Episode 351: Parallel Recovery: Transforming Family Dynamics in Addiction and Healing with Lisa Smith
When Lisa Smith's family was gripped by the terror of her son's addiction, they felt like mere spectators to a relentless storm. But through her groundbreaking concept of parallel recovery, they began to reclaim their roles as active participants in the healing process. In this compelling episode, we sit down with Lisa, a TEDx speaker and author, who shares her family's transformative journey. She illuminates how families can support their loved ones suffering from addiction and mental health challenges by first addressing their own fears and recovery needs. Her insights shed light on addiction as a family disease and underscore the importance of structured recovery to create a more supportive environment.Our conversation with Lisa also navigates the vital principles of radical acceptance and compassionate boundaries in the recovery journey. She delves into the layered challenges families face, including confronting generational trauma and the systemic issues making family recovery services less accessible. We explore how stepping back from fear-driven responses can foster healthier interactions, and how setting boundaries, rather than being acts of harshness, can be deeply compassionate. Lisa’s message is clear: when families engage in recovery, they not only aid their loved ones but enrich their own lives and relationships, crafting a nurturing space for healing amidst adversity.In this episode, you will hear:The concept of parallel recovery and its impact on family dynamics in addictionLisa Smith's personal journey with her son's addiction and mental health challengesImportance of addressing addiction as a family disease and involving families in the recovery processExploration of radical acceptance and compassionate boundaries in healingChallenges families face, including generational trauma and systemic barriers to recovery servicesFollow and Review:We’d love for you to follow us if you haven’t yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.Supporting Resources:TedTalk: The Power of Parallel Recovery | Lisa SmithLisa's WebsiteParallel Recovery: A Guide for Those Who Love Someone with Substance Use Disorder, TAMNovusMindfulLife.comhttps://www.theaddictedmind.com/community Episode CreditsIf you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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TAM+ EP 85 Your Relapse Prevention Blueprint: Strategies for Staying on Track
Worksheet: Your Relapse Prevention BlueprintWhat if you could stop living in constant fear of relapse and start building real confidence in your recovery?In this powerful episode of The Addicted Mind Podcast Plus, hosts Duane and Eric Osterlind reveal how to create a practical relapse prevention blueprint that transforms your recovery from a terrifying tightrope walk into a journey of empowerment and self-trust.Too many people in recovery live with that constant, low-level hum of anxiety asking "What if I mess up?" This fear doesn't protect you—it actually makes you more vulnerable by keeping you rigid, stressed, and unable to think clearly when challenges arise.The Osterlinds share a game-changing approach rooted in cognitive behavioral therapy that shifts you from reactive fear to proactive planning. Instead of hoping you'll stay strong in difficult moments, you'll have a written plan for exactly what to do when you feel most vulnerable.This episode breaks down the dangerous "all or nothing" thinking that turns a momentary slip into a complete relapse. You'll learn why the National Institute of Drug Abuse defines addiction as a "chronic relapsing disorder"—not to discourage you, but to remove the crushing shame that keeps people stuck and help you plan skillfully for real-life challenges.The hosts walk you through creating your own personalized coping cards for high-risk situations, whether that's the excited energy you feel on Friday afternoons or the moment an old friend calls to invite you out. You'll discover how to identify your unique internal and external triggers and develop specific, actionable responses for each one.Most importantly, this episode reframes relapse from a moral failure to valuable data that makes your blueprint stronger. When you approach recovery this way, you're not just surviving—you're actively managing your healing journey with compassion, wisdom, and strategic planning.Your recovery is worth planning for, and this episode gives you the tools to do exactly that.Key Topics• Creating a proactive relapse prevention blueprint instead of living in fear • Identifying your personal high-risk situations and unique triggers • Building specific coping cards with actionable strategies • Overcoming "all or nothing" thinking that turns slips into full relapses • Using your brain when it's "online" to prepare for when it's "offline" • Reframing relapse as learning data rather than moral failure • Moving from passive victim of triggers to active manager of recoveryTimestamps[00:01:00] - Introduction: The tightrope analogy and why fear-based recovery doesn't work [00:03:00] - The crushing weight of "all or nothing" thinking after a slip [00:06:00] - The proactive prevention model: Using your brain when it's online [00:09:00] - Getting practical: How to build your first blueprint component [00:12:00] - Eric's personal example: Friday afternoon triggers and planning ahead [00:15:00] - The power of grace: Why slips don't have to become full relapses [00:16:00] - Action steps and accessing the free worksheetSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Episode 350: Understanding the Biomarkers of Addiction with Dr. Evelyn Higgins
If you found out earlier on in your youth that you actually have a genetic propensity toward addiction, would you have made decisions a lot differently? Addiction is a bio-psycho-social model, but we don’t really look at the biology part of it. Sometimes, we have to look at the physiology of things to understand addiction better. And there has to be a paradigm shift in thinking about how we operate and exist in this world. On today’s episode, Duane speaks with Dr. Evelyn Higgins about genes and biomarkers, how they influence our behavior, how they play out in addiction, and why knowing about this part of ourselves is an important step in addiction treatment and recovery. Dr. Evelyn Higgins is the founder and CEO of Wired For Addiction and a recognized international expert in the epidemiology of addiction. With 34 years in clinical practice, Dr. Higgins has spent over 16 years dedicated to research and development in the science of addiction recovery, and she finds herself at the nexus of epigenetics, neuroscience, and addiction. In this episode, you will hear:What it means to look at errors in genetic codingEpigenetics and aberrant behaviorsWhy addiction is not a moral flaw, but a diseaseThe first step is getting objective information.The common genetic markers of addictionHow seeing addiction from a biological perspective impacts the familiesFollow and Review:We’d love for you to follow us if you haven’t yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.Supporting Resources:Wired For AddictionDr. Higgins’ TEDTalk: NovusMindfulLife.comhttps://www.theaddictedmind.com/community Follow and Review: We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast. If you live in California and are looking for counseling or therapy please check out Novus Mindful Life Counseling and Recovery CenterNovusMindfulLife.comWe want to hear from you. Leave us a message or ask us a question: https://www.speakpipe.com/addictedmindDisclaimerSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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TAM+ EP 84 Riding the Wave: How to Survive Your Most Overwhelming Moments Without Making Them Worse
Worksheet: Riding the Wave with TIPPPicture this: Your heart is pounding so hard you can hear it in your ears. Your vision starts to tunnel. A wave of pure panic or white-hot anger is washing over every nerve in your body, and all you can think about is doing something—anything—to make it stop.We've all been there. That moment where one decision could change everything. Maybe it's reaching for that drink, lashing out at someone you love, or spiraling into a shame cycle that feels impossible to escape.What if there was a way to survive these moments without making them worse? What if you could actually hack your own nervous system to ride out the storm?In this episode of The Addicted Mind Plus, hosts Duane and Eric Osterlind break down TIPP—four powerful crisis survival skills from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) that can literally save your life in these overwhelming moments.These aren't feel-good techniques designed to make you happy. They're emergency tools designed to help you survive a crisis without acting on destructive urges. Each skill works by targeting your body's nervous system in a specific way, giving you concrete actions to take when your emotions feel completely out of control.From the mammalian dive reflex that instantly slows your racing heart, to the surprising power of 60-second intense exercise that burns off adrenaline, you'll learn exactly how to use your body's own wiring to calm yourself down. The brothers also dive into the science behind why longer exhales activate your "rest and digest" system, and how paired muscle relaxation can release stored tension in minutes.But here's the real power: every single time you choose these skills instead of your old destructive behaviors, you're rewiring your brain. You're proving to yourself that you can feel intense pain and survive it without escaping into substances or harmful actions.Whether you're in recovery from addiction, dealing with trauma, or just tired of making decisions in emotional moments that you later regret, these four simple techniques could be game-changers. The best part? You can start using them today.Don't miss the free worksheet download that breaks down each skill with step-by-step instructions you can use in your next crisis moment.Worksheet: Riding the Wave with TIPPKey TopicsThe TIPP Crisis Survival Method - Four science-backed techniques to survive overwhelming emotionsTemperature Technique - Using cold water and ice to activate your mammalian dive reflexIntense Exercise - How 60 seconds of movement burns off dangerous adrenaline surgesPaced Breathing - The nervous system hack that only requires controlling your lungsPaired Muscle Relaxation - Releasing stored tension through breath and muscle workBrain Rewiring Through Crisis Survival - How each successful use builds long-term resilienceDBT and Distress Tolerance - Understanding the therapy approach that created these toolsTimestamp Guide[00:01:00] - The Crisis Moment: What overwhelming emotions feel like and why we need survival skills[00:03:00] - Introduction to DBT: The therapy that balances acceptance and change for real results[00:05:00] - Distress Tolerance Explained: Why these skills survive crises instead of creating happiness[00:08:00] - Temperature Technique: Using cold water to activate your biological brake pedal[00:10:00] - Intense Exercise: How 60 seconds of movement matches and burns off emotional energy[00:12:00] - Paced Breathing: The only organ you can control that connects both nervous systems[00:16:00] - Long-term Brain Rewiring: How crisis survival skills build lasting recovery strengthSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Episode 349: Wise Effort: Embracing Acceptance and Commitment Therapy with Dr. Diana Hill
Join us for an enriching conversation with Dr. Diana Hill, a leading voice in the world of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), as she shares insights from her latest book, "Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on What Matters Most". Dr. Hill leads us on her personal journey from cognitive behavioral therapy to ACT, offering a fresh perspective on how shifting our relationship with thoughts can bring profound change. This episode promises to redefine your understanding of mental well-being by highlighting ACT's focus on psychological flexibility and values-driven living.Dr. Hill artfully explores the fusion of scientific analysis and human compassion in therapeutic practices. She guides us through the complex realm of shame, an emotion deeply rooted in our evolutionary past, and explains how confronting it can pave the way for healing and deeper connections. Through this lens, we consider how integrating scientific principles with personal relevance can transform mental health treatment into a relatable, effective process. This conversation is a testament to how ACT can be a powerful tool for anyone seeking to harness both heart and science in their healing journey.In this episode, you will hear:Dr. Diana Hill on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and her book "Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on What Matters Most."ACT's focus on psychological flexibility and values-driven living, distinct from traditional cognitive behavioral therapy.Scientific rigor with compassion to address and transform shame in therapy.Aligning talents with core values for personal growth through "wise effort."The importance of releasing outdated narratives for creativity and development.Practical strategies and questions for purposeful energy and talent direction.Follow and Review:We’d love for you to follow us if you haven’t yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.Supporting Resources:Dr. Hill's WebsiteDr. Hill's PodcastWise Effort Book NovusMindfulLife.comhttps://www.theaddictedmind.com/community Episode CreditsIf you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
"The Addicted Mind Podcast" offers hope, understanding, and guidance for those dealing with addiction, with real stories and research to inspire and show the journey to recovery is worth it.We're here to do more than just talk about addiction. We want to show you how to heal and recover.Our talks with experts and people who have beaten addiction give you important insights into how addiction affects the mind and how recovery can happen in many ways. Whether we're looking at new treatment ideas or sharing stories that inspire, "The Addicted Mind Podcast" is all about understanding the complex world of addiction recovery and showing that recovery is possible.If you or someone you care about is dealing with the challenges of addiction, let "The Addicted Mind Podcast" be your friend and guide. We aim to give you the knowledge you need, share stories that inspire you, and show you that the journey to recovery is worth it.Subscribe now to be part of a community focused on learning, healing, and changing for the better. Your journey to a healthier mind and life begins right here.
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