Mindful Family Recovery

05/09/2026

Helping isn’t a pain-free process. Willingness is the tool that keeps families moving forward when supporting a loved one who struggles with addiction.

When the process becomes painful, it is natural for family members to want to shut down, withdraw, or react in anger. These survival strategies often create more distance.

The Invitation to Change® (ITC) framework introduces WILLINGNESS as a way to navigate this struggle. Rather than fighting against the difficulty, willingness allows families to:

Accept the Struggle: Acknowledging that pain is a part of the process without letting it dictate their actions.

Stay Present: Moving away from the urge to "check out" or react defensively when things get hard.

Embrace Vulnerability: Understanding that caring for someone requires a level of vulnerability that, while uncomfortable, is essential for connection.

A new way to approach this struggle of recovery starts May 13th.

For families, willingness is a path toward sustainable engagement. For treatment providers, this provides a framework to help clients sit with discomfort rather than being overwhelmed by it.

Join a collaborative community today. Go here to register:

https://mindfulfamilyrecovery.com/itc-workshop/5-6-26

05/08/2026

Feeling very grateful to be featured as May’s Facilitator Spotlight at Toivo Center for Holistic Healing. 💛

Seeing this also has me reflecting on the fact that I’ve been facilitating Yoga of 12 Step Recovery at Toivo as a The Phoenix - Connecticut volunteer for 3 years now… has it really been that long?

Honestly, it’s one of my favorite things I do. Every month I get to practice with my “Recovery Rockstars” - people doing some of the hardest and most courageous work imaginable.

The conversations are rich, honest, insightful, and deeply human. One of the things I love most is that I never stop learning and growing from being in that space.

Overcoming addiction and rebuilding a life is not easy work. Being in the company of people walking that path is something I never take for granted. It’s truly an honor and a privilege.

I’m also incredibly grateful for the Toivo staff. There’s such a genuine warmth, compassion, and authenticity there that makes people feel safe to simply come as they are.

If you’ve ever been curious about Yoga of 12 Step Recovery, we’d love to have you join us.

🧘‍♀️ Second Saturday of every month
🗓️ Next session: Saturday, May 9th at 9:30 AM
📍 Toivo Center for Holistic Healing visit https://toivocenter.org/ for details

Come as you are. Do what you can.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1JJiR4EThG/

✨May Facilitator Spotlight: Karen Bernetti✨

Karen is a certified (YTT200) yoga instructor, recovery support specialist, and advocate for holistic wellness. She holds certifications in Intentional Peer Support, Invitation to Change Level 1, Happy for No Reason, Alternatives to Su***de Facilitation, Yoga of 12 Step Recovery, and Mental Health First Aid. Having navigated the effects of addiction and mental health challenges in her family, Karen brings deep empathy and understanding to her work. Her mindfulness practice played a transformative role in her own healing journey and fuels her mission to facilitate recovery through connection, understanding, and compassion. Karen’s mission is creating a world where shame, blame, and stigma surrounding mental health and addiction no longer exist.

Offerings with Karen:
➡️ Come As You Are Yoga
➡️The Yoga of 12 Step Recovery

We are so grateful to all of our wonderful facilitators for everything they have to offer our Toivo community!

Visit toivocenter.org for more information and to RSVP!

05/07/2026

Families can learn to hold both their pain and their values simultaneously. In the face of a loved one's struggle with addiction, it is common for families to feel overwhelmed by a flood of thoughts, body sensations, and reactive emotions.

Without a framework for Self-Awareness, these reactions can drive the family dynamic into a cycle of chaos and conflict rather than support.

The Invitation to Change® (ITC) framework teaches that self-awareness is the foundation for effective action. It involves a deep connection to:

🔹 Internal Landscape: Recognizing thoughts, feelings, and physical reactions before they lead to conflict.

🔹The "Whole Coin" Perspective: Understanding that the intense pain families feel and the deep values of love and hope, are two sides of the same coin.

🔹Values-Based Action: Learning to work with the pain and the values to make choices that invite connection rather than distance.

A new way to navigate the family recovery journey starts May 13th.

For families, this awareness provides a much-needed anchor. For treatment providers, this framework offers a trauma-sensitive way to help clients regulate their nervous systems and stay grounded in their goals.

Join us for this deep dive into the ITC roadmap. Go here to register: https://lnkd.in/e7swmm9E

05/06/2026

Ambivalence is a natural part of the recovery journey - not a sign of failure. The 12-week Invitation to Change® workshop equips families impacted by a loved one’s addiction with the patience and tools needed to navigate these moments without losing hope.

It's common for families to feel discouraged when a loved one wavers in their commitment to change. Within the Invitation to Change® framework, ambivalence is viewed as a normal, expected stage of the process.

How a family responds to this inevitable back and forth can either increase resistance or help move the change process forward.

Join a community dedicated to understanding the nuances of change. Reach out for details

05/05/2026

80 to 90% of people struggling with addiction never enter formal treatment. The work is happening at home - whether families have the tools or not. My latest newsletter is for the providers and families ready to change that.

If we want to change the behavior, we have to understand it first If you're a family member navigating a loved one's addiction, you already know the exhaustion of the tug-of-war. You point out the danger, the cost, the pain - and you're met with resistance, anger, and defensiveness.

05/05/2026

If every person is unique, why do so many paths to recovery to look the same?

In the world of addiction and mental health, the standard "one-size-fits-all" approach often leaves families feeling stuck and providers searching for more flexible tools.

The Invitation to Change® (ITC) framework operates on a different premise: every individual has specific, personal reasons for why they use substances.

Because these reasons are unique, the path to change must be too…

When families and clinicians move away from rigid expectations, they create space for:

✨Individualized Solutions: Helping the loved one find a way to change that actually works for their specific life and needs.

✨Family Resilience: Helping family members identify exactly what they need to sustain their own well-being during the process.

✨Multiple Pathways: Recognizing that there are many valid roads to recovery, and no single one is "right" for everyone.

A new way to understand the journey to recovery starts May 13th.

Whether you are a family member looking for a roadmap or a provider seeking a collaborative, non-stigmatizing framework to share with clients, this 12-week workshop offers evidence-based tools to build a customized path forward.

Go here to register: https://mindfulfamilyrecovery.com/itc-workshop/5-6-26

Paula Browne-Stumpf

05/04/2026

Understanding the "Why" behind a loved one’s substance use is the first step toward effective family intervention.

In the heat of a crisis, a loved one’s actions can seem irrational and uncaring.

The Invitation to Change® model operates on the principle that behaviors make sense when viewed through the lens of what the substance actually provides an individual.

By helping families understand the specific function of the substance/behavior, we move away from shame, blame and stigma and toward effective strategies that open the door to the possibility of change.

This shift in understanding is a cornerstone of the upcoming 12-week Invitation to Change® Workshop.

Providers and families can explore this evidence-based perspective starting May 13th. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Go here to register: https://lnkd.in/e7swmm9E

05/04/2026

05/04/2026

A different approach to understanding addiction opens the door to change.

When a loved one’s substance use is frightening, confusing, and painful, families often reach for the only explanations that seem to fit: they’re selfish, uncaring, irresponsible, or worse.

The Invitation to Change® model offers a different perspective.

The first step is Understanding...

It’s not excusing behavior, but making room for a more effective response.

When families can see behavior as serving a purpose, they are better positioned to support positive change.

The 12-week Invitation to Change® Workshop begins May 13th.

Go here to register: https://lnkd.in/e7swmm9E and please share this with a colleague, client, or family member who may benefit.

04/14/2026

We only have a few spots left for the "Restore & Respond" yoga and sound healing mini-retreat. I’ll be joining my friend and award-winning sound healer, Kelvin Young for a day dedicated to mind body wellness.

We’re gathering at the Wallingford Elks Lodge 1365 for:

🧘‍♀️ Yoga to ground and restore, mind, body and spirit.

🥗 A healthy lunch and Naloxone (Narcan) training, then a

🎶 Deeply relaxing sound bath to rejuvenate the soul

This free SMART Recovery Alternative Peer Group is brought to you in by TriCircle and Wallingford Youth and Social Services.

Enjoy a pressure-free space to show up exactly as you are.

It’s open to the public (18+). We'd love to see you there!

Saturday, April 18 | 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Preregistration required - send me a DM if you'd like to attend!