Trauma & Addiction with guest Hannah BernsteinTrauma & Addiction with guest Hannah Bernstein
The Recovered Life Show
Host Damon Frank talks with psychotherapist Hannah Bernstein about how trauma can drive addictive behaviour and complicate sobriety. They discuss what counts as trauma, why it so often resurfaces in recovery, and how support and self-awareness can help people move forward.
34:00•11 Jun 2025
Trauma, Triggers and Sobriety: Hannah Bernstein on Healing at the Root
Episode Overview
- Trauma can range from obvious major incidents to less visible but repeated harms that exceed a person’s ability to cope.
- Addiction often functions as a survival strategy when someone has no other way to handle overwhelming emotional pain.
- Many people who are calm in chaos but unsettled in peace may be replaying childhood patterns of stress and instability.
- Growing up with alcoholic parents almost always shapes a person’s emotional world and usually involves trauma that needs attention.
- Healing is possible through community, professional support and mind–body awareness, without staying stuck in a permanent trauma identity.
“I think sometimes where we get it wrong is to get really frustrated or angry with someone in that position. To be like, oh, come on. Can't you see all these other people have gotten better? Why don't you just get it?”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety when trauma keeps pulling them back? This conversation on The Recovered Life Show brings together host Damon Frank and psychotherapist Hannah Bernstein for a clear, grounded look at how past pain can keep fuelling present-day addiction.
Speaking in plain, relatable language, Hannah breaks down what trauma actually is, describing it as “anything that causes us pain to a degree that exceeds our capacity to cope.” She points out that it sits on a spectrum, from big, obvious events like war or wildfires to more subtle but relentless experiences such as growing up with an alcoholic parent or being pushed to ignore your own needs as a child.
The episode is aimed at people in recovery, those who love them, and anyone wondering why they “do great in a crisis” but fall apart when life becomes calm. Damon talks about seeing trauma show up again and again in people who struggle to get or stay sober, including those who have tried for 20 years and feel completely stuck. Hannah gently challenges the idea that trauma is a life sentence or a free pass.
She stresses that it’s important to address it, but not to stay “stuck in a trauma narrative.” Instead, she encourages building self-awareness through mind–body tools like noticing a racing heart, shallow breathing or clenched fists, then taking a pause before reacting. One of the most powerful threads is the idea that people who have been “born in fire” can become incredibly reliable, compassionate helpers in recovery.
Their past isn’t erased, but it can become the source of real strength and connection. If you’ve ever thought, “You don’t understand, it’s too far gone for me,” this conversation might make you ask a different question: what if there’s still more healing available than you think?
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