Episode Description
Supplemental Study Guide:
https://www.drdallasbragg.com/newsletters/blog/posts/giftofchemsex
In this episode, host Dr. Dallas Bragg sits down with Matthew, a client and graduate of the Foundations group coaching program, who shares his journey from childhood in West Virginia to crystal meth addiction and ultimately into recovery. Matthew opens up about the subtle but powerful childhood wounds that shaped his sense of self — growing up as an identical twin constantly compared to his brother, latching onto intelligence as his sole identity, and enduring bullying that reinforced deep feelings of inadequacy. He traces how those unhealed wounds drove him toward perfectionism, people-pleasing, and eventually chemsex, where meth temporarily silenced the relentless inner voices telling him he wasn't good enough.
The conversation turns to the transformative shift that changed everything for Matthew: learning self-compassion. Through Dr. Bragg's coaching program, Matthew began to see meth not as a villain that stole his life, but as a mirror reflecting what he'd been missing — self-worth, self-love, and authentic identity. Key themes explored include the power of asking "what is true and what is a story," releasing judgment (of meth, of yourself, of your past), and the courage it takes to stop identifying with your wounds and start discovering who you actually are. Matthew's story is a powerful testament that recovery isn't about returning to who you were — it's about becoming who you were always meant to be.
Find Matthew here:
Instagram: Matthewdenali.11
Email: matthew.murse21@gmail.com
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Dallas Bragg
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