Overcome Addictions & Obsessions of All Kinds | Dr. Anna Lembke

Dr. Anna Lembke, MD, is chief of the Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic at Stanford and a leading expert in how to overcome addictions of all kinds. We discuss dopamine dynamics in the brain and how they impact risk-taking, mental obsession, and compulsive behaviors. We also discuss the most common addiction of all—people’s addiction to control—and how prayer and spiritual practices can open up new neural pathways and help end unhealthy thought patterns and behaviors, including codependence.

Read the full episode show notes at hubermanlab.com.

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Timestamps

(00:00:00) Anna Lembke

(00:02:14) Social Media, Digital Media Addiction, 4 Cs; Pollution Analogy

(00:06:43) Dopamine, Reinforcing Behaviors & Addiction

(00:09:03) Sponsors: Lingo & Helix Sleep

(00:11:26) Pleasure & Pain, Homeostasis; Withdrawal & Relapse; Restoring Balance

(00:16:02) Treating Addiction, Behavior Replacement, 12 Step

(00:22:59) Addiction is the Modern Plague, Spiritual Transformation

(00:26:39) Addiction Risk Factors, Trauma; Addiction Consequences; Interventions

(00:35:47) Sponsor: AG1

(00:37:00) Spiritual Pivot, Addicted to Control; Anxiety & Shame

(00:45:57) Control Paradox & Radical Surrender

(00:51:58) Periaqueductal Gray (PAG), Spirituality, Addiction & Control

(00:58:08) Dopamine & Serotonin, Higher Power & Surrender

(01:02:34) Psychedelics, Psilocybin, Risk

(01:06:50) Sponsor: Function

(01:08:28) Neurobiology of Surrender, PAG, Hitting Rock Bottom

(01:13:40) Aversion to Discussing Spirituality, Open Curiosity; Death

(01:21:58) Crisis & Despair, Tools: Prayer; Do the Next Right Thing; Codependence

(01:29:26) Codependence, Parenting, Technology; Making Assumptions

(01:38:48) Sponsor: LMNT

(01:40:08) Codependence, Mother & Father; Overcoming Codependency

(01:44:28) Youth & Digital Age; Tolerating Uncertainty, Tool: Open Curiosity

(01:50:13) “Faithing”, Praying for Others; Symbols

(01:56:57) Transcending Ourselves, Modern Society & Resistance to Spirituality

(02:02:24) Daily Spiritual Practices

(02:04:23) Ketamine & Addiction, Depression; Stimulants Addiction

(02:08:29) GLP-1s, Alcohol Addiction, Dopamine

(02:10:28) Thought Addiction? Worry & Rumination; Next Book

(02:14:52) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow, Reviews & Feedback, Sponsors, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

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