Medical Psychotherapy, 3:37-55, 1990.

Alcoholic personality and alpha-theta brainwave training

Eugene G. Peniston and Paul J. Kulkosky

Veterans Administration Medical Center, Fort Lyon, CO 81038 and
University of Southern Colorado, Pueblo, CO 81001

The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) and the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16 PF) were employed to assess personality differences and changes among chronic alcoholics and nonalcoholic controls prior to and after either traditional medical treatment or alpha-theta brainwave training of the alcoholics. On the MCMI prior to treatment, both groups of alcoholics showed significantly higher scores than nonalcoholics on scales measuring factors labeled schizoid, avoidant, passive-aggression, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, anxiety, and dysthymia. Administration of EEG alpha-theta brainwave treatment was accompanied by significant decreases in MCMI scales labeled schizoid, avoidant, passive-aggression, schizotypal, borderline, paranoid, anxiety, somatoform, dysthymia, alcohol abuse, psychotic thinking, psychotic depression, and psychotic delusion. Alcoholics receiving standard medical treatment showed significant decreases only in two MCMI scales, avoidant and psychotic thinking, and an increase in one scale, compulsive. On the 16 PF prior to treatment, both groups of alcoholics were significantly more affected by feelings, submissive, shy, apprehensive, and tense. EEG alpha-theta brainwave treatment corresponded to significant increases in warmth, abstract-thinking, stability, conscientiousness, boldness, imaginativeness, and self-control. Alcoholics receiving traditional medical treatment showed only a significant increase in concrete-thinking. These personality differences and changes in alcoholics are comparable to those previously reported with these instruments, and provide confirmatory evidence that the application of alpha-theta brainwave treatment produces fundamental changes in alcoholic personality variables. These changes may underlie the sustained prevention of relapse and absence of increases in beta endorphin levels in alcoholics receiving prolonged alpha-theta brainwave training.


Reprinted with permission of Hogrefe & Huber Publishers


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