Recovery Without Shame or Stigma: The Neuroscience of Addiction by Dr. Bob Weathers

Рет қаралды 40,238

9 жыл бұрын

Filmed at the California Southern University School of Behavioral Sciences. Please visit www.calsouthern.edu/psychology
Recovery without Shame or Stigma: Contributions from the Neuroscience of Addiction
Presented by Dr. Robert Weathers.
The centerpiece of this presentation is dedicated to providing as simple and accessible an introduction to the neuroscience of addiction as possible. But the guiding rationale behind this ongoing project has more direct, clinical implications. Addiction and recovery are unfortunately often hamstrung by personal feelings of shame and cultural attitudes of stigma. In this presentation, we intend to explore in-depth the usefulness of applying up-to-date, evidence-based concepts from neuroscience. The aim is to provide clinical tools for reducing the shame and stigma that so often accompany addiction and recovery --- whether for the client in recovery, his/her spouse and family, and even the therapist. Our specific focus throughout this lecture/dialogue is on summarizing and practically applying recent findings from neuroscience about addiction as an empirically documented brain disease.
Bio:
A highly regarded educator and university administrator, as well as recovery coach, author, and public speaker, Dr. Bob Weathers holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, with an M.A. in religious studies. 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 the past 35 years to teaching, training, and inspiring graduate-level mental health providers at several southern California universities, most recently at California Southern University.
Dr. Bob is currently academic effectiveness coordinator at CalSouthern, engaged full-time in ongoing initiatives for improving the educational experience of our learners, including his chairing the brand-new Student Advisory Council (more about this soon to be announced in a future newsletter). Additionally, Dr. Bob has published numerous articles in a broad cross-section of respected professional reference books, journals, and edited volumes. To learn more, visit: www.drbobweathers.com
If you would like to receive a certificate of attendance for viewing this lecture, please visit: apply.calsouthern.edu/attendan... or www.calsouthern.edu

Пікірлер: 37

@mxbrow4 Жыл бұрын

Awesome!!! Awesome. Awesome. Knowledge. Great job. Dr. Bob Weathers. Not kidding changed my view on life!! And reasoning!

@shelliepetty4951 Жыл бұрын

These lectures are invaluable. I've shared them to many of the people I sponsor and listen to them often. Thank you

@jeffreyfidler5301 4 жыл бұрын

You my dear friend are a genuine and caring soul a rare find in this world I have a two addictions. Suboxone and meth your words give me so much peace because I have so much shame. Please help me

@McGuire123100 3 жыл бұрын

You should not feel ashamed. You are SUFFERING. The people who traumatized you or contributed to your trauma are the ones who should be ASHAMED of themselves for treating you like your words and feelings didn't matter or were somehow "wrong." Let me guess, were u told nonstop that u were or are "too sensitive" and the solution was for u to just " grow a thicker skin?" How cruel to say to a person who was expressing tremendous despair. Remember this....Those who shamed and blamed you got NOTHING ACCOMPLISHED. Except you were seriously harmed by the lack of compassion. THEY ate the ones wearing the shame suit. You are a beautiful soul who feels the world more strongly, more passionately than ANY of those shamers. AND U KNOW.....we have meds to treat depression but they are not accessible because they are psychoactive! But used with proper guidance, not necessarily medical guidance, by the way...they transform lives, but there are people who don't want people like u to be all u can. Your passion was ferocious and powerful. People who think its ok to abuse others cannot handle an individual like u. I hope this helps you wherever u are and whoever you are. I don't need your name or location, because I am you, you are me. We ARE ALL ONE THING. That's why when people divide, their civilization falls. Even those who hurt you ARE YOU. And you are them. Just different expressions of human possibilities. You, my friend were the "beautiful one." You still are. I see you. May you find real care and treatment in alignment with YOUR BELIEFS AND NEEDS DIRECTING IT. You must be the one who must dictate IF YOU STOP OR NOT. u mustn't be coerced or threatened. When drs realize this and we stop this drug war nonsense which is responsible for 100 percent of the heartache that comes with this territory, ONLY THEN will "treatment" really be CARE, instead of the PUNISHMENT AND ABUSE people are bombarded with AND IT IS DIGUISED AS Clinical care. If people were truly receiving CARE AND EVIDENCE BASED MEDICAL TREATMENT.....maybe people would actually say NO TO DRUGS. Abusing people who were already hurt is unforgivable. Sending you love and a virtual hug, because YOU MATTER. Be well, my friend.

@MissUnderstoodasAlways 2 жыл бұрын

Excellent talk. Thank you!

@recoverylady 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you❣️ I am so grateful that you continue to share your love and light in the world. We so need it. Keep up the great work ❤️

@TanyaChisholm 2 жыл бұрын

Omg only a few min into this video and am already in love with your spirit and humor. Your presence and knowledge is amazing …thank you for the generosity of spirit you have brought to this discussion!

@morningmayan 8 жыл бұрын

I love this guy!

@nwakava9558 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you.

@captaind123 4 жыл бұрын

Great information, thank you!

@eliudgathiramaina8439 9 жыл бұрын

Thanks is great insight on best practice to help both substance abuse and behavior related addicts. I learnt a lot

@paulinelozoyahocking6668 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you for your clear thinking, compassion and sound science. An amazing talk that is just what I needed for my own research study. Very grateful!

@camuscat123 9 жыл бұрын

thank you,

@annabelnesbitt2951 Жыл бұрын

Mr weather's your a genius . Thankyou

@EveningTV 4 жыл бұрын

This is very frustrating because it continues to miss the point as we have been doing for years as the numbers of deaths have greatly multiplied even since this lecture was done. I do agree that there are tons of bad feelings but treating these symptoms is like trying string beads without first creating a knot. The problem is not shame, the problem is not drugs, alcohol, or a disease. yes stigma and shame exist and certainly don't help and in fact stigma can be traumatic. Bottom line is we are not going to heal addiction by getting people to call addicts diseased rather than criminal. Neither of these are accurate or helpful. The problem is trauma. There is clear evidence that the current method of addiction treatment does not work. It is not a matter of getting treatment. I also have a major problem with the concept of addiction as a disease. Trauma is the core problem in most cases and addiction is merely a symptom. Very disappointed that trauma was even missed here. I had close involvement with a drug court program and then I had personal experience with a son who died of an overdose a few weeks after 9 months in the best of the 8 total programs he attended in his 4 years battling addiction. They were all 12 step based and none integrated any trauma treatment. My son wanted to get clean and was in total compliance and completed every program he ever entered and did them all voluntarily. 12 step programs also are not right for traumatized people. Calling themselves addicts and hammering into their heads that they are powerless and essentially to blame for every bad thing that has ever happened in their lives. This all sounds so helpful, and I agree with the overarching theme that we do need to look at addiction with compassion not judgment, but the rest of this has kept us stuck in antiquated methods that are failing something like 92% of people entering treatment that are drug or alcohol free 2 years later. AA helps a very vocal minority of about 5%. When I first started down this path years ago I assumed treatment did work because that is the way it is presented and everything I have actually witnessed , and simply paying attention to the news and reading Dr. Lance Dodes, Dr. Gabor Mate and others debunks where he started "Treatment works." I've never seen this reported. You must get rid of the pain the addiction is anesthetizing.

@sammy2840 4 жыл бұрын

Read The Big Book. The forward states “we were a group of people who have RECOVERED... Treatment works when approached as a spiritual sickness! The Big Book (12 Step Program) mentions God over and over and over. However, Treatment programs have removed God from the Equasion! A “Higher Power” can be a tree or defined by the addict!! That is why the program doesn’t work! The 3rd Step is turned to a work of silliness...then...gee we aren’t successful? No wonder!

@EveningTV 4 жыл бұрын

@Stefon Palinic I also don't believe in the concept of sober time because I. think. it adds to the shame and stigma people unfortunately deal with,. In. these scenarios it seems to me that neither of these people has dealt with the reason they use in the first place and it then.becomes a contest between who can endure the pain the longest before reaching for relief.

@EveningTV 4 жыл бұрын

@Stefon Palinic In my opinion, whatever works is that person's answer. So, I celebrate you finding what works for you. Warm thoughts and best wishes. 💞

@treevapeacock846 3 жыл бұрын

@Stefon Palinic a dry drunk is never SOBER

@dawnblincow9563 3 жыл бұрын

@paulfalstad1 2 жыл бұрын

Awesome presentation and presentor! Vital info from a humble yet wise professional. Thank you!

@UnDernierSouffle 9 жыл бұрын

Really interesting and meeting its purpose : it is indeed a simple introduction to the neuroscience of addiction :)

@Mikew37746 6 күн бұрын

@ 1:17

@Mikew37746 6 күн бұрын

@ 1:16:30

@johnlowery1732 6 жыл бұрын

Shame and stigma tend to be only political drivers and have small value in recovery for me. Both happen but it's the actual clinical parts that helped me moderate over indulgence. Shame is a robber or thief that causes great harm. Thank you for helping me with your lecture. So many medical situations are simply not a religious responsibility at all.

@annalisette5897 4 жыл бұрын

WHY are so many young people experimenting with or regularly using substances? These facts irritate me on a number of levels and using statistics like this to define the "opioid epidemic" makes me very angry. I am a product of the 1960s-70s. You all know the reputation of the 60s! Still, most of us never tried street drugs. Many consumed alcohol before age 21 but I do not think that was quite how it is today. If any of us had gone to class or come home to our parents stoned, high or drunk we would have been dealt with severely. Now it seems society and politicians are saying 11-year-olds cannot be kept away from drugs so items like legitimate pain medication must be kept away from everyone, even people with well diagnosed pain. We pay taxes to give "free" education to children. Now in many areas this is K-12, 13 years of education. Many, many other things for children are funded by tax money. It seems to me, parents, teachers and others in charge of those kids OWE society to keep their kids off drugs! (I have dogs. I am required to have them vaccinated for rabies and to prevent them from harming people, property or other animals. I am not saying kids should be kennelized or leashed but I notice a large part of raising dogs is in constant vigilance at home and away from home.) My actual Interest in the subject of addition is in PHYSIOLOGICAL research to find the absolute causes and cures for the disease. Very young people abusing substances have taught research a great deal. However I suggest the issue of child substance abusers should be in an additional category. Let politicians, policymakers and others in charge clean up that mess before making policies for all based on "saving children!" The "Tobacco Free" efforts plan to make cigarette smoking unthinkable and abnormal among young people. How well is that working? If policymakers think they can "denormalize" tobacco, I suggest they put even more effort into "saving children" from other addictive drugs by "denormalizing them, rather than creating laws that deny legitimate care to adults who suffer!

@mourningwarbler 4 жыл бұрын

The P & T in PTA have been replaced by teachers unions. The Northwest Ordinance included public education as a requirement for statehood because religion & morality are so important. It should be parents, teachers, and communities that made decisions about education. Many people on school boards have their campaigns financed by teachers unions. When you were in school, there was not Dept of Education, another black hole for tax dollars (1979).

@TanyaChisholm 2 жыл бұрын

Laws don’t help addictions. It’s not the drug, it’s the society. Drugs have never been harder to get, but they’ve never been more in demand. We need to ask why children are experiencing so much trauma that basically hijacks them and creates a vacuum that only drugs can fill…drugs only release the natural bio chemical elements our brain naturally Makes to keep us happy ans safe. But when trauma is introduced, the brain does not create the same chemicals as normal. So one time someone tries a drug and their domamine starved brain is flooded with a feeling that they should have been feeling the entire time, of course people get addicted. We are humans, and we’re designed to need these chemicals. So if one isn’t getting them, the first time they try a substance they experience is as if “omg this is how it feels to be normal! To be able to breathe, to not be wracked with fear etc. the issue is not legislating Anything. It’s taking a serious look at the society and the family dynamics we’ve created and realize it’s killing our kids and our future.

@annalisette5897 2 жыл бұрын

@@TanyaChisholm I agree that legislation is wrong. There is an interesting video I can't seem to find at the moment, which suggested modern life continually stokes elevated moods and crashes through things like electronics, lighting, diet, etc. The theory is that modern humans can continually and repeatedly experience normal highs, not tempered with quiet rest or family time. Therefore normal elation becomes boring and drugs provide the extra high. It was said that until recent times, people worked hard and occasionally experienced intense moods, perhaps after a successful hunt, surviving danger, etc. Then there was a lot of quieter time resting or telling stories around the campfire. This made sense to me but I have no idea if it is accurate. I was born at a time when it seemed almost all adults smoked. Many were extremely addicted to a socially sanctioned and welcomed custom. I do not believe an argument for trauma can be used to explain the many who were and are addicted to nicotine.

@thegorilla1388 3 жыл бұрын

This guy knows nothing about an addict. How can he with just reading books.

@shelliepetty4951 Жыл бұрын

We don't stay sober and clean by knowledge alone however this information is extremely helpful for us alcoholics and addicts. KCB

@peat_dont_repeat 4 ай бұрын

You are 100%.. Support helps so much. I have none only what I can pay. I am 58 and everyone I love blames me and won't take claim for their responsibility for it. DYSFUNCTIONAL FUNCTIONAL. CUZ THEY GOT POWER AND RICH OFF OF SHAMING ME.