“Sin’s power is disconnection.”

That's one of the essential ideas that runs through what therapist and author Chuck DeGroat talks about in this episode. A longtime pastor and counselor, Chuck isn't just commenting on burnout and addiction from afar—he's actually lived it. In fact, he opens up about his own journey of breaking down in his early forties, when his body and soul finally gave out after years of religious workaholism. That collapse became the doorway into healing what was broken within. That also happens to be the topic of his latest book, Healing What's Within.

In this conversation, Chuck unpacks what he calls homing: the Spirit’s invitation to return to the worth, belonging, and purpose we were made for. We talk about addiction not as the problem, but as the attempted solution to disconnection. Chuck even explains why true recovery isn’t about behavior modification, but about reconnection—to God, to self, and to others.

We also discuss why repentance must be specific, how trauma fragments our stories, and what it means to offer empathy to our unhealed parts rather than shame.

This is a deeply pastoral, psychological, and hopeful episode for anyone who’s ever wondered, Why do I do what I don’t want to do—and how do I find my way home?

We explore:

— The three essential questions from Genesis that still heal today: “Where are you?”, “Who told you?”, and “Have you eaten?”
— How addiction is an attempted solution to pain and disconnection
— Why every human is, at some level, an addict
— The myth of purity and how God still uses broken people
— What true repentance looks like: specific, reparative, and relational
— “Faux-nerability” vs. authentic vulnerability
— Why trauma isn’t what happens to us, but what happens inside us
— The four needs every child has: to be safe, seen, soothed, and secure
— The danger of coping mechanisms that look holy, like workaholism
— How to come home to yourself through curiosity, connection, and grace

Website: chuckdegroat.net

Explore one of Chuck's Soul Care Intensives

Chuck's blog: "Sit With Chuck"

Book: Healing What's Within

Follow Jon: @jonseidl

Order Jon's new book, Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic.

Get daily motivation: www.theveritasdaily.com

&ldquo;Sin&rsquo;s power is disconnection.&rdquo;
That's one of the essential ideas that runs through what therapist and author Chuck DeGroat talks about in this episode. A longtime pastor and counselor, Chuck isn't just commenting on burnout and addiction from afar&mdash;he's actually lived it. In fact, he opens up about his own journey of breaking down in his early forties, when his body and soul finally gave out after years of religious workaholism. That collapse became the doorway into healing what was broken within. That also happens to be the topic of his latest book,&nbsp;Healing What's Within.
In this conversation, Chuck unpacks what he calls homing: the Spirit&rsquo;s invitation to return to the worth, belonging, and purpose we were made for. We talk about addiction not as the problem, but as the attempted solution to disconnection. Chuck even explains why true recovery isn&rsquo;t about behavior modification, but about reconnection&mdash;to God, to self, and to others.
We also discuss why repentance must be specific, how trauma fragments our stories, and what it means to offer empathy to our unhealed parts rather than shame.
This is a deeply pastoral, psychological, and hopeful episode for anyone who&rsquo;s ever wondered, Why do I do what I don&rsquo;t want to do&mdash;and how do I find my way home?
We explore:
&mdash; The three essential questions from Genesis that still heal today:&nbsp;&ldquo;Where are you?&rdquo;, &ldquo;Who told you?&rdquo;, and &ldquo;Have you eaten?&rdquo; &mdash; How addiction is an attempted solution to pain and disconnection &mdash; Why every human is, at some level, an addict &mdash; The myth of purity and how God still uses broken people &mdash; What true repentance looks like: specific, reparative, and relational &mdash; &ldquo;Faux-nerability&rdquo; vs. authentic vulnerability &mdash; Why trauma isn&rsquo;t what happens to us, but what happens inside us &mdash; The four needs every child has: to be safe, seen, soothed, and secure &mdash; The danger of coping mechanisms that look holy, like workaholism &mdash; How to come home to yourself through curiosity, connection, and grace
Website: <a href="https://www.chuckdegroat.net">chuckdegroat.net</a>
Explore one of Chuck's <a href="https://www.chuckdegroat.net/soul-care-intensives">Soul Care Intensives</a>
Chuck's blog: <a href="https://sitwithchuck.substack.com">"Sit With Chuck"</a>
Book:&nbsp;<a href="https://amzn.to/3WHH7ES">Healing What's Within</a>
Follow Jon: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jonseidl/">@jonseidl</a>
Order Jon's new book, <a href="https://amzn.to/4opuOt">Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic</a>.
Get daily motivation: <a href="https://www.theveritasdaily.com/">www.theveritasdaily.com</a>

Jon Seidl is the bestselling Christian author who became an alcoholic, not the other way around. It's usually the other way around. Or is it? "Confessions of a Christian alcoholic" (based on the book by the same title) is all about real stories, radical vulnerability, and remarkable comebacks of people who have struggled with alcoholism and addictions of all sorts. The show features interviews with fellow addicts and alcoholics as well as professionals in the fields of trauma, faith, and addiction recovery. Because let's be honest, we're all addicted to something. "Confessions" is a place for the desperate, the downtrodden, the destitute, and especially, the drunk. But it's also a place of hope and healing. Jon found sobriety after decades of struggling, but more importantly than finding sobriety, he found Jesus. In every episode, he gets radically vulnerable as he explores what it looks like to be on this journey of messy sanctification. Visit christianalcoholic.com for more resources.

Jon Seidl is the bestselling Christian author who became an alcoholic, not the other way around. It's usually the other way around. Or is it? "Confessions of a Christian alcoholic" (based on the book by the same title) is all about real stories, radical vulnerability, and remarkable comebacks of people who have struggled with alcoholism and addictions of all sorts. The show features interviews with fellow addicts and alcoholics as well as professionals in the fields of trauma, faith, and addiction recovery. Because let's be honest, we're all addicted to something. "Confessions" is a place for the desperate, the downtrodden, the destitute, and especially, the drunk. But it's also a place of hope and healing. Jon found sobriety after decades of struggling, but more importantly than finding sobriety, he found Jesus. In every episode, he gets radically vulnerable as he explores what it looks like to be on this journey of messy sanctification. Visit <a href="http://christianalcoholic.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://christianalcoholic.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1747239325727000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1G-752Q-1dyjq6GN5gt7xw">christianalcoholic.com</a> for more resources.

Jon Seidl is the bestselling Christian author who became an alcoholic, not the other way around. It's usually the other way around. Or is it? "Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic" is all about real stories, radical vulnerability, and remarkable comebacks of people who have struggled with alcoholism and addictions of all sorts.

Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic with Jon Seidl

How to Heal the Brokenness Inside: Counselor Chuck DeGroat on Trauma, Disconnection, and Coming 'Home' to the Most Flourishing Life Possible (Episode 26)

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