New Non-Profit Launches to Help Stop the Heroin Epidemic

Washington, DC, April 26, 2017 --(PR.com)-- SeekHealing, a newly incorporated non-profit challenging the standard narrative for heroin and opioid addiction recovery, will host a launch party in Washington, DC, at Lost Society on May 6, 2017, from 4pm to 7pm, commencing its fundraising efforts to offer post-detox rehabilitation programs.

With opioid addiction rates rising rapidly in the mid-Atlantic region, and with Maryland recently declaring a State of Emergency to address the heroin crisis, SeekHealing arrives at a critical time to implement innovative strategies for recovery facilities. Opioid overdose is now the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, and studies show two-thirds of heroin addicts relapse after rehabilitation.

Recent research in neuroscience and psychology suggests that the neurochemical states associated with loneliness and disconnectedness often precipitate addictive behaviors and self-medication with opioids. Most rehab options available after detox from an opioid addiction make those in recovery feel more lonely and disconnected than they did before: either stigmatized in the diagnostic doctor-patient relationship, or isolated from society completely in prison. People aren't finding longterm healing because an insufficient sense of connectedness to self and community promotes actual dysfunction and illness in the brain.

“It turns out that there is heavy overlap among brain systems responsible for habit learning, social bonding, and spiritual experiences,” elaborates neuroscientist Dr. Rachel Wurzman, research fellow at the University of Pennsylvania and SeekHealing’s Director of Science. “When we connect meaningfully with others or to a transcendent spiritual experience, the same reward system that fuels opiate addiction responds to make us feel peace, calm, and joy. It's no accident that the somatic symptoms of depression, from chronic pain to abdominal upset, heavily resemble withdrawal.”

Based on this evidence, SeekHealing aims to offer new options to people in the region after they complete physical detox from heroin or other opioid addiction: online and real-life places designed to facilitate the authentic connection experiences that can promote lasting healing in the brain.

“If we can’t connect effectively with each other, then we’ll simulate the sensation with anything we can find, even last resort options like heroin or fentynal,” explains Jennifer Nicolaisen, Executive Director. “The opposite of addiction is not sobriety. It’s having regular experiences of authentic connection: with ourselves, with each other, and with the world around us. We’re going to build facilities where people can do that and actually practice living life in a more connected way.”

Entry donation to the launch party at Lost Society is $30 and includes two drink coupons. Tickets are available at the door or online at: bit.ly/SH_LAUNCHPARTY

Lost Society (http://www.lostsociety-dc.com/) is located 2001 14th Street Northwest on the corner at U Street.

About SeekHealing: Founded in 2017, SeekHealing is an 501c3 public charity in the mid-Atlantic region offering innovative post-detox rehabilitation programs for those struggling with addiction to heroin or other opioids. Recognizing the power of authentic connection experiences and guided by neuroscientific research, SeekHealing aims to foster connection among individuals who truly seek a life-long journey toward healing and recovery.