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The Quintiva Framework© : A Comprehensive Guide to Addressing Neurological, Behavioural, Emotional, Social, and Spiritual Dimensions in Recovery
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The Quintiva Framework is a model born out of decades of hands-on recovery work, combined with deep study of neuroscience, psychology, trauma research, and spiritual traditions. Like many meaningful ideas, it didn’t appear all at once. It emerged gradually — from countless conversations with people battling addiction, from observing what truly helped them change, and from wrestling with what was missing in many traditional approaches.
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Early on, I was struck by a simple but profound realisation: addiction does not exist in just one part of a person’s life. It affects — and is sustained by — multiple interlocking systems: the brain’s chemistry and wiring, a person’s habits and learned responses, their emotional wounds and stress patterns, their social environment and relationships, and finally, their deeper sense of purpose or spiritual grounding. Yet too often, treatment focuses narrowly on a single domain, hoping it alone will be enough. A purely clinical approach might stabilise the brain but ignore emotional or relational wreckage. A psychological approach might examine thought patterns but neglect brain biology. A mutual aid path might nurture spiritual growth but overlook trauma’s grip on the nervous system.
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So I began asking: what if we could bring these domains together into one unified model? One that honours the complexity of human experience and offers a structured way to work on all the places addiction takes hold — so we can also heal all the places it hurts.
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The core diagnostic insight
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Addiction often begins as a way to cope — a response to pain, discomfort, or unmet needs. This might include:
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Trauma: neglect, abuse, profound loss, or chronic emotional wounds.
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Mental health issues: such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, or bipolar disorder, where substances are used to self-soothe or regulate mood.
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Social and cultural norms: environments that normalise heavy drinking or drug use, making it seem acceptable or even expected.
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Pressure and belonging: the need to fit in with peers, workplace cultures, or family patterns.
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The substance itself: some drugs are so neurologically reinforcing (like opioids, nicotine, alcohol) that dependence can develop even without obvious emotional drivers.
No matter how it starts, once addiction is established it changes the brain, embeds compulsive patterns, and becomes a primary illness in its own right — sustaining itself neurologically and behaviourally long after the original cause may have faded. Recovery must address those origins, but never lose sight of the condition it has become.​​​
Integrating diverse roots: neuroscience, psychology, and lived experience
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The Quintiva Framework stands on the shoulders of many giants. Neuroscience has shown us how addiction alters dopamine pathways, hijacks reward systems, and impairs regions critical for judgement and self-control. Behavioural psychology revealed how habits form and why triggers spark powerful urges. Trauma research, from pioneers like Bessel van der Kolk and Gabor Maté, exposed how adverse experiences embed in the body and emotions, often driving compulsive attempts to self-soothe. The 12 Step tradition illuminated the power of surrender, moral inventory, amends, and finding a sense of higher purpose. And countless individuals in recovery — people I’ve known, taught, coached, or simply sat with — demonstrated through their stories what it takes to rebuild a meaningful life.​​​
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Quintiva does not discard any of these contributions. It weaves them together into a framework that helps us see the whole person and guides practical interventions that meet them where they are.
Why five domains?
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​Neurological: because addiction literally reshapes the brain. Recovery involves stabilising, rewiring, and learning how to manage triggers tied to neurobiology.
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Behavioural: because addiction is also a set of habits, rituals, and learned responses. Changing the environment, building new routines, and disrupting automatic chains are essential.
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Emotional: because unprocessed stress, grief, shame, and trauma keep people stuck. Recognising each person’s Adverse Emotional Stress Threshold (A.E.S.T.) helps tailor support.
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Social: because human beings heal or suffer in community. Relationships can be sources of strength or risk. Recovering a healthy social life is fundamental.
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Spiritual: because without meaning, hope, or guiding values, many find it hard to stay well. This doesn’t demand religious faith, but it does invite exploring what makes life worth living.
These became the pillars of the Quintiva Framework, offering a clear yet flexible way to assess where a person is struggling and to build a personalised path forward.
A living, evolving philosophy
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Finally, Quintiva is not a rigid dogma. It is a living framework, meant to grow and adapt as new research emerges and as we continue listening to the voices of people in recovery. It is both a map and a method — helping us understand where addiction has taken root, and guiding what needs to be nurtured or transformed so people can move beyond mere abstinence to truly flourishing.
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