Neuroscience researcher and author Brian Pennie reflects on his 15-year addiction to heroin and how he managed to not only survive those harrowing years but to come out of it and build a life he loves.

Show Notes

• Anxiety and addiction
• "The opposite of addiction is connection." Johann Hari
• Awareness is the opposite of addiction
• Awareness by Anthony DeMelo
• Storytelling and “the grand self-deception”
• The relationship between self-awareness, self-belief, and self-deception
• Where does self-belief come from?
• The importance of friendship and vulnerability
• Surrender and peace of mind
• Relational Frame Theory and the connection between language and emotion
• The relationship between addiction and values (or the lack of values)
• Curiosity as the key to recovery and thriving
• Positive addictions
• Transforming desire
• Surviving vs thriving
• Brian’s Dr. Dolittle Story
• The importance of playfulness and humor

You can learn more about Brian and his work here:

• Website
• Bonus Time (Book)
• Social Media: Twitter | LinkedIn | Medium

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Dr. Randy Paterson guides us through the ins and outs of assertive communication, explaining why it's essential for healthy, happy relationships in work, love, and life.

Show Notes

• What is assertiveness?
• Common misconceptions about assertiveness
• The 4 styles of communication
• The benefits of becoming more assertive
• The barriers to being assertive: the stress barrier; the social barrier; the belief barrier
• Why it’s so hard to ask for what you really want
• Demanding what we want vs informing people of what we want
• DESO scripts
• Why it’s hard to say no to what you don’t want
• How to handle confrontation well
• Strategies for constructive confrontation, especially how to find common ground
• Are we responsible for other people’s feelings?
• Beyond assertive communication: taking responsibility for your own life

You can learn more about Randy and his work here:

• Personal Website 
• YouTube Channel
• The Assertiveness Workbook (book)
• How to Be Miserable (book)
• How to Be Miserable in Your 20s (book)

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Nick and Daniel trade off describing their favorite myths and misconceptions about insomnia and sleep.

Show Notes:

• Does everyone need 8 hours of sleep per night?
• Should I go to bed at the same time every night?
• The crucial difference between feeling tired and feeling sleepy
• If I’m not getting 8 hours of sleep, am I at risk for major health issues?
• Do I need to avoid blue light before bed?
• Do things cause insomnia or beliefs about things? See also: Nick's Complete Guide to Insomnia
• The problem with sleep hygiene
• Sleep is more about what you don’t do than what you do.
• Sleep effort and the perfect metaphor for insomnia
• Is it important to get an even number of sleep cycles?
• Beware the Sleep Hygiene Industrial Complex
• If I have a big day coming up, should I get into bed early?
• Can I pay off my long-term sleep debt?
• How important is it to understand what caused my insomnia?
• Triggering factors vs maintaining factors in insomnia
• Insomnia and threat-monitoring
• Is insomnia even a sleep disorder?
• Does sleep quality deteriorate with age?
• Should I avoid exercise in the evenings?
• Intention is everything when it comes to sleep.

You can follow Daniel Erichsen online in the following places:

• Podcast
• YouTube
• Twitter

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Nick and Traci separate myth from reality on the topic of hypnosis and discuss what clinical hypnosis can actually be useful for.

Show Notes:

• Common misconceptions about hypnosis
• What is hypnosis, exactly?
• Hypnosis vs Positive Visualization, Flow, and Mindfulness
• What does hypnosis actually feel like?
• What is a hypnotic trance? 
• Everyday trances
• For Love of the Game
• Suggestibility
• Hypnosis and healthy behavior change
• What is hypnosis especially useful for?
• Hypnosis for smoking cessation
• Nick’s unconscious self-hypnotic inductions
• Hypnobirthing
• Self-hypnosis
• Holly Forester-Miller — Surgery video (a bit graphic!)
• Self-hypnosis for confidence and public speaking
• American Society of Clinical Hypnosis
• Traci Stein’s self-hypnosis audio programs

You can follow Traci online here:

• Website
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Insight Timer App

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Nick and Tom discuss different ways of thinking about addiction and why it matters for tackling one of the world's most important challenges.

Show Notes:

• Common misconceptions about addiction
• The 3 fundamental addictive behaviors
• Are addicts fundamentally different than non-addicts?
• Is addiction a habit?
• Addiction, loss of control, and the gun-to-the-head test
• How important is self-control and willpower in overcoming addiction?
• Cravings, Urge Surfing (Alan Marlatt), and Confidence
• Transforming desire
• Addiction as a relationship, not a thing (Stanton Peele, Love and Addiction)
• Should we legalize and/or decriminalize recreational drugs?
• The world’s first self-help books (Nichomachean Ethics)
• Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies professionally vetted self-help books
• Addictive personalities
• Positive addictions
• Slips vs relapses and why the distinction matters
• The opposite of addiction is connection (John Hari)
• St. John’s College 
• How to help someone who’s struggling with addiction
• Smart Recovery
• Beyond Addiction
• Practical Recovery

You can follow Tom and learn more about his work here:

• Website
• Book: Sex, Drugs, Gambling, and Chocolate: A Workbook for Overcoming Addictions

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Nick and Daron discuss what mindfulness is exactly and how to incorporate more mindfulness into your own life (without sitting on a yoga mat repeating a mantra for hours).

Show Notes:

• What is mindfulness?
• The trappings of mindfulness
• Mindfulness as exercise for your attention
• Mindfulness vs mindfulness meditation
• Formal vs ordinary mindfulness
• Mindfulness as attention management
• Giuseppe's Italian restaurant Columbus Ohio
• Are mindfulness apps overrated?
• Daron’s personal mindfulness practice
• Shinzen Young
• Daron's approach to attentional cross-training
• Obstacles to starting a mindfulness practice
• The two muscles of mindfulness
• “Mindfulness is a no-lose game that feels like a no-win game.”
• The spiritual aspects of mindfulness

You can follow Daron Larson here:

• Website
• Twitter

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