I Know You Are, But What Am I?: The Void in Addiction (Book Four)

by Michael Celso

Overview

I KNOW YOU ARE, BUT WHAT AM I?

The Void in Addiction series — Book Four by Michael Celso

What if addiction isn't just about substances or behaviors... but about a hollow place inside you that nothing seems to fill?

In I KNOW YOU ARE, BUT WHAT AM I?, Michael Celso continues The Void in Addiction series with a penetrating exploration of the unseen forces that drive us toward self-destruction—and the equally powerful forces that can call us back home to ourselves.

Blending psychology, trauma research, lived experience, and a deeply human spiritual lens, this book traces addiction from its earliest roots in unhealed wounds and soul fragmentation to its later expressions in cravings, toxic coping, and the desperate need to feel "enough" for just one moment.

Inside, you'll explore:

The Echoes of Trauma – how early wounds quietly shape identity, attachment, and vulnerability to addiction.

The Ego's Gambit – the ways denial, distraction, and self-deception keep us locked in cycles of survival instead of healing.

The Shattered Self – how parts of us split off to cope with pain, and what it really means to reclaim those fragments.

Reclaiming the Void – transforming emptiness from a curse into a portal for meaning, purpose, and authentic selfhood.

Connection, Boundaries, and Belonging – rebuilding relationships that support recovery instead of sabotage it.

The Long Road of Recovery – practical guidance for sustaining change, preventing relapse, and integrating a new way of being.

This is not a quick-fix manual or a sterile clinical text. It is a compassionate companion for:

Those living with addiction or in recovery

Loved ones trying to understand what's really going on beneath the surface

Counselors, peers, and helpers seeking a deeper, more human framework for their work

If you have ever looked in the mirror and wondered, "Who am I, really, beyond my past, my pain, and my patterns?" — this book is an invitation to find out.

I KNOW YOU ARE, BUT WHAT AM I? doesn't just ask the question.

It walks with you through the void until you can begin to answer it for yourself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798260364031
Publisher:	Barnes & Noble Press
Publication date:	11/29/2025
Series:	The Void In Addiction , #4
Pages:	550
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.36(d)

About the Author

Anything but ordinary, Michael Celso subscribed to an unorthodox pathway in life from an early age. A walking contradiction to the norms, he has come to understand, embrace, and appreciate his innately deviant nature—and the profound value it serves. Always looking at the bigger picture, Celso has been described as a “top-to-bottom thinker,” one who traces meaning from the roots of existence to the canopy of possibility. To call him a non-traditional student would be an understatement. Self-taught for the first forty-seven years of his life, Celso formally entered the world of higher education for the first time in the fall of 2024. The overwhelmingly positive response to his out-of-the-box perspective inspired him to share his insights with the world at large, propelling him to become the writer and creator of The Void in Addiction series—fulfilling what Carl Jung once described as the calling of “a deep thinker born with a spiritual mission.”

A former international equestrian sports competitor turned scholar, writer, and advocate for human potential, Celso spent decades mastering the art of discipline and precision in the “sport of kings.” Yet it was stepping away from that world that led him to confront the more profound contest—the one within. What began as a personal reckoning evolved into a calling: to explore the unseen forces that drive addiction, the emptiness it conceals, and the pathways toward wholeness and truth.

When not studying or writing, Michael can be found relishing in the company of his three spirited miniature schnauzers, or on the dance floor immersed in the music and lost to another world. It is in these moments, he says, where he taps into a greater sense of profoundness while reflecting on the paradoxes of modern life and the mystery of what it means to be truly alive.