A family tragedy is behind Mark Manderson’s mission to change addiction recovery. When he was only 8, he discovered his aunt, who had overdosed. He ran for help, and his mother was able to revive his aunt. Unfortunately, a few months later, Manderson’s aunt overdosed again, and “There was no 8-year-old boy there to get help.” This tragic event set Manderson on his mission to help those suffering from addiction.
“This planted the seed that led me to studying mental health and addiction and eventually open a treatment center that would help others heal,” Manderson says.
A Treatment Center With a Different Approach
During his career, Manderson has run inpatient and outpatient centers. He oversees the daily operations at Pacific Shores Recovery, a center focused on a holistic approach to recovery. At Pacific Shores, clients are treated with personalized care in a “family-like” atmosphere and have access to an open-door policy with therapists who provide help when needed.
The center also focuses on ensuring that clients receive assistance in recovery in a time frame that fits their needs, however long that takes.
Unlike other centers that treat the symptoms of addiction, the Pacific Shores Recovery Center focuses on treating the “core drivers of the behaviors.”
The center recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, which Manderson says is nearly unheard of in the industry and evidence of its effectiveness in treating addiction. Only a few centers have reached that milestone.
A Mission to Make Recovery More Effective
Manderson has over two decades of experience in the mental health and addiction field and has witnessed the effects the modern world has had on the mental health of many individuals. The pandemic significantly impacted the mental well-being of the world’s population. Other significant events that have affected people include financial crashes. These are the types of events that compel people to self-medicate with drugs and alcohol to cope.
In 2023, Manderson wrote a book called The Recovery Way. He shares the framework he created for recovery within its pages: the 5 Foundational Freedoms and the 4 Codes. He developed this process to help people in recovery build new, positive habits. Adopting these new habits creates a fulfilling life that reduces the need to use drugs and alcohol as coping mechanisms.
Manderson also created a companion app for the book to help people retrain and rewire their brains.
“I have always had a passion to help those overcome their darkest times by creating an easy-to-follow framework,” Manderson adds.
Drawing on Personal Experience
Manderson understands how difficult it can be to cope with mental health issues. He has personally suffered from clinical depression. His struggle led him to create a program that would have long-lasting results. The old models of treatment methods worked for only a few patients.
Often, patients were treated solely with medication, with the root of their problems not being addressed. Manderson has dedicated his life to helping clients recover from addiction by addressing root causes, promoting positive habits to heal, and supporting their recovery.
“I see our method being used as the standard and helping people all over the world overcome their methods of sedation and go on to create lives they love,” Manderson concludes.
