Recovery is about more than giving up a substance or an addictive behaviour. It is also about learning how to live differently — how to relate with more kindness to yourself, how to quiet the storm of thoughts in your mind, and how to build healthier connections with the people around you.
Having been in recovery for several years, I have relied on the 12-step program and therapy to guide me toward balance and direction. Yet even with that support, there were times when I felt stuck — overwhelmed by the constant chatter of what recovery communities often call “the committee in my head.” For me, those voices sounded like: “You are not good enough.” “You will fail again.” “Everyone else’s needs matter more than yours.” No matter how much progress I had made, they could sabotage my efforts, keep me circling old patterns, and make moving forward feel impossible.
That’s why Shirzad Chamine’s Positive Intelligence® program resonated so strongly with me. It reframes these inner critics as Saboteurs and offers practical tools to quiet them, helping me strengthen the wiser, calmer part of the mind — the Sage — and continue my recovery with greater clarity and resilience.
Meeting the Inner Saboteurs
PQ names these inner critics Saboteurs. That might sound harsh, but it simply means patterns of thought that once helped us survive but no longer serve us.
Some common ones are:
- The Judge, which criticises you, others, or your circumstances.
- The Pleaser, which puts everyone else’s needs first to feel accepted.
- The Victim, which focuses on pain to feel seen.
- The Stickler, which pushes perfectionism and rigid standards.
- The Controller, which insists on having power over people or situations.
Recognizing this duality was a breakthrough for me. Suddenly, the committee in my head made sense. These voices were not proof that I was broken. They were just habits of thinking. Even more freeing: each Saboteur carries a hidden strength. The Pleaser hides empathy, the Stickler hides an eye for detail, the Controller hides decisiveness. The work is not to hate these parts of ourselves, but to notice them, interrupt them, and then reclaim their positive side.
Shifting from Survival to Sage
Why do these voices feel so loud? PQ explains it through the brain. The Saboteurs live in what is called the Survivor Brain, the part wired for fight-or-flight. That part of the brain is helpful if you face danger, but if it runs your life, it fuels stress, fear, and compulsive behaviour — patterns many of us know all too well in addiction.
The PQ Brain, by contrast, is the calmer, wiser part of us. It is where empathy, creativity, and clarity live. Learning to shift from the Survivor Brain to the PQ Brain is like learning to move from fear into wisdom, from chaos into calm.
Practicing Mental Fitness
What makes PQ so practical is that it does not ask you to sit in silence for hours. Instead, it teaches you how to build the three core muscles of mental fitness:
- Saboteur Interceptor Muscle — catching the inner critic in the act.
- Self-Command Muscle — strengthening your ability to shift from the critic to the Sage.
- Sage Muscle — accessing the wise part of you when facing challenges.
One way to do this is through short exercises called PQ reps. For example, take ten seconds to feel your breath move in and out, notice the texture of the chair beneath you, or listen closely to the sounds around you. These tiny, repeated moments begin to rewire the brain. Over time, the critic grows quieter and the Sage grows stronger.
Why This Matters for Recovery
For many of us, addiction was a way to quiet the Saboteurs. Substances numbed the self-criticism, the fear, the shame — at least for a while. But when the substance fades, the voices often come roaring back.
That is why PQ feels so relevant for recovery. Instead of numbing the noise, you learn to meet it differently. You can notice the Judge or the Pleaser showing up, pause, and then shift into the Sage. You begin to see choices where before there was only reaction.
In my own journey, this has not silenced the committee in my head. The voices are still there sometimes, but they no longer run the show. Today, I feel more able to meet myself with compassion, to pause before reacting, and to choose a response that reflects who I want to be. That shift — from automatic patterns to conscious choice — is at the heart of recovery.
A Gentle Takeaway
Positive Intelligence is not a replacement for therapy, the 12-step program, or any recovery community you are part of. But it can be a helpful companion. It offers a way to build resilience, quiet the noise of the Saboteurs, and strengthen the calm, wise Sage within you.
Think of it like mental push-ups. The more you practice, the stronger you become. With time, you may find greater balance, confidence, and peace of mind.
If you are in recovery and feel weighed down by inner critics or stuck in old loops, I want you to know there is hope. The voices do not define you. The committee in your head can grow quieter. And within you, there is already a Sage waiting — ready to guide you toward healing, connection, and joy.
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