The following Trauma-Informed 12-Step Series is designed to widen the conversation around complex trauma, dissociation, and wounding in 12-step work. The following posts do not express the beliefs of Alcoholics Anonymous or any other 12-Step Fellowship. The writings and artwork are solely the author’s opinion and creation, which reflect his lived experience as a practicing psychotherapist and a person in long-term recovery. The body of work you will read originates from the author’s lived experiences along his recovery journey, professional clinical work, and research in the field of trauma, dissociation, addiction, and recovery.
I envisioned three separate and connected audiences when I wrote this series. Recovery-seekers working a 12-step program may benefit from these resources as a method to explore their own trauma work within 12-step frameworks. Please do not take these posts as clinical advice. The author does not intend to replace your personal therapy work with a qualified clinical professional with whom you have a working relationship. I strongly encourage any recovery-seeker to find a skilled trauma therapist to address any issues which emerge from reading this series or your life’s journey to this point.
The second audience is helping professionals who provide services for people with substance and/or process addictions. The tools contained in these posts may help you understand the clients to whom you provide services. There is always more to learn about cultural diversity, cultural humility, and recovery. If you would like additional resources, please do not hesitate to reach out. Seek consultation when a client’s needs with respect to trauma, dissociation, addiction, and recovery rise above your professional skillset and competency. Professional ethics remind us to practice within our established codes of conduct and level of subject matter competency. It is strongly advised to seek out consultation and appropriate supervision.
At times, the clinical work we embark on hits our own internal stuff, which may require addressing it head-on. Therapists who identify dissociative connections in their daily life but may not be open about these matters publicly are welcome to the conversation. I welcome further dialogue with therapists who are exploring their own internal world and recovery experiences. There is immense benefit in finding a skillful therapist who can help you unpack unresolved trauma. Consider looking for someone who understands addiction and its intersections with dissociation.
The information and resources contained on this website are for informational purposes only and are not intended to assess, diagnose, or treat any medical and/or mental health disease or condition. The use of this website does not imply nor establish any type of therapist-client relationship. Furthermore, the information obtained from this site should not be considered a substitute for a thorough medical and/or mental health evaluation by an appropriately credentialed and licensed professional.
Finally, the 12-step philosophy and wisdom suggest we are each permitted to use what works and disregard what does not work in our own journeys of recovery. If something written in this series is not working for you, consider ways you can adapt the ideas for your own life in recovery. The series is built on the wisdom of “progress not perfection”. Periodically, you may find updates or modifcations to the series to reflect growth or new insights gained over the author’s lived experience of recovery.
