Covert Affairs

Paul Gilmartin, host of the podcast Mental Illness Happy Hour, survived covert incest. It’s especially insidious because there’s no physical contact, but the emotional damage is very real. Paul has dedicated his life to his recovery, and regularly talks about depression, addiction, anxiety, abuse and gender identity on his show. Jenna was also on his show! You should probably check it out. Links from today’s episode! Paul’s podcast is available wherever you listen to I, Survivor. Kenneth Adams coined the term “covert incest” and wrote a book about it. If you identify with any of the themes in today’s episode, there are 12 step programs like Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous and Adult Children of Alcoholics / Dysfunctional Families you can check out. For more reading you should also look up Facing Love Addiction by Pia Mellody and Healing the Shame that Binds You by John Bradshaw. You should also support the show by supporting our sponsors! The theme of the month is "Stay cozy, stay informed," and our sponsors can help with that. Go to Thirdlove.com/survivor for 15% off your first delish bra order, bombas.com/survivor and enter survivor at checkout for 20% off the socks that Wagatwe and Jenna are obsessed with, and go get you a free 7-day trial of Blinkist at blinkist.com/survivor .