Justin on Healing the Shadow: From Addiction and PTSD to Emotional Freedom

Justin Shaw went from addiction, PTSD, depression, anxiety, and spiritual rock bottom to a life-changing “bliss attack” that completely rewired how he saw himself. In this raw, funny, and deeply human conversation, G-Rex and Dirty Skittles talk with Justin about shadow work, religious trauma, emotional healing, and what happens when we stop letting fear drive the damn car.

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Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads is a 2024 People’s Choice Podcast Award Winner (Best Health), 2024 Women in Podcasting Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), 2026 Podcast Tonight Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), and 2026 NYC Podcast Award Audience Choice Winner (Best Hosts), with over 4.5 million downloads and listened to in over 160 countries.

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Mental Health Quote

“The shadow is the reactor. The sorcerer is the responder.” — Justin Shaw

Episode Description

Justin Shaw knows what it feels like when the shadow takes the wheel. After years of addiction, PTSD, depression, anxiety, grief, and spiritual confusion, he reached a point where survival was no longer enough. He wanted to understand why pain kept repeating itself—and how to stop reacting from wounds he had never learned to heal.

In this bold and brutally honest conversation, Justin joins G-Rex and Dirty Skittles to explain why our shadow cannot simply be locked in the trunk and ignored. Instead, he believes we must recognize it, care for it, and move it into the back seat where it no longer controls every decision. Justin shares how comedy first became a way to escape emotional pain, how substance use took over his twenties, and why traditional recovery and religious spaces helped him for a time but eventually left him trapped in fear.

He also opens up about losing his mother, questioning beliefs about hell and worthiness, and experiencing what he calls a “bliss attack”—a powerful wave of love, clarity, and connection that changed the direction of his life. Through his book, Sourcery 101: 13 Rungs to a Higher Elevation of Consciousness, Justin now offers a practical, no-BS path toward emotional alchemy, curiosity, and personal freedom.

This episode is about questioning inherited beliefs, separating your identity from your trauma, and learning to respond instead of react. It is messy, funny, spiritual, uncomfortable, and full of hope—because healing is not about becoming someone new. It is about remembering who the hell you were before fear took over.

Keywords: Justin Shaw, shadow work, addiction recovery, PTSD healing, anxiety support, depression recovery, emotional freedom, religious trauma, spiritual awakening, trauma healing, mental health podcast, consciousness, self-awareness, emotional wellness, personal growth

Meet Our Guest — Justin Shaw

Justin L. Shaw is a mystical comedian, spiritual sherpa, author, and self-described Sourcerer who uses humor and higher-consciousness principles to help people transform pain into wisdom. After navigating addiction, PTSD, depression, anxiety, grief, and religious fear, Justin developed a grounded approach to healing that blends comedy, curiosity, shadow work, and spiritual connection without dogma or toxic positivity.

• Website: https://www.awakenthesourcerer.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sorcerer_u_13/
• Book: Sourcery 101: 13 Rungs to a Higher Elevation of Consciousness - Available through Amazon and Audible.

Key Takeaways

• Your shadow is not something to destroy—it is something to understand, care for, and stop allowing to run your life.
• Unhealed trauma often shows up as anger, reactivity, addiction, anxiety, or destructive behavior.
• You are not your diagnosis, addiction, fear, or trauma. You are the awareness observing those experiences.
• Healing is not one-size-fits-all, and recovery should leave room for different spiritual beliefs and personal paths.
• Questioning inherited beliefs can be painful, but curiosity creates space for emotional freedom.
• Happiness comes from temporary experiences, while joy can remain present between those moments.

Actionable Items

• When you feel triggered, pause and ask: “Am I reacting from my shadow, or responding from awareness?”
• Write down one belief you inherited about yourself, religion, success, or worthiness—and honestly question whether it is still true.
• Create a healthy outlet for anger or fear through journaling, movement, comedy, music, art, or honest conversation.

Important Chapters

• 00:00:37 – Welcome to Justin Shaw G-Rex and Dirty Skittles introduce Justin and jump into his description of being “a little bit Deepak and a little bit Tupac.”
• 00:01:26 – Understanding the Shadow and the Sorcerer Justin explains how the shadow can drive the car, sit in the passenger seat, or rest safely in the back seat when we learn to care for it.
• 00:05:26 – Healthy Ways to Work With Anger From journaling and exercise to comedy and creative expression, Justin shares ways to process shadow emotions without harming ourselves or others.
• 00:08:42 – Comedy as a Pain-Ducker Justin talks about growing up emotionally unsupported and using humor, television, food, and entertainment to create relief and connection.
• 00:13:05 – Addiction, Rehab, and Relapse He opens up about addiction to opioids and benzodiazepines, his first attempt at rehab, and why physical sobriety alone was not enough.
• 00:15:39 – Recovery, Religion, and Fear Justin describes following the AA and Christianity path, then spiraling after his mother became terminally ill and he feared she was going to hell.
• 00:17:35 – Rebuilding Beliefs After Religious Trauma Working with a shaman, meditation, and self-inquiry helped Justin challenge dogma and begin separating spirituality from fear.
• 00:19:32 – Justin’s First “Bliss Attack” Justin describes a three-hour experience of love, clarity, and spiritual connection that became his “near-life experience.”
• 00:20:45 – Loss, Grief, and Searching for Direction After losing contact with his young son, Justin moved to Sedona and asked the universe for guidance about what to do next.
• 00:22:32 – The Difference Between Happiness and Joy Justin explains why temporary pleasure is not the same as cultivating a deeper, more sustainable sense of inner peace.
• 00:25:30 – Spiritual Healing Outside Traditional Religion G-Rex and Justin connect over religious trauma, changing beliefs, and finding support beyond the walls of a church.
• 00:31:36 – Creating Sourcery 101 Justin shares why he created 13 “rungs” instead of 12 steps and how his framework turns pain into emotional alchemy.
• 00:33:29 – Healing Is Not One-Size-Fits-All The conversation explores spiritual bankruptcy, anxiety, depression, PTSD, recovery, and the need for more inclusive healing options.
• 00:38:25 – Questioning Childhood Programming Justin discusses how early messages shape identity and why adults must learn to question the beliefs installed during childhood.
• 00:42:30 – Advice to His Younger Self Justin says he would tell his teenage self to question everything and approach life with curiosity.
• 00:44:32 – The Hardest Lesson Justin Learned He reflects on realizing how many beliefs he accepted from people who may not have understood the truth themselves.
• 00:45:54 – Anxiety’s Theme Song Justin chooses the Indiana Jones theme because anxiety can feel like a wild journey filled with rising intensity and sudden drops.
• 00:47:11 – Favorite and Least Favorite Words Justin names his favorite word without hesitation and explains why “church” still brings up painful emotional memories.
• 00:48:47 – Where to Find Justin and His Work Justin shares his social media, book, audiobook, email, and vision for combining spiritual growth with live mystical comedy.

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