New Book: Experiencing Transcendence Reimagines Addiction and Trauma Recovery -- Moving Beyond Lifelong Struggle to True Freedom

Addiction Recovery Expert Richard Taite and Constance Scharff, PhD, Introduce a Sixth Stage of Recovery With Practical Tools for Post-Traumatic Growth

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Can you truly recover from addiction, not just manage it for life? In Experiencing Transcendence: The Freedom of Recovering from Addiction and Trauma (Wheatmark, Oct. 14), leading addiction recovery expert Richard Taite and global resilience researcher Constance Scharff, PhD, make a bold claim: complete recovery is possible. Unlike traditional programs that frame addiction as a chronic illness requiring lifelong abstinence, Experiencing Transcendence reimagines recovery as a transformative process, one that leads to a state of wholeness, presence, and love so complete that a person can live fully, freely, and without fear of relapse. Once the underlying trauma is healed, the need to self-medicate disappears. Taite and Scharff aim to revolutionize how addiction and trauma are treated, shifting care toward love-based, outcomes-driven practices that improve lives.

"Recovery should not feel like a life sentence," says Richard Taite. "This book will change the way we think about addiction treatment, showing that real freedom is possible when recovery centers on love, connection, and true healing."

Built around the Stages of Change model, the book introduces a newly defined sixth stage, Transcendence, which moves readers beyond maintenance into a joyful state of self-acceptance and empowerment. Through composite case studies, neuroscience insights, and practical exercises, the authors show how resilience, compassion, and agape (unconditional) love are the gateways to permanent transformation.

"Addiction and trauma do not have to define your life," adds Dr. Constance Scharff. "Once people experience self-compassion and connection, they can transcend their pain, and live in genuine freedom."

What Makes Experiencing Transcendence Different

• Challenges the long-held "chronic illness" model of addiction treatment
• Reframes recovery as achievable, complete, and deeply joyful
• Integrates trauma healing, neuroscience, and lived experience
• Provides a replicable framework for individuals and treatment centers to achieve lasting freedom

Key Themes

• Addiction and trauma recovery as complete and transformative
• The Sixth Stage of Change: Transcendence
• Resilience, compassion, and agape love as pathways to healing
• Post-traumatic growth and reclaimed self-agency through connection and purpose

About the Authors:

Richard Taite is a nationally recognized addiction recovery expert, entrepreneur, and mental health advocate. He founded Cliffside Malibu (sold in 2018) and now serves as founder and executive chairman of Carrara Treatment Wellness & Spa, as well as executive chairman of 1 Method Centers, an in-network insurance affordable recovery program. He also hosts the fast-growing podcast We're Out of Time, which has surpassed 2 million YouTube views and consistently ranks among the top 10 on Apple Podcasts, including #1 in Mental Health and Health & Fitness. Taite has been voted one of the 500 most influential people in Los Angeles by LA Business Journal (2025), featured on Real Time with Bill Maher, Fox News, Newsweek, Elizabeth Vargas Reports, America's Hope with Kelly Wright, Inc., Forbes, People Magazine, the cover of Los Angeles Business Journal, among many others.

Constance Scharff, PhD, is the founder and director of The Human Resilience Project and an award-winning author and explorer. Her work focuses on global mental health and human resilience at the intersection of climate change, conflict, and trauma recovery. She has led Explorers Club Flag and Rolex-affiliated expeditions worldwide and champions the integration of indigenous healing practices into global wellness strategies. Learn more at THRProject.com.

For interviews, media inquiries, or review copies, please contact:

Lisa Spalla
Arlene Howard PR
lisa.arlenehowardPR@gmail.com

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