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How to Use the Chakra System to Understand Addiction
“Addiction is an incredibly powerful adversary, and we want to use everything in our power to try to overcome it…the Chakra system is such a great map for understanding that process.”
~ Tommy Rosen
I had the honor of collaborating with my dear friend and colleague Tommy Rosen during his Recovery 2.0 online conference to discuss how understanding the Chakra system can help tackle and overcome addiction.
The Chakra system is a map of how the mind, body, endocrine system, emotional body, past traumas, family history, mysticism and developmental psychology intertwine and overlap.
Did you know that certain core wounds (traumas) are associated with specific, correlating addictions?
Did you know that the phase of life and age you were when you experienced a trauma can affect where in the body that emotional memory is held?
The Chakra system is comprised of the 7 major energy centers lining the central channel of the spine (sushumna nadi). As we move upward from root to crown, we move from the denser, more gross aspects of Self (money, physical body, family, sexuality) to the more refined and abstract (creativity, communication, spirituality).
Each chakra corresponds to a specific age range, developmental tasks and certain identity (physical, emotional, ego, creative, social identity). This mapping correlates to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
Viewing addictions metaphorically can help you decipher their origins and implications in your life. For example, smoking (cigarettes or marijuana) is associated with the lungs, air, breath and therefore the heart chakra. If you have a deficiency or a trauma that corresponds to the heart chakra (rejection, grief, heartbreak), you may develop a penchant or addiction to smoking. Processing your grief in healthy, productive ways may help alleviate this tendency and heal the emotional heart.
In this video, you will learn:
- Addictions and how they are associated with each of the Chakras
- Phases of development as linked to the Chakra system
- Practical application for self care and practical lifestyle considerations
- Elements associated with each Chakra
- What differentiates the Heart center (anahata) from other energy centers.
Which addictions do you struggle with?
Leave a question or comment below to let me know which addictive tendencies show up in your life and how you have begun the process of recovery. Share your story and remember we’re all on this healing path together – let your story inspire and inform someone else!
Big Love,
Ashley
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For about 7 years now i have had an addiction to an opiate blocker. Not pain pills, but something to get you off them. I have tried to quit multiple times. I just started looking into the chakras and all last night. And helping info is appreciated????
Thank you for this very informative work! I teach yoga at a recovery center and share an iRest practice with my students. They love iRest. I wonder if you can recommend certain yoga poses to help activate and clear the endocrine system. And do you have resources for how to learn more about the chakras and addiction. I would love to share this information with my students–so fascinating. Thank you for your work and sharing your wisdom with us.
This is amazing Ashley. I love your work, you are such an inspiration and truly a wealth of information on the chakra system here. Thank you so much.
Ashley, thanks for your work!
I have a tendency to drink alcohol and am wondering which chakra holds the trauma!
Namaste
Karin
This is brilliant Ashley! Thank you so much!
Ashley, I’ve started following your work in the last couple of months and just listened to this. So wonderful, helpful and stunning. I too absolutely love the chakra system and parallels we can make to western psychology and philosophy.
Question for you: I struggle with debt. I was listening to hear where you perceive money issues go (though my debting also includes giving away too much time, putting others before myself, etc). I think it could be a first, second, or even third charka issue… I’m not sure. What would you say?
Best,
Elissa