Ten Misconceptions About Coach Powers

Over the years, I’ve heard many questions, comments, and even criticisms about what I teach at the Recovery School, or how I approach benzo withdrawal and recovery coaching.

Some criticisms are honest misunderstandings, some come from people who’ve never worked with me, and some are rooted in fear—a fear that what I teach might challenge the narrative they've come to rely on. To the Bear (our fear center), this means potential danger! The bear says, "What if he's wrong? What he doesn't understand? He doesn't sound like other's I've heard. What if he makes us worse!"

So today, I want to address some of the most common ones — not to argue, but to clarify. If you’re going to walk this path with me, I want you to know exactly where I stand.

1. ❌ “Coach Powers doesn’t believe in benzo damage.”

Wrong. I lived it. I honor it!

My benzo experience was no walk in the park. Ten years on a high dose of valium, ripped from 40-50mg down to 20mg, then spent 2 years tapering the last of it. I barely slept for a year, didn't drive my car for 2 years, and was so sick I couldn't get out of bed or check the mailbox. Benzos are the worst drug on the planet in my opinion and hellstorm it puts our nervous system through is catastrophic, not to mention the manifestations of other symptoms or conditions that can emerge. That said, I use the word injury instead of damage — because the nervous system is capable of healing, and how we name things matters. I teach that injury is real, painful, and disruptive — but also rewirable.

That’s what neuroplasticity means. The brain can regrow, relearn, adapt, and change!

2. ❌ “He thinks it’s all about pre-existing conditions.”

Also false. Pre-existing conditions may influence how someone enters withdrawal, but I never blame a client’s past for their suffering. I've worked with countless people who never had a pre-existing condition and still suffered just as much as those who did. That said, everyone's story has variables. And for some, something like Health Anxiety can be a real sticking point for them.

What I do believe is this: the fear system can become overactive and dysregulated even after the drug is gone, And that needs its own approach — beyond just waiting. I think that's pretty reasonable.

3. ❌ “This school is just toxic positivity.”

Not even close.

We sit with grief, fear, despair, shame, anger — nothing is off limits here. But I don’t believe rumination is the same as truth, and I don’t believe marinating in fear is a path to freedom.

Hope here is earned, not sold. It’s built one moment at a time. The people in my school are very real people, with real stories, and real suffering. No one pretends it's all rainbows and sunshine, but we also don't feed the Bear when he tells us healing isn't possible.

4. ❌ “Coach doesn’t believe in protracted withdrawal.”

I do believe in it. I lived it for two years. But I push back on the idea that protracted = permanent. Many people get stuck not because healing stopped, but because fear became the new driver. Our work is to unhook from that loop — not deny how hard it is! Protracted is real, but not everyone will experience it. And those who do? They still heal, too.

5. ❌ “He just tells people to push through and ignore symptoms.”

Never. That’s not how I teach. This represents one of the biggest misunderstandings about me.

We don’t ignore symptoms. We reframe them, re-pattern around them, and learn how not to panic in their presence. There’s a difference between "pushing through" and building capacity.

There's a difference between befriending the Bear to retrain him and pretending we are not suffering. Coach Powers also believes in lulling before pushing, calming before effort.

6. ❌ “He thinks it’s all in your head.”

No — it’s in your nervous system.

This isn’t imaginary. It’s embodied fear. It’s real physiology. It's chemical withdrawal and neurological dysregulation! But we also know the brain listens to belief, posture, breath, and attention, and we use those to lead the Bear out of the darkness and toward the light of healing.

What's real to your mind is real to your nervous system. Nothing is "in your head."

7. ❌ “He minimizes how hard this is.”

My friends, I climbed my way out of the pits of hell. There's a reason I'm here to day fighting so damn hard to spread awareness about benzos and psych med injury, and why I work so hard with my clients. Because if you KNOW, you KNOW. I've got my battle scars. I’ve walked people through some of the darkest hells I’ve ever seen. I don’t minimize anything. What I do say is that this isn’t the end of your story. We can name the suffering and keep walking.

I teach people to make peace with their suffering, to reach for hope and radical acceptance, which isn't the same as giving up. Radical Acceptance is about not feeding the bear and making peace with now.

8. ❌ “He thinks everyone can recover the same way.”

False. I teach personalized recovery, which is why the school includes structure, tools, and coaching that meet people where they are.

What works for one may not work for another. But the principles — neuroplasticity, rhythm, reframing, and co-regulation — are universal. All brains are capable of modulation, neuroadaptation, and growth.

9. ❌ “If you’re not healing, he thinks you’re doing it wrong.”

No. If you’re not healing, I think you may still be trapped in a fear-based loop. That doesn’t mean you’re weak — it means you’re scared. That’s where the Bear thrives. We don’t shame the Bear — we retrain him. And everyone is different. We heal at different rates. Some people will need more time. One of the worst things a healer can do is blame the other person for not getting better. You won't hear that from me. But as a coach, I will certainly try to inspire you to keep reaching for healing.

10. ❌ “He’s just another self-help guy trying to sell hope.”

This is another absurd statement from people who haven't taken a deep enough look.

I charge $30/month for a school that has taken thousands of hours to build. I make less than most “experts” charging $400/hr for advice that never changes. I've spent 15 years in college earning a doctorate in Clinical Psychology, written two books on benzos, produced a full-length recovery film, and created an entire benzo-recovery program. I'm arguably the most educated 'coach' and my rates are still by far the lowest. My friends, I could make twice the money working as a therapist for the general public, and it would be a lot easier. I'm here because I walked through the fire, healed, and I'm on a mission to spread the message.

I’m not selling magic. I’m selling work. And if hope grows out of that work, I’ll never apologize for it.

11. ❌ “His content is too ‘tough love’ for people in distress.”

What I teach is clear love. It may feel tough when you’re dysregulated, because fear wants to be comforted, not confronted. Each person chooses their own pace. I never push people to do things too scary or tough for them.

But I believe in your strength. Even when you don’t. Especially when you don’t.

12. ❌ “His method only works if you’re already doing okay.”

That’s not what I’ve seen.

I’ve worked with people who couldn’t leave a dark room, who hadn’t left their home in years, who thought their lives were over. And I’ve watched them rise — slowly, steadily, beautifully.

Your coach has worked with thousands of people from all over the world. He's seen and heard it all, at least twice. Anyone, at any stage, can get better. Sometimes, it just takes a bit of searching and work.

The method isn’t for people who are already okay.

It’s for people who are finally ready to become okay.

In Closing

You don’t have to agree with everything I teach.

But I ask you to do this: Don’t judge this work from the outside.

Come in. Feel it. Sit with it. Try it.

Keep going, Coach Powers