I'm here with David Essel, M.S., O.M. He's a 13-time number one best-selling author. David is also a counselor, executive coach, international speaker, and a radio, TV, and podcast host. It's his mission to positively affect 2 million people or more every single day.
His latest book, Permanent Alcohol & Life Recovery!: A New Approach to Go Beyond “The Steps” to Peace, Health, and Joy for Busy Executives, and YOU! is so advanced and unique that people who never thought they would be free from addiction are now free. His work of 43 years is also highly endorsed by the late Wayne Dyer, Mark Victor Hansen, and many other celebrities around the world.
David shares his journey through addiction and recovery and how it began in childhood with an inability to cope with life. We also talk about the shift in mental health treatment that is helping men deal with their trauma and coping skills. We talk about trauma, emotional regulation, the influence of the subconscious mind, language and more.
[06:04] David has a master's degree in sports psychology and counseling. He started out working with athletes. In 1990, he went through a mental health crisis and began understanding the root of all of his addictions.
[07:15] He began drinking at 12, because he was a very angry and emotionally unregulated child.
[08:48] In 1990, he discovered the origin of his addiction was a result of an inability to deal with life.
[10:35] More men are seeking treatment, and it's great because men need to come to the forefront and find other men to identify with.
[10:57] Unhealed anger, rage, and sadness are some of the biggest causes of depression. We need to find The Logical origin to understand what to heal.
[13:38] Trauma comes in many levels. A low trauma over many years can turn into a high trauma.
[15:08] Anxiety is another word for trauma.
[16:22] Men's emotions used to always be suppressed. Things have changed for the better. Now men can be vulnerable and have intimacy, not just sex.
[18:40] Spend some time alone without any background media and get to know yourself. It's okay to feel insecure or frustrated and learn how to regulate your emotions.
[21:19] In the world of recovery, we're all trying to become more emotionally regulated.
[24:10] Tim's new meditation routine is 15 minutes of quiet in the morning and evening.
[25:04] David believes that everyone should begin with guided meditation.
[26:29] David talks about transcendental meditation, supplements for people in recovery, and aromatherapy.
[27:43] Tim gets to the bottom of why David claims to be an expert when it comes to addiction and recovery.
[37:06] Tim and David discuss the true cause of any and all addictions. It's the inability to deal with life.
[40:29] David talks about why the current model for addiction and recovery has such a high failure rate. A lot of them are based on the 12-step program with a 90% failure rate. Modern information on recovery has evolved recently.
[42:18] It's okay for organizations to update. Sponsors could use more training.
[47:00] David talks about not saying things that logically don't make sense.
[49:42] One of the number one benefits of the 12-step program according to David is walking into a room and being vulnerable and honest.
[53:17] David talks about the power of permanent recovery and the importance of the language you use.
[58:01] The role that the subconscious mind plays in addiction and recovery. It’s where the work really needs to be done.
[01:03:00] David talks about the most important tool in recovery which is learning the art of emotional regulation.
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