Dr. Sarah Michaud, psychologist and author of "Co-Crazy," shares her journey of overcoming codependency and addiction. She discusses how codependency is often misunderstood as selflessness, revealing it to be a survival mechanism rooted in trauma. The conversation highlights the myth of high-functioning individuals who seem fine while avoiding deeper pain. Sarah emphasizes the grief of healing, letting go of unfulfilling relationships, and the need for personal accountability in recovery. She also explores the transformative power of body awareness in healing trauma.
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insights INSIGHT
Codependency Is Trauma Survival
Codependency is a survival response driven by unresolved trauma, not selflessness or just empathy.
It causes people to lose themselves trying to manage fear and abandonment inside and outside themselves.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Sarah's Chaotic Family Background
Sarah grew up in a chaotic family with an alcoholic mother and a distant father with PTSD.
She experienced chronic tension and normalized dysfunction, not knowing what a healthy family felt like.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Sarah's Early Addiction Journey
Sarah's first addiction was to food and sugar before moving quickly into alcohol and drugs in high school.
She had a quick downward spiral, ending up hospitalized due to cocaine-induced psychosis by age 24.
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You think you’re being helpful. Supportive. Loyal. But what if you’re actually just terrified of being abandoned? Codependency isn’t about caring too much — it’s about losing yourself to survive.
Dr. Sarah Michaud is a psychologist and author of Co-Crazy. Despite years of sobriety and a successful therapy practice, Sarah found herself trapped in a toxic relationship in recovery — a painful experience that finally forced her to confront the deep, unhealed trauma she didn’t even realize was still running the show.
🔑 Key Takeaways:
Codependency isn’t selflessness — it’s a survival response wired by emotional neglect, fear, and unresolved trauma
The myth of being “fine”: how high-functioning codependents stay sober, help others, and still avoid their deepest pain
Why we mistake fear-based caretaking for empathy — and how to finally tell the difference
The grief of healing: letting go of relationships that only worked when we didn’t express needs or take up space
What real recovery from codependency looks like — beyond insight, beyond sobriety, and deep into the body
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