Mindful Recovery is a podcast devoted to helping individuals who are struggling with trauma and addictions recover. Mindfulness is a research based method for dealing with anxiety and trauma. Psychological and neuroscience studies have found that it is possible to increase the growth of neuronal pathways and retrain our brains in coping with these issues. Basic techniques like learning to pay attention to our own breathing and looking honestly and non-judgmentally at our hurt places can begin to create an emotional holding space that allows us to live without reacting to the pain and begin deciding how we want to act on the world we find ourselves in. This becomes the beginning of recovery and, thus, the beginning of a new and abundant life in recovery. Whether you struggle with anxiety, mental illness, complex trauma, PTSD, addictions or a multitude of other problems, becoming mindful in the way you live is the first step along that path. I would be honored if this podcast could help you begin that journey.
Often trauma results in the loss of self esteem and even the failure of a sense of self worth to develop. In this episode we look at how important these are to setting healthy boundaries and living healthy fulfilled lives. Your worth is inherent. It has been there from the day you were born and is not dependent on external validation. It's time to start believing in it!
The Holidays can be a real challenge when we’re struggling with trauma and addictions. The constant barrage of images of what family “should” be and what “holidays” should look like just throws out there that we are not that. Avoiding expectations and choosing our family wisely are only two of the suggestions I make this week. In this episode I suggest some concrete things we need to be doing to get through the holidays without relapse.
In part 2 of my podcasts about sexual assault I interview Laura Reagan, LCSW. Laura specializes in trauma and sexual assault and is a fantastic therapist in the Annapolis area. We talk about blaming the victim and changing attitudes in this episode of Mindful Recovery.
Sexual assault is an issue much in the news lately. We cover what it is, the effects it has and hold accountable those who would excuse it in this episode of Mindful Recovery. This week's episode is a call to listeners to stand against such behavior.
Michael Weinberger tells a powerful story of trauma, mental illness, addiction and recovery which culminated in the development of his own app for recovery. Join me in my interview of Michael as we follow him through his journey to recovery and discuss the development of his app and program called "A Plan For Living".
In the last few episodes we have discussed the ways the child gets hurt and looking honestly at the places that hurt child still resides in us. Meeting that child’s needs is something we grew up unaccustomed to. Today, we look at the child within and it’s need for play and joy. Reconnecting with the joyous child inside us becomes the focus of our recovery from addictions and trauma in this episode.
Today we speak with Adena Bank Lees, PhD who specializes in the treatment of trauma and sexual abuse. She has written two books, the latest of which is a book on covert sexual abuse or the use of a child as an emotional surrogate for the missing spouse. This form of trauma can be very impacting and is often at the root of addiction.
This week we dig into those childhood places where we are broken. The ones we have been trying to numb. In this mindfulness exercise we try and show that child the compassion it has always needed in an effort to reconnect with our own healing sense of worthiness. In this way we can begin moving into healthy connection.
Trauma is at the root of all addictions. Connection drives our recovery but healthy connection requires being vulnerable and risking hurt. Learning to do this again is foundational in our recovery because connection is the key to healing.
Brokenness is part of the human experience. We don't have to run from broken spaces. We can learn to sit with the hurt and create spaces of healing from them. The poet Rumi said, "The wound is where the light enters you". In this episode we explore sitting with that broken space and allowing the healing to enter us and grow out from there.
