Questions or feedback? Leave your email here.

Host Tara McCausland interviews psychotherapist Scott Stolarick, who shares how his work in corrections and with sex offenders led him to recognize trauma as a driver of maladaptive behavior and the need for both accountability and support rather than shame. They discuss common misconceptions about trauma, differences between recent and historical trauma, and how childhood coping strategies can become harmful in adult relationships. Scott emphasizes trauma’s personal nature, the importance of validating first disclosures, building safety and trust, careful history-taking, and thoughtful use of modalities like EMDR with informed consent, concluding with encouragement for those beginning or continuing recovery.

00:00 Conference Invitation
01:40 Meet the Host and Guest
03:49 Scott’s Background
04:43 Seeing Trauma in Sex Offenders
09:44 Myths About Trauma
13:05 Fresh vs Historical Trauma
14:19 Trauma for Addicts vs Partners
17:54 Childhood Maladaptive Coping Skills Brought into Adulthood
21:32 What Counts as Trauma
25:06 Building Resilience
28:33 Why Trauma Awareness Matters
31:17 Healing Order of Operations
35:54 Effective Trauma Modalities
37:25 Closing Advice for Recovery
38:36 Final Thanks and Wrap

Support the show

SA Lifeline Foundation
SAL 12 Step
Find an SAL12Step Meeting
Donate
Contact to ask questions or make comments
Transcripts

Questions or feedback? Leave your email here.

Host Jonathan L. interviews guest Heather B. about surrender as a key recovery principle. Heather shares formative experiences where prayer was her refuge amid family abuse and dysfunction, her brother’s fatal accident, and a first marriage marked by discoveries of multiple addictions that led to her choosing divorce. Heather describes healing trauma through therapy and shares how applying SAL’s three-step surrender process (“on the phone, on my knees, in the box”), has helped her learn to relinquish control and trust God, allowing her to find peace amidst many of life's challenges.

00:00 Conference Announcement
02:03 Meet the Host and Guest
02:40 Early Experiences with the Power of Prayer
05:15 First Marriage and Betrayal
08:03 Miracles and a New Path
09:28 Second Marriage Growth
12:37 Therapy and Trauma Healing
14:22 Learning the Surrender Process
16:38 What is Surrender?
19:17 Phone Knees Box Method
23:23 Letting Go of Outcomes
28:27 Regulating Big Emotions
30:40 Handling Intrusive Thoughts
32:30 Daily Spiritual Practice
35:33 Advice for Newcomers
37:22 Encouragement to Return
38:56 Closing Thanks and Wrap

Support the show

SA Lifeline Foundation
SAL 12 Step
Find an SAL12Step Meeting
Donate
Contact to ask questions or make comments
Transcripts

Questions or feedback? Leave your email here.

Host Tara McCausland welcomes Dr. Jill Manning for part two of a discussion on pornography and dating. This episode covers what to do when a dating relationship is already affected by pornography. Manning advises an immediate “slow down,” warning against the myth that marriage or sex will solve pornography or sexual addiction, and urges partners not to proceed toward engagement or marriage while addiction is active; she cites guidance that a year of sobriety and recovery work is ideally established first. They discuss avoiding codependent “fixing” by the non-using partner, clarifying responsibility, and how marriage stress can escalate compulsive behavior. Manning describes recovery markers beyond abstinence—insight, humility, openness, honesty, transparency, firm boundaries, and emotional maturity—and notes compulsive sexual behavior often co-occurs with mental health issues.

00:00 Conference Announcement
01:19 Podcast Welcome
03:41 Slow Down First
08:46 Boundaries Not Fixing
11:16 Marriage Myth Debunked
19:33 Leverage Before Marriage
26:18 Mental Health Underneath
28:41 Signs of Real Recovery
36:03 Avoid Codependency
40:15 Hopeful Closing

Support the show

SA Lifeline Foundation
SAL 12 Step
Find an SAL12Step Meeting
Donate
Contact to ask questions or make comments
Transcripts