I reference a quote which I feel sums up the episode well. 

Write Often and Edit Well 

-Esther Perel

• What is Brainspotting?

• We look at a case study with Tina and pay attention to her insecure attachment style.
• What the outcome was after Tina’s first brainspotting session & why Adina was surprised :)
• Why early messages are so important to our attachment styles as with the case of Tina.
• How Brainspotting accesses parts of the brain that are traumatized by many unintended experiences.
• How Brainspotting increases attunement by using a dual attunement frame. And how Tina was able to start her healing journey by feeling the empathy from me. Adina wonders if we would have gotten here with traditional talk therapy alone.
• Brainspotting helps us identify how our stuff defines us and how to unlearn these thoughts/behaviors. 
• Adina feels it’s important to know one’s attachment styles. This can help with connecting better with your loved ones.
• Authentic attachment is an inherent quality of human beings. We all want to get there!

• Brainspotting.com
• Episode 94: How to Face Your Anxiety Head on: the power of brainspotting
• Internal Brainscan exercise  (google sheets)
• Schedule a free consultation with me!

For more info, head over to atheistsinrecovery.com and subscribe to our email list. And thank you for listening!

• Leave an honest review on ITUNES.  Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.

• Subscribe to the A.I.R. newsletter where you will learn to identify patterns of dysfunctional thinking, change the dysfunctional thinking into something more positive, and find hope in recovery.

• If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share it with friends, family, and other professionals by using the social media buttons on this page.

• Please listen to EP 101 where we learn Arlina’s background before listening to this one :)
• Why our brains are designed to focus on the negative. And how to increase our awareness of this.
• Arlina, at a young age, kept finding reasons that she wasn’t “good enough” and “smart enough” and whenever she would have a negative experience, she’d use that as “evidence” to back up the stories she told herself. Confirmation bias is what’s happening.
• In early recovery, we do things that we regret under the influence of alcohol. You lose the ability to choose how much you will drink or not.
• Why after 27 years sober Arlina continues to work daily on emotional regulation.
• What is the Default Mode Network & how we can rewire our brain in order to make better decisions.
• Arlina walks us through a writing exercise on how to identify and change your irrational beliefs.

“I just put a bunch of drugs & alcohol in my brain and I’m going to use that broke *ss tool to make decisions for my entire life…”

“Question your beliefs because a lot of times they’re not rooted in truth.”

• A.I.R. Survey Please take this 45 second survey to help direct the future of the AIR podcast. 
• Bryon Katie’s 4 Questions 
• SoberLifeSchool.com

For more info, head over to atheistsinrecovery.com and subscribe to our email list. And thank you for listening!

• Leave an honest review on ITUNES.  Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.

• Subscribe to the A.I.R. newsletter where you will learn to identify patterns of dysfunctional thinking, change the dysfunctional thinking into something more positive, and find hope in recovery.

• If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share it with friends, family, and other professionals by using the social media buttons on this page.

• Arlina described her deepest roots as having come from two traumatic incidents early on. She learned some survival skills that “did not translate into healthy adult relationships.”
• How at age 8 or 9, Arlina discovered alcohol. And she described the first drink vividly. She stated, “The self-confidence & self-loathing was lifted….” This cemented the theory that alcohol would take away “all these bad feelings.”
• Why she felt money or love was going to save her. (Hint: love did not come in the form she was expecting)!
• Why she feels Quantum Physics explains everything she had learned from her religious upbringing.
• Arlina shared she made all her decisions based on low self-esteem. And her work in recovery is now to identify & reframe her self-beliefs.
• How “Empathy is the antidote to shame.” Arlina shared that her shame presented as defensiveness. And shame could not survive once it was spoken.
• How connection became the cure to her feeling less shame, less isolated &  less alone.
• Stay tuned for next week’s interview with Arlina Allen as we focus on the theory & practice of her recovery along with a writing exercise!

Arlina’s tagline: “If it were in a bottle, a bag, or blue jeans, I was doing it.”

“I was trying to think my way into right living. And it turns out I needed to live my way into right thinking.”

• A.I.R. Survey Please take this 45 second survey to help direct the future of the AIR podcast. 
• SoberLifeSchool.com

For more info, head over to atheistsinrecovery.com and subscribe to our email list. And thank you for listening!

• Leave an honest review on ITUNES.  Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.

• Subscribe to the A.I.R. newsletter where you will learn to identify patterns of dysfunctional thinking, change the dysfunctional thinking into something more positive, and find hope in recovery.

• If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share it with friends, family, and other professionals by using the social media buttons on this page.

Welcome to today’s show!

In today’s solo episode, I outline 6 questions to ask yourself in order to create a recovery routine that works for you. My bullet points below are a series of questions rather than statements. This is similar to what I do with my monthly newsletter. I’m a big journaler and our brains are problem solving machines so let it do its job. Write down each question and then answer it.

WHAT WE’LL LEARN:

• Question #1:  What are your non-negotiables re: habits?
• Question #2:  What can you do in the AM to set you up for success?
• Question #3:  What puts you in “awe” mode?
• Question #4:  What feelings come up when you “don’t want to do something?”
• Question #5 : What’s one thing you can focus on right now?
• Question #6:  What’s your why? What’s your purpose?
• Bonus: Ruts don’t dig themselves. List some other non-negotiables to swap in and out depending on your mood.
• One of Adina’s favorite quotes related to comparison is attributed to President Theodore Roosevelt. 

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• A.I.R. Survey
• Episode 79: Resetting Your Recovery:  rituals for healthy living
• Episode 87: Rituals and Routines: 6 questions to ask yourself
• Sign up for the Newsletter here!

For more info, head over to atheistsinrecovery.com and subscribe to our email list. And thank you for listening!

• Leave an honest review on ITUNES.  Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.

• Subscribe to the A.I.R. newsletter where you will learn to identify patterns of dysfunctional thinking, change the dysfunctional thinking into something more positive, and find hope in recovery.

• If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share it with friends, family, and other professionals by using the social media buttons on this page.

• John described his deepest roots led him to Syracuse New York...from his upbringing, to his professional development, to his professional career and to his sobriety.
• John’s sobriety journey is intertwined with a dual diagnosis with Mental Health issues.
• How he needs to maintain his mental health so that he does not drink again and vice versa.
• John’s first sponsor made him take his mental health seriously.
• How he balanced advocacy work with personal recovery-especially in early recovery.
• Where John was at the beginning of his recovery to where he is today-a person recovering out loud while respecting the traditions that people care about.
• When in conversation with a student in Rams in Recovery, the student asked John how it is that he claims to be in recovery if all he’s doing is advocacy (e.g. the coffee bike). This helped John become more connected with the recovery community. And helped him to build an “underground network” of people all over the world which he taps into to help others.
• How these projects (e.g. Coffee Bike, Narcan Bike) served as John's recovery program for a long time.  And how the advocacy piece changes with each project. Now, the Narcan Bike, beyond the design, is largely all about advocacy.

“I tried to do it on my own with my will power alone and the group of people in that room (recovery room) knew what I was going through and had been where I was...it was one of my only options. It’s the one thing I could connect to and participate in that wasn't making things worse.”

“I’ve gone from an artist who’s an activist to an activist who’s an artist.”

• A.I.R. Survey Please take this 45 second survey to help direct the future of the AIR podcast. 
• @5050.projects-Facebook
• FreeNarcanBike.com
• JohnFreyer.com
• @recoveryroast
• @freenarcanbike

For more info, head over to atheistsinrecovery.com and subscribe to our email list. And thank you for listening!

• Leave an honest review on ITUNES.  Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.

• Subscribe to the A.I.R. newsletter where you will learn to identify patterns of dysfunctional thinking, change the dysfunctional thinking into something more positive, and find hope in recovery.

• If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share it with friends, family, and other professionals by using the social media buttons on this page.

Welcome to today’s show!

In today’s solo episode, I outline 3 tips on how to overcome guilt, shame, & regret in early recovery. A sober life means feeling all the emotions and in early recovery that can be very triggering. Let's start our show with how I define guilt, shame & regret.

WHAT WE’LL LEARN:

• How to Increase your self-forgiveness.  In order to walk through any difficult emotion, self-forgiveness needs to be part of that tool kit. 

• How to increase your connections.  It's hard to see oneself in a positive light because our thoughts can be brutal but that’s when you need to look to your external environment for help!

• How to increase your resilience.  Dr. Lucy Hone (resilience expert) does a great job of exploring resilience more in depth. And she discusses three strategies she relied upon as she conducted a “self experiment.”

• Bonus:  What you’re feeling is not fact, they’re theories that need to be investigated. 

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• A.I.R. Survey
• Star Wars: learn how to find the force in recovery
• 3 Secrets of Resilient People-Dr. Lucy Hone
• Drinking and Anxiety:  what's the connection 

For more info, head over to atheistsinrecovery.com and subscribe to our email list. And thank you for listening!

• Leave an honest review on ITUNES.  Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.

• Subscribe to the A.I.R. newsletter where you will learn to identify patterns of dysfunctional thinking, change the dysfunctional thinking into something more positive, and find hope in recovery.

• If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share it with friends, family, and other professionals by using the social media buttons on this page.

• Chris described his deepest roots as being introduced to spirituality by way of “special event Catholicism” God and the idea of a higher power was a novelty to Chris
• How his relationship with sobriety was one of coercion by being court ordered into fellowships, group therapy, jail, and house arrests.
• Chris describes his high school locker as a small black marketplace for anything he needed.
• How being “uncomfortable in his own skin” led to finding relief from alcohol.
• How Chris fell into a 12 step meeting around his hometown and had friends in that meeting-all young people. This was the first time Chris said to himself, “This could be fun. Sobriety can be cool”
• How his last year of addiction was the darkest place he's ever been. This led to a call for help from God laden with curse words. From that day on, Chris has been sober.
• Chris states he did not find spirituality until he found recovery.
• When going to Hazelden, Chris flashed back to the 1st time he really got sober and hearing the professionals say, “The disease is doing pushups in the parking lot while you’re inside trying to get sober.” Chris clenched onto sobriety as tightly as he could during his stay. Even though his default thoughts were negative.
• What Chris’s first spiritual experience was like on his walk “taking the long way home.”
• How the gift of recovery helps one take pause to live a better life.

“The disease is doing pushups in the parking lot while you’re inside trying to get sober.”

“I was really self-conscious in addiction and found my voice in recovery.”

• A.I.R. Survey Please take this 45 second survey to help direct the future of the AIR podcast. 
• Taking The Long Way Home by Chris Blavelt
• Augustine Recovery
• Augustine Recovery-Facebook
• Augustine Recovery-Instagram
• [email protected] 

For more info, head over to atheistsinrecovery.com and subscribe to our email list. And thank you for listening!

• Leave an honest review on ITUNES.  Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.

• Subscribe to the A.I.R. newsletter where you will learn to identify patterns of dysfunctional thinking, change the dysfunctional thinking into something more positive, and find hope in recovery.

• If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share it with friends, family, and other professionals by using the social media buttons on this page.

Quote: The life of every man is a diary in which he means to write one story, and writes another; and his humblest hour is when he compares the volume as it is with what he vowed to make it.” 

J.M. Barrie (Author of Peter Pan) 

Welcome to today’s show!

In today’s solo episode, I outline 5 takeaways for utilizing journaling to manifest your dreams in recovery!

WHAT WE’LL LEARN:

• What is a keystone habit?
• Why is journaling considered a keystone habit?
• Journaling accelerates your ability to manifest your goals. 
• Journaling creates a springboard for daily recovery.
• Journaling creates clarity and congruence.
• Journaling wipes away (like emotional windshield wipers) emotions. In this case, venting is encouraged.
• Journaling reveals and tracks patterns and cycles.

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• A.I.R. Survey
• Episode 89: Three Reasons Why I Love Journaling & The April Pause

For more info, head over to atheistsinrecovery.com and subscribe to our email list. And thank you for listening!

• Leave an honest review on ITUNES.  Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.

• Subscribe to the A.I.R. newsletter where you will learn to identify patterns of dysfunctional thinking, change the dysfunctional thinking into something more positive, and find hope in recovery.

• If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share it with friends, family, and other professionals by using the social media buttons on this page.

Welcome to today’s show!

WHAT WE’LL LEARN:

• Kristen describes her deepest roots and her mother’s influence on shaping her future identity.
• How to use technology to remove barriers for mental health. 
• Ketamine as a dissociative and what that means for our treatment.
• How is Ketamine different from the traditional medications we take to reduce depression & anxiety. 
• When adding a psychedelic treatment you are going deeper within and finding out the root cause of the issue versus a flattening of symptoms that occurs with SSRI’s.
• Kristen talks about the neurobiology of Ketamine which is so interesting (says Adina!). 
• Kristen on Ketamine and how it creates this embodied experience: “Once you see something, it’s hard to unsee.”
• What happens after each treatment or “journey” to keep the new learning from fading away.
• Kristen talks about integration as a three step process to develop new habits: 1) Journaling, 2) Bulletting the key takeaways & streamlining the information 3)Committing to engaging once a day from the key takeaways list.
• Kristen goes through the safety of a telehealth guided Ketamine treatment.

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• A.I.R. Survey Please take this 45 second survey to help direct the future of the AIR podcast. 
• Mindbloom.com

For more info, head over to atheistsinrecovery.com and subscribe to our email list. And thank you for listening!

• Leave an honest review on ITUNES.  Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.

• Subscribe to the A.I.R. newsletter where you will learn to identify patterns of dysfunctional thinking, change the dysfunctional thinking into something more positive, and find hope in recovery.

• If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share it with friends, family, and other professionals by using the social media buttons on this page.

Welcome to today’s show!

WHAT WE’LL LEARN:

• What is anxiety? And why is brainspotting perfect for resolving anxiety?
• Brainspotting as a dual attunement process.
• We look at a case study with Raphael.
• What the outcome was after Raphael’s first brainspotting session.
• What are the challenges with brainspotting for Raphael (and especially in our western culture).
• Where is Raphael now?
• Brainspotting is not a magic elixir but it does go much deeper than talk therapy.

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• A.I.R. Survey
• Brainspotting.com
• Internal Brainscan exercise  (google sheets)
• Elizabeth Stanley Episode 82

For more info, head over to atheistsinrecovery.com and subscribe to our email list. And thank you for listening!

• Leave an honest review on ITUNES.  Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.

• Subscribe to the A.I.R. newsletter where you will learn to identify patterns of dysfunctional thinking, change the dysfunctional thinking into something more positive, and find hope in recovery.

• If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share it with friends, family, and other professionals by using the social media buttons on this page.