"We have a choice. We can destroy our body or we can help our bodies heal. We can be part of the solution or part of the problem. We can learn from Mother Earth how to bring this balance into our own lives" says Debra Laughlin, an addiction recovery specialist about healing and addictions. Laughlin, in a recent interview, shares about the Worthiness Academy and the approach she’s taking to reduce the pain from addictions that’s both empowering and realistic. Laughlin is a senior teacher at the Deer Tribe Metis Medicine Society (DTMMS) and founder of the Worthiness Academy.

Laughlin speaks of her personal journey of eliminating addiction in her life and provides information on the public programs offered by the Deer Tribe Metis Medicine Society (DTMMS) and how programs like these give a solution to addiction from a spiritual perspective.

In part one of the series on the addictive personality, Laughlin spoke about her training programs within the Worthiness Academy and how the foundational program is based on the Addictive Personality Paradigm (APP) which is one of the many public programs offered by the Deer Tribe Metis Medicine Society (DTMMS).

The Wounded Healer

The concept of the "wounded healer" has many interpretations, but ( delete) one of them is from the Addictive Personality Paradigm (APP), which originated from the spiritual teachings of the Sweet Medicine SunDance Path. The "wounded healer" is anyone who has suffered pain or has been wounded by someone or something. This unique outlook on the addictive personality offers an empowering perspective into the questions many of us ask. Why is there suffering on the planet? Why do thousands of people spend their entire lives trapped in loneliness and with little or no joy?

We all respond to the tragedies of life in different ways. Some people go through incredible traumas yet come out the other side strengthened, transformed, and empowered. They may have lived through an array of emotions - sadness, grief, rage, anger, but they are not imprisoned by them.

Others live their lives being held prisoner by painful experiences from the past. These "old memories replaying," as Laughlin describes, can create a cycle of pain that is so intense it sweeps some people into addictive personalities. Laughlin explains that addictive personalities are people with addictions - not habits - that have become material to who they are. They are never without an addiction, because when one is resolved, another will pop up.

Since living pain-free is virtually impossible, we are all "wounded healers" in some way or another. Healing begins when an individual stops an addictive behavior, which allows them to acknowledge the pain. Once you become aware of the pain, you are able to make a choice to heal.

The "wounded healer" is someone who has healed themselves emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually. Laughlin says "when we are able to find joy in life, we know we are free. This is the spiritual meaning of healing. A healed individual is empowered and balanced. They are growing, evolving, learning, creating".

Laughlin explains that spiritually we are born with the ultimate purpose to discover how we can heal. She says, "this light is the spiritual essence of who we are, and our soul wants to become that light in the brightest way".

Ceremony, Nature and "Going Back to the Before"

What healing programs like APP and the Worthiness Academy do differently is address the spiritual aspect of healing and embrace the truth that we all can heal. Laughlin says "we are born as beings of light, filled with beauty and the full potential to live with joy, love, compassion, and kindness. This is known as ‘the before’. Healing is what brings us back to our natural state of vitality and health".

Ceremony creates a sacred container where we can learn from nature in the most powerful way. Laughlin describes ceremony as a "spiritual, sacred space out in nature where each person discovers how to say yes to their worthiness and say yes to life. Nature is our teacher because nature is always in balance. Balance means we have totally accepted our natural selves and are able to simply be who we are".

Laughlin continues to say that "’going back to the before’ is a conscious decision each of us can make. We have to be willing to hold ourselves accountable for ‘going back to before’ we experienced pain. Before we were rejected or abandoned or humiliated or made to feel unwelcome. We heal as we find our warrior, our healer and the light we hold inside".

The Magic Ingredient

"As we learn to re-establish our natural connection with who are, we begin the process of realizing and accepting our highest potential. This is our beauty, shining and greatness we have to offer the world" says Laughlin.

Laughlin goes onto to explain that everyone of us who heals has a different way to move forward in their healing. She says "this means that healing is unique to the individual and will change, evolve, grow and look different every time. When we say yes to healing, we actually send a message to the universe that we are ready, willing and able to go for a different way". Laughlin says that "the universe is on our side and wants what is best for us. Humans are self-determinative beings, so when we make the conscious and spiritual choice to heal, the universe has our backs". This is the magic ingredient as Debra Laughlin sees it.