The FREE TO CHOOSE blend is for addiction and all that being addicted to something entails. Addiction can be to a substance but it can also be to a behaviour or a belief. As the name suggests, the FREE TO CHOOSE blend gives you the freedom to make a choice, rather than be driven by an out-of-control behaviour that takes you over leaving no room for choice.
Most believe that the opposite of addiction is sobriety, when in fact much research has found that the opposite of addiction is actually CONNECTION. Addiction is not just about the pleasurable effects that a substance or behaviour has on the pleasure-related neurochemicals in the brain. If this was the only reason for addictive behaviour then every person who tried a drug, for example, would become an addict. Latest research shows that approximately 10 percent of people become addicts when trying a new substance. The rest walk away completely or enjoy it occasionally.
(Above) Beard Heath, one of the flowers in the FREE TO CHOOSE Essence Blend.
Image © Kerrie Searle
Certainly the pleasure-related experience plays some role in addiction but there is much more. Both in my work as a Police Officer, and now as an Animal Communicator, I have observed many patterns of addiction both in humans and in animals. I have also journeyed my own path with addiction. When I was called many months ago to make a blend for addiction, nothing could have prepared me for the harrowing journey it took me to do so. I was taken back and relived all the life-threatening traumas that I had experienced and as I tuned into all that addiction was to me, I also became aware that I had opened myself to receiving and feeling what addiction was to other beings on the planet! I journeyed every trauma of my own addiction, as well as the trauma of others who also needed to be heard. I felt the highs; the lows; the self-hate; the out-of-control behaviour; the despair; the hopelessness; the helplessness; the lack of choice; the feeling of having no control over my life; the panic and terror; the isolation and loneliness; the constant rollercoaster of emotions; the frustration; feeling crushed; the overwhelm; the chaos and confusion; the dependency on my addiction to get me through; resentment and bitterness for what was happening and my lack of ability to control it; the self-loathing; the feeling that I would rather die than have to feel this; the obsessive thoughts that accompany addiction; and the list goes on. I watched my addictive behaviour take control of me, and lived in the fog that came with the addiction. I felt like I had hit rock bottom and gave up, and into, the addiction.
I watched my addictive behaviour take control of me, and lived in the fog that came with the addiction.
What came of this harrowing journey was the realisation that, for me, addiction is not just about the pleasure-seeking feelings in the brain. It was a life-saving survival mechanism created to numb and disconnect from feelings and trauma that were too much to cope with at the time. Feelings that I would rather die than have to feel. I hear this from many of my human clients when they open up about their addiction. I started this survival process at a very early age and would indulge it on a daily basis in order to live in the âsafetyâ of a fogginess that numbed what would have been too much to bear. I ate huge amounts of sugar each day so that I could be numb enough to survive the trauma. What came of this was a belief that without my addiction I would die and this belief has lived with me until now. As I watched and listened to these parts of myself over those months, I also became aware of the feelings and trauma of others on the planet and how different forms of addiction were a necessary survival mechanism for them.
What came through really strongly was that my TOTAL lack of choice around my addiction and my inability to climb out of the fog and be able to witness WHY I was time and time again caught in this spiral. It was a daily obsession about getting my next sugar fix and staying as far away as possible from what lay hidden underneath it. I knew I wanted to heal all that comes with having an addiction, but felt that this could not happen if I kept disconnecting from the fog and numbness.
(Above) Moonah, one of the flowers in the FREE TO CHOOSE Essence Blend.
Image © Kerrie Searle
What I was able to make in the FREE TO CHOOSEÂ blend was a way to gently bring myself to the edge between the fog and disconnection to a place of being able to witness what was sitting underneath the out-of-control addiction of eating sugar, and hence the cause of it. I could finally see and feel what was driving my addiction, without it taking over and dragging me into the foggy numbness. I had finally been able to give these parts of myself a voice to be heard and begin the healing process. The more I have been able to witness, hear and feel these parts that have been shut down and numbed by my addiction, the less power my addiction has had.
A number of experiments have shown that CONNECTION is the opposite of addiction. Much research states that connecting to others (for both humans and animals) is the way through addictive behaviours. Groups like Alcoholics Anonymous do this by connecting with others in a group and also by providing support by connecting with a sponsor. There are also some groups who encourage a connection to God, or other Higher Power, to assist and support letting go and handing over the addiction. This works for some, but for others who may struggle with the concept of God or a Higher Power this approach does not work. I feel that to truly move through an addiction not only do we need to connect with others, but we also need to find a deeper level of CONNECTION TO ALL THE PARTS OF OURSELVES. The FREE TO CHOOSEÂ blend does this by gently bringing us out of the foggy unfeeling state of numbness, to the edge of being able to hold a place for ourselves and witness what is sitting underneath the addiction and what is driving it. It supports and assists so that you, yourself, can take back control and do what some groups say only God or a Higher Power can do for you. Itâs not easy but IT IS POSSIBLE!
(Above) Seaberry Saltbush, one of the flowers in the FREE TO CHOOSE Essence Blend.
Image © Kerrie Searle
When I was making and using the FREE TO CHOOSE blend, I found that when I was right at the edge I could feel the CONSTANT pull of the addictive behaviour trying to disconnect and carry me back into the foggy numbness. Each time I took a drop of the FREE TO CHOOSE blend and climbed out of it, there was a panic that I wouldnât be safe and so the pull back into the numbness and fog was relentless at times. I realised that such a strong survival mechanism would need something as strong and constant to keep bringing me back and so the dosage of this blend was interesting. In the moments when the pull of addictive behaviour was at its strongest, I found myself taking a drop of the FREE TO CHOOSEÂ blend almost EVERY MINUTE. Sometimes this would go on for 5-10 minutes and each time I took a drop I stopped and watched what happened. I could feel and see myself move out of the fog each time to that âedgeâ where I was able to CHOOSE whether or not to eat sugar. I have watched myself move from being controlled by the addictive behaviour, to being able to actually have a choice. I have then been able to be present for myself which has enabled me to connect to the traumatised parts of myself that my addiction so cleverly disconnected me from. This, for me, is the key to healing these parts and taking back control of my own life.
The FREE TO CHOOSE blend currently has 40 flower essences and covers every aspect that comes with an addiction. As with all the blends that I make, the FREE TO CHOOSEÂ blend comes with my life experiences and understandings as well as my authenticity and integrity. The energy and intent that comes with each flower essence in each blend is what makes these blends unique and incredibly powerful. A huge amount of hard work and trauma goes into making these blends, as well as the information I receive through my deep connection with the animal and plant kingdoms.
If any of this resonates for you or your animal, and you feel that I can be of any assistance, please donât hesitate to read more about my services here, browse through my range of essences, creams and sprays here, or you can get in touch directly here. Additionally, visit this page to learn more about attending one of my upcoming workshops.
Warm wishes to you all,
Kerrie Searle
Animal Communicator
Note: This article was originally written for my email newsletter - Messages from the Animals - you can receive new articles directly via email, by signing up free here.