Pathway to Recovery

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Jonathan L. interviews Rachelle, a betrayed partner in recovery for nearly five years. Rachelle shares how denial and minimizing helped her temporarily avoid the painful reality of her husband's addiction, and how learning to be rigorously honest with herself, her husband, and the God of her understanding of been key to her healing.  She recounts a triggering Halloween-store incident that became a connecting moment through honest communication and her husband’s recovery plan. Rachelle encourages newcomers to trust the process and reminds long-time members their experience, strength, and hope is key in helping others. 

01:09 Rochelle’s Story
03:18 Serving In SAL
05:54 Why Rigorous Honesty
06:49 Leaving Denial Behind
10:34 Dropping The Masks
14:03 Stop Minimizing
19:57 Honesty In All Relationships
24:28 Halloween Trigger Test
31:22 Boundaries And Disclosure
33:42 Honesty With Higher Power
36:08 Advice For Betrayed Partners
37:43 When Recovery Feels Stalled
40:02 Closing And Next Steps

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 Host Tara McCausland interviews Jacob Hess, a community psychology researcher, writer for Deseret News, and contributor to Fight the New Drug’s Fortify program. Hess discusses his article “The Kind of Person Porn Trains Us to Become,” arguing the key question is how pornography shapes character, citing research summarized by Gary Wilson’s Your Brain on Porn (e.g., greater anxiety, isolation, impaired intimacy, acceptance of aggression, cognitive impacts, and spiritual disconnection). They then explore Hess’s article “Becoming the Kind of Person Who Doesn’t Look at Porn,” outlining qualities that support lasting freedom, including connection, accountability, ordering life, disciplining impulses, learning, serving others, embracing silence, caring for physical health, and tapping into God’s love, peace, and power.

READ the Articles:

The Kind of Person Porn Trains Us to Become

Becoming the Kind of Person Who Doesn't Look at Porn

Jacob's cited meditations can be found HERE and HERE on YouTube.

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00:00 Freedom and Welcome
00:51 Meet Jacob Hess
02:12 From Research to Fortify
04:16 Writing and Truth Seeking
05:52 Porn Trains Us
06:30 Who Are You Becoming
10:59 Research and Real Impacts
15:05 Mindful M&M Lesson
18:42 Talking to Kids
23:08 Screens and Lost Joy
25:03 Becoming Porn Free
26:40 Fourteen Qualities List
30:08 Lifelong Learning Mindset
30:56 Accountability And Amends
34:56 Recovery As Lifelong Work
36:13 Virtual Conference Announcement
37:18 Sharing With Trusted People
37:48 Service Patience And Stillness
43:22 Health Habits That Protect
44:25 God Hunger And True Transcendence
51:14 Delighting In Goodness
52:42 Seeing Divinity In Others
53:46 Make Porn A Nuisance
56:26 Keep Going In Recovery
58:01 Final Thanks And Next Steps

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Host Jonathan L., an addict in recovery, interviews Marcus H., a recovering sexual addict, about developing a “willing heart” by overcoming pride, shame, and hiding. Marcus describes decades of secrecy, shame, and compartmentalization, believing milestones like marriage, children, or church callings would be “magic portals” that would fix him, while repeated counsel to “try harder” led to white-knuckle sobriety and relapse. He explains how hiding damaged his relationships, fueled fear and control at home, and split his sense of self, until a rock-bottom disclosure to his wife triggered a crisis that revealed the harm to his family. Marcus recounts finding SAL through his mother-in-law and therapist, meeting program founder Steven at his first meeting, and learning to “want” recovery, keep coming back, and trust the process. Fear initially brought him into SAL 12-Step, where admitting “I am an addict,” connecting with other men, therapy, sponsorship, humility, accountability, and surrender to God replaced willpower. He emphasizes that worth remains constant and divine, sobriety is important but not a ranking, and recovery is a lifelong, non-linear lifestyle that applies to all character weaknesses. 

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Learn more about our conference sponsor Circles of Grace

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Host Tara McCausland interviews therapist Jed Anderson about attachment theory and how it relates to sexual addiction and betrayal trauma. Anderson explains secure attachment as meeting needs for safety, belonging, and esteem, and outlines insecure styles: avoidant (disconnection and withdrawal), anxious (reactive, controlling pursuit when something feels “off”), and disorganized (terror and conflicted approach-avoidance). He describes the common anxious-avoidant “pursue-withdraw” couple dynamic, how avoidant attachment can increase reliance on addictive “shortcut” relief that becomes a counterfeit attachment, and how discovery/disclosure can create major attachment ruptures and trauma. He emphasizes patience and empathy for betrayed partners, links recovery to developing secure attachment with God via the 12 steps, shares his own pornography exposure and recovery journey.

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00:00 Patience in Healing
00:47 Meet the Host and Guest
01:00 Why Attachment Matters
02:28 Jed Anderson Background
03:11 Attachment Theory Basics
05:07 Secure Attachment Needs
08:47 Insecure Styles Explained
15:21 Addiction and Betrayal Patterns
17:28 Addiction as Attachment Shortcut
24:20 Porn Vulnerability Trap
26:27 Healing Childhood Attachment Wounds
28:12 Early Exposure and Shame
29:52 Admitting Addiction and Getting Help
30:36 Attachment Wounds and God
32:31 Couples Recovery Timing Mismatch
36:05 Empathy and Trauma
41:22 Secure Attachment Checklist
45:00 Step Two and Conscious Prayer
48:49 Recovery Gratitude and Surrender
50:28 Advice for New and Seasoned
53:41 Closing Thanks and Farewell

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Host Tara McCausland shares a 2024 SA Lifeline Virtual Conference presentation by Dr. Jill Manning on the impact of snooping after sexual betrayal. Manning explains she chose the topic because snooping is often quickly labeled “safety seeking” without addressing how it can keep people stuck in trauma and reveal deeper issues like attachment, self-trust, and communication problems. She outlines why she supports the SAL 12-step model, including its roadmap for healing, marriage-honoring sobriety definition, gender-segregated groups, and emphasis on detaching from negative control. She defines snooping as seeking information without direct confrontation and lists examples, noting some can be illegal, and describes drivers such as pain, distrust, anxiety, and entitlement to information. She distinguishes short-term feelings of empowerment from long-term effects like prolonged fight-or-flight, trauma symptoms, secondary trauma, exhaustion, mistrust, indirect communication, victim-offending, and enabling dishonesty. Citing a 2015 University of Houston study, she links distrust, anxious attachment, snooping, jealousy, and psychological abuse, and discusses attachment styles and resources for assessment. Manning recommends alternatives such as direct communication, firm boundaries, self-care, trusting one’s gut, therapeutic disclosure, agreed protocols for suspicions, trusted support, and optional polygraph use, and closes with quotes encouraging “going in the front door” and focusing on recovery-based self-worth and integrity.

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Host Tara McCausland interviews Josh Otani  about why people feel stuck in recovery from pornography addiction  and how rebuilding self-trust is central to lasting change. Otani explains that many clients pursue sobriety goals with performance-based, perfectionistic expectations, but recovery requires clarifying a personal “why” and addressing underlying roots like shame, insecurity, and negative sexual self-image. He contrasts an abstinence-focused recovery with a broader recovery mindset that treats healing as a lifestyle affecting relationships, work, and self-worth. Otani encourages focusing on small, present-day steps, reframing slip-ups as learning rather than “resetting the clock,” and celebrating small wins. He describes internal conflict as two parts—wanting change and wanting old coping relief—and teaches acknowledging cravings with self-compassion, somatic awareness, and values-based redirection to reduce shame. He shares that learning his worth was unconditional reshaped his approach, recommends noticing and reframing harsh self-talk to build internal safety, and advises newcomers to take one step at a time while long-term participants practice kindness and recognize progress.

Connect with Josh Otani HERE.  

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Tara McCausland shares the final Q&A from the April 2026 SAL 12 Step Conference and announces registration for the 2026 SA Lifeline Women’s Workshop (September 18–19 in Mapleton, Utah). Panelists discuss how addicts can own harm  by listening, staying regulated, and doing shame work, often with therapeutic support. They address sitting with discomfort through sponsor help, prayer, and “pendulation,” and clarify surrender as active trust in a higher power rather than apathy. Steven distinguishes lapse (timely honesty and accountability) from relapse (secrecy and misrepresentation). The panel notes limited women-specific addiction groups and recommends SA plus qualified therapy. Betrayed partners are urged to disclose to safe people (often group, sponsors, therapists), set boundaries, and focus on their own recovery when disclosure feels incomplete. They cover defensiveness, step four challenges, deepening connection with God, reframing holidays and anniversaries after discovery, and the importance of sponsorship, humility, and ongoing meetings to heal individuals and families.

Register for the S.A. Lifeline Women's Workshop HERE.

02:32 How to Own the Harm
04:22 Sitting With Discomfort
06:35 Pendulation and Regulation
08:04 Surrender Without Apathy
10:42 Lapse vs Relapse
14:27 Women and Addiction Resources
16:01 Safe Disclosure and Support
20:37 Step Four Balanced Inventory
22:22 When Disclosure Feels Incomplete
25:41 Honesty After a Lapse
27:20 Holding Space Not Fixing
27:58 Defensiveness And Regulation
30:39 Working Steps With Sponsor
34:18 Reframing Holidays After D Day
38:03 Anniversaries And Honest Disclosure
42:27 Connecting With the God of Your Understanding
46:53 Why Step Four Feels Brutal
50:47 Closing Hope And Keep Coming

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Host Tara McCausland shares presentations from the 2026 SAL 12-Step Conference starting with two personal shares from SAL 12-Steppers Brandon P. and Bing H. Brandon P., a recovering sex addict, describes decades of secrecy and shame, hitting rock bottom two years earlier, and learning that turning to God is a daily decision sustained by grace and community. Bing H. shares her experience with betrayal trauma including disorientation, triggers, and despair, and explains how SAL 12-Step, therapy, sponsors, and surrender brought hope, emotional grounding, and a desire to break generational cycles. Next,  you will hear a Healing Couples presentation from Heather and Justin B. which focuses on healing the marriage, focusing on one’s own healing, the messiness of recovery, and placing God at the center. Using the SAL Circle Models, they contrast the drama triangle with healthier patterns and explain how to  rebuild trust and connection over time. They highlight boundaries as “if/then” statements and emphasize that they are self-protective actions rather than walls, and stress ongoing step work, prayer, support, and taking action on spiritual promptings.

View the S.A. Lifeline Circle Models HERE.

Register for the 2026 Women's Workshop HERE.

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Therapist and 12-stepper Josh Walpole shares his personal history with pornography and sexual addiction, and how recovery led him to become a therapist at Circles of Grace (formerly Lifestar). He explores how stories shape recovery, contrasts lying with acceptance and radical honesty, and connects the hero’s journey and redemption arcs to change. He outlines 12-step themes, therapeutic recovery elements, nervous-system regulation and “recognize, respect, regulate, re-story,” and emphasizes sponsorship and hope that recovery is real and possible.

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00:00 Welcome and Keynote Intro
02:26 Meet Josh Walpole
04:13 Buffalo Storm Metaphor
06:09 Why Stories Matter
08:30 Josh's Recovery Story
14:34 Lies to Radical Honesty
19:24 Hero's Journey in Recovery
25:29 Villains and Redemption Arcs
30:08 Pivot Moments and Rock Bottom
33:16 Founders Stories and Pain
38:20 Twelve Steps as a Story
41:19 Therapy Roadmap to Healing
46:19 Brain and Nervous System Stories
51:12 Closing Stories and Sponsorship
55:39 Recovery Is Possible

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Tara McCausland shares an SAL 12 Step Conference keynote presentation by therapist and 12-step participant Amanda Christensen. Amanda explains how childhood power dynamics, explicit and implicit family rules, and family systems patterns can shape secrecy, emotional neglect, perfectionism, and vulnerability to sexual acting out. Amanda shares her own discovery trauma and distinguishes sexual acting-out trauma from deception trauma, emphasizing how secrets and manipulation undermine the betrayed partner’s reality, self-trust, and attachment safety. She outlines common power struggles in couples and within oneself, urging people to exit power battles and move toward surrender and “healthy powerlessness.” She recommends deeper work on underlying wounds through 12-step and therapy, therapeutic disclosure, steps one, four, and nine, transparency agreements, boundaries, and ongoing connection to support healing and choice.

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Understanding Pornography use, Problematic Sexual Behavior and Betrayal Trauma Digital Manual

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