445 The Disease of Relapse: Paul Schulte on EMDR, Trauma, and Staying Sober445 The Disease of Relapse: Paul Schulte on EMDR, Trauma, and Staying Sober
The One Day At A Time Recovery Podcast
EMDR trainer and long-time sober member Paul Schulte talks with host Arlina Allen about relapse as a symptom of addiction, the role of trauma, and how EMDR and simple recovery tools can support long-term sobriety. The discussion blends personal history, neuroscience and practical guidance, including Paul’s iMover app and his work with soldiers, refugees and survivors of abuse.
1:12:58•27 Aug 2026
Relapse, Trauma and EMDR: Paul Schulte’s Fresh Take on Staying Sober
Episode Overview
- Relapse is framed as a central symptom of alcoholism, not a personal failing, and often reflects unresolved trauma.
- EMDR helps integrate traumatic memories and dismantle triggers by engaging both sides of the brain, reaching places talk therapy often cannot.
- Simple recovery practices from the early days—meetings, service, connection—remain crucial to avoid “sober drift.”
- Al-Anon principles, such as allowing loved ones to face consequences and practising radical acceptance, can protect family members from burnout.
- Addressing buried beliefs like “I’m broken” or “I’m a coward” through EMDR can create a new sense of safety, agency and freedom in sobriety.
“The number one symptom of alcoholism is relapse.”
How do people cope with the challenges of staying sober? This conversation between host Arlina Allen and EMDR trainer Paul Schulte goes straight into that tough territory, focusing on relapse as a core feature of addiction rather than a moral failure.
You’ll hear Paul call alcoholism “a disease of relapse” and share how a psychiatrist once told a room full of experts that “the number one symptom of alcoholism is relapse.” From there, he unpacks why so many people go back to drinking even after promising themselves they won’t, linking repeated relapse to unresolved trauma and a brain that keeps trying to escape reality.
Paul talks openly about growing up in a large, deeply wounded family marked by war trauma, violence and multiple alcohol-related deaths, and how his own drinking began after his father died from alcoholism. He describes years of unprocessed grief, especially around the AIDS crisis, and his belief that many people in recovery carry undiagnosed PTSD into the rooms.
The episode centres on EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) and how it can shift those buried memories and toxic self-beliefs that fuel relapse. Paul explains EMDR in everyday language, describing how bilateral stimulation helps the brain “talk to itself,” integrate traumatic memories, and dismantle triggers.
He shares his own experience of four EMDR sessions that left him thinking, “What was I bothered about?” and how that led to his work training army psychologists and creating the iMover app, including a free relapse-focused process. Along the way, you’ll get AA wisdom, gentle humour about “sober drift,” and strong boundaries around not rescuing loved ones from the consequences of their behaviour.
If you’ve ever thought, “Why do I keep doing this to myself?” or watched someone you love relapse again and again, this episode might give you some fresh hope and practical tools to think about. Could trauma work be the missing piece in your recovery puzzle?
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