Emotional Sobriety: The Next Step in Recovery

By: Allen Berger & Thom Rutledge
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  • Summary

  • Bill Wilson, co-founder of Alcoholic's Anonymous, wrote in 1952, "If we examine every disturbance we have, great or small, we will find at the root some unhealthy dependence and its consequent demand." Wilson suggested that if we could identify and continually surrender these unrealistic and unrecognizable demands, that we may then be able to accomplish what he imagined to be recovery's next frontier - something he called emotional sobriety. Flash forward 70 years, and join psychotherapists and best-selling authors Thom Rutledge and Dr. Allen Berger, who have taken up the mantle of exploring Bill Wilson's new frontier. Welcome to Emotional Sobriety.
    © 2021
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Hygiene & Healthy Living Personal Development Personal Success Psychology Psychology & Mental Health
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Episodes
  • To Be Human Is to Be Impacted

    To Be Human Is to Be Impacted
    Apr 18 2025

    Roger Andes returns after a period of recovery to talk with Thom and Patrick about forming a new relationship with our life’s challenges, including awareness of our own mortality.

    Roger holds B.A. and M.A. psychology degrees, and has worked as a personal growth consultant teaching transformative personal growth skills to individuals and groups for over 50 years. He helps his clients learn to let go of self-judgment and develop greater self-compassion and self-acceptance. He also specializes in teaching his clients how to be more aware of their emotions, the relationship between their emotions and their body, and to effectively express and manage their emotions.

    He has been a certified teacher of body/emotion awareness work since 1975, and studied methods for building self-esteem and self-acceptance with psychotherapist and self-esteem theorist Nathaniel Branden, Ph.D. Roger has also worked closely with clinical psychologist Allen Berger, Ph.D. since 1985, and cofacilitates a training program in Gestalt Experiential Therapy with Dr. Berger. Roger has conducted personal growth workshops in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Australia.

    To learn more about Roger and his work, he can be contacted by email at randesma@aol.com.

    Learn more about Joe C., Secular AA and Rebellion Dogs here: https://rebelliondogspublishing.com/

    Upcoming events with Allen Berger: https://abphd.com/events/

    Join an ongoing Zoom meeting wherein participants read Bill Schaberg’s 30 Things: Practical Advice for Living Well chapter-by-chapter here:

    11.00am East Coast / 4.00pm U.K.

    ID: 875 319 1947

    Password: 2GROWIN

    Follow us on social media.

    Podcast Twitter: @EmSobrietyPod

    Instagram: thomrutledge2

    Joe C. Twitter: @Rebellion_Dogs

    Friendly Circle Berlin Workshop Group meets every Monday @ 7:30pm (Berlin), 6:30pm (Ireland & UK), 1:30pm EST, 10:30am PST

    Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5505019905

    Allen’s book, 12 Essential Insights for Emotional Sobriety: https://www.amazon.com/12-Essential-Insights-Emotional-Sobriety/dp/1955415129/

    Join Allen & Thom at our Thursday night, 7pm PST Zoom meeting on Emotional Sobriety and the Steps (login information below):

    https://zoom.us/j/330149513

    Password: 375986

    For our ongoing workshop video series on Emotional Sobriety and the 12 Steps, visit our YouTube channel here:

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHEM2-kqLkfp3I4c0jy-X-g

    Also, please join our “Emotional Sobriety and Recovery” FB Group at the following link:

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/120450976662519

    We’d love to stay in touch in between meetings.

    We appreciate feedback! Contact Patri...
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    52 mins
  • Gratitude, Humility, and Awe

    Gratitude, Humility, and Awe
    Apr 11 2025

    Joe C. brings an existential framework to the discussion, which dredges up Patrick’s recent brushes with mortality and Allen’s titanic wrestling with the loss of his father at a young age.

    Learn more about Joe C., Secular AA and Rebellion Dogs here: https://rebelliondogspublishing.com/

    Upcoming events with Allen Berger: https://abphd.com/events/

    Join an ongoing Zoom meeting wherein participants read Bill Schaberg’s 30 Things: Practical Advice for Living Well chapter-by-chapter here:

    11.00am East Coast / 4.00pm U.K.

    ID: 875 319 1947

    Password: 2GROWIN

    Follow us on social media.

    Podcast Twitter: @EmSobrietyPod

    Instagram: thomrutledge2

    Joe C. Twitter: @Rebellion_Dogs

    Friendly Circle Berlin Workshop Group meets every Monday @ 7:30pm (Berlin), 6:30pm (Ireland & UK), 1:30pm EST, 10:30am PST

    Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5505019905

    Allen’s book, 12 Essential Insights for Emotional Sobriety: https://www.amazon.com/12-Essential-Insights-Emotional-Sobriety/dp/1955415129/

    Join Allen & Thom at our Thursday night, 7pm PST Zoom meeting on Emotional Sobriety and the Steps (login information below):

    https://zoom.us/j/330149513

    Password: 375986

    For our ongoing workshop video series on Emotional Sobriety and the 12 Steps, visit our YouTube channel here:

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHEM2-kqLkfp3I4c0jy-X-g

    Also, please join our “Emotional Sobriety and Recovery” FB Group at the following link:

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/120450976662519

    We’d love to stay in touch in between meetings.

    We appreciate feedback! Contact Patrick, our producer, at pndirective4@gmail.com for any questions or comments.
    Show more Show less
    34 mins
  • For the Newcomers

    For the Newcomers
    Apr 5 2025

    Acceptance of what is sets us on the road to change. While acceptance of powerlessness over alcohol, our dependencies, or lack of emotional sobriety can feel like a form of defeat, like the end of the story, experience tells us that it's only the beginning.

    Patrick, Allen and Thom speak to the acute resistance newcomers have towards the notion of powerlessness. What we're trying to do in early recovery is change the way we’re functioning from the bottom up - no easy task!

    Upcoming events with Allen Berger: https://abphd.com/events/

    Learn more about Joe C., Secular AA and Rebellion Dogs here: https://rebelliondogspublishing.com/

    Join an ongoing Zoom meeting wherein participants read Bill Schaberg’s 30 Things: Practical Advice for Living Well chapter-by-chapter here:

    11.00am East Coast / 4.00pm U.K.

    ID: 875 319 1947

    Password: 2GROWIN

    Follow us on social media.

    Podcast Twitter: @EmSobrietyPod

    Instagram: thomrutledge2

    Joe C. Twitter: @Rebellion_Dogs

    Friendly Circle Berlin Workshop Group meets every Monday @ 7:30pm (Berlin), 6:30pm (Ireland & UK), 1:30pm EST, 10:30am PST

    Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5505019905

    Allen’s book, 12 Essential Insights for Emotional Sobriety: https://www.amazon.com/12-Essential-Insights-Emotional-Sobriety/dp/1955415129/

    Join Allen & Thom at our Thursday night, 7pm PST Zoom meeting on Emotional Sobriety and the Steps (login information below):

    https://zoom.us/j/330149513

    Password: 375986

    For our ongoing workshop video series on Emotional Sobriety and the 12 Steps, visit our YouTube channel here:

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHEM2-kqLkfp3I4c0jy-X-g

    Also, please join our “Emotional Sobriety and Recovery” FB Group at the following link:

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/120450976662519

    We’d love to stay in touch in between meetings.

    We appreciate feedback! Contact Patrick, our producer, at pndirective4@gmail.com for any questions or comments.
    Show more Show less
    23 mins
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Profile Image for Renee

Best Podcast out there for emotional growth!

Whether you're new to the 12 steps or been in recovery for years. enlightening for anyone who struggles with addiction from food to alcohol and anywhere in between.

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Profile Image for DPfandler

Well done

I want... wait... I will be starting a group for emotional sobriety.
Please pass along any help you can give.

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