As the Story Goes

“The difference between passion and addiction is that between a divine spark and a flame that incinerates.”
― Gabor Maté, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction

Photo Credit: https://drgabormate.com/

Dr. Gabor Mate, a world renowned addiction expert, best-selling author, and speaker has an extensive body of work related to trauma, addiction, stress and childhood development. Based on his years of research related to addiction and mental illness, Dr. Gabor Mate firmly asserts that the source of addictions/mental illness is not to be found in genes but in the early childhood environment. By taking a compassionate inquiry approach to mental illness and addiction, Dr. Mate helps his patients better understand themselves and the root causes of their disorder. Through his insight into the relationship between the body and the mind, he empowers his patients by helping them to reconnect with themselves at both the emotional and physiological levels. By developing an in-depth self awareness practice, his patients learn to reconnect with authentic feelings and emotions and through this process they are able to liberate themselves from self-destructive behaviors. 

In January 2019, I had the opportunity to interview Theo Fleury on my podcast. Theo is a 13-year veteran of the National Hockey League having played on the Calgary Flames, New York Rangers, Colorado Avalanche, and the Chicago Blackhawks. He also won the Stanley Cup in 1989 when he played with the Calgary Flames. To most people it would seem that Theo had an extraordinary life as he was a professional athlete, making millions of dollars and was cherished by hockey fans around the world. 

The truth is that Theo lived a very tormented life that was brought on by acute trauma that he had experienced while playing junior hockey. Theo also grew up in a very dysfunctional family that was plagued by poverty. Throughout his professional hockey career, Theo's issues with drug and alcohol abuse were well documented, as was his gambling addiction. In Theo's own words, he estimates having lost over 50 million dollars gambling. Everything came to a boiling point in 2004 when Theo almost took his own life. He tells this story in detail in the episode that we recorded and speaks in-depth about his recovery process. Dr. Gabor Mate's work played a pivotal role in Theo's recovery and continues to make a difference in his life today. Through intensive therapy, Theo found a new path in life that led him to creating Fleury Enterprises which focuses on relational trauma and educating the public about the prevalence and signs of emotional injury. He is deeply committed to increasing awareness about trauma and reach more people who are in pain and in need of help. 

I'm re-releasing this episode with Theo on my new podcast platform. The conversation was rich with insight and Theo's honesty and commitment to make a difference in the world by being of service to others is so very commendable. If you know someone who might be suffering from mental illness, addiction issues, or trauma, you might direct their toward Theo's work and the work of Dr. Gabor Mate. 

I've included the link below to my conversation with the inspiring Theo Fleury. Click on the photo to access As The Story Goes. 

https://www.buzzsprout.com/881980/3033331-as-the-story-goes-run-your-life-91