What if addiction isn't just about substances… but about what we reach for when life feels hard, empty, overwhelming, or just a bit too much?

In this honest, fascinating, and occasionally mind-bending conversation, I sit down with psychotherapist and Addiction Specialist Tommy Benefield to talk about addiction, recovery, trauma, psychedelics, and the deeper human search underneath all of it.

Tommy shares his own story of addiction and recovery, his cautious path into ayahuasca and plant medicine, and why healing isn't always calm, blissful, or a "good trip."

This is a conversation about relief, escape, consciousness, distress tolerance, and what people may really be looking for when they reach for something outside themselves.

In this episode, we explore:

• Tommy's personal history with addiction and recovery
• Why addiction often starts as a solution before it becomes a problem
• The role of guilt, values, and your inner compass
• Why some people feel more internal conflict around addiction than others
• Why psychedelics are not a magic bullet
• Why "bad trips" may not actually be bad at all
• The idea that addiction may be less about wanting a fix… and more about wanting connection
• Why distress intolerance matters more than most of us realise
• The role of integration after psychedelic experiences
• What might sit underneath the coping

A few standout ideas:

• Addiction often begins as an attempt to soothe, regulate, or escape discomfort
• The things we reach for aren't always the problem — sometimes they're the clue
• Freedom isn't needing life to feel good all the time. It's being able to stay with yourself when it doesn't
• Why insight without integration doesn't change much

Books, thinkers, and ideas mentioned

• Michael Pollan – How to Change Your Mind
• Christopher Bache – LSD and the Mind of the Universe
• Ram Dass
• Eckhart Tolle
• The Bhagavad Gita
• Default Mode Network (DMN)
• 12-step recovery
• Trauma, distress tolerance, and integration

Final thought

If you've ever found yourself asking: "Why can't I stop?"

This conversation invites a more useful question: "What am I actually needing when I reach?"

To contact Tommy Benefield, go to his website https://tommytherapy.com/