EP 232: Reuben's Story - Arise and Heal

In this episode of Unashamed Unafraid, the hosts welcome Reuben Aiton, founder of Arise & Heal Recovery, who shares his background in addiction recovery coaching and his focus on helping teens and LDS clients move from external “kindling” motivations to internal, heart-based reasons for change. Reuben discusses his own story, including a pituitary tumor that delayed puberty, later struggles with pornography, and learning that sobriety can exist without true healing. He explains addiction as a disconnection issue where pornography is a “medication,” emphasizing connection with God, self, and others to raise awareness rather than fighting thoughts with more thoughts. Reuben describes a panic and claustrophobia crisis on a plane that led to new insights about stillness, surrender, and processing emotions without fixing them, and he outlines practical “primal” movement drills and daily habits to reboot the frontal lobe and reduce shame-driven relapse cycles.

Take advantage of Reuben's resources here at https://ariseheal.org/

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01:56 Meet Reuben Aiton04:05 Why Teens Are Hard06:06 Kindling Versus Log08:24 Porn Is Not Problem10:43 Reuben's Recovery Story16:49 Panic Attack Flight20:46 Alligator Thought Spin22:53 Turning On The Light25:21 Shame And God27:44 The Atonement Is For You29:04 Breaking Shame Goggles30:20 Identity And Limiting Beliefs32:34 Integrating Parts And Resistance34:51 Process Emotions To Heal Beliefs36:22 Urges As Pain Signals43:46 Surrender Not Willpower49:35 Resources And Contact Info50:33 Eye Of The Tiger Wrap