The Living Truth Podcast - Freedom From Unwanted Sexual Behavior, Hope & Healing For the Betrayed · Living Truth Inc

Grounding Essentials for Recovery with Kristin Cary (part 2)

·19 min·1 clip

Kristen Carey explains why betrayal trauma makes your brain see your spouse as both a threat and a source of attachment.

This episode is a solo monologue by host Kristin Car, continuing her series on grounding techniques for recovery from betrayal trauma and unwanted sexual behavior. Car is a guide for those healing from sexual betrayal, framing grounding as a spiritual and neurological tool. She defines grounding as the practice of becoming rooted in the present moment within one's own body. Car connects being present to improved frontal lobe function, which governs logic and impulse control. She argues that acting out in addiction or experiencing "tornado brain" from betrayal trauma are signs of being ungrounded. The episode includes a detailed walkthrough of the "five senses" grounding strategy, where Car names five green objects she sees and four textures she feels in her room. She demonstrates identifying three sounds, two smells, and one taste, using a sucker and a mint as examples. Car explains that betrayal trauma uniquely dysregulates the nervous system because a spouse can be simultaneously a primary attachment figure and a perceived threat. She states that more calming grounding exercises may flood some traumatized individuals, who might instead need physically active strategies or a supportive person present. Car recommends putting bare feet in grass, listening to birds, and engaging all five senses outdoors when weather permits. A key insight is that grounding will not stop unwanted sexual behavior or solve betrayal trauma but is a critical tool for maintaining focus on recovery work. Car notes that the need to numb pain with substances or other behaviors can arise when individuals avoid the present moment. She observes that people often dissociate during common activities, like driving a familiar route without memory of the trip. The host promotes her paid programs, "Women in the Battle" and "Men in the Battle," which incorporate weekly group grounding sessions. The episode concludes with a guided breathing exercise involving a four-count inhale, a four-count hold, and an eight-count exhale. Car asks listeners to notice changes in their heart rate or anxiety levels after the breathing. The tone is instructional, empathetic, and explicitly Christian, weaving in scriptural references about healing. The style is a direct, conversational monologue with practical demonstrations. Listeners seeking faith-based, practical coping mechanisms for trauma or addiction recovery will find this episode directly applicable. Those uncomfortable with Christian theology or seeking clinical, secular psychology may prefer to skip it.

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