Rise in Recovery

I’ll admit, I approached *Rise in Recovery* with skepticism. The ‘spiritual path’ angle can so easily veer into woo-woo territory, but Berlin’s work is grounded in something far grittier: the lived experience of watching systems fail the people who need them most. Her blend of Jungian psychology, energy work, and raw storytelling feels less like a prescription and more like a conversation with someone who’s been in the trenches. That said, the audiobook isn’t without its stumbles. Day-Jones’ narration is mostly excellent—her voice has a soothing, almost hypnotic quality—but there are moments where the production feels uneven. A few chapters have abrupt shifts in audio levels, as if the editing rushed to keep up with the emotional weight of the material. What stayed with me long after listening wasn’t the specific exercises (though the ‘soul contract’ section is fascinating) but Berlin’s refusal to let listeners off the hook. She doesn’t just ask you to examine your addiction; she demands you interrogate the *purpose* it’s served in your life. That’s a hard sell for an audiobook—how do you make shadow work engaging in a passive medium? Day-Jones helps by treating the text like a guided meditation at times, her pacing giving you room to sit with the heavier revelations. My one critique? The latter third could use more concrete examples. Berlin’s theoretical framework is compelling, but I found myself wishing for more real-life case studies to anchor the abstract. Still, for anyone exhausted by the cycle of relapse and shame, this audiobook offers something rare: a path that doesn’t just aim for sobriety, but for *sovereignty*.