189: Natural Healing Show with Catherine Carrigan - Episode 189189: Natural Healing Show with Catherine Carrigan - Episode 189
UK Health Radio Podcast
Catherine Carrigan and Geri Portnoy talk about spiritual and embodied awakening, linking addiction and dissatisfaction to deeper questions about life and self. The conversation offers practical body-based practices and gentle reflections on how awakening can support health, relationships and recovery.
45:50•6 Sept 2026
From Addiction to Awakening: Geri Portnoy on Everyday Spiritual Shift
Episode Overview
- Spiritual awakening often starts with dissatisfaction that can manifest as addictions to substances, behaviours or technology.
- Awakening is described as becoming aware of an inner field of okayness and peace that was already present but unnoticed.
- Embodied awakening means feeling breath, feet, heart and bodily sensations so awareness is rooted in the body, not just in thoughts.
- Recognising breakdown as a gateway to breakthrough can help reframe painful life crises as part of a larger spiritual journey.
- Simple practices such as feeling your feet on the ground or placing a hand on your heart can soften separation and support healing.
“Often spiritual awakening shows up for many people as they’ve kind of hit the end of some kind of addictive behavior and they’re starting to wonder, like, what’s life really about?”
Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This conversation on the Natural Healing Show zooms in on spiritual awakening as a key turning point, especially when life starts feeling unmanageable. Medical intuitive healer Catherine Carrigan chats with yoga teacher and author Geri Portnoy about Geri’s book *Embodied Everyday Awakening: A Guide to Spiritual Transformation in the Midst of Everyday Life*.
Together they unpack what “awakening” actually means, from simple moments like suddenly noticing your breath to recognising “a background field of inner okayness, a background field that feels like home.” The episode speaks directly to anyone who’s hit the wall with addictive patterns.
Geri explains how spiritual awakening often begins with deep dissatisfaction that can show up as addiction to “the internet… drugs or alcohol… sex or gambling.” That painful point, she says, is often where you start asking bigger questions: Who am I? Why am I here? Is this really all there is?
Catherine shares her own framework of unconsciousness, awakening and conscious living, describing the classic “breakdown to breakthrough” phase where old habits and tribal rituals stop working and new tools—like yoga, meditation, or major life changes—start to emerge.
It’s a candid look at how uncomfortable this can be, but also how it opens into feeling that “the universe has your back.” You’ll hear practical ideas for living an embodied awakening in everyday life rather than escaping into spiritual bypass: feeling your feet on the ground, placing a hand on your heart, noticing your breath before speaking, and using the body as a reflection of what’s happening in your inner world.
There’s also a thoughtful discussion on avoiding spiritual ego and remembering that awakening is “your birthright… the next natural stage of our human development.” If your recovery journey has you questioning life, self and purpose, this gentle, down-to-earth chat might be exactly the perspective shift you’ve been waiting for.
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