The Hidden Loneliness of Professionals: How Group Therapy Helps
- Lauren Adsem, LADC, MHP
- 9 minutes ago
- 4 min read
The Quiet Loneliness of a Full Life
It’s a strange thing, isn’t it? To have a full calendar, constant communication, and countless responsibilities and still feel separate from it all. To be competent, respected, and relied upon....and yet quietly, persistently, lonely.
Not because you're doing anything wrong. Quite the opposite. You’re managing. Thriving, even. You’re the one others depend on. But beneath all the success, there’s a quiet absence in a life otherwise overflowing. A sense that something essential is missing—connection, ease, authenticity.
This kind of loneliness can be hard to name because it hides behind competence. Professional roles often reward control, independence, and discretion—traits that can make it hard to reach out when you’re the one who’s supposed to have it together. And when substance use has become a private way to cope with stress, it can deepen that feeling of separation.
And yet….the desire for connection persists. For connection that doesn’t need to be earned, for spaces where you can be a person instead of a position, for moments of real presence that cut through the noise.
Group therapy offers a path back to that kind of connection. It’s not another responsibility to manage. It’s not about fixing you. It’s simply a space where you get to be human—with all the complexity, humor, struggle, and hope that comes with it.
What Group Therapy Offers That Individual Therapy Can’t
In a group, you’re not just processing ideas about connection—you’re doing the work of connection. You’re sitting across from others, listening, being heard, sharing space, and often, rediscovering how good it feels to be seen.
It’s also a space to notice your own patterns in social dynamics:
Do you avoid vulnerability unless it’s perfectly packaged?
Do you take on a helper role to deflect your own needs?
Do you numb discomfort—enter substance use—rather than risk being seen?
These habits may stealthily protect you in the high-stress environments you encounter in day-to-day life, but in group therapy, they can gently surface giving you a chance to meet them with curiosity instead of shame.
Practicing the Skills That Make Relationships Work
Many of us have become socially rusty over the last few years. The pandemic shifted how we relate—to ourselves, to others, even to substances. Social anxiety, once rare or manageable, has become a common self-report in therapy sessions. Introverts have become more introverted. Many report having turned to coping strategies that dull this sense of disconnection while promising control over emotions. Suddenly, simple interactions like starting a conversation or making eye contact can feel awkward. This is where group therapy can help retool you.
Among other things, we think of group therapy as like “reconnection school”—in the best way possible. It’s where you learn (or relearn) how to:
Initiate conversations without overthinking.
Sit with vulnerability instead of shutting it down.
Ask questions that invite connection instead of keeping things on the surface.
We revisit seemingly simple things—like listening—and turn them into powerful tools for connection. Many people are surprised to discover how often their version of listening is actually just waiting to speak. So at Planting Seeds Recovery, we practice:
Active listening—focusing completely on someone else’s story without jumping ahead to your reply.
Reflective responses—paraphrasing or validating what you’ve heard, not fixing or judging it.
Emotional presence—being with someone’s pain or joy without trying to change it.
Another core practice? Vulnerability. Around here, we’re big fans of vulnerability because it builds intimacy. It’s the courage to say, “I’m struggling,” or “That landed hard,” or “Me too,” even when your instinct is to protect by staying quiet. These skills may sound basic, but in practice, they are radical acts of healing.
The Immediate Return on Investment: Emotional Capital
One of the most surprising (and beautiful) truths about group therapy is that connection doesn’t have a waiting period. You don’t have to “earn” your spot or build up emotional equity before you start feeling better.
Sometimes, joy begins at the first hello. Relief shows up in the first moment someone says, “I’ve felt that too.” Sometimes, it’s in the quiet nod of recognition, shared laughter, and then the deep exhale. That’s the magic of shared humanity—it reminds us we were never supposed to do life alone.
And no, it’s not always easy. There may be discomfort. Vulnerability is hard, especially if you’re relied on substances to shield it. But what you’ll also find is safety. Realness. Growth. The warmth of knowing you are part of something that matters.
Our Vote? You Deserve to Feel Connected
Group therapy isn’t about “fixing” anyone. It’s about rediscovering how to be with others in an authentic, human way. In a world that often pushes us toward independence and away from interdependence and where substances can sometimes feel like the only way to cope, group work is a powerful act of resistance and healing.
If you’ve been feeling lonely, disconnected, or privately questioning your relationship with substances, group therapy might be the space you didn’t know you needed.
You don’t have to do it alone. And in group, you won’t.
We offer ongoing groups tailored for adults navigating professional demands, life transitions, and the desire to feel more connected. Let’s practice being human—together.
Curious about joining a group?
Call/text 612-758-0893
Lauren joined the addiction recovery world over a decade ago. In those years she's developed a keen sense of how substance overuse impacts people's lives as well as the life of those around them. Lauren believes strongly in healing the system as a whole—providing therapy for individuals, couples and families.
Lauren is a true guide in the therapy room. Lauren is especially skilled at helping people explore relationship disconnection and dissatisfaction, questioning of a chosen life path as well as overt mental health symptoms. She believes that when people address the root causes of this disconnection and dissatisfaction in life, they find substance overuse naturally loses its appeal. Lauren is mindful to follow her clients’ lead while providing reality-based feedback as a way to help them move toward their best life.
Lauren would love to hear from you-- Lauren@plantingseedsrecovery.com