Life Recovered

Kris Oyen stops in as Garrett's cohost this week as Tamara is off having fun in the beautiful city of Montreal. We talk about marriage, Eckhart Tolle, and then talk all about Spirituality, Christianity, Kris's journey from being Catholic to being protestant and having a more personal relationship with Jesus. Garrett is spiritual, not an atheist, but not a christian either. This is a fun one so strap in!

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****Note the audio quality is not ideal for this episode, please bear with us as the content itself is well worth the listen*******

While Garrett is off galavanting in Europe Tamara scores the ultimate interview with Kymberly Stephens, MS, LPC, CETP, CCTP-II.

Kym's accolades are too many to count, and Tamara and Garrett can both attest to the power of brainspotting, as they have both been fortunate enough to have one-on-one sessions with Kymberly.

Tamara interviews Kym about how brainspotting was discovered, how it works in the brain, and the benefits of it for trauma treatment and other uses. They even throw in some dream interpretation technique, just because she couldn't help herself!

If you are anywhere near Fayetteville, Arkansas, we strongly recommend looking her up.

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Books mentioned on this episode:

The Body Keeps the score: by Bessel van Der Kolk

In this 1-year anniversary special, Tamara and Garrett recount the first year of the podcast. From After the Elevator to Life Recovered, from recapping another podcast to talking about their own recovery interests, from trial-and-error to a focused vision...

As they discuss their favorite memories (and not-so-favorite moments), Gar and Tam reflect on where they've been over the past year - in their recovery journeys and in their relationship on the podcast. You won't want to miss this one!

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We do this podcast for free. In fact, it costs us money each month.If you like what you hear, consider throwing a couple bucks in to support Life Recovered. We appreciate your generous support! paypal.me/aftertheelevator

Garrett's reading "How to Change Your Mind" and discusses a way of describing how psychedelics work in the brain in order to open it up to new patterns. He and Tamara relate it back to where they both are in their respective therapeutic modalities.

Gar and Tam also discuss the "silver lining" of pain, specifically the loss of relationships. Garrett had a huge breakthrough with his therapist - so huge that she grinned and dismissed him! Tamara is continuing on with EMDR and remembering to be patient through the process. It takes TIME.

Please send us an email (we LOVE your emails) at life [email protected]!

Please take a moment to subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes.

We do this podcast for free. In fact, it costs us money each month.If you like what you hear, consider throwing a couple bucks in to support Life Recovered. We appreciate your generous support! paypal.me/aftertheelevator

This week's episode brings some tough questions into the light. Garrett broaches the subject of a common question many people ask as they get deeper into sobriety - "Could I drink again?" What does it mean to toy around with the idea, and what do you do when you're faced with that question?

Tamara questions a completely different aspect of recovery and relapse. Relapse has become a normalized part of early sobriety, as it often takes so many failures before finally finding the right kind of help to stay sober. But does it have to be THIS difficult to find the help you need? Is it possible to help people find it sooner, before they have to boomerang back to rehab multiple times?

Garrett shares a moment of gratitude and reflection with us, as he has seen the benefits of sobriety come full circle in his family relationships, and Tamara is riding a spiritual high from the inspired weekend she shared with loved ones.

Please send us an email (we LOVE your emails) at life [email protected]!

Please take a moment to subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes.

We do this podcast for free. In fact, it costs us money each month. If you like what you hear, consider throwing a couple of bucks in to support Life Recovered. We appreciate your generous support!

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In this week's episode, Garrett and Tamara catch up on the past two eventful weeks. Garrett spent time in Palm Springs with sober friends and irreversibly deleted his social media accounts. Tamara talks about the death of her longtime friend, and how it's been mourning her as life continues to go on. Both are getting a lot from therapy - Garrett with his regular therapist and recent, first brainspotting session, and Tamara with ongoing EMDR. The podcast is briefly interrupted by a new (likely recurring) special guest, Rufus. And boy, is he a trip...

Please send us an email (we LOVE your emails) at life [email protected]!

Please take a moment to subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes.

We do this podcast for free. In fact, it costs us money each month.If you like what you hear, consider throwing a couple bucks in to support Life Recovered. We appreciate your generous support!

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Tamara is off this week so Garrett talks about a great article sent to him by his friend Odette about Grey area drinking.

I also plug my friend Laurent and his help with Kim Goldmans stellar "Confronting OJ Podcast" if you are in to true crime.

Tamara will be back next week!

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After a technology and social media addiction update from last week's episode, Tamara shares her impression of the EMDR process so far and describes inner child work - reading her inner child letters from treatment. Gar and Tam discuss the purpose and impact of this type of inner child work, and the podcast gets unexpectedly somber.

After they gain back their composure, they quickly return to the latest life events - from socializing, to celebrations, to new tattoos!

And there's a LOT to celebrate this week. The podcast hit 10K downloads last week (thank to all listeners for making it happen!), and Garrett celebrated 22 years of marriage to his beautiful wife, Tasha!

Pop culture this week is all about Black Mirror on Netflix - a personal favorite of both Garrett's and Tamara's. Gar is also still eyeball-deep in books, and he just read "The Law of Attraction" and is now reading "Maybe You Should Talk to Someone."

Please send us an email (we LOVE your emails)!

[email protected]

Please take a moment to subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes.

We do this podcast for free. In fact, it costs us money each month.If you like what you hear, consider throwing a couple bucks in to support Life Recovered. We appreciate your generous support!

paypal.me/aftertheelevator

Garrett introduces the main topic of the week: behavioral addictions (aka "process addictions"). Specifically, technology and the harmful effects of social media. The good news? Since he has broken free of social media snares, he's returned to his first love… reading! The also discuss why trauma survivors gravitate to True Crime and other fear-inducing experiences. Tamara talks about how her third week home from treatment has gone - including some major updates being back at work, starting EMDR, picking back up her step work and experiencing triggers and intense emotions. Pop culture appearances on this episode include "Rocketman," "Aladdin," "Dead to Me," "On the Basis of Sex" and some upcoming Netflix premiers they're excited to see return to the screen.

Please send us an email (we love your emails).

[email protected]

Please take a moment to subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes.

We do this podcast for free. In fact, it costs us money each month.If you like what you hear, consider throwing a couple bucks in to support Life Recovered. We appreciate your generous support!

paypal.me/aftertheelevator

Garrett & Tamara are back for a new season, both literally and figuratively. Gar celebrated 2 years sober, Tam is back from The Refuge, and they're both heading into this new season of life with new… BOUNDARIES!!! They discuss Tam's complex PTSD diagnosis and treatment, and the lasting impacts of childhood trauma. Gar shares the events that transpired while Tam was gone, and they announce a formal end to a previous chapter of their recovery… with special shout-outs along the way to many amazing friends and listeners. Pop culture appearances on this episode include Avengers: Endgame, John Wick 3, Game of Thrones, Bill Maher.

Please send us an email (we love your emails) at [email protected].

Please take a moment to subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes.

We do this podcast for free. In fact, it costs us money each month.If you like what you hear, consider throwing a couple bucks in to support Life Recovered. We appreciate your generous support!

paypal.me/aftertheelevator