View Transcript
Episode Description
What happens when you stop the addiction, but the pain underneath it is still running your life?
Dr. Dean Sunseri, licensed professional counselor, and HollyKem Sunseri, certified life coach with more than four decades in recovery, explore the work they call emotional sobriety: healing the emotional wounds and protective patterns that can remain long after the substance or destructive behavior is gone.
In this conversation, we go beyond abstinence and into what Dean and HollyKem call Stage Two recovery. We talk about why unresolved pain can “seep out” through substitute addictions, anger, isolation, control, relationship conflict, or other coping behaviors, and why simply stopping a behavior doesn’t necessarily heal what created it. They walk us through their framework of the Protector, Wounded Child, and True Self, including how learning to recognize which part of us is speaking can restore choice instead of leaving us controlled by old survival responses. We also explore relationships, why one person changing can change the entire “dance,” and why reconnecting may need to happen before a couple can actually solve the problem they’re fighting about.
In this episode:
- Emotional sobriety and Stage Two addiction recovery
- Why abstinence may be only the beginning of healing
- Substance addiction, behavioral addiction, and substitute addictions
- The emotional pain underneath compulsive and self-destructive behavior
- The Protector, Wounded Child, and True Self
- Trauma, triggers, and protective survival responses
- Why healing doesn’t mean never being triggered again
- Learning to love the parts of yourself you once tried to escape
- Self-compassion versus shame in addiction recovery
- Moving from survival mode into choice, purpose, and emotional freedom
- Relationships, resentment, defensiveness, and emotional disconnection
- Why one partner’s growth can change the relationship dynamic
- Reconnecting before trying to resolve conflict
- Boundaries, responsibility, forgiveness, and healthy communication
- Finding purpose after addiction and survival
Dr. Dean & HollyKem Sunseri:
1. Take the free Emotional Sobriety Assessment: https://dean-jsegmrly.scoreapp.com
2. Get the Book A Roadmap to the Soul Today! https://amzn.to/478rNG8
3. Learn more about Dean & HollyKem Sunseri: https://www.ihaveavoice.com
4. Watch Free Videos on Emotional Sobriety: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsbxvHYHG8El81rdV6eQ7gM7S55jXPm49&si=FOa14n7V-5OLJOQJ
Lisa Lacy | Notes From the Edge:
What did you perform in order to survive?
Welcome to the Edge.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.