Colette Baron-Reid & Dr. Bob Weathers (Part 1) – Humanizing Addiction, Sustaining Long-Term Recovery: Healing Effects of Trauma, Stigma & Shame, and Forging Lives of Connection, Service & Gratitude

Ep. 110 (Part 1 of 2) | Colette Baron-Reid and Dr. Bob Weathers shine a bright light on the big picture state of addiction in our fragmented culture today—how people have become addicted to disconnection, dissociation, and identifying as victims in addition to substance use and other more traditional addictions—as well as sharing the essential elements and practices that have made their sustained long-term recovery possible. Dr. Bob explains that the first step in addressing addiction is to humanize the conversation around it and why. Our tendency toward addiction is universal, embedded in human nature itself, for one. And research shows that people who have suffered childhood trauma are five to ten times more susceptible to becoming addicts—their stress threshold five to ten times lower than other people’s, their stress hormones five to ten times higher. Studies also show that addiction is the most highly stigmatized mental disorder of all. It is humbling to realize what addicts are up against, calling us to compassion, understanding, and action.

Both Colette and Bob are solidly grounded in long-term sobriety and deeply dedicated to helping others out of their suffering. Top down, intellectual information is clearly not adequate to sustain recovery—so what is? Spiritual connection, social connection, shadow work, healing shame, surrendering. As Colette says, “In recovery, you discover there is something greater than yourself, your pain, your story, and your limitations—this is the solace.” There comes a turning point when it stops being all about us, and the desire to serve arises. With service comes the all-important experience of belonging. As Bob relates, “It’s not just about not drugging or drinking—I want a vital life.” And what is missing on a global, universal level? Again, connection and community. Recorded August 28, 2023.

“Addiction means to be enslaved.”

(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)

Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1

• Introducing Oracle expert, personal transformation thought leader, and bestselling author Colette Baron-Reid; and recovery coach, addiction educator, author & speaker, Dr. Bob Weathers (01:04)
• The changing face of addiction with technology and the internet: the addiction to disconnection, dissociation, even the addiction to identify as traumatized, as a victim (04:06)
• Colette’s entire reason for being clean & sober: conscious contact to a higher power (05:47)
• Fragmentation: addiction used to be more social, but now we are becoming more and more fragmented as we become increasingly disconnected (06:19)
• Victimology and the universal nature of addiction (07:51)
• Addiction is the most stigmatized of all disorders and 46.3 million Americans over 12 years old have been identified as substance use addicted (09:18) 
• Addiction means to be enslaved: the first step is to humanize the conversation about it (10:47)
• Normality is looking more and more like developmental arrest: we’re all fearful, addicted, and so much less than we could be (12:20)
• In recovery you discover there is something greater than yourself, your pain, your story, and your limitations—this is the solace (14:13)
• What are we here to recover? Our original face before we were born (15:28)
• The importance of practice: Roger’s therapeutic life changes (TLCs) and John’s work on Integral Recovery Practice (see Roger’s article and John’s book in the Resources below) (16:25)
• There is addiction…but then there is ADDICTION—the kind that is life threatening (17:40)
• For all of us the answer is finding connection. How can we find community? (20:31)
• A shift occurs in recovery when the idea of giving back, of service, of compassion kicks in (25:04)
• Along with connection, the experience of belonging is very important—it comes as a result of altruistic intentions (27:52)
• Like trauma, addiction is an overused and under-explained term: it’s important to acknowledge nuance and degree (30:21)
• Our society is a society of addiction (36:35)

Resources & References – Part 1

• Colette Baron-Reid’s website: https://www.colettebaronreid.com
• Colette’s podcast: Inside the Wooniverse, see also Deep Transformation episode #7, Living in Partnership with the Universe (YouTube version)
• Dr. Bob Weathers, recovery coach: https://www.drbobweathers.com, see also Deep Transformation episode #98, The Future of Addiction & Recovery
• The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous
• Johns Hopkins University “Study: Public Feels More Negative Toward People With Drug Addiction Than Those With Mental Illness”
• Roger Walsh, Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLCs) Can Be Powerful Medicines 
• John Dupuy, Integral Recovery: A Revolutionary Approach to the Treatment of Alcoholism and Addiction*
• The Self-Medication Hypothesis of Substance Use Disorders, Harvard Review of Psychiatry, Modified Group Therapy for Substance Abusers, The American Journal on Addictions, The 10-Year Course of AA Participation and Long-Term Outcomes, Substance Use and Addiction Journal
• Edward Khantzian, Some Treatment Implications of the Ego and Self Disturbances in Alcoholism
• Johann Hari, The Opposite of Addiction is Connection* (YouTube video)
• Trauma expert Thomas Hubl, see also Deep Transformation episode #24, Healing Collective Trauma: We Are All Shareholders in a Traumatized World 
• Trauma expert Gabor Mate, The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness & Healing in a Toxic Culture*
• Diagnostic creep
• Energy Flows, brain wave enhancing guided meditations for aligning the 7 energy centers, created by Colette Baron-Reid in collaboration with iAwake Technologies
• The Freedom of Forgiveness, guided meditation with brainwave entrainment technology, created by Dr. Bob Weathers in collaboration with iAwake Technologies
• The Gift of Gratitude – Recovery Edition, guided meditation with brainwave entrainment technology, created by Dr. Bob Weathers in collaboration with iAwake Technologies 

* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.

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Colette Baron-Reid (she/her) is a bestselling author, internationally acclaimed Oracle expert, spiritual intuitive, personal transformation thought leader, business strategist, artist, and educator. She’s the founder of The Oracle School Experience®, OraclePalooza® and the DreamQuest Platinum Mastermind. Colette is also the host of Inside the Wooniverse, a weekly podcast series featuring authentic and playful conversations with some of the world’s most interesting sages, scientists and celebrities. Author of 15 best-selling Oracle card decks, with over a million sold worldwide and 7 books published in 27 languages, Colette’s greatest joy is teaching people they can have a direct and personal dialog with the Universe to help them create their most fulfilling lives.

Dr. Bob Weathers is a highly regarded addiction educator, recovery coach, author, and public speaker. Over the course of his professional career, “Dr. Bob” has provided tens of thousands of hours of therapeutic counseling and recovery coaching to satisfied clients. He has also committed over four decades to teaching, training, and inspiring graduate-level mental health providers at several southern California universities, including helping to develop their nationally accredited addiction studies certificate and mindfulness-based clinical training coursework. His two most recent books on addiction recovery are currently in press with Cambridge University Press.

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Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell