The SALT TALK with Jermine Alberty
The SALT TALK w/ Jermine Alberty is a podcast dedicated to having conversations of healing and recovery surrounding topics of mental health challenges, addictions, spirituality, and guest will talk about how their work serves, affirm, loves, and transform those they encounter. Join us for each episode as we get salty.
The SALT TALK with Jermine Alberty
Learning to Swim: Navigating Trauma and Recovery
Have you ever felt like you were drowning—not in water, but in life's overwhelming challenges? That suffocating feeling when bills, expectations, grief, or addiction seems to pull you under?
Swimming becomes the perfect metaphor for life's journey in this deeply personal exploration of recovery and healing. From childhood trauma at the hands of a well-meaning uncle to the symbolic power of shallow versus deep waters, we dive into what it truly means to stay afloat when life feels overwhelming. The SWIM method—Surrender, Watch, Inquire, Move—offers a practical framework for navigating those moments when you feel like you're going under, transforming this acronym into a life preserver that keeps you from drowning.
We explore how trauma teaches us avoidance rather than resilience, keeping us in life's shallow end—those predictable, comfortable spaces where we feel safe but cannot grow. While shallow waters may temporarily protect us, life inevitably pushes us into deeper currents through unexpected diagnoses, relapses, or loss. It's in these depths where we discover our true strength through courage, community, and consistency. For BIPOC communities, the swimming metaphor extends further into generational patterns that echo through families and cultures, requiring intentional healing in spaces characterized by honesty and compassion.
Recovery isn't about erasing deep-end moments but developing tools to face them with confidence. Through deep breathing exercises, body scanning, and visualization, we can find calm even in chaos. Whether you're personally struggling or supporting someone who is, remember that recovery isn't a sprint—it's a swim. And no one should have to swim alone. Share your story of finding your lifeline when life's waters pulled you under. Your experience could become the encouragement someone else needs to keep swimming.
Share your story with us at admin@saltinitiative.org
If you or someone you love is struggling, you are not alone. Here are some resources that can help right now:
- SAMHSA National Helpline – 1-800-662-HELP (4357). Free, 24/7 confidential support for individuals and families.
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – Dial or text 988 for immediate connection to trained counselors.
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) HelpLine – 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or text “HELPLINE” to 62640.
- Celebrate Recovery – A faith-based, 12-step recovery community available in many local churches nationwide.
- Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) / Narcotics Anonymous (NA) – Peer support groups that remind us: one day at a time is enough.
I'm your host, Jermine Alberty, and today we're diving into a conversation that is both symbolic and deeply personal learning to swim. I don't just mean swimming in water, but swimming through the waves of life, through challenges, fears and trauma. And this episode is especially timely because September is National Recovery Awareness Month. Every September, communities across the country come together to remind us that recovery is possible and healing is real, and no one has to walk the journey alone. It's about lifting up stories of resilience and celebrating progress and creating spaces where support is accessible and stigma is broken down, and so, as you listen today, I want you to think about what the shallow and deep parts of life means for you, and how recovery can be that stroke that keeps us afloat when life feels overwhelming. This is Jermaine Alberti, and you're listening to the Salt Talk. Well, let's start with something practical. So many of us know the feeling of drowning, not in water, but in bills, in expectations, in grief or even in addiction, and that suffocating sense of I can't breathe. So you know I love acronyms, and so I wanted to create a acronym that would help us navigate those moments, and that acronym is SWIM, s-w-i M. So what does SWIM stand for? So glad you asked. The S stands for surrender. Now what are we surrendering?
Jermine Alberty:Recovery begins with the first step of admitting. We have to admit when we can't do things alone. And let me just be really clear there is humility in asking for help and there is strength in reaching out for a lifeline. The W in this realm model stands for watch. Sometimes in life we just need to slow down and observe, notice those things that evoke distress for you, pay attention to your emotions and your habits without judgment. And I also want you to have an awareness when things turn and you begin to see those things shifting in your life and even sometimes those unseen currents into something that we can name. So I want for us to have awareness that turns the unseen currents into something we can name and even those things that we can name. Just be aware of those things, because what that does is it helps us to be able to do the I and the SWIM acronym, and that is to inquire. You know, we need to start asking ourselves those tough questions. Asking ourselves those tough questions, questions like what am I running from? What do I truly need? And the third question I think can be so very important to us is really asking ourselves what fears hold me back from seeking healing. Well, there's one more letter in the acronym SWIM, and that is M, and the M stands for move. See, it's so very critical that we understand that healing isn't a one-time event. It's small, sometimes consistent strokes, and sometimes those small. And sometimes those small consistent strokes could mean making a call to a counselor, showing up to a recovery meeting, opening up to a trusted friend or even just committing to daily self-care.
Jermine Alberty:So, when you think about SWIM, think about this acronym SWIM as that life preserver that keeps you from going under when the water rise. You see, this is really personal, because I was recently in a very special place where I was enjoying this pool, special place where I was enjoying this pool, and the pool was one of those pools that, when you got to the very edge of it, you could look over and see the ocean and a beautiful place. And I couldn't really enjoy that beautiful place because in its entirety, because in its entirety because of a childhood trauma, and I determined, you know what, when I get back home, I am going to learn how to swim, which is why this podcast came about, because I thought about man. How many other folks have experienced trauma in their life and are not able to just swim through the challenges of life, because they learned how to navigate the waters, but they never learned how to fully swim in those waters. And so when I was a kid, my uncle thought the best way to teach me to swim was to throw me into the deep end.
Jermine Alberty:And I can still remember the panic, the gasping, my arms flailing, the desperate fight to stay above the water. To this day, he says yeah, I taught you how to swim. And I think to myself no, you didn't. No, you didn't, because that moment left an imprint and instead of confidence, I learned fear. Instead of learning how to swim, I learned how to panic, and for years, when I go to a swimming pool, I'll do the bare minimum, you know float around there, try to go on a knee there, hold my breath, but I still haven't got the hang of the stroke and the feet moving at the same time.
Jermine Alberty:And how could something that I love to do and want to do symbolize danger? Something that I love to do and want to do symbolize danger. You know, even as an adult, I found myself in that very beautiful place, sticking around the shallow parts of the pool which felt safe, where my feet could touch the bottom. But when you do that, I discovered that I was limiting myself from enjoying the deep end. Isn't that how life can be? Trauma throws us into the deep end. Instead of learning resilience, we sometimes learn avoidance and we stay in those shallow places and sometimes, my friends that could be jobs, relationships, routines we stay in them because we feel safe, even when they don't allow us to grow, and so what recovery has taught me is that healing is about gradually entering the deep again is about gradually entering the deep again, but this time with support, with skills and trust in the process.
Jermine Alberty:So I want to shift to talk about shallow versus deep parts of life. You know, when you think about life, shallow waters, predictable, easy, comfortable those three words are words that probably sound familiar for many of you. You only do what's predictable, you only do what's easy, you only do what's comfortable. We're going to call those shallow waters those are shallow waters, because those are moments when you feel as if you can control those things. Yeah, that's predictable, I know about that. Yeah, I can do that. That's easy. Oh, that's comfortable. Those are shallow waters. Those are shallow waters. Those are those moments when everything feels like once again, it's in control.
Jermine Alberty:But let me be clear again Life doesn't let us stay in the shallow waters forever. Sooner or later, we are pushed into the deep. The unexpected diagnosis, the relapse, the loss of a loved one, the weight or anxiety of depression, those are some deep waters, and those deep waters test us. And so here's the thing while the shadow keeps us safe, the deep is where we discover our strength. You see, my friends, I have learned that it's in the deep where we learn resilience, where our faith is tested and where recovery becomes more than a word. It becomes a lived experience. See, recovery doesn't deny the deep waters, but what it does is it teaches us how to float in them.
Jermine Alberty:And there are three things that I want you to embrace. They all start with C, by the way Courage, community and consistency. I'm going to say that one more time Courage, community and consistency All three of these words that begin with the letter C are all working together to bring us back to the surface. When you feel like you're drowning, just cling on to courage. When you feel like you're drowning, just cling on to your community. When you feel like you're drowning, just consistently keep coming up for air. Well, my friends, I I want to switch gears and talk about a little deeper, because sometimes, when you are in BIPOC communities BIPOC stands for Black, indigenous and people of color Sometimes, when you're in BIPOC communities where you have had generational trauma, sometimes what you are experiencing is not just from your lived experience, but could be from the experience of your ancestors, the experience of your ancestors.
Jermine Alberty:So, to go deeper, I think of Dr Joy DeGruy's work on post-traumatic slave syndrome. In her work she helps us to see that trauma doesn't just live in individuals, but that it can echo through families and cultures and even generations. So this is why it's so important that we acknowledge that pain isn't weakness. It's the first step toward breaking cycles, and this is why I often say that I don't believe in generational curses. I believe in generational patterns.
Jermine Alberty:Whenever we embrace the fact that we have somehow been cursed by something or someone, then the question becomes then who alleviates the curse? Who breaks the curse? Who gets rid of the curse? When we acknowledge that, yes, slavery is a curse, it sure is. When we acknowledge those hardships that our families have endured, whether it be through different traumas that have been passed on, whether it's beatings and molestations and all kinds of things that's just been passed down generation after generation. Here's the thing about it. Yes, those things can feel like a curse, but I want to be clear about this. Those are patterns of behaviors that can be broken, and we spend our life learning and unlearning, learning and unlearning. And we need to break some cycles. We need to break some patterns.
Jermine Alberty:And so she reminds us that healing must happen in safe spaces. And what needs to be in those safe places? Well, the first thing is honesty, second thing is community and the third thing is compassion. And so we need to create spaces where folks can one feel safe, where they can speak honest and where those there can express kindness and compassion. You see, recovery works the same way. Whether you're recovering from addiction, mental illness, grief, trauma, your healing doesn't have to happen in isolation, just like in swimming. Nobody learns well when they're left to sink alone. We need lifeguards, we need teachers, we need community. Can you imagine what would happen when we come together and be lifeguards one for the other? When you see your sister, when you see your brother drowning, that you don't just turn and look the other way but you say, hey, are you okay and you jump into the deep where they are and you get them to safety.
Jermine Alberty:Well, I want to hear your voice in this conversation and I want to share some stories with us Times when you felt like you were drowning and how you found your way back up. And so here's a prompt Think of a time you felt pulled under by life's deep waters. Who or what was your lifeline? Let me tell you something your story could become the encouragement someone else needs to keep swimming, and I want to invite you to share those stories with us, because I would love just to hear from you. But I want you to once again think of a time that you felt poured under by life's deep waters. Think about who or what was your lifeline.
Jermine Alberty:Well, as we come to a conclusion of this podcast, I want to take a moment to practice together, and the first thing I want to do is I want to do some deep breathing. So I want to invite you to inhale through your nose and hold and then exhale through your mouth and imagine each breath as a stroke keeping you afloat. Let's do that. Come on, let's stop Really. Let's stop. Take a moment to deep breathe. So we're going to inhale through our nose and we're going to hold that, and then we're going to exhale through our mouths and we're going to do that as many times as we need to, imagining each breath as a stroke, keeping your flow.
Jermine Alberty:Secondly, I want you to do a body scan. I want you to release tension in your body. I want you to feel the water of peace rising around you. So just take a moment to just release that tension in your body. Hmm, that feels good. That feels really good.
Jermine Alberty:And the third thing I want you to do is I want you to visualize the swim model. Put yourself in some water, and I want you to just surrender to that moment. I want you to watch your emotions just float by. I want you to inquire about your fears and I want you to move with steady, strong strokes toward recovery. My friends, doing those three things can help us, can remind us that even in cost, we can find calm. So think about that again Deep breathe, body scan, visualize, swim. Even in chaos, we can find calm. Well, maya Angelou said you cannot control all the events that happen to you, but you can control your attitude towards them. And recovery doesn't erase the deep end moments, but it gives us the tools to face them. Well, as we close, remember, september is Recovery Awareness Month and recovery isn't just about surviving, it's about thriving. It's about moving from fear to freedom, from drowning to swimming.
Jermine Alberty:If you or someone you love is struggling, you are not alone. And here are some resources that can help you. Right now, samhsa has a national helpline that is 1-800-662-HELP, that's 4357. Once again, sam says National Helpline is 1-800-662-HELP, that's 4357. It's free, it's 24-7. It's confidential and it offers supports for individuals and families. And then don't forget about 988-SUICIDE and Crisis Lifeline. You can dial or text 988 for immediate connection to trained counselors.
Jermine Alberty:Also, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, also known as NAMI, has a helpline. That helpline is 1-800-950-NAMI or 1-800-950-6264, or just text HELPLINE to 62640. There's also Celebrate Recovery, which is a faith-based 12-step recovery community available in many local churches nationwide. And last but not least, there is Alcohol Anonymous, aa, or Narcotic Anonymous, na, which offer peer support. Groups that remind us one day at a time is enough. Well, I want to thank you so much for spending time with me on the Salt Talk. And recovery is not a sprint, it's a swim. So step into the water, trust the process and remember you are never swimming alone. This is Jermine Alberty, and you've been listening to the Salt Topic.
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