#13 F*ck Shame: Overcoming Addiction through Connection, with Dr. Adi Jaffe, PhD

12/17/20 • 56 min

CatharSIS: a Podcast about the Meaning of Life

You wouldn't know it just by looking at Dr. Jaffe today, but he was once convicted and sentenced to 1 year in jail for using, buying and selling hard drugs. After getting out of jail, it was impossible to find anyone who'd accept him for a job.
For many in the US, this situation leads people back to crime and in jail again, and so the cycle repeats. But for Dr. Jaffe, he attributes his success to the fact that he had (and has) a strong support system--people who believed in him and saw his value.
In this episode, Dr. Jaffe shares his full story from being a drug addict and becoming a convicted felon, to where is is today: an author, TedEx speaker, and nationally recognized expert on mental health, addiction, relationships and shame.
We also unpack his perspective on why putting drug users in jail isn't the right approach, why the goal of 100% abstinence for drug and alcohol addiction recovery isn't the right approach either, how we can truly help people stuck in the cycle of addiction, why community is so important, and much more.
Adi Jaffe, Ph.D. is a nationally recognized expert on mental health, addiction, relationships and shame. He was a UCLA lecturer in the Psychology department at UCLA for the better part of a decade and was the Executive-Director and Co-Founder of one of the most progressive mental health treatment facilities in the country - until he started IGNTD.
Dr. Jaffe, through IGNTD, is changing the way people think about, and deal with mental health issues. His passion in the role of shame destroying lives is the philosophy behind IGNTD Recovery and its aim to greatly reduce the stigma of addiction and mental health.
Resources Mentioned:
Free resource from Dr. Jaffe: https://www.igntd.com/feelingswheel
Dr. Jaffe's Ted Talk: https://youtu.be/A9xFJ_hqzDQ
Get in touch with Dr. Jaffe:
Website: https://www.adijaffe.com
Book: https://www.theabstinencemyth.com
Igntd: https://www.igntd.com
Get in touch with Michal and Maayan:
Website: https://www.sistersinpsychology.com
Instagram: @sistersinpsychology
Email: [email protected]

Previous Episode

#12 Change Your Perspective, Learn, and Share with Sydney Estrada, AMFT and Lauren Thomas, AMFT

Sydney Estrada and Lauren Thomas, both Associate Marriage and Family Therapists, share how their experiences with racism, colorism, and racial trauma led to pursuing careers in therapy.
The discrepancies amongst the Black community within the education system, due to colorism, empowered Lauren to prioritize her practice for uplifting Black women of various backgrounds as well as unpacking racial trauma.
Sydney currently works at the Child Development Institute, where she and Maayan met. She supports young children and their families understand and develop social/emotional skills. After experiencing, first hand, the disparities in the education system, Sydney aims to provide the mental health resources necessary for children and families to thrive in all environments.
In this episode, Lauren and Sydney unpack the term "code switching", racism in the school system, the importance of having faith in something (even if it's just in yourself), and of course, how they define their meanings of life.
Get in touch with Lauren:
Instagram: @therapywithlt
Website: therapywithlt.com
Get in touch with Sydney:
Instagram: @showandtellyourstory
Get in touch with Maayan and Michal:
Website: https://www.sistersinpsychology.com
Instagram: @sistersinpsychology
Email: [email protected]
Books and Resources Mentioned:
Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief by David Kessler, MD.
Journey of Souls by Michael Newton, PhD.

Next Episode

#14 Dr. Patricia Wynn-Jones on Energy Medicine and Creating Your Own Reality

Dr. Patricia Wynn-Jones is an anesthesiologist and pain management specialist, with a focus on energy medicine and epigenetic based pain management practice. She worked very closely with our late father, a Hematologist-Oncologist.

Dr. Wynn-Jones helps us understand what exactly is energy medicine and epigenetics, both of which have been around for decades but are just now being accepted into the mainstream. In a nutshell, we are so much more than the bodies our souls are contained in. We create our own reality, and once we understand this and learn to harness universal energy, we can heal our bodies, improve our relationships, and live better.

If you're dealing with any type of chronic or terminal illness, or you're just interested in alternative medicine, this episode is for you!

Resources Mentioned:
Dr. Hew Len Ho'oponopono: https://www.self-i-dentity-through-hooponopono.com/
Dr. Alexina Hazzard: Back-to-back heart-to-heart: http://khepra-institute.org/dr-alexina-hazzard/

Get in touch with Michal & Maayan
Website: https://www.sistersinpsychology.com
Instagram: @sistersinpsychology
Email: [email protected]