Dallas Bragg argues that behaviors like lying, hypervigilance, and substance use aren't character defects but survival strategies developed in response to trauma. He describes the true self as a brilliant light obscured by conditioning, urging empathy over judgment for healthier recovery.
The problem with character defects is the term suggests that something is fundamentally wrong with who you are. It implies that parts of your personality are flawed and must be eliminated. This concept infers that addiction to a substance is a moral failing, and this could not be further from the truth. If you were— when you were born, not if you were born, when you were born, you were pure consciousness, a perfect Ball of light. Nothing about your essential nature was defective then, and nothing about your essential nature is defective now. Think about it. Would you tell a child who's learned to lie to feel safe in an abusive home that they have a character defect? Would you tell someone who developed hypervigilance from trauma that their awareness is defective? Of course not. Those are adaptive responses to challenging circumstances, just like your patterns with meth developed as ways to cope, connect, or feel alive in a world that often felt overwhelming. A more compassionate understanding is instead viewing yourself not as defective, but consider this perspective: your true nature is like a brilliant light that's simply been covered by layers of life conditioning. These layers, whether they're patterns with meth, challenges with shame, behaviors you've been told are defects, they are not signs of your brokenness. Goodness.
