In this episode, psychotherapist Emil Barna reads the revised first chapter to his 2017 book Minding The Brain Towards Change: What Willpower Really Means For Addiction.

Here is a snippet from the book:

"In the 1970s, the communist politician Pol Pot took power of Cambodia and led a militant regime—helped along by the Khmer Rouge (a communist-backed militant group operating at the beck and call of Pol Pot)—that made it their mission to wipe out academics, businessmen, monks, and anybody who sought to question the regime. Some of Makara’s family were among the two million people murdered during that time. At the time, those being executed had to dig their own graves before receiving a death blow (usually by a sharpened bamboo stick through the back of the skull). Many fled, including Makara's family. Some would set up shop in countries like Australia, becoming successful businessmen and women. Others would try to extinguish the traumatic flashbacks of these incidents by using drugs, especially heroin. Once the drug's effects wore off, the evil thoughts re-penetrated."

—Chapter Summary

Main Points

• There are many ways to understand addiction and all include personal choice
• The brain is the main organ affected when you use an addictive substance and use can lead to neural degeneration and loss of function (especially when starting earlier in life)
• Addiction is not a brain disease in the proper sense. Although the brain is affected, you can choose to recover when ceasing use

 Practical Considerations

• The more you understand about addiction, the better you’ll be able to help those who are addicted. Patience and curiosity are the best approaches to addressing those with an addiction

www.barnacc.com

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