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"Addictions are when wants become needs—and wants become needs as a result of unmet needs," says Speaker A, holistic health practitioner and host of Mental Health in a Modern World. Drawing from a decade of experience helping clients navigate anxiety and OCD, Speaker A dives deep into the epidemic of “socially approved” addictions, from scrolling social media to processed food and caffeine, and unravels why most of us are unconsciously trapped in cycles of self-sabotage.

In this episode, Speaker A explains how socially normalized patterns of addiction are rooted in invisible wounds: attachment injuries, unmet essential needs, and the internal wars between our desires and our deeper needs. He breaks down frameworks for understanding the psychology behind addiction—including Gabor Maté’s cost-benefit ratio, the alignment of "head and heart," and the role of internal "protector parts" that uphold destructive habits.

If you want to uncover the hidden contracts that keep you trapped, decode what unmet needs are fueling your habits, and hear actionable steps for healing addictive patterns at the deepest level, tune in to Mental Health in a Modern World for this insightful solo episode with Speaker A.

5 Key Takeaways

Transform your relationship with addiction by putting these steps into practice now:

1. Take a Needs vs. Wants Inventory: Write two columns for your essential needs and non-essential wants; identify which wants have turned into needs and which needs consistently go unmet.
2. Reflect on Attachment Injuries: Look back at your childhood to uncover breaks or injuries in your attachments to caregivers and where you may have sacrificed authenticity to secure attachment.
3. Identify Your Story Gap: Recognize any discrepancy between your internal feelings and the story you project outwardly to others—closing this gap removes a major driver of addiction.
4. Check Your Head-Heart Alignment: Explore where your head and heart (or mind and body) are out of alignment, and commit to making choices that unite your intellect and intuition.
5. Write Out Your Unconscious Contracts: Clearly state your unconscious agreements driving self-sabotage—identify the behavior, its perceived benefit, and its cost, and start the process of renegotiating these contracts.

Start now—empower yourself by taking one concrete step from this list today!

Memorable Quotes

"Addictions are when wants become needs, and wants become needs as a result of unmet needs."

"You can't escape the prison that you don't know you're in."

"Addiction is when a want becomes a need."

Resources Mentioned

In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction by Gabor Maté - https://amzn.to/4tz76fu

Introduction to Internal Family Systems by Richard C. Schwartz - https://amzn.to/4uQgAnP

Connect with Greg

Website - https://www.healing4d.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/4d_healing/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@gregschmaus

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-schmaus-22929589/

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Embark on The HTM Journey

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Embark on The HTM Journey

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