Element Q Podcast: Empowering LGBTQ+ Voices, One Story at a Time · TJ Woodward

From Addiction to Awareness: LGBTQ+ Recovery, Conscious Healing & Self-Empowerment

September 16, 2025·34 min·3 clips

John Larkin shares why he no longer believes we need healing, just awareness of our inherent wholeness.

This episode features host TJ Woodward and guest John Larkin, a professional in addiction treatment and mental health since 2016, exploring concepts of healing and identity within LGBTQ+ recovery. Both hosts are long-term sober individuals who share personal histories with addiction and internalized shame. Their conversation centers on moving beyond a framework of brokenness to one of inherent wholeness. John Larkin describes his early belief in his own inherent damage, shaped by a fundamentalist religious upbringing and the lack of positive gay representation in the 1980s. He explains that his sense of brokenness was reinforced by societal messages that being gay was wrong, even before he fully understood his identity. TJ Woodward contrasts this by sharing his own experience of finding safety in his church but absorbing shame from societal misogyny and homophobia in 1970s Indiana. The dialogue examines how trauma manifests not as memory but as an automatic reaction, such as feelings of shame after sex. They discuss the process of shifting from intellectual awareness to deeper healing through repeated, conscious choice and letting go of ingrained beliefs. A surprising claim is John's assertion that he does not believe in God and finds the concept too nebulous to serve as a higher power in his sobriety. He shares an anecdote where a fellow 12-step member told him, "the spiritual awakening comes a little later," highlighting tensions within recovery communities over spirituality. John criticizes specific aspects of 12-step philosophy, like the biological inaccuracy of labeling alcoholism an "allergy." Both hosts express gratitude that social media did not exist during their formative years, with John stating he doubts he would have survived adolescence with it. They agree that recovery involves elevating consciousness and self-actualization rather than seeking external salvation. The tone is conversational and introspective, blending personal storytelling with philosophical discussion about recovery and identity. The style is educational yet intimate, as both hosts draw from their professional expertise and lived experiences to challenge conventional narratives. This episode would deeply resonate with LGBTQ+ individuals questioning traditional recovery frameworks or grappling with internalized shame and religious trauma. Listeners seeking a strictly faith-based or orthodox 12-step perspective on recovery might find the critiques and non-theistic approach less aligned with their views.

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