Joshua spent years battling heroin addiction. At one point, he was homeless on the streets of Bangkok. He tried rehab, traveled to different countries attempting to escape access to drugs, and endured repeated withdrawals. Eventually, he became highly functioning on the outside, but describes himself as “quietly dying” inside.

After several years clean, the loss of his father, a legal battle, and the pressure of running a new business contributed to a relapse in 2022. Unable to disappear from his life and enter rehab again, Joshua discovered Dr Joe Dispenza’s work and began meditating consistently.

At a retreat in Switzerland, Joshua describes having an intense experience during meditation that felt like years of guilt, shame, and trauma releasing from his body. That night, he says he put down the opioid medication he had been taking and never picked it up again.

Six weeks later, another challenge emerged. Joshua was eventually diagnosed with cancer in his throat and tonsils and says he was given a grave prognosis. He chose to pursue a holistic path centered heavily on meditation and Dr Joe’s work rather than the proposed chemotherapy and radiation. Joshua says his tumor gradually shrank and that he is now cancer-free.

Yet when Joshua looks back, he says cancer wasn’t his greatest battle. Addiction was. His story is ultimately about leaving behind the guilt and shame of who he had been and discovering that his past did not have to determine who he became next.

Recorded at the Cancun Advanced 10-Day Retreat in June, 2026.