May 19, 2022
Ronnie Landis is a leading expert in holistic health, natural nutrition, peak performance, and human potential.
He is also an international speaker, author, entrepreneur, and a full-time athlete.
Ronnie holds a 3rd-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and is a former semi-professional athlete and personal trainer. Ronnie focuses his life work on educating people on the benefits of a high raw plant-focused lifestyle for optimizing the body, sharpening the mind, and expanding the human spirit.
Exploring the fringes of cutting-edge health sciences and food-based nutrition, Ronnie combines customized self-mastery training, supplementation strategies, and a deep passion for helping others overcome long-held mental and emotional roadblocks so they can experience every area of their life at their full potential.
Ronnie is also a public speaker, teacher, published author of multiple books, podcast host, holistic performance coach, and above all else, a man who has devoted his life to uplifting humanity to its next level. He also offers a course called The Ultimate Dopamine Reset (BENGREENFIELD for $50 off single course, BENGREENFIELD VIP for $100 off VIP course).
I recently met Ronnie, and he gifted me his book The Addiction-Free Lifestyle: The True Path to Inner Peace & Self Mastery. It was so excellent and thought-provoking that I just had to get Ronnie on the podcast to take a deep dive into the concepts within the book. If you struggle with attachment to anything from nootropics and smart drugs, to caffeine, to porn or masturbation, to serial relationships, or anything else, this show is for you.
In this episode with Ronnie Landis, recorded while we walked along the lake in beautiful Austin, Texas, you'll discover:
–The Addiction-Free Lifestyle by Ronnie Landis…08:07
- A spiritual manual for your inner evolution and salvation
-Why the soul is the most important element of your existence on the earth…09:50
-Ronnie Landis's story/journey to spiritual fulfillment, confronting addictions…10:31
- Raised as a martial artist since age 4
- Bruce Lee was an early influence; an icon; a real-life superhero
- Philosophy, eastern mysticism, theology
- Taught martial arts for many years
- “The gift of injury”
- Podcasts with Paul Chek:
- Coping with trauma leads to addiction
- Main addictions: nicotine, porn, social media
- Lucy nicotine gum (use code BEN20 to save 20%)
-How to define addiction…16:29
- Separate the coping mechanism vs. the human condition
- Addictions are just coping mechanisms
- When men go to porn/nicotine, they're really seeking God
- Dallas Willard on pornography
- Need connection and creativity
- What defines addiction is how much dopamine it produces, how accessible it is
- Delayed vs. instant gratification
- The Addiction-Free Lifestyle by Ronnie Landis
- Attachment vs. addiction
-Genetic predispositions to an addictive personality…20:26
- Coffee has a utility as a mind-altering substance
- Aware of the negative effects, but continuing with the behavior
- Leonard Orr – Subtle death habits
- Self-inflicted abuse; a need for drama
- A form of pressure release
- Social acceptance lessens the stigma of porn, social media, etc.
- Craving an altered state of consciousness vs. worship of a divine being
- Joe Dispenza
-Having relationships with relationships, not the people…32:02
- Trauma bonding – people fit in like puzzle pieces
- Attachment theory
- Seeking validation and approval from others to validate your own worth
- Value the process vs. the outcome
-Contrasting the values we project vs. what we actually want…39:25
- The Values Factor by John DeMartini
- Dr. John DeMartini on the Breaking Addictions podcast
- Values system determination – understanding your core values, what you actually value
- Integrating polarities into a state of neutrality; interpreting reality accurately
- Eagle eye perspective – seeing life from a higher vantage point
- Orient your mind beyond your own parameters
- Renovated: God, Dallas Willard, and the Church That Transforms by Jim Wilder
- Resilient by John Eldridge
-The 3 most important elements of Ben and Ronnie's spiritual life…45:55
- Dialogue – daily dialogue with God
- Trust – setting aside fear, trusting God
- Love – fully loving other people
- Men crave accountability with other men
- The only thing that's actually real is relationships
- If you really want to devote your life to God, devote your life to one woman
-The “Quantum Collapse Process”…50:43
- Hybrid meditation/breathwork practice
- Track sensations in the body and detach from stories in the mind
- Contemplative prayer – mindfulness meditation combined with prayer
- How Ben breaks addiction: Pushups, nicotine gum, music
- Dopamine controls our time perception (hyperfocus on the past)
- The brain develops addiction pathways of its own
-Where we should be getting our energy…58:20
- Cells respire on oxygen and hydrogen
- Fasting leads to cleaning and detox
- Cells are operating on biophotons
- Fritz Albert Popp on biophotons
- Rudolf Steiner
-How movies and entertainment spur addictions…1:03:06
- Entertainment entrainment
- The brain does have a context of what is real and what is not
- The Hero's Journey by Joseph Campbell
- We live vicariously through characters in the movies
- Porn overstimulates dopamine; almost like leaving a crime scene after
- Impactful people don't consume much entertainment
- The Secret Life of Plants by Peter Tompkins
- You miss out on a lot of memory consolidation and dream cycles are harmed
- yourbrainonporn.com
-The Dopamine Reset Protocol..1:08:04
- Dopamine not only is a neurotransmitter related to pleasure and reward; it influences all motor functions
- Dopamine fasting – abstaining from external dopamine inputs
- Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke
- L-Dopa and Mucuna
- Dopamine dilemma:
- Dopamine receptors in the brain have been numbed out
- Dopaminergic system needs to go through a repair process
- Dopamine Reset Protocol:
- Reset – abstaining and withdraw process
- Reboot – Lifestyle change; new skills acquisition
- Movement/fitness
- Waking/sleep cycle
- Recovery – Integrate/practice; recovering parts we lost through trauma, parts that led to addiction
- Basic Supplemental protocol (the same for the different addictions):
- One Minute Pause app
- “Transcend but include” (transcend the level but include everything) – Ken Wilber
- The physical body is run by the power of the soul
-Ronnie's 3-step process to effectual fervent prayer…1:23:27
- Make it a living prayer, not just words; not of desperation or treating God as a vending machine
- Seek to embody the energy of the prayer
- Confront our “shadow tendencies”
- The Ultimate Dopamine Reset – A 30-Days Program To Reboot Your Life
-And much more…
-Upcoming Events:
- Third Wave Virtual Summit (May 20-21, 2022). Register for the event now by clicking here
- Health Optimisation Summit! (May 22~29). Register here and use code BEN for 20% off.
- Keep up on Ben's LIVE appearances by following bengreenfieldlife.com/calendar
Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode.
Resources mentioned:
– Ronnie Landis:
- Why Humans Need Winter, How Too Much Christmas Is Dangerous, Rites Of Passage & More With Paul Chek.
- Heavy Rock Lifting, Building Your Own “Water Charging” Station, Biomechanical Fixes, Plant Medicine Journeys & More With Paul Chek.
– Books:
- Endure by Ben Greenfield
- Fit Soul by Ben Greenfield
- The Values Factor by John DeMartini
- Renovated: God, Dallas Willard, and the Church That Transforms by Jim Wilder
- Resilient by John Eldridge
- The Hero's Journey by Joseph Campbell
- The Secret Life of Plants by Peter Tompkins
- Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke
- Biological Individuality by Scott Lidgard
– Other Resources:
- Lucy Gum (use code BEN20 to save 20%)
- Vitamin B Complex
- Omega-3
- Magnesium
- Kion Aminos
- Dallas Willard On Pornography
- Leonard Orr
- Joe Dispenza
- Fritz Albert Popp On Biophotons
- Rudolf Steiner
- Attachment theory
- yourbrainonporn.com
- L-Dopa
- Mucuna
- One Minute Pause App
Episode sponsors:
–Timeline Nutrition: Timeline is offering 10% off your first order of Mitopure. Go to timelinenutrition.com/BEN and use code BEN to get 10% off your order. (01:39)
–Joy Mode: Want to spice things up in the bedroom and boost your sexual performance? And do it naturally without nasty prescription drugs? We have a special offer for the Ben Greenfield audience. (03:33)
–Thrive Market: Organic brands you love, for less. Your favorite organic food and products. Fast and free shipping to your doorstep. Receive a gift card worth up to $20 when you begin a new membership. (05:25)
–Organifi Apple Green Juice: The new green juice crisp apple is made with organic, wholesome, hand-picked apples. And tastes like a fresh juicy slice in every sip. If mint just isn’t for you, this refreshing new recipe certainly is. Making it the first of its kind the whole family will love. Go to organifi.com/Ben for 20% off your order. (37:07)
–Clearlight Saunas: You can be sure that I researched all the saunas before I bought mine and Clearlight was the one that stood out from all the rest because of their EMF and ELF Shielding and their Lifetime Warranty. Mention BEN GREENFIELD and you’ll receive an extra discount on your purchase. (38:11)
Ronnie mentioned that he has a different reset program for each of the different addictions. I could not find them on his website. Would be sweet to see more details there.
Great Episode.
Thank you Ben!
Grateful for this conversation and proud of everyone on their journey breaking the chains of addiction.
Wanted to add some color to this part of the notes— “Craving an altered state of consciousness vs. worship of a divine being.”
I’d argue that much of your work, Ben, is around helping folks realize that worship of a divine being gives us an altered state of consciousness! It’s akin to older uses of the word faith- a first person account of a meeting with God, rather than newer uses of the term, which involve a proportional, logical assertion (dogma).
Just finished listening to your walk with Ronnie Landis and the addiction/dopamine exploration… Have you ever read your horoscope for frivolous kicks and then it blows your mind how spot on it is? I always tell myself “these are written to universally appeal to all humans”… Bur today I didn’t need to dispel the cynic, I trust the descriptions, the science, the psychosomataspiritual connectivity described…Loved it, thank you!