"RW: In many ways, male socialization is anathema to the treatment experience. Could you talk a little about the ways in which men are raised and why that’s so contrary to the process of emotional and psychological healing?
"DG: This dichotomy is the core of my work. We tell men don’t cry, don’t show your emotions unless it’s anger, be strong, don’t ask for help, don’t be vulnerable, be sexually aggressive, put work before relationships, put success before relationships. Basically we tell them that power and having power is central to being a man....
"RW: Trauma is often ignored when treating addicted males. Why do you think this is the case, and what can be done about it?
"DG: Well, if you think about the rules of being a man, it’s against the rules for men to acknowledge trauma. We spend a lot of time telling ourselves that whatever it is that happened to us wasn’t painful, that we’re not suffering, and we try to project that to the world. Really there are multiple things factoring into this under-recognition and under-treatment of male trauma...."
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