Episode 33: Pathways to Recovery — Your Unique Map
What if the problem isn’t you — but the path you’re trying to walk?
In this episode of Breaking Free from Within, Prairie Francia explores the science and soul of personalized recovery. Drawing from neuroscience, motivational interviewing, and her own experience working with clients and treatment programs, Prairie breaks down why there is no single path to recovery — and how to create a unique map that fits your life, values, and goals.
You’ll learn how genetics, trauma, and environment shape how the brain responds to recovery strategies, and why individual variability is essential to lasting healing (Volkow et al., 2016). Prairie also discusses the four dimensions of recovery outlined by SAMHSA — health, home, purpose, and community — and how these elements interconnect to support sustainable change.
Listeners are guided through a reflective exercise based on motivational interviewing (Miller & Rollnick, 2013), exploring scaling questions like:
“What’s worked for you before, and how can we build on it?”
Using real-life success stories, Prairie illustrates how her clients found transformation by designing their own unique path — blending structure, spirituality, and science.
You’ll also discover how each of Prairie’s programs supports this individualized journey:
The 21-Day Breaking Free Challenge helps you explore different recovery tools and test what resonates.
The 28-Day Clean Body Reboot provides a physical reset for a strong foundation.
The Empowered Recovery Course guides you in deepening your values, mindset, and long-term habits.
For practitioners, the Empowered Recovery Curriculum offers a ready-to-use framework for helping clients create their own maps to recovery.
Key Takeaway: Recovery isn’t about following someone else’s blueprint — it’s about becoming the architect of your own transformation. READ MORE…
References
National Institute on Drug Abuse (2020). The Science of Drug Use and Addiction: The Basics. https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugfacts/understanding-drug-use-addiction
Volkow, N. D., Koob, G. F., & McLellan, A. T. (2016). Neurobiologic advances from the brain disease model of addiction. New England Journal of Medicine, 374(4), 363–371. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMra1511480
Hölzel, B. K., et al. (2011). Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 191(1), 36–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pscychresns.2010.08.006
Koob, G. F., & Volkow, N. D. (2010). Neurocircuitry of addiction. Neuropsychopharmacology, 35(1), 217–238. https://doi.org/10.1038/npp.2009.110
Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2013). Motivational Interviewing: Helping People Change (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2008). Facilitating optimal motivation and psychological well-being across life’s domains. Canadian Psychology, 49(1), 14–23. https://doi.org/10.1037/0708-5591.49.1.14
SAMHSA (2022). Recovery and Recovery Support.https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/recovery