Trauma and the 12 Steps

An Inclusive Guide to Enhancing Recovery This trauma-informed approach is for clinicians, therapists, sponsors, and those in recovery. The 12-step programs like AA and NA help countless people recover. Still, many feel 12-step programs have a narrow focus and are lacking in many ways. The label alone eclipses traumatic histories and experiences that feed addiction, some dismissive of adverse experiences like trauma in the first place. Advances in addiction medicine, social theory, trauma, neuropsychiatry, and inclusivity need to be integrated into 12-step programs to reflect the latest research and what it means to live with an addiction today. Dr. Marich is an addiction and trauma clinician in recovery herself. She builds bridges between the 12-step's core foundations and up-to-date developments in trauma-informed care. Her approach treats the whole person, not just addiction, and fosters profound healing, growth, and transformation.This trauma-informed skills toolkit explores how trauma impacts addiction, recovery, and relapse, and offers inclusion for atheist, agnostic, and LGBTQ+ communities. There are huge differences between being trauma-informed and trauma-sensitive. The book also addresses traumatic, spiritual abuse and how current spirituality-based approaches to healing create a profound impediment to recovery. This is a landmark, enlightening, and helpful book for all readers.