Dr. Gabor Maté joins me for a grounded and precise conversation on addiction, stress, trauma, and the patterns that shape health, behaviour, and attention.

In this discussion, Gabor explores:

✓ Why addiction is not a personal failing, but a response to pain ✓ Why the real question is not “why the addiction?” but “why the pain?” ✓ How stress regulation is shaped early in life ✓ Why many behavioural patterns originate in childhood ✓ How the brain develops through environment and relationship, not genetics alone ✓ How trauma reflects a disconnection from the self, rather than simply the event

This conversation is part of The Health Zone, hosted by Mícheál Ó Mathúna — author of The Eleven New Commandments and an integrative practitioner working in the areas of conditioning, self-trust, and internal regulation.

Find out more and listen to all episodes: https://www.thehealthzones.com/

Follow The Health Zone: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dhealthzone/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehealthzones Twitter: https://twitter.com/dhealthzone/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkbZXDYJF_ypdjEmQk-BEIg

Join the community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thehealthzone/

In this conversation, we explore not just the theory, but how these patterns show up in lived experience and the process of returning to a more honest relationship with oneself.

Gregg Braden, author and researcher, offers a wide-ranging conversation on stress, language, behaviour and the patterns that shape how we respond to uncertainty, change and collective challenge.

Find out more below.

This interview was conducted by Mícheál Ó Mathúna, author, workshop facilitator and integrative practitioner. His work focuses on conditioning, self-trust and the restoration of internal regulation. He is the founder of The Health Zone, a platform for conversations exploring health, behaviour and human development.

You can explore more of Mícheál’s work and The Health Zone here.

Listen to every episode of The Health Zone here: https://www.thehealthzones.com/

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dhealthzone/

Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehealthzoneshow/

Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dhealthzone/

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkbZXDYJF_ypdjEmQk-BEIg

Join the Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thehealthzone/

Gregg explores:

✓ How the body responds to stress and uncertainty, and the importance of internal regulation ✓ Why outdated models of competition can increase pressure and disconnection ✓ What we can learn from past human behaviour in responding to collective challenges ✓ How large-scale events can impact emotional well-being, including experiences of grief ✓ The role of awareness in shaping how we respond to changing conditions ✓ How language and the words we use influence perception, behaviour and physiological response ✓ Why patterns of thinking and communication can either support or disrupt well-being ✓ How individual responses contribute to wider collective experience

Gregg Braden is an author and speaker known for his work exploring the relationship between science, human behaviour and broader questions of meaning and awareness.

His work focuses on how belief, language and perception influence human experience, particularly in times of uncertainty and change.

Dr. Kristin Neff with Mícheál Ó Mathúna on Self-Compassion, Emotional Regulation, Relationships, Burnout and the Patterns that Shape Mental Health.

Find out more below.

This interview was conducted by Mícheál Ó Mathúna, author, workshop facilitator and integrative practitioner. His work focuses on conditioning, self-trust and the restoration of internal regulation.

He is the founder of The Health Zone, a platform for conversations exploring health, behaviour and human development.

You can explore more of Mícheál’s work and The Health Zone here.

Listen to every episode of The Health Zone here: https://www.thehealthzones.com/

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dhealthzone/

Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehealthzones

Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dhealthzone/

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkbZXDYJF_ypdjEmQk-BEIg

Join the Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thehealthzone/

Kristin outlines:

✓ What self-compassion is, and how it supports regulation rather than avoidance.

✓ The three components of self-compassion: mindfulness, common humanity and self-kindness.

✓ How self-criticism develops, and how it shapes patterns in mental health and relationships.

✓ And how boundaries, self-trust and care support sustainable change without burnout.

Dr. Kristin Neff is a researcher and bestselling author. She is known for her work on self-compassion, emotional resilience and psychological wellbeing.

Dr. Judith Orloff, psychiatrist and author, offers a grounded and integrative conversation on sensitivity, boundaries, intuition and the patterns that shape relationships, work and emotional regulation.

Find out more below.

This interview was conducted by Mícheál Ó Mathúna, author, workshop facilitator and integrative practitioner. His work focuses on conditioning, self-trust and the restoration of internal regulation. He is the founder of The Health Zone, a platform for conversations exploring health, behaviour and human development.

You can explore more of Mícheál’s work and The Health Zone here.

Listen to every episode of The Health Zone here: https://www.thehealthzones.com/

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dhealthzone/

Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehealthzoneshow/

Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dhealthzone/

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkbZXDYJF_ypdjEmQk-BEIg

Join the Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thehealthzone/

Judith explores:

✓ How sensitivity functions in the body, and why it can lead to overwhelm without regulation ✓ Why boundaries are essential for maintaining energy, clarity and emotional balance ✓ How trauma can disrupt intuition and weaken trust in internal signals ✓ The role of grounding and presence in stabilising the nervous system ✓ How relational patterns can form between highly sensitive individuals and dominant or narcissistic personalities ✓ Why chronic overextension can lead to emotional fatigue and dysregulation ✓ The relationship between environment, work and psychological well-being ✓ How sensitivity expresses differently across individuals, rather than as a fixed type ✓ How awareness and regulation support parenting and development in sensitive children

Dr. Judith Orloff is a psychiatrist, author and speaker known for her work on sensitivity, intuition and emotional well-being.

Her work integrates clinical understanding with broader perspectives on awareness and human experience, supporting individuals in developing regulation, balance and self-trust.

Derek Mills, author and speaker, offers a focused and practical conversation on standards, decision-making and the patterns that shape behaviour, performance and well-being.

Find out more below.

This interview was conducted by Mícheál Ó Mathúna, author, workshop facilitator and integrative practitioner. His work focuses on conditioning, self-trust and the restoration of internal regulation. He is the founder of The Health Zone, a platform for conversations exploring health, behaviour and human development.

You can explore more of Mícheál’s work and The Health Zone here.

Listen to every episode of The Health Zone here: https://www.thehealthzones.com/

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dhealthzone/

Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehealthzones

Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dhealthzone/

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkbZXDYJF_ypdjEmQk-BEIg

Join the Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thehealthzone/

Derek explores:

✓ Why long-term goal-setting can create pressure, dissatisfaction and disconnection from the present ✓ How attachment to outcomes can generate stress and undermine well-being ✓ The role of decision-making in shifting behaviour and creating direction ✓ Why standards offer a more stable and consistent framework than goals ✓ How attention, presence and environment influence performance and flow ✓ The conditions required to access focus and sustained engagement ✓ Why stress is often maintained through patterns of thinking and response ✓ How small, consistent standards shape long-term behaviour and results

Derek Mills is an author and speaker known for his work on standards, decision-making and performance.

His approach focuses on replacing goal-driven thinking with daily standards, supporting individuals in creating consistency, clarity and sustainable progress in their lives.

Dr. Peter Levine joins Mícheál Ó Mathúna for a grounded and deeply experiential conversation on trauma, fear, resilience, and the body’s innate capacity to heal.

In this discussion, Peter explores:

✓ How fear is experienced in the body, and why learning to track sensation is key to working with it ✓ Why trauma is not just psychological, but held in the nervous system and body ✓ How overwhelm, shutdown, and dissociation emerge through unresolved stress responses ✓ How resilience can be developed through simple, learnable practices that restore regulation ✓ Why connection with others is essential in healing trauma, even during physical isolation ✓ How unprocessed trauma can repeat as a loop within the body and nervous system ✓ The role of presence—both with ourselves and others—in supporting healing and integration ✓ What we can learn from both science and traditional approaches to healing ✓ How working with the body allows trauma to resolve, rather than be continually relived ✓ Why healing trauma can lead to greater strength, compassion, and wholeness

This conversation is part of The Health Zone, hosted by Mícheál Ó Mathúna — author of The Eleven New Commandments and an integrative practitioner working in the areas of conditioning, self-trust, and internal regulation.

Find out more and listen to all episodes: https://www.thehealthzones.com/

Follow The Health Zone: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dhealthzone/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehealthzones Twitter: https://twitter.com/dhealthzone/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkbZXDYJF_ypdjEmQk-BEIg

Join the community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thehealthzone/

In this conversation, we explore not just how trauma is understood, but how it is experienced in the body and the process through which it can begin to resolve.

Matt Kahn, author and teacher, offers a reflective and experiential conversation on self-awareness, purpose, boundaries and the patterns that shape perception, behaviour and emotional well-being.

Find out more below.

This interview was conducted by Mícheál Ó Mathúna, author, workshop facilitator and integrative practitioner. His work focuses on conditioning, self-trust and the restoration of internal regulation. He is the founder of The Health Zone, a platform for conversations exploring health, behaviour and human development.

You can explore more of Mícheál’s work and The Health Zone here.

Listen to every episode of The Health Zone here: https://www.thehealthzones.com/

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dhealthzone/

Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehealthzones

Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dhealthzone/

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkbZXDYJF_ypdjEmQk-BEIg

Join the Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thehealthzone/

Matt explores:

✓ How self-awareness develops through direct experience rather than external guidance ✓ What periods of uncertainty can reveal about behaviour, identity and perspective ✓ The relationship between purpose and self-understanding ✓ How beliefs and expectations influence perception and emotional experience ✓ Why boundaries are essential for maintaining clarity and stability ✓ The role of intuition as an internal signal rather than an external authority ✓ What maturity looks like in the context of awareness and responsibility ✓ How consistent awareness can support emotional balance and integration

Matt Kahn is an author and teacher known for his work on self-awareness, emotional healing and personal development.

His approach focuses on developing awareness, self-acceptance and clarity through direct experience, supporting individuals in understanding themselves and their patterns more deeply.

Gregg Braden, author and researcher, offers a wide-ranging conversation on stress, language, behaviour and the patterns that shape how we respond to uncertainty, change and collective challenge.

Find out more below.

This interview was conducted by Mícheál Ó Mathúna, author, workshop facilitator and integrative practitioner. His work focuses on conditioning, self-trust and the restoration of internal regulation. He is the founder of The Health Zone, a platform for conversations exploring health, behaviour and human development.

You can explore more of Mícheál’s work and The Health Zone here.

Listen to every episode of The Health Zone here: https://www.thehealthzones.com/

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dhealthzone/

Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehealthzones

Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dhealthzone/

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkbZXDYJF_ypdjEmQk-BEIg

Join the Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thehealthzone/

Gregg explores:

✓ How the body responds to stress and uncertainty, and the importance of internal regulation ✓ Why outdated models of competition can increase pressure and disconnection ✓ What we can learn from past human behaviour in responding to collective challenges ✓ How large-scale events can impact emotional well-being, including experiences of grief ✓ The role of awareness in shaping how we respond to changing conditions ✓ How language and the words we use influence perception, behaviour and physiological response ✓ Why patterns of thinking and communication can either support or disrupt well-being ✓ How individual responses contribute to wider collective experience

Gregg Braden is an author and speaker known for his work exploring the relationship between science, human behaviour and broader questions of meaning and awareness.

His work focuses on how belief, language and perception influence human experience, particularly in times of uncertainty and change.