We are inherently a spiritual species, and yet, we fill the world with so many aspiritual and anti-spiritual constructs and behaviors. The reality is we are both a spiritual and an aspiritual species. Professional help can provide additional tools, insights, and guidance to facilitate the healing and restoration of spiritual well-being. Substance abuse or addiction is present and requires specialized treatment. A sense of disconnection from oneself, nature, or a higher power.

• Practices such as meditation, prayer, or connecting with supportive spiritual communities can offer solace, guidance, and a sense of connection to something greater than oneself.
• So, instead of fixating on the parts of the program that don’t work for you, focus on the things that do.
• ” But sure enough, she followed the program and within a month or two her mental obsession had dissipated.
• The addict may have a nagging feeling that they’re missing the real reason for their agony or pain.
• Spiritual threats can come in the form of emotional threat or injury.

Alcoholics Anonymous’ 12-Step Program

These methods can help individuals maintain their spiritual well-being and offer a pathway towards inner peace and harmony. Here at California Detox in Laguna Beach, we can help you unpack the physical, psychological, and spiritual aspects of alcoholism. We also house traumatic memories in the threat centers of our brains that are slightly different than predictive codes as they may bubble up to awareness or into nightmarish dreams. Facing spiritual maladies necessitates embracing vulnerability and allowing oneself to explore the hidden parts of their being. Opening up to vulnerability can be challenging, but it is within the realm of vulnerability that deep healing and transformation can occur. Below is an overview of the 12 admissions that support the 12 steps toward recovery.

A Spiritual Remedy for a Spiritual Condition

Spiritually, the lack of connection with nature, devoid of meaningful relationships, and a lack of faith can also contribute to spiritual malady. This allows me to do a quick inventory of my negative emotions and a prayer to God to have them removed. My experience is that they are always removed and that we are immediately restored to sanity. It’s also important to remember that your understanding of a Higher Power can change and evolve over time. As you grow in your sobriety and learn more about yourself, you may find that your concept of a Higher Power changes as well.

Evolving Spiritually

This is due to the fact that addiction is really a spiritual disorder. Although the disease has biological, behavioral, and psychological roots, treating those aspects, without including the spiritual component,  is like sticking a Band-Aid on a bullet wound. One of the great things about AA is that it’s flexible – you can make it work for you, even if you don’t believe in God. So, instead of fixating on the parts of the program that don’t work for you, focus on the things that do. Finding a Higher Power is an essential part of Alcoholics Anonymous, but what if you don’t believe in God? You’re not alone – there are plenty of people in AA who don’t believe in God, or who have trouble with the concept of a higher power.

They also experience an ineffable quality from becoming spiritual – one  where their feelings go beyond mere words. As addicts we can become so focused on the outward form our addiction takes – whether that booze, drugs, sex, overeating, etc. – that we overlook its deep roots at the core of our being. Is describing, essentially is referring to a stark void in our lives that we constantly attempt to fill with outside things such as drugs, alcohol, sex, shopping, or anything we can think to try to feel better. It is the emptiness we feel on such a deep level that we turn to self-medication in order to alleviate the sadness and despair that go hand in hand with.

The fact is, we have a spiritual problem, and the only cure is God. Perhaps one of the most famous quotes in all 12-Step literature comes from the English philosopher Herbert Spencer. There is one spiritual malady decision that we make, that leads to a continuous unfolding of decision-less choices on the path of life. That path is always right, and there are no wrong turns – just different experiences.

It is a sense of “otherness” that keeps us from feeling at peace with ourselves and the world around us. The thoughts we have as alcoholics are often insidious in such a way that we can’t tell what is true or false. The AA Big Book talks about this delusion we develop in active addiction. It is important to note that spiritual practices and beliefs should never replace professional mental health treatment. Instead, they can complement and enhance the established therapeutic interventions, fostering a more comprehensive approach to mental wellness.

As overwhelming as I’m sure this all may seem for someone who’s either never had a spiritual connection, or been disconnected for years, I’d like to assure you it’s not as formidable as it may seem. But first, it’s crucial that you understand the difference between a spiritual experience and a religious one. While I could go on forever on the differences between these two ideas, I’ll keep it as simple as possible. One way to think of a Higher Power is simply as a force that is greater than yourself. This could be the power of nature, the universe, or even something as simple as your cats or dogs at home – perhaps their love for you and the fact that they need you to be sober is your Higher Power. It doesn’t matter what your Higher Power is; what matters is that you believe in something that can help guide and support you on your journey to recovery.

Big Book Sponsorship Store

And although not everyone has a problem with drugs or alcohol, every person reading this right now is touched in varying degrees by some form of obsessiveness affecting them in very negative ways. It is disturbing their lives and holding them back from full peace and security. The hook in their presentation was an answer to their alcohol problem, of course. Virtually all their problems were resolved via spiritual awakening and they predicted that the fortune https://ecosoberhouse.com/ would continue as they experienced subsequent growth going forward in life. A spiritual malady, then, reduces to a sense of otherness felt by many alcoholics that prevents them from feeling at peace with themselves and the world around them. When these physical, mental, and spiritual components come together, an individual with alcohol use disorder will be rendered powerless to arrest a vicious cycle of obsessions, cravings, and alcohol abuse.