Sustaining Long-Term Recovery: Healing Effects of Trauma, Stigma & Shame & Forging Lives of Connection, Service & Gratitude with Colette Baron-Reid & Dr. Bob Weathers

Ep. 111 (Part 2 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. 

“Gratitude is the abracadabra that creates our reality. Forgiveness is essential too.”

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

Topics & Time Stamps – Part 2

• Trauma feeds directly into addiction: studies show childhood trauma victims are 5 to 10 times more at risk for addiction (00:59)
• Shadow work is absolutely required to sustain sobriety (05:07)
• Dealing with the shame element of shadow (06:58)
• Surrendering, letting go, opening up to other individuals and to your higher power (09:40)
• Living in 24-hour compartments (13:52)
• The effects of COVID on addiction: living in uncertainty and disconnection and how fear isolates us (15:07)
• Ideology addiction (20:40)
• The spiritual aspect of recovery (22:37)
• Colette’s practices today: conscious connection with a higher power, therapy, EMDR, cultivating humor, and more (25:39)  
• Bob’s recovery practice and how it evolved (30:09)
• The bedrock of forgiveness practice and gratitude practice (31:29)
• Service and love: you matter (37:23)

Resources & References – Part 2

• CDC’s Adverse Childhood Experience studies 
• John Bradshaw, Healing the Shame that Binds You*
• The Serenity Prayer (Celebrate Recovery website)
• Carl Jung, The Archetypes and The Collective Unconscious* (opus contra naturam)
• The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous
• Guy du Plessis, addiction specialist, Ideology Addiction (on Medium)
• Bill W, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous
• James Finley, clinical psychologist, spiritual therapist, author of The Healing Path,* podcast host: Turning to the Mystics, see also James Finley on the Deep Transformation podcast: Sacred Psychotherapy: Bringing Depth & Spirit to Healing, Suffering & Trauma
• Noah Levine, Refuge Recovery: A Buddhist Path to Recovering from Addiction*
• John Dupuy, Integral Recovery: A Revolutionary Approach to the Treatment of Alcoholism and Addiction*
• 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 
• Energy Flows, brain wave enhancing guided meditations for aligning the 7 energy centers, created by Colette Baron-Reid in collaboration with iAwake Technologies
• 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

* 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