The Science of Woo: Forgiveness

coffee mugs and an encouraging sign to reinforce the idea that you need to change the brain to recover from substance abuse

The Science of Woo: Forgiveness

Today – Easter – is a perfect day to feature Forgiveness in my series on the topic of “The Science of Woo.” There are ideas that transcend one religion and are found in all religions, and the idea of Forgiveness is one of those ideas. I am never surprised when those ideas are found by modern science to be beneficial. It seems I am not alone and understanding of the clinical effectiveness of forgiveness is shared by my colleagues. In the 90’s, there were 58 studies on Forgiveness and by 2005, there were 950. 1 

In this post, we’ll be discussing the practical, utilitarian, and evidence-based reasons why forgiveness is a principle with which persons in recovery** should operate. While I want persons “in recovery” to cultivate a forgiveness tool, I encourage my readers to understand that Forgiveness is a beneficial internal state for all persons. 

Let’s review the basics of addiction as a brain disease. When the neurochemistry of a brain is unwell in a specific way, the propensity towards neurotransmitters reacting with an exaggerated response to psychoactive substances provides the foundation on which a substance use disorder develops. This can happen in a brain impacted by:

  • developmental (childhood) trauma
  • trauma that develops later (combat, tragedy, catastrophic life event)
  • heritable factors
  • a medical intervention that included a change agent such as opiates
  • or a brain that has been conditioned (learned) to respond to the demands of life by coping with substances

You can read about that in my blog post about You Can’t Think Your Way Into Not Drinking.

You can read about that in my blog post about Celebrate With a New Brain.

As the chemistry of the brain continues to be compromised, the structure of the brain is informed by faulty chemistry and the structure then becomes unwell also. It’s the brain’s chemistry and structure that create the neural pathways which in turn determine cognition, behavior, and lived experience. The interaction of a faulty brain chemistry and psychoactive substances that exacerbate the faulty chemistry trigger – or “turn on” or “flip the switch” of the epigenetics which facilitates the development of addiction. The disease of substance abuse – addiction – is in the brain. (The symptoms, however, are in homes, relationships, bank accounts, health, credit scores, businesses, and workplaces.) 

Recovery, then, begins in the brain.  

a picture of a brain to depict where the disease of substance abuse lives and the science of addiction

Recovery, then, needs to include habits, behaviors, and tools that change brain chemistry and reverse the negative synergy described above. It can be an uncomfortable, and sometimes unbelievable, leap from the science of addiction to the science of the habits, behaviors, and tools that create lasting change for those seeking relief from a substance use disorder. 

Today, I am making the case that forgiveness is a scientifically powerful tool. In my introduction to the series, I described presenting these ideas in the categories of Internal States, Habits, Activities, and Guiding Principles. Forgiveness is being featured as an Internal State. 

a picture of a man in a baseball cap that says "love your neighbor" which reinforces the idea of guiding principles in recovery from substance abuse

I wrote an earlier blog entry on a similar topic. There you can read about my own personal experience with the topic, some data on forgiveness and health, and about some tools to facilitate forgiveness. 

Below are 6 of the many supports for Forgiveness as a brain-changer and up-leveler of life. 

  1. The Center for Christian Ethics at Baylor University featured an excellent journal article by Katheryn Rhoads Meek. This article is Christian and seems appropriate support on Easter. 
  2. Berkley has something to say about Forgiveness.: “Forgiveness isn’t just practiced by saints or martyrs, nor does it benefit only its recipients. Instead, studies are finding connections between forgiveness and physical, mental, and spiritual health.” 
  3. The University of Stanford Forgiveness project found thatfound that the act of forgiving someone can raise your optimism and mood, while not forgiving and holding resentment is correlated with anxiety, hostility, depression, and major psychiatric disorders, as well as physical health problems.” 
  4. Forgiveness is shown to generalize – that means people who cultivate the inner state of forgiveness forgive beyond the original offense but develop empathy and forgiveness to other persons, situations, and memories.
  5. Forgiveness helps with health concerns 
    • Mental health 
    • Cardio vascular health 
    • Negative stress effects 
    • Headaches 
    • Digestive issues 3 
  1. Johns Hopkins University agrees with the health benefits.  
    • Immune response 
    • Depression 
    • Anxiety 
    • Reduce pain 
    • Sleep issues

Successful, long term recovery from substance abuse means curating internal states, activities, habits, and a decision making filter that matches the aggressiveness of the disease. A recovering person needs a tool box which includes tools shown to impact (brain) health positively. It’s my hope that throughout this series, high functioning alcoholics and high functioning addicts and their families can learn and grow comfortable with the less seemingly quantifiable suggestions and eventually embrace the science behind the woo: forgiveness works and should be part of a recovery and wellness plan. 

If you are wondering if you are a High Functioning Alcoholic or High Functioning Addict in Katy, Texas, please go to my site at joanneketch.com

  1. https://www.salon.com/2015/08/24/the_science_of_forgiveness_when_you_dont_forgive_you_release_all_the_chemicals_of_the_stress_response/
  2. https://www.asaging.org/blog/art-and-science-forgiveness
  3. Ibid.
**Person-centered language note: As a leading clinician in substance use disorder assessment, treatment, and recovery, I am committed to elevating the language around mental health and substance use disorder. This means I will use “alcohol use disorder” rather than “alcoholic.” It means I will use “person with a substance use disorder” rather than “addict.” I minimize my use of the term addiction because it carries stigma, often people have their own relationship with the word accompanied with misinformation. I use the term recurrence or return to use rather than relapse. However, it’s important that people searching for help get connected with services that benefit them. In this regard, people are not searching “am I a person with a substance use disorder?” They are searching “am I an addict?” They do not search, “can a high functioning person have an alcohol use disorder?” They search “am I a high functioning alcoholic.” They don’t search “treatment for people who have a recurrence” but do search “how do I stop being a chronic relapser?” As such, I want to affirm people with substance use disorders with my care, which includes language but I also need to structure my business in a way that google searches find my material.

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24618 Kingsland Blvd 2nd Floor, Room 8
Katy, TX 77494
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(281) 740-7563


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