Uprooting Addiction, Healing From The Ground Up: A Film That Explores The Connection Between Trauma And Addiction, with Hope Payson and Daryl McGraw

ABOUT THE EPISODE:
In this important and uplifting film, six people from Connecticut with vastly different cultural and socio-economic backgrounds explore the childhood traumas at the roots of their drug addictions. 

At an innovative retreat organized by addiction and trauma counselor Hope Payson (LSCW, LADC), six people from varying walks of life – each affected by childhood trauma – come together to share their stories, emerging from darkness through community, connection, and compassion. 

For this episode, I talked with Hope, the film's co-producer, and Daryl McGraw, one of the retreat participants who has been substance-free since 2007 after overcoming the battles of a violent childhood, addiction and incarceration. 

We discussed all things about the film including:

• How your Adverse Childhood Experience score determines your vulnerability to substance use
• The way learning disabilities and other differences can impact children
• What we need to ask people struggling with substance use instead of, "what’s wrong with you?"
• How trauma plays a role in relapse and the way Daryl helps his friends who have taken steps backward in their recovery
• How Hope recognized the need to change systemic issues related to trauma and the role fentanyl plays in that
• Why she chose the metaphor of a tree to help the group in the film work through their trauma
• How looking at someone’s roots when they’re struggling in addiction or working to stay sober in recovery can give us empathy and understanding 
• What it takes to start having this (trauma) conversation with someone

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Hope Payson, LCSW, LADC
• Daryl McGraw, President & Founder, Formerly, Inc.
• Channah VanRegenmorter, Administrator, Eleanor Health Foundation
• Uprooting Addiction: Healing From The Ground Up
• Eleanor Health Foundation
• Adverse Childhood Experiences information (CDC)
• Film trailer can be seen here

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