The Sober Shaman

This week’s episode of The Sober Shaman Podcast dives into a big one — possession — and how it connects to the experience of addiction. We explore how this is not the Hollywood version with demons and exorcisms… but rather the more insidious and self-perpetuated kind. The kind that happens when our own addictive thoughts, beliefs and feelings grab hold of the wheel and take over the driving. Looki...

A Call for Mastery and Men's Ability to Court When we grow into adulthood without a guide that can lead us to mastery of a skill that enhances our community, speaks to our hearts, and promotes the healthiest aspects of our culture... We feel the Void this leaves behind. Then, how do we respond to the pull of this Void? In this episode of The Sober Shaman Podcast, we take a look at exactly what hap...

Every victim does not become the perpetrator but…nearly every perpetrator has been the victim. How does one go from being a victim, from being the recipient of horrendous pain, to then inflicting that same brand of pain upon another? How does this happen? In shamanism, it’s starts with Power Loss. And in this episode of The Sober Shaman Podcast, we'll examine how and why this happens, what are the...

Thanks for joining me once again for another episode of The Sober Shaman Podcast. In this one, I address a few areas where we can get stuck. We find ourselves repeating patterns, feeling familiar resistances and experiencing the same ineffectual results. These are aspects of The Story we tell ourselves, about ourselves, and whether consciously or subconsciously, are participating in for its ongoin...

Takeaways: The Sober Shaman Podcast delves into the intertwining of spirituality and practical recovery from addiction and trauma. Hans Wilhelm, a prolific author and mystic, has created numerous resources to explain spiritual laws visually. The understanding of reincarnation and karma provides clarity on life's injustices and personal challenges we face. Forgiveness is essential for emotional fre...

This episode of The Sober Shaman Podcast is a conversation with Rand Timmerman. Rand is a retired attorney who is a recovered alcoholic that hiked the Appalachian Trail at 72 years old with his younger brother (71) and then wrote a book with 500 pictures, called "A Spiritual Passage" describingl the difficulties and problems they encountered doing such an arduous hike while dealing with issues of...

This episode of the Sober Shaman Podcast presents a profound dialogue with Jennifer Pilates, an esteemed intuitive medium and spiritual thought leader. Central to our discussion is the transformative journey that emerges from the intersection of spirituality and physical wellness, particularly through the lens of Pilates as a healing modality. With over 25 years of experience, Jennifer articulates...

Even with all of the advances we've made in today's world of addiction treatment, there are some subjects that still hold the power of taboo. One of these is the doctor who is also the addict, Which is why I am excited to share my latest talk with Dr. Brett Cordes. He is a recently retired ear, nose, and throat physician, who tells his remarkable journey of recovery from addiction and then how he...

Hello All! I am excited to share this episode of the Sober Shaman Podcast, in which I have a conversation with Soraya James. She is a " guide through life’s deepest thresholds — grief, betrayal, identity loss, menopause, heartbreak, trauma and awakening." (From her website: https://soreya-james.mvt.so/meet-soreya ) In our talk, we explore the idea of alchemizing trauma, and h ere's an overview of...

In today’s podcast, we’re going to hear Scotty Schneider tell a little of his personal story. It is one rich in experience, and focuses on dealing with PTSD with the healing potential of psychedelic medicines. Scotty, who has spent a decade in Colombia, recounts his training with indigenous traditions and the establishment of a self-sustaining community that honors both the past and the present. I...

The podcast delves into the profound narrative of Adriene Caldwell, author of 'Unbroken: Life Outside the Lines', who shares her tumultuous journey from a childhood marred by trauma to a life of resilience and self-discovery. Throughout the discussion, Adriene candidly recounts her experiences with untreated mental illness, physical abuse, and the harrowing realities of foster care, offering liste...

In this episode, titled "Breaking the Spell of Lies," we delve into the intricate relationship between addiction, trauma, and the deceptive narratives we construct around our experiences. We examine how these lies ensnare us in cycles of denial and dysfunction, particularly in the realm of addiction, where the implications of believing falsehoods can perpetuate suffering and hinder recovery. Drawi...

The belief in whether or not ghosts exist, is one we've been thinking about since we were kids. So, what do you think nowadays? Yes? No? And how could this possibly have something to do with your recovery? In this episode of The Sober Shaman, I'll be going into all of it and showing exactly how it relates - and what our next steps could be. Takeaways: The exploration of spirituality can significan...

I have been listening to all of the latest predictions about Artificial Intelligence and how it’s going to change our lives. Everything from how it will eventually take your job and end your career, to the ability to offer you a private therapy session with Carl Jung. On top of that, the advancements in medicine are going to be massive. For example, you’ll be able to take a simple blood test to de...

The opposite of addiction is sacrifice because it can immediately break the cycle at any point along the repeating pattern. It can do this because addiction is all about my stuff: my planning my acquiring my using then my covering up it’s all about me, me, me, So the opposite of that is focusing upon someone else. And specifically, another person’s needs. Quite simply: Addiction is all about getti...

To stay or leave one's Home is a decision that has profound consequences no matter which choice is made. And it is a choice we all must make. For those of us in recovery, we can look back into the past and explore the ramifications of our previous choice. We can also evaluate the choice that presents itself right now. And we can look into the future to see how the choices we make moving forward wi...

Definition: Spell a: a spoken word or form of words held to have magic power b: a state of enchantment I’ve been professionally helping others in recovery for almost as long as I’ve been clean and sober—no coincidence. From the start, I realized that for treatment to have any chance of success, I need to take what works from my esoteric Chinese medicine and core-shamanic approaches and explain add...

This episode of The Sober Shaman podcast complements the recent written post entitled, “Dear the Spirits of This Place.” We delve into the Shamanic wRites prompt and explore three types of places where you can gain insight, connection, and healing power from being a good guest and responsible resident to the Spirits of Place. Here are some of the three ways we look at this: * The place of your bir...

This episode of The Sober Shaman podcast serves as a companion piece to the recent written post entitled, “Addiction Separates / The Web Connects.” In this episode, we explore the year’s first Medicine Drum Journey and how our experience can provide insight, connection, and healing power for our concerns. Here are some of the ways we look at this: * Connection is the Medicine for addiction’s patho...

This episode of The Sober Shaman podcast serves as a companion piece to the recent written post of the same name. In it, we explore the year’s first Shamanic wRites topic—trust—and how a shamanic perspective can provide insight, connection, and empowerment through my response to the prompt. Here are some bullets on how we can do this: * Going to where the truth resides * Merging with my spiritual...

This episode of The Sober Shaman podcast is the companion piece to the recent written post of the same name. In it, we dive into the unique aspects of the Shamanic wRites exercise, specifically what sets it apart from a typical writing prompt. We also explore why approaching it as a spiritual endeavor, rather than a psychological exercise, will yield a different kind of result. Here are a few topi...

The following is the post as it appears on Sober App Substack. This series showcases personal stories of addiction recovery and sobriety. Today’s edition features, Randal Lyons, Doctor of Chinese Medicine and shamanic practitioner whose spiritual, integrative program of addiction recovery has been implemented in holistic clinics, premier treatment centers, and his private practice. You can access...

In this episode of The Sober Shaman Podcast, we delve into a recent—and common—conversation with a client about the benefits of adopting a spiritual approach to recovery. They want to know, “What will it do for me?” There are certain perspectives that viewing life through a spiritual lens can provide, which can be used to one’s advantage. But first, we need to confront the baggage carried into the...

Science vs. Spirit When science and spirit are positioned as opposites and set against one another, the resulting tension can be overwhelming.  Whether this is an internal battle or a conversation between two people, organizations, or businesses, the either-or, win-lose setup stretches our stress muscles. We all get this and instinctively know we’ve got to honor—or at least hear out—both sides of...

What’s missing? Regardless of where you find yourself on the path of recovery - whether it’s looking to make that first big leap into sobriety, or keeping things rolling in the early stages, or even if you’ve got some time under your belt and hit a plateau, have you, like me, at some point wondered: “It feels like something is missing.” This inner gnawing arises and persists despite the many effec...