Anna Lembke discusses dopamine detox, addiction, and how narratives shape trauma recovery. She examines dopamine‑seeking behavior, the paradox of pain relief, and the role of abstinence, higher power, and storytelling in overcoming addiction.

- 00:00:00 - Introduction
- 00:02:40 - Anna Lembke's experience with addiction
- 00:10:46 - Dopamine-seeking behavior vs coping mechanism
- 00:12:35 - The paradox of pain relief
- 00:24:21 - The self-perpetuating cycle of addiction
- 00:24:00 - Neuroadaptation
- 00:29:23 - The power of abstinence
- 00:34:04 - Life as an experiment
- 00:37:15 - Dopamine reward and misconceptions of the "present moment"
- 00:41:06 - Freud, Jung, and mindfulness
- 00:45:35 - East vs West in mental health
- 00:51:15 - Importance of self-talk and bedside manner
- 00:56:00 - Attachment styles in trauma (and intergenerational trauma)
- 01:01:00 - Power of stories and a Higher Power in addiction recovery
- 01:07:42 - Radical honesty / truth-telling
- 01:12:02 - The relevance of free will
- 01:23:26 - Love as a catalyst for tough decisions
- 01:31:02 - Digital Sabbath (and Curt's coffee abnegation)
- 01:42:12 - Methadone for severe opioid use disorder
- 01:51:00 - The language of addiction, stigmatization, and identity
- 01:57:32 - Rat Park experiments (society's role in addiction)
- 02:08:16 - Writing as a therapeutic tool
- 02:14:12 - The necessity of a Higher Power

SPONSORS:

- BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/TOE
- Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal
- Crypto: https://tinyurl.com/cryptoTOE
- PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/paypalTOE
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt
- Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs
- iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/better-left-unsaid-with-curt-jaimungal/id1521758802
- Pandora: https://pdora.co/33b9lfP
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e
- Subreddit r/TheoriesOfEverything: https://reddit.com/r/theoriesofeverything
- TOE Merch: https://tinyurl.com/TOEmerch

RESOURCES:

- YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKL0Pw3Q6mA
- Dopamine Nation (Anna Lembke): https://amzn.to/47euRic
- Podcast w/ Karl Friston on TOE: https://youtu.be/SWtFU1Lit3M
- Podcast w/ Lilian Dindo: https://youtu.be/L_hI7JNsbt0
- Pure White and Deadly (John Yudkin): https://amzn.to/3snMZHW
- Drug Dealer MD (Anna Lembke): https://amzn.to/40G4WOJ

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