Ruben nods sagely, glancing at each of us in turn. “I want everyone to think about this phrase: neurons that fire together, wire together. What this means is that when uncomfortable or traumatic moments in childhood are linked to an action—say, smoking a cigarette or eating or taking a drug—your brain wires itself to always connect those emotions to the corresponding coping mechanism.” I frown as his words drop in the dark, deep well of my memory, and wonder if this explains why I hate rain and don’t associate sex with emotional intimacy. After all, it was raining when my mother and brother
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