Bookends of Recovery: Addiction, Betrayal Trauma & Healing

Healing doesn't mean having all the pieces figured out. Join me for a short reflection, followed by a guided meditation, to help you explore your own puzzle, embrace the gray areas (gah!), and reconnect with yourself, one piece at a time. If you have any questions, please let me know .  Sending everyone happy and healthy vibes, Laura Please note: This podcast is for education only and is not...

Not every conversation leads somewhere healthy. In this episode, I share a recent experience that reminded me what emotional sobriety looks like in real life and why protecting our peace sometimes means choosing not to participate. Visit my self-care page for tools to help you through challenging moments: https://www.bookendsofrecovery.com/blog/self-care-amp-recovery-tools?rq=self%20care If you ha...

A calming meditation to help you make space for every emotion, reconnect with yourself, and remember that feelings come and go. You can feel deeply without losing yourself, staying grounded one breath at a time. If you have any questions, please let me know .  Sending everyone happy and healthy vibes, Laura Please note: This podcast is for education only and is not a replacement for therapy. I sug...

"Relapse is part of recovery." "No, it's part of addiction." So...which is it? Let's talk about why this question hit me personally, emotional sobriety, and why boundaries still matter. If you have any questions, please let me know .  Sending everyone happy and healthy vibes, Laura Please note: This podcast is for education only and is not a replacement for therapy. I...

Before we get started, I wanted to add a quick update to this episode. When I originally recorded this, I was still in my marriage. Since then, my husband and I have decided to separate. I still agree that there isn't a single right answer to the question, "Should I stay?" Each person has to decide what they need to feel safe, healthy, and at peace. What has become even clearer to m...

Slow down, breathe, and reconnect with the healthy pathways within you. This guided meditation uses the symbolism of a garden to explore awareness, emotional well-being, self-care, emotional sobriety, and personal growth. Together, we’ll gently tend to the spaces within ourselves that may need a little more nurturing, attention, and care. Perfect for moments when you feel emotionally overwhelmed,...

Sometimes recovery and healing don’t unravel all at once. Sometimes it whispers. In this episode, we talk about stagnation and complacency in recovery and healing, emotional sobriety, unhealthy patterns that quietly return over time, and the importance of continuing to tend to our growth, relationships, and well-being…even years later. I also share part of my personal journey, along with gentle to...

If you have ever felt overwhelmed or anxious, or had your thoughts spiral out of control, you are not alone. I’ve been there. Today I’m resharing some mindfulness techniques that you can use when things feel overwhelming, a trigger hits, or you need a moment to pause and regroup. If you have any questions, please let me know .  Sending everyone happy and healthy vibes, Laura Please note: This podc...

What do you do when the tools that used to help no longer do? In this episode, we explore the brick wall in recovery and healing, and how to figure out whether it’s time for a change or time to give yourself a break. If you have any questions, please let me know .  Sending everyone happy and healthy vibes, Laura Please note: This podcast is for education only and is not a replacement for therapy....

Not every thought is a fact, but when you’re in the middle of a spiral, it can feel like it is. In this episode, we walk through simple, real-life tools to help you pause, challenge unhelpful thinking, and respond differently in the moment. From cognitive distortions to the ABC model, opposite action, and reframing, these are tools you can actually use when it matters most.  If you have any questi...

If you’ve been swinging between trying to fix everything and wanting to shut down, this guided meditation will help you find your way back to balance using detaching with love. If you have any questions, please let me know .  Sending everyone happy and healthy vibes, Laura Please note: This podcast is for education only and is not a replacement for therapy. I suggest you seek the help of a trained...

I thought I had detaching with love figured out… until I realized I was just pulling away. In this episode, I share my mistakes, the shift that changed everything, and what it really looks like in real life. Including a worksheet walkthrough. If you have any questions, please let me know .  Sending everyone happy and healthy vibes, Laura Please note: This podcast is for education only and is not a...

When we find out our partner is an addict, one of the first questions we ask ourselves is do we stay or do we go? Especially if our partner is pornography and/or sex addict. In this episode, I share questions to consider beyond the question of whether to leave or stay. If you have any questions, please let me know .  Sending everyone happy and healthy vibes, Laura Please note: This podcast is for...

I think something that’s important to talk about is what happens after addiction disclosure. It was something I wasn’t even remotely prepared to experience. I didn’t expect the emotional chaos that happened in the weeks and months afterward. It was beyond overwhelming and confusing...but there was also hope.  If you have any questions, please let me know .  Sending everyone happy and healthy vibes...

Spring has always felt like the season of regrowth to me. Every year when my daffodils bloom, I’m reminded of something I didn’t always believe was possible… my own healing. In this brief announcement, I’m sharing a reflection on the quieter side of recovery, the small, steady shifts that don’t always feel like progress… but are. If you’ve been feeling stuck, this is your reminder that growth is s...

Today's episode is about what it felt like to discover my husband’s pornography addiction, the hypervigilance that followed, and how healing finally began. If you have any questions, please let me know .  Sending everyone happy and healthy vibes, Laura Please note: This podcast is for education only and is not a replacement for therapy. I suggest you seek the help of a trained professional fo...

I share a recent moment when my brain went straight to panic mode during a simple disagreement, what that taught me about trauma footprints, and the gentle check-in tools that help me stay grounded. If you have any questions, please let me know .  Sending everyone happy and healthy vibes, Laura Please note: This podcast is for education only and is not a replacement for therapy. I suggest you seek...

Recovery and healing don’t have one ending. They have two bookends. One bookend is the moment that changed you. The other is the moment you chose differently. One holds the addiction. The other holds the healing. One holds the betrayal. The other holds the rebuilding. Between those bookends? Your growth. Your awareness. Your tools. In today's episode, I share those those tools with a series o...

A quick and gentle guided meditation to help you reconnect with your inner strength, especially during moments of fear, doubt, or overwhelm. This practice is about remembering who you are when things feel challenging. If you have any questions, please let me know .  Sending everyone happy and healthy vibes, Laura Please note: This podcast is for education only and is not a replacement for therapy....

If you’re in recovery, loving someone with addiction, or healing from betrayal trauma, struggling with confidence is incredibly common. Learn how to rebuild it in today's episode. If you have any questions, please let me know .  Sending everyone happy and healthy vibes, Laura Please note: This podcast is for education only and is not a replacement for therapy. I suggest you seek the help of a...

Valentine’s week can be challenging for a lot of people. But if you’re in a relationship with an addiction, especially pornography and/or sex and love addiction, it can feel even more overwhelming. If you’re struggling this week, you’re not alone. And you don’t have to push your way through it. There are tools that can help you get through the week with a bit more steadiness and a lot more self-co...

Have you ever felt that kind of internal chaos? The racing thoughts. The emotional whiplash. The urge to numb or fix something that isn’t yours to fix. That moment when fight, flight, freeze, or fawn kicks into overdrive.  Whether you’re in recovery or healing, these thoughts, feelings, and sensations are very common. Internal chaos is often our body’s way of telling us that our system is overwhel...

As promised...it's a workbook walkthrough for The Three Circles & CFT (You don't need the workbook to benefit from today's episode): The Three Circles are three nested circles that help you define: • What you personally want to avoid • What requires boundaries and awareness • What actively supports your recovery or emotional wellbeing They can be used by someone in addiction rec...

In today's episode, I revisit The Three Circles and add in CFT. It creates structure without shame, boundaries without pressure, and awareness without rigidity. And when both partners use it, it becomes a shared language for healing instead of a battleground of expectations. A great episode for those in recovery and their loved ones. Stay tuned next week for the workbook walkthrough! If you h...

ARC is a three-step tool for moving through triggers in a way that supports your healing instead of overwhelming it. Today's episode is a workbook walkthrough, but you don't need it to enjoy the episode. I also share some exciting news! If you have any questions, please let me know .  Sending everyone happy and healthy vibes, Laura Please note: This podcast is for education only and is n...