Pierre J Samaan, Phd

10/08/2026

7-Day Devotional
A Life That Supports Recovery
A 7-Day Devotional Based on “Qualities of Life—Part 1”
By Pierre J. Samaan, Ph.D.

Day 5 — Protect the Space Where Healing Grows

“Sensible people will see trouble coming and avoid it, but an unthinking person will walk right into it and regret it later” (Proverbs 22:3, GNT).

Safety — honoring boundaries and seeking trustworthy support.

When tension gathers like storm clouds, honesty needs discernment about where it is safe to speak (Proverbs 22:3). Like a garden wall and gate, wise boundaries protect tender growth while welcoming trustworthy care. Healthy accountability honors dignity. Confidential support, safety planning, and protective boundaries express faithful courage and help preserve the space where healing grows.

Someone may demand access to every thought, threaten public humiliation, or treat every boundary as proof of deception. Take these behaviors seriously. Healthy accountability supports responsible change while preserving dignity. It never gives someone permission to threaten, intimidate, or control.

Your next faithful step may be telling a counselor privately, “I want to be honest, but I am afraid of what will happen if I speak openly at home.” Proverbs 22:3 invites us to recognize danger and respond wisely. Seeking protection can express faith.

You remain responsible for your recovery choices; another person remains responsible for their abusive behavior. If you have used intimidation, accountability requires stopping that conduct, seeking appropriate help, and respecting others’ protective boundaries, even when those boundaries limit your access.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline (n.d.) advises against couples counseling with an abusive partner because disclosures may later be used to cause harm. Confidential individual support and safety planning should take priority over joint disclosure.

“God of truth and mercy, help me recognize danger without dismissing it and accept responsibility without excuses. Guide me toward trustworthy support. Give me courage to honor boundaries that protect my dignity and the dignity of others. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.”

Rescue Plan
Identify a safe person or setting for honest conversation. If you fear retaliation, seek confidential help before announcing a boundary. Plan your next protective step with qualified support. For immediate danger, contact emergency services.

Journal Prompt
What protective boundary do I need to honor, for my safety or someone else’s?

A Clinical and Biblical Devotional for Addiction Recovery
Adapted from Unmasking Addiction! (www.unmaskingaddiction.org)
Follow at www.newhorizonscounseling.org to receive this FREE devotional.
Use this devotional as a personal guide, a family discussion tool, or a small-group reflection.

10/07/2026

7-Day Devotional
A Life That Supports Recovery
A 7-Day Devotional Based on “Qualities of Life—Part 1”
By Pierre J. Samaan, Ph.D.

Day 4 — Listen Beyond Your Defense

“Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish.” (Proverbs 18:13, NLT).

Intimacy—receiving another person’s experience with humility.

Allowing time for the glass wall to come down is the pause before the explanation. Her worry is received as a wound still tender, not as a verdict on his whole recovery. Listening makes room for two truths: his progress matters, and her trust needs time to heal. His willingness to stay present gives her room to speak honestly without feeling pressured to recover at his pace.

A loved one says, “I still worry when you come home late.” You want to answer, “After everything I have done, why don’t you trust me?”

Their fear may feel like an accusation. It may also reveal a wound that remains tender.

Your progress matters, and another person’s healing has its own timetable. Listening creates room for both truths.

Try saying, “I understand that my past behavior made uncertainty painful. What happened for you tonight?” You can acknowledge their experience while discussing reasonable expectations and boundaries.

Spiritual humility becomes practical when you remain curious instead of demanding immediate recognition. The difficult question is: Do I want to understand the hurt, or end the conversation before I feel uncomfortable?

Laurenceau et al. (1998) found that disclosure and perceived responsiveness were associated with intimacy. Applied cautiously to recovery relationships, this suggests that sharing information alone is insufficient; how people receive one another’s vulnerability also matters.

“Heavenly Father, steady me when hearing another person’s hurt awakens shame. Help me listen carefully, acknowledge my actions, and practice love without demanding immediate trust. In the most loving name of all, Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.”

Rescue Plan
Pause before explaining yourself. Reflect what you heard: “You felt afraid when…” Offer one realistic follow-through and keep it. If overwhelmed, agree on a time to resume.

Journal Prompt
What becomes possible when I hear someone’s pain without treating it as a judgment of my entire identity?

A Clinical and Biblical Devotional for Addiction Recovery
Adapted from Unmasking Addiction! (www.unmaskingaddiction.org)
Follow at www.newhorizonscounseling.org to receive this FREE devotional.
Use this devotional as a personal guide, a family discussion tool, or a small-group reflection.

09/18/2026

7-Day Devotional
Leaving the Games and Returning to Truth in Addiction Recovery
By Pierre J. Samaan, Ph.D.

Day 6 — Practice Courageous Directness

“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:15-16, ESV).

Say what recovery requires.

Directness can feel dangerous when addiction has been protected by avoidance, appeasement, or secrecy. You may fear saying, “I need help,” “I relapsed,” “I cannot go there,” or “Please do not offer that to me.” Yet temporary comfort can preserve the very conditions that keep you trapped.

Research on relationships suggests that direct communication may feel uncomfortable at first but can produce more meaningful change over time (Overall et al., 2009). The uncomfortable truth spoken today may prevent tomorrow’s crisis.

Biblical directness is neither harsh nor controlling. It joins honesty with humility: “This is what happened. This is what I need. This is the boundary I will follow.”

Clear coping commitments reduce ambiguity during high-risk moments. Rather than depending entirely on motivation, effective recovery planning specifies triggers, responses, supportive contacts, and environmental boundaries (Melemis, 2015; Witkiewitz & Marlatt, 2004).

“Lord God, give me courage to speak plainly without aggression and humbly without surrendering truth. Help my words support recovery, responsibility, and peace. In the empowering name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.”

Rescue Plan
State the concern in one sentence. Name the needed action: “I need to leave/call/get help.” Avoid lengthy explanations or debates. Repeat the boundary calmly if pressured. Follow through immediately. Document and disclose any relapse honestly.

Journal Prompt
What truthful sentence do I need to say to protect my recovery this week?

A Clinical and Biblical Devotional for Addiction Recovery
Adapted from Unmasking Addiction! (www.unmaskingaddiction.org)
Follow at www.newhorizonscounseling.org to receive this FREE devotional.
Use this devotional as a personal guide, a family discussion tool, or a small-group reflection.

09/17/2026

7-Day Devotional
Leaving the Games and Returning to Truth in Addiction Recovery
By Pierre J. Samaan, Ph.D.

Day 5 — Leave the Triangle and Seek Safe Community

“The man of too many friends [chosen indiscriminately] will be broken in pieces and come to ruin,
But there is a [true, loving] friend who [is reliable and] sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24, AMP).

Recovery requires connection without manipulation.

Addiction thrives in secrecy but may also use relationships strategically, telling different stories to different people, recruiting allies, hiding information, or blaming loved ones for consequences. These triangles create confusion while protecting the addictive pattern.

Recovery calls you into direct, trustworthy community. Speak to the appropriate person. Tell the same truth to your counselor, sponsor, family, and recovery group. Accountability is not humiliation; it is protection against the isolation in which addiction becomes most persuasive.

Healthy support respects dignity and encourages responsibility. It does not enable use, conceal danger, or demand access to every private detail.

Perceived responsiveness, feeling understood, validated, and cared for, contributes to relational intimacy (Laurenceau et al., 1998). Recovery-support systems can strengthen health, purpose, and self-directed living, but they work best when communication is honest and roles are clearly defined (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2012).

“Heavenly Father, lead me toward a community of people who join honesty, safety, and compassion with truth. Help me communicate directly, receive support humbly, and stop using secrecy or division to protect my addiction. In the saving safety of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.”

Rescue Plan
Identify three safe support contacts. Decide whom you will call first during craving. Correct any conflicting story you have told. Attend a recovery meeting today. Avoid people or settings that pressure you toward relapse. Ask specifically for the help you need.

Journal Prompt
Where have secrecy, isolation, or conflicting stories weakened my recovery?

A Clinical and Biblical Devotional for Addiction Recovery
Adapted from Unmasking Addiction! (www.unmaskingaddiction.org)
Follow at www.newhorizonscounseling.org to receive this FREE devotional.
Use this devotional as a personal guide, a family discussion tool, or a small-group reflection.

09/16/2026

https://youtu.be/hXHwfuRPN-M
NEW VIDEO!
What if the belief you are fighting hardest to protect is the very thing keeping you imprisoned?

A marriage is unraveling. Trust is disappearing. The consequences keep mounting. Yet one sentence remains untouched:

“I am not the problem.”

How can being right become more important than getting well? What happens when admitting a mistake feels like losing your entire identity?

Today, we confront a disturbing possibility: a person can become so committed to defending an image that even love sounds like criticism, and an invitation to change feels like an attack.
Pharaoh's story brings that struggle into devastating focus. As Egypt suffered, he kept resisting God’s command. His story confronts us with a question that reaches far beyond an ancient throne:

What are we willing to lose before we are willing to listen?

It is easy to recognize that resistance in someone else. The harder moment comes when we ask God to reveal it in us.

I’m Dr. Pierre Samaan. Welcome to Unmasking Narcissism. In Part Three of The Cognitive Bias Traps, we explore “When the Mind Hardens: Cognitive Rigidity and the Path from Fortress to Freedom.”

We’ll examine how shame can make self-examination feel unbearable, why attempts to force an admission can deepen resistance, and how grace and truth open a path toward honest change.

At the heart of this journey is a deeply Christian hope: we can face what is wrong in us because our failures do not place us beyond Christ’s redeeming love. Grace makes room for confession. Repentance turns us toward God. The renewing of the mind changes how we see and how we live.

Hebrews 3:15 gives that invitation an urgent word: today. Hear His voice. Resist the impulse to harden your heart.

Stay with me as we explore the question that may bring this entire struggle into focus:

When truth challenges the person you believe yourself to be, will you defend the image, or let Christ transform the person?

What if the belief you are fighting hardest to protect is the very ...

09/16/2026

7-Day Devotional
Leaving the Games and Returning to Truth in Addiction Recovery
By Pierre J. Samaan, Ph.D.

Day 4 — Anchor Yourself in Reality

“Don't play games with yourselves by merely listening to God's prescription–apply it and do what it says! Anyone who simply listens to God's prescription and doesn't apply it to their life is like a person who looks at their face in a mirror, sees the dirt, then walks away without washing it off, and eventually forgets about it” (James 1:22-24, REM).

Record reality before craving rewrites it.

Addiction and sin-sickness can distort memory. During craving, the mind may remember pleasure while forgetting fear, broken trust, financial loss, spiritual numbness, or physical consequences. Shame can distort reality in the opposite direction, insisting that relapse proves you are hopeless.

Neither romanticizing nor condemning tells the whole truth. The truthful statement is: “This behavior has harmed me, and by God’s grace I can choose help today.”

Don’t let the certainty of an urge become the authority over your story. Feelings provide information; they do not always provide accurate conclusions.

Manipulation becomes more powerful when someone repeatedly denies or distorts what happened, leading a person to question their own perceptions and memories (Sweet, 2019). A similar pattern can occur internally during craving: a person may focus on the promised pleasure or relief while minimizing past harm. For example, “One more time won’t hurt” can overshadow memories of painful consequences. Keeping a record of triggers, thoughts, actions, consequences, and coping responses can help bring these patterns into view. This self-monitoring practice supports a more accurate understanding of experience and helps people recognize warning signs and respond in ways that support recovery (Witkiewitz & Marlatt, 2004).

“God of truth, clear the fog created by craving and shame. Help me see clearly and then doing something with what you see. The journal holds facts. The anchor holds the person. Help me remember accurately, think soberly, and receive correction without losing hope. In the name that gives us hope and assurance, Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.”

Rescue Plan
Write what happened before the craving. Separate facts from interpretations. Review the actual consequences of previous use. Challenge “I need it” with “I am experiencing an urge.” Share your record with a recovery support person. Recommit to today’s treatment plan.

Journal Prompt
What does craving encourage me to forget, exaggerate, or reinterpret?

A Clinical and Biblical Devotional for Addiction Recovery
Adapted from Unmasking Addiction! (www.unmaskingaddiction.org)
Follow at www.newhorizonscounseling.org to receive this FREE devotional.
Use this devotional as a personal guide, a family discussion tool, or a small-group reflection.

09/15/2026

7-Day Devotional
Leaving the Games and Returning to Truth in Addiction Recovery
By Pierre J. Samaan, Ph.D.

Day 3 — Escape the Reaction Trap

“Remember this, my dear Christian family: Seek to understand before seeking to be understood, and don't be quick to take offense, for person's outrage is based on selfishness and does not promote restoration of Christlike character as God desires. So rid yourselves of the numerous influences that debase, defile and damage the character, and humbly nurture the Remedy placed in you, which can heal you” (James 1:19-21, REM).

Regulate before you react.

Stress, shame, criticism, loneliness, and conflict may provoke intense emotional reactions. Addiction then offers itself as immediate relief. The trigger becomes obscured, and the desperate reaction creates new consequences.

A strong feeling is real, but it is not a command. You can acknowledge emotional pain without allowing it to choose your next behavior. Pausing is not weakness; it is the moment in which automatic reaction becomes deliberate response.

If you reacted poorly, accept responsibility without collapsing into shame. One mistake does not require another.

Relapse-prevention approaches identify coping responses as important mediators between high-risk situations and renewed addictive behavior (Witkiewitz & Marlatt, 2004). Emotional regulation, delay, environmental change, and social support can interrupt the movement from trigger to action.

“Jesus, meet me in the sacred space between my pain and my response. Help me pause long enough to recognize the path You provide through the storm. Calm my body, steady my emotions, and bring clarity to my thoughts. Give me the courage to choose what leads to healing, freedom, and life rather than the false relief of temporary escape. In Your saving and restoring name, Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.”

Rescue Plan
Stop: Do not act, purchase, message, or drive. Breathe: Exhale slowly for longer than you inhale. Name: Identify the emotion, trigger, craving, and body sensation. Move: Leave the triggering environment when safe. Connect: Call a sponsor, counselor, or trusted support. Protect: Seek emergency assistance if you may harm yourself or someone else.

Journal Prompt
Which emotion most often becomes a doorway to addictive behavior, and what regulated response could replace it?

A Clinical and Biblical Devotional for Addiction Recovery
Adapted from Unmasking Addiction! (www.unmaskingaddiction.org)
Follow at www.newhorizonscounseling.org to receive this FREE devotional.
Use this devotional as a personal guide, a family discussion tool, or a small-group reflection.

09/15/2026

https://x.com/DineshDSouza/status/2099833811999588393?s=20

09/14/2026

7-Day Devotional
Leaving the Games and Returning to Truth in Addiction Recovery
By Pierre J. Samaan, Ph.D.

Day 2 — Refuse the Moving Target

“Simply, be honest in all you do. Let your Yes be Yes, and your No be No; anything more is used by the evil one to obscure and confuse” (Matthew 5:37, REM).

Clear commitments protect recovery from shifting excuses.

The addicted and sin-sickened mind can continually change the rules: I will stop after this weekend. I only use when stressed. I deserve one exception. This will be the last time. Every new condition moves the target and delays freedom.

You cannot build recovery around a standard that changes whenever discomfort arrives. A clear recovery commitment replaces negotiation with truth: Today, I will not use. Today, I will follow my plan.

God’s faithfulness is not a moving target. His truth provides a stable place from which you can make the next faithful decision.

Relapse often develops through emotional and mental stages before substance use or compulsive behavior resumes. Romanticizing past use, bargaining, isolation, and weakening recovery routines can signal elevated risk (Melemis, 2015). A written plan helps convert vague intentions into observable actions.

“Lord God, steady my divided mind and anchor my heart in Your unchanging truth. When cravings tempt me to rewrite my commitments or shifting excuses begin to blur what is right, restore clarity and strengthen my resolve. Help me make the next faithful decision and follow through, one honest step at a time. Be my firm, unmoving point of truth against the blur of shifting excuses. I place myself in the steadying hands of Your Son, Jesus Christ, in whose name I pray. Amen.”

Rescue Plan
Say aloud: “This is bargaining, not permission.” Delay action for 20 minutes. Read your written reasons for recovery. Contact an accountability partner. Move to a safe, substance-free environment. Complete the next scheduled recovery activity.

Journal Prompt
What “exceptions” or changing rules does my addiction use to reopen the door?

A Clinical and Biblical Devotional for Addiction Recovery
Adapted from Unmasking Addiction! (www.unmaskingaddiction.org)
Follow at www.newhorizonscounseling.org to receive this FREE devotional.
Use this devotional as a personal guide, a family discussion tool, or a small-group reflection.