The Addicted Mind Podcast · Duane Osterlind, LMFT

TAM+ EP 87 Uncovering Your Superpowers: Identifying and Using Character Strengths

·15 min·1 clip

Dwayne reveals how uncovering your buried character strengths can become a powerful engine for thriving recovery.

This episode focuses on identifying and using personal character strengths to build a thriving recovery from addiction and trauma. Hosts Dwayne and Eric Osterlund, who run a podcast dedicated to recovery and mental health, guide listeners through a practical exercise. They aim to shift the common recovery focus from flaws and deficits toward innate positive qualities. The hosts explain that a narrative of deficits, where identity is defined by struggles, can lead to feeling stuck and overwhelmed. They introduce the field of positive psychology, founded by researchers like Dr. Martin Seligman and Dr. Christopher Peterson. This field created the Values in Action classification, which outlines 24 universal character strengths, such as bravery, creativity, kindness, perseverance, and curiosity. This framework serves as a positive counterpart to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of mental disorders. Research indicates that consciously using one's top character strengths daily increases happiness and decreases depressive symptoms. A key insight is that addiction and trauma bury but do not erase a person's inherent strengths. The exercise involves pausing to recall a moment of overcoming a challenge and identifying the personal quality used, such as courage or persistence. Listeners are then instructed to plan one small, specific way to use that strength in a new context during the coming week. Examples given include spending 15 minutes learning a new topic if the strength is curiosity or buying coffee for a stranger if it is kindness. This practice is framed as an "archaeological dig" to reclaim a self-image based on assets rather than deficits. The tone is educational, supportive, and conversational, designed to feel like a guided workshop. The style is actionable and concise, offering direct steps and referencing a free downloadable worksheet for further practice. Listeners actively working on recovery from addiction or trauma who seek a strengths-based approach would find this episode valuable. Those looking for deep clinical analysis or narrative storytelling might find it too brief or exercise-focused.

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