Slow Down and Grow Down: Soulbriety & Life Lessons from Hollywood Agent Turned Recovery Doctor, Elisa Hallerman

On her fifth anniversary of sobriety, Elisa Hallerman awoke with a hurting heart.

Despite her sobriety, her lifestyle as a top Hollywood talent agent representing the Hollywood elite, made her unwell. In this episode, Elisa shares her path to Soulbriety: a soul journey from being addicted to drugs and alcohol, suffering from PTSD and chronic trauma, to changing her career entirely. This conversation includes a discussion of substance abuse, eating disorders, and grief.

Elisa's book - SOULBRIETY: Heal Your Trauma, Overcome Addiction, and Reconnect with Your Soul is one of my favorites of the year. It's not just about getting sober; it's about soul-centered wellness, life lessons, and the practice of slowing down and growing down in a way many of us have been yearning for.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What trauma means, how to spot it, and what to do to begin to treat it
• How Dr. Hallerman found something missing on the fifth anniversary of her sobriety, retiring from the entertainment industry, and going back to school for a doctorate
• Feeling shame: for existing, for being a woman who dares to sit in rooms with men, and for having a brain and ambition
• The "work mask" and protective shield Dr. Hallerman wore as she navigated her Hollywood experience and how we can each begin to break through our maks and become our authentic selves
• The Vince Vaugh breakup and how that experience became one of the best things that ever happened to Dr. Hallerman
• Why disease is part of the family unit - and how disordered behavior and addiction is often bringing awareness to something that's been bubbling under the surface of the family system
• Why having breakdowns within the family unit, setting boundaries, and eventually re-establishing relationships can be the best emotional path forward
• Depth Psychology, soul as a meaning-making machine + the 12 steps we go through
• "Growing down" into who we truly are
• The Soulbriety method, pausing in the darkness, applying a different way of knowing, and allowing our pain to be alchemized into purpose
• Soul vs. Spirituality: the difference and why it's important to work with both

Resources:

Learn more about Dr. Hallerman's work and get her new book SOULBRIETY: Heal Your Trauma, Overcome Addiction, and Reconnect with Your Soul

Follow on IG at @drelisahallerman

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This show is produced, mixed, recorded + additional music by Ben Alleman

Closing music: Pet Fangs