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Survivors Anonymous

The recovery pathway

Twelve steps offer
a path back to yourself.

The steps offer a way to understand what survival asked of you, recognise the choices available now, and begin moving forward with support at your own pace.

A gentle content note

Reading about trauma, survival patterns, responsibility and repair may bring up strong feelings. Read what feels manageable today, and pause whenever you need.

Care before content

Choose the support that matches today.

If you are in immediate danger, feel unable to stay safe, or need urgent specialist support, Australian crisis and specialist services can help now. Go to Get help now.

Move at your own pace

Read the twelve
published steps.

These are the definitive steps as they appear on page 203 of the first edition of Survivors Anonymous.

  1. Acknowledge

    We acknowledged the impact that trauma has had on our lives, and recognised that our survival responses once kept us safe, but may no longer serve us.

  2. Believe

    We came to believe that there is something greater than our current state that can restore us to wholeness.

  3. Release control

    We made a decision to begin releasing control, and to turn our will and care toward something greater than our survival-driven thinking.

  4. Explore with compassion

    We explored our experiences, patterns, and beliefs with honesty and compassion, without shame or self-blame.

  5. Be witnessed

    We shared our truth with a safe and trusted person who could hold it in context, without distortion or judgment.

  6. Become willing

    We became willing to release patterns, beliefs, and protective strategies that no longer serve us.

  7. Ask for support

    We asked for support in releasing what no longer serves us, and in responding differently moving forward.

  8. Discern responsibility

    We became willing to acknowledge where repair may be needed, without taking on responsibility for what is not ours.

  9. Make repair

    We made direct amends where possible, taking responsibility for our part without explanation or justification.

    Your safety guides this step. You can choose forms of repair that protect you from dangerous contact.

  10. Live with awareness

    We continued to build awareness of our thoughts, behaviours, and patterns, and made ongoing adjustments with compassion.

  11. Deepen connection

    We strengthened our connection to ourselves and something greater through reflection, presence, and stillness.

  12. Carry the message

    We shared what we have learned and supported others in their recovery.

    We share experience, strength and hope while respecting each person as the authority on their own experience.

Steps 2, 3, 10 and 11

Higher-power awareness can begin with observing your own mind.

Metacognition helps us notice our thoughts, understand what may be driving them and create space for a chosen response.

Within this pathway, that observing position can connect us with something greater than the survival state of the moment, including faith, community, values, shared wisdom, compassion or a wider view of reality.

Explore higher-power awareness

Across all twelve steps

Radical acceptance meets reality fully and locates the choice that remains ours.

Acceptance helps us acknowledge the impact of trauma, release control over what is outside our influence and act with compassion, responsibility and awareness.

The practice supports every step, with particular importance for acknowledgment, willingness, discernment and ongoing adjustment.

Explore radical acceptance

What the pathway offers

The pathway gives you
structure and room to choose.

Trauma-informed Safety, agency and context guide each step.

Peer-led People share their own experience and respect each person’s authority over their life.

Strength-based Survival responses are understood as intelligent adaptations.

Spiritually open “Something greater” is yours to understand in your own way.

Meetings are still forming

See how the future
community will work.

How meetings will work