The Fire I Fed (Paperback)

Andrew W. Seefeld

ISBN 13: 9798234012715

Published by Staying Practice, 2026

About this Item

Paperback. In this gripping memoir, Andrew W. Seefeld traces the hidden emotional architecture that shapes our lives long before we recognize it. Through an unflinching personal narrative, he examines how early wounds give rise to protective strategies - achievement, control, perfectionism, and emotional withdrawal - that help us survive and even succeed.But what happens when the very strategies that once protected us begin to consume us?From a near-fatal collapse to the slow work of rebuilding, Seefeld explores the descent into addiction not as a moral failure, but as one expression of a deeper attempt to regulate unbearable emotional pain. More than a story of recovery, this book becomes a testimony to reckoning, responsibility, and the courage to turn toward what we once tried to escape.Ultimately, The Fire I Fed is a meditation on healing, connection, and the possibility of returning to ourselves. A memoir about the hidden emotional blueprint beneath achievement, addiction, and escape - and the courage it takes to return to ourselves. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9798234012715

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Fire I Fed (Paperback)
• Publisher: Staying Practice
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 13: 9798234012715
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

In this gripping memoir, Andrew W. Seefeld traces the hidden emotional architecture that shapes our lives long before we recognize it. Through an unflinching personal narrative, he examines how early wounds give rise to protective strategies – achievement, control, perfectionism, and emotional withdrawal – that help us survive and even succeed.

But what happens when the very strategies that once protected us begin to consume us?

From a near-fatal collapse to the slow work of rebuilding, Seefeld explores the descent into addiction not as a moral failure, but as one expression of a deeper attempt to regulate unbearable emotional pain. More than a story of recovery, this book becomes a testimony to reckoning, responsibility, and the courage to turn toward what we once tried to escape.

Ultimately, The Fire I Fed is a meditation on healing, connection, and the possibility of returning to ourselves.

About the Author

Andrew W. Seefeld, MD, FACEP, FASAM, is a board-certified emergency and addiction medicine physician. He serves as Medical Director of the Emergency Department at Speare Memorial Hospital, Associate Medical Director of the New Hampshire Professionals Health Program, and Clinical Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine. He advocates for compassionate approaches to healing that honor both body and mind. The Fire I Fed: From Ashes to Awareness is his first book.