664. Kinky Dopamine Secrets: The Neuroscience of Addiction, Pain and Pleasure - with Dr Anna Lembke
The Embodiment Coaching Podcast
Release Date: 01/07/2025
The Embodiment Coaching Podcast
Renowned yoga teacher Rod Stryker joins me to explore what yoga truly is—and what it isn’t. Beyond just stretching and fitness, we dive into the deeper purpose of yoga, the spiritual hunger many feel, and how modern yoga has both evolved and lost its way. Rod shares wisdom from The Bhagavad Gita, The Four Desires, and decades of teaching, touching on life purpose, meditation, stillness, and the power of yoga nidra. We also discuss the difference between teaching and simply conducting a class, the commercialization of yoga, and why real transformation happens off the mat. Plus, we even find...
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In this powerful episode, I sit down with Joshua Wenner, a relationship coach specializing in nervous system well-being, somatic healing, and grief work. Joshua opens up about his personal journey through love, loss, and trauma, sharing profound insights on how to process grief, build resilience, and navigate emotional challenges. We dive deep into the science of somatics, the role of the nervous system in healing, and practical strategies for emotional growth. This conversation goes beyond surface-level motivation to explore real, actionable tools for self-development and personal...
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Join this live coaching session with Christina Dohr from The Embodiment Festival 2024 to explore how getting out of your head and into your body can transform the way you navigate life’s challenges. Christina shares her wealth of experience (and a few playful nudges) on how movement, breath, and awareness can help unlock confidence, shake off limiting beliefs, and make decisions with clarity - without overthinking them into oblivion. Expect live coaching demos, a few “aha” moments, and practical tips you can actually use, whether you’re a coach, thinking about becoming one, or just...
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Ever feel like modern life is pulling you in a million directions, leaving you a little unregulated? You’re not alone. Join me, Mark Walsh, for a live embodiment coaching session straight from The Embodiment Festival 2024, where I’ll break down the Four Regulations Model - a simple yet powerful framework for resilience, well-being, and actually feeling human again. We’ll dive into the four key elements: self-regulation, co-regulation, eco-regulation, and a sense of higher purpose - or, in plain English, how to chill out, connect with others, get outside, and remember why the...
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Join me, Mark Walsh, for a deep dive into meaning-making, taken from The Embodiment Festival in January 2025. In this session, I explore why so many of us feel lost in modern life and why meaning seems to be slipping through our fingers. We’ll tackle the big questions—how did we get here? Why are birth rates plummeting? Why does hedonism leave us empty? And what did Nietzsche mean when he said, “God is dead”? I’ll unpack the four horsemen of the meaning apocalypse—nihilism, narcissism, consumerism, and distraction—and why so many people today struggle to find purpose. But it’s...
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Host of the Man Talks podcast and author of Men’s Work Connor Beaton joins me to talk about the myth of vulnerability, suicide, being useful, who defines masculinity, postmodernism, psychological fracturing, women and safety, Chris Bumstead, the psychological industrial complex, APA guidelines, Andrew Tate, weight lifting and mental health, mentoring, developing male friendships and more. A really important one that’s certainly provocative in places. Read more about Connor here: ------------------------------------------------------ Connor Beaton has been working for almost a decade as a...
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Jane and Karin discuss the life-long journey to find the best ways to practice in order to more fully embody, understand and appreciate the feminine and the cycles of life. Including some simple, kind and profoundly helpful practices to connect to the moment in an embodied and pleasurable way. Find out more about Jane here: We’re resharing this episode because it’s one of our best, and packed with timeless insights on embodiment that are still relevant today. If you missed it the first time, we think you’ll love it. ------------------------------------------------------ Jane is a Female...
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Join sex expert Emily and me as we dive deep into the world of sexual flow states, overcoming "good enough" mindsets, and achieving full embodiment. We explore topics like the role of technology in intimacy, adaptability, kink, and what defines "too liberal" sex. Plus, we tackle trauma, neurotic attraction, gender dynamics, and Emily’s surprising celebrity crush. This episode is packed with insights, laughs, and juicy revelations. Find out more about Emily here: -------------------------------------------------------- Emily is a seasoned sex and relationship therapist and USA Today...
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Embodiment coach and neuroscience educator Amanda Blake joins me for a thoughtful and engaging exploration of the science and practice of embodiment. We cover the ins and outs of body-oriented coaching, how to discuss embodiment without getting lost in jargon, and what it means to build “minimal trust.” Along the way, we tackle neuro-hype, research credibility (with a nod to Amy Cuddy and Wendy Palmer), and the delicate balance between theory and practice. Expect insights into empathy, embodied self-awareness, interoception, proprioception, centring, and the all-important “keystone” of...
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Join ADHD coach and yoga teacher Rosie Turner as we dive into a fascinatingly fun, in-depth conversation about ADHD, embodiment, and personal growth. In this episode, we explore topics like dopamine, the hidden strengths of ADHD, time blindness, rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD), and internalised hyperactivity. We also unpack gender differences in ADHD, the impact of technology, and how ADHD shapes relationships and experiences of trauma. We also dive into why yoga is such a powerful tool for ADHD, the importance of connecting with nature, and how to reignite joy and meaning. Coaches will...
info_outlineWhat do kink, dopamine and addiction reveal about the human experience? In this fascinating conversation, Dr. Anna Lembke, Stanford Psychiatry Professor and author of Dopamine Nation, unravels the secrets of addiction and the delicate balance between pleasure and pain. We explore topics such as the neuroscience of kink, the psychology of addictive personalities, and how contemporary issues have reshaped our culture.
With thought-provoking insights, Dr. Lembke examines the hidden forces driving our behaviours - from the "drugification" of modern life to the surprising connections between shame, spirituality, and recovery. We delve into the psychology of craving, the lessons addicts can teach us about resilience, and practical steps anyone can take to avoid falling into dopamine traps.
This episode might challenge some of your conventional thinking (hello pain) while offering grounded, science-based advice for living a more balanced and intentional life - to make sure you get a bit of aftercare to ease the journey. It’s perfect for anyone who's curious about avoiding addictive habits and enjoys a laugh along the way. Refreshingly human and deeply inspiring for all.
Learn more about Anna here: https://www.annalembke.com/
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Anna Lembke, MD is professor of psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine and chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic. A clinician scholar, she is the author of more than a hundred peer-reviewed publications, has testified before the United States House of Representatives and Senate, has served as an expert witness in federal and state opioid litigation, and is an internationally recognized leader in addiction medicine treatment and education.
In 2016, she published Drug Dealer, MD – How Doctors Were Duped, Patients Got Hooked, and Why It’s So Hard to Stop (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2016), highlighted in the New York Times as one of the top five books to read to understand the opioid epidemic (Zuger, 2018).
Dr. Lembke appeared in the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma, an unvarnished look at the impact of social media on our lives.
Her latest book, Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence (Dutton/Penguin Random House, August 2021) was an instant New York Times and Los Angeles Times bestseller and has been translated into 35 languages. It combines the neuroscience of addiction with the wisdom of recovery to explore the problem of compulsive overconsumption in a dopamine-overloaded world.
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