Trauma, Addiction, and the Twelve Steps – Part 2 with Ian Morgan Cron

The Allender Center Podcast

The Allender Center

Psychology, Religion & Spirituality, Mental Health, Christianity, Trauma, Health & Fitness, Theology

4.6 • 628 Ratings

🗓️ 30 May 2025

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What if your first addiction wasn’t to a substance, but to someone’s approval?

In part two of our conversation with Ian Morgan Cron, we go deeper into the cycle of addiction, codependency, and the hope of recovery. Whether you're struggling with a relationship, a habit, a performance-driven mindset, or just the weight of trying to “be good,” this episode offers a profound invitation: transformation doesn't come from trying harder—it comes from surrender.

You'll hear stories about the power of the 12 Steps, why spiritual awakening matters more than willpower, and how our early longings for love and safety often become tangled in the behaviors we’re desperate to change. We talk about ministry, leadership, trauma, boundaries, and what it really means to carry your healing into the lives of others.

This isn’t a conversation about fixing people—it’s about engaging your own story so you can show up with greater freedom, compassion, and clarity.

Take a breath, take a listen. We hope you’ll hear something that helps you come home to yourself.

You can order Ian’s new book here: https://ianmorgancron.com/thefix

Please Note: This episode contains some mature language; listener discretion is advised.

Transcript

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0:00.0	If you've been doing some personal work, maybe through journaling, therapy, reading, or even listening to this podcast, and yet still feel like there's something missing, you're not alone.
0:14.5	Our stories were never meant to be engaged in isolation.
0:18.6	That's why participating in a story workshop with the Allender Center can be such a powerful
0:23.5	next step.
0:24.9	I'm Rachel Clinton-Centon, and I want to personally invite you to this unique in-person
0:29.6	experience in Seattle, happening August 21 through 24, 2025.
0:35.8	Over the course of three and a half days, you'll receive live teaching from Dan Allender,
0:41.1	Wendell Moss, and myself, and other Allender Center instructors.
0:45.7	But what makes this workshop truly transformative is the time you'll spend in a story group,
0:51.7	a small, intimate setting, led by a trained facilitator who will walk
0:56.1	with you as you engage a part of your story with care and courage. It's a space marked by
1:01.8	compassion, reflection, and healing, a space where deep change becomes possible. If you're
1:08.6	feeling called to take your storywork further and to do it in community,
1:12.9	this might be the next step you've been looking for. Learn more and register now at the
1:18.7	allander center.org slash workshops. We would love to have you with us.
1:46.3	Thank you for listening to the Allender Center podcast.
1:48.1	I'm Dr. Dan Allender.
1:49.7	And I'm Rachel Clinton-Cent. We're fiercely committed to providing hope and healing to a fragmented world.
1:54.4	And restoration for the heart.
1:56.7	Thank you for joining us.
1:58.1	Let's get this conversation started.
2:10.7	Thank you for joining us. Let's get this conversation started. We have, again, the privilege of really, it's like being at a really good restaurant.
	...

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