We thought it might be helpful for individuals and treatment facilities considering
attending Camp Sober Fest to see some supporting research and evidence on brain and nervous
system healing in sobriety while engaging in fun and play. In sober circles, meeting/club houses,
sober livings, 12-step meetings, and sponsor/sponsee relationships, it is often said that
connection is the opposite of addiction, and that we heal in community. In therapeutic spaces,
some say that we are wounded in relationships (even our relationship to our drugs/alcohol) and
that we heal in relationships. Camp Sober Fest highlights having joy and fun in sobriety, while
connecting with hundreds of other sober humans who can understand the pain and hurt that
addiction created for them and understand the joys and fun to be had while sober.
Jaak Panksepp (Panksepp & Biven, 2012) describes play as being a huge source of joy,
and it acts as a motivational system that we were born with! Brown (2009) defines play as
spontaneous, pleasurable activities that do not contain overpowering emotions and anxieties, that
may not even have a drawn-out goal other than simply being in the activity itself. Play even has
its own neural circuitry – and when we feel (kids and adults alike) safe and connected with
others (social engagement), that circuit is activated – the good kind of activation (not the trauma
response kind). Camp Sober Fest allows individuals to access and re-access this circuitry that
may have been inhibited due to trauma, addiction, and other adverse reasons. Here, we are
rewiring and wiring neurons to fire together that produce happy chemicals and pathways of joy
and happiness – without the use of drugs or alcohol.
Dr. Peter Levine, the founder of Somatic Experiencing™ and a leader in the field of the
nervous system and trauma, discusses the neuroscience of healing through fun and play. Dr.
Levine considers the ‘goodness’ and ‘spontaneous’ positive states in the brain and body through
his notion of ‘restoring goodness’ in our nervous systems and brain chemicals. Some examples
are spontaneous pleasure, aliveness, curiosity, playfulness, and connection. These are what we
might call ‘biological indicators of regulated physiology’ (Levine, 2010). Adult play can be a
way for the nervous system to have ‘completion’ behaviors that can help the nervous system heal
and regulate more. Examples of adult play are dance, play, improv, joking, playing music,
creating, and even soft sports. Many of which happen at Camp Sober Fest!
Dr. Dan Siegel, a scholarly author and leader in interpersonal neurobiology, emphasizes
that spontaneous, creative, and novel play helps build new connections in the brain and reduces
stress. Dr. Siegel’s ‘healthy brain platter’ includes sleep time, physical time, focus time, time-in,
downtime, playtime, and connecting time. Per Poelmans, Rock & Siegel (2011), playtime says
that “When we allow ourselves to be spontaneous or creative, playfully enjoying novel
experiences, we help make new connections in the brain (p.6-7).” The attachments and
connections that take place within the community at Camp Sober Fest, while also engaging in
play and fun, can support our autonomic nervous system in healing (think: more window of
tolerance, and less freeze, fight, and/or flight). Fun contains arousal, energy, excitement, and
social engagement; all of which are training the brain and body to tolerate sympathetic charge
without having a catastrophizing meaning and no need for chemical assistance. Put differently,
that is all anti-addiction material at a nervous-system level.
In the therapeutic modality of psychodrama, we say “show me, don’t tell me” alongside
this belief in spontaneity and creativity. Spontaneity is essentially having an adequate response to
a new situation or a new and adequate response to an old situation, and Jacob Moreno (the
creator of psychodrama) considered spontaneity to be the necessary intervening factor for
creativity to be released (Moreno, 1956). Spontaneity and play encourage adaptability, joy, and
emotional health, and lead the way for unstructured exploration (creative exploration!). All of
this for the addict or alcoholic in recovery can provide healing to the mind, body, and spirit; or
put differently, it all provides a ‘new way of life’. From archery, volleyball, pickleball, yoga, tugo-
war, arts and crafts, and even talent shows – all this co-created spontaneous fun and creative
play accesses neurotransmitters (and ‘good’ neurochemicals) that lay down new neural pathways
in our brains. These repeated connections of community and other sober friends (that often
become like your chosen family) are how we engage further into the social engagement of our
nervous system.
While addicts and alcoholics are in active use/addiction, the neurotransmitters and
chemicals such as dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins become obsolete or at least are barely
produced by our own bodies, because the drugs/booze are blocking them and/or providing them
artificially. Here at Camp Sober Fest, those chemicals are produced through connection and play,
not only with others but also yourself (and perhaps your inner child as well). From the laughter
to the facial tones expressing safety, breathing being regulated, and diaphragms shaking from the
play and fun – it all encompasses regulating the nervous system and sending new healing
pathways and chemicals throughout the brain and body.
I thought I might include this infographic that demonstrates what happens when we
engage in fun/play neurobiologically – without the need for or use of drugs or alcohol – as we do
at Camp Sober Fest.
Brown, S. L. (2009). Play: How it shapes the brain, opens the imagination, and invigorates the
soul. Avery.
Levine, P. A., & Frederick, A. (1997). Waking the tiger: Healing trauma: The innate capacity to
transform overwhelming experiences. North Atlantic Books.
Levine, P. A. (2010). In an unspoken voice: How the body releases trauma and restores
goodness. North Atlantic Books.
Moreno, J. L. (1956). Psychodrama: Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). Beacon House.
Panksepp, J., & Biven, L. (2012). The archaeology of mind: Neuroevolutionary origins of human
emotions. W. W. Norton & Company.
Poelmans, Steven & Rock, David & Siegel, Daniel & Payne, Jessica. (2012). The Healthy Mind
Platter. Neuroleadership Journal. 4. 1-23.
Siegel, D. J. (2012). The developing mind: How relationships and the brain interact to shape
who we are (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
Brandon Lutman, LCSW, CCTP-II, SP, CET-II, EMDR, CAP, SEP in Training, is an experienced
trauma-informed therapist and consultant based in Colorado and Florida. He specializes in
experiential, somatic, and in-action modalities – such as Psychodrama, Somatic Experiencing,
Expressive Arts, and EMDR – to support clients navigating complex trauma, codependency,
shame, and addiction. Through virtual sessions and immersive in-person experiential trauma
intensives, he supports individuals in reconnecting with their bodies, reshaping old narratives,
and fostering lasting change. Brandon also provides consulting and training services to mental
health professionals and treatment centers, with a focus on trauma-informed care, experiential
approaches, and strengthening clinical teams.
