again this week.

An article at LiveScience started with the headline:

Brains of Lonely People Work Differently

It then went on to say that

Lonely people have less activity in a part of the brain that normally lights up in association with reward, scientists have found. It's not clear if social isolation diminishes the brain-reward response, however, or if people with less activity in that part of the brain tend toward loneliness.

More research will be need to sort out the findings, which come from a study of just 23 female college students. But the finding offers hope that scientists may improve their understanding of loneliness, a growing emotional problem in an increasingly scattered society and one known to raise the risks of several health problems.
--link

This is of course preliminary but intriguing nonetheless. What we are discovering on deeper and deeper levels is that much of what we experience in psychological or emotional ways is in fact some reactions of some kinds deep in the physiology of the brain. They are chemical and electrical reactions to the world around us- or the things that influence how we see that world. It may seem like a "Which came first...?" question but the question itself can lead us to look for issues and answers that we wouldn't even have thought about.

And thanks to the growth and plasticity aspects of the brain we also know that we can re-train and change our brain's processes in some instances. Even if, for example, a person's brain is wired for greater sensitivity to loneliness, to get into positive, growing relationships may work at overcoming that physical characteristic and tone down or even change the perceptions of loneliness. I other words behavioral or other interventions (like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or DBT, for example) could bring about the hope of better and more satisfying relationships.

Interestingly, tying together two of the HALT acronyms, the article concluded:

"Lonely people feel a hunger," Cacioppo added. "The key is to realize that the solution lies not in being fed, but in cooking for and enjoying a meal with others."