The Truth About Healing: Addiction, Protective Selves & Nervous System Regulation | Shadow Work

Trigger Warning: This episode briefly mentions intrusive thoughts and struggles with mental health. If you’re sensitive to these topics, please listen with care.📌 (Skip this part: 17:55-18:19)

The Truth About Healing: Addiction, Protective Selves & Nervous System Regulation

For years, I didn’t realize I was addicted—not to substances, but to escaping my emotions and reality. True healing isn’t just about quitting—it’s about what comes after when you're forced to sit with yourself without numbing.

In this episode, I break down:
✅ The hidden truth about addiction (it’s not just about substances)
✅ How we develop protective selves to avoid deep healing
✅ Nervous system regulation as the key to lasting recovery
✅ The power of shadow work & emotional alchemy

📌 If you’re struggling with addiction, trauma, or PTSD, I highly recommend:
📖 The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael Alan Singer

🎥 Want to see what led me to this healing journey?
📌 Watch my Hero Dose Experience: https://youtu.be/H-VO9qWWWes?si=RCkCKyTn3Bxlq8VQ

Healing Takes Time – Flow Like Water

Healing looks different for everyone. Whether you’re journaling, meditating, or simply learning to sit with your emotions, honor your own process.

💡 Things that helped me on this journey:

• Somatic healing before I could even start journaling
• Writing poetry as emotional release before I could process things logically
• Small daily actions like remembering to take my vitamins and eating on schedule

🌊 The key to healing? Flow like water. Choose what resonates. Let go of what doesn’t.

📌 Subscribe for more episodes on self-healing, nervous system regulation & shadow work.

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💫 Connect with me! → awakenandalignwithkp.com (Find all my socials, Medium, and more!)

Chapters

• 0:00 Intro – What True Healing Really Means
• 1:22 Addiction Isn’t What You Think – Protective Selves & Escaping
• 2:45 Protective Selves: The Masks We Wear to Survive
• 3:53 Healing the Root Cause: The 6 Pillars of Life
• 5:30 Stop Chasing Highs – Flow Like Water
• 7:45 The Body Remembers: Trauma is Stored Physically
• 8:39 Using Art to Transmute Pain into Beauty
• 10:29 The Compound Effect of Addiction & Healing
• 11:48 5 Steps to Heal Addiction and Regulate Your Nervous System
• 13:09 1. Awareness and Reflection: Recognizing the Pattern
• 13:34 2. Nervous System Regulation: Releasing Tension in Healthy Ways
• 17:55 Trigger Warning: Intrusive Thoughts & Mental Health Struggles
• 18:19 How Showering Replaced Alcohol to Cope with My Intrusive Thoughts
• 20:01 3. Rewiring the Coping Mechanism – Replacing the Escape with Presence
• 21:21 4. Healing the Root Cause – Inner Work, Shadow Work, and Emotional Processing
• 25:53 5. Building a New Identity – Embodying Your True Self
• 29:23 How to Build Self-Love and Trust Yourself
• 30:09 Final Thoughts and a Kiss from KP