Spiritual growth is broad enough to encompass both the idea that the ultimate truth can be discovered from a complete group of strangers at an AA meeting, as well as from your own internal stillness while meditating in your living room. It is the quest of every recovering drug addict and alcoholic, whether they realize it or not. But the problem is that so many of us have preconceived notions of what “spiritual” means, and some of us have a limiting belief system in place that makes it harder for us to grow spiritually.
Photo by sean mcgrath
We might think that growing spiritually means that we have to become more religious. Or that we have to engage in certain practices like daily prayer and mediation. What’s more, many recovering addicts have some emotional baggage associated with these ideas, and thus are hesitant to approach the subject of spiritual growth with an open mind.
The creative theory of recovery has it’s own unique formula for spiritual growth, and specific actions that you can take to help you make progress in this area.
The limitations of traditional spiritual growth
1) You are not your belief system
One of the neat things that I did in early recovery was to try on a number of different spiritual “hats.” I explored eastern philosophies, read through the new testament, and pretty much read all sorts of different books regarding spirituality. What I learned by all this was the power of true open mindedness. This is the ability to try on a new spiritual “lens,” instead of staying stuck in a specific set of rigid beliefs.
Some people have great resistance to this idea, because they have internalized their belief system into who they are. Not only that, but they tend to defend this belief system with a great sense of pride.
Now I’m not saying you have to change your religion in order to grow spiritually. But what I am saying is that you might benefit by staying truly open minded to ideas from other belief systems and philosophies. Why limit yourself to the dogma of one system, when there is so much more opportunity for growth out there?
Imagine the depth and added knowledge that comes when, say, a Christian priest studies eastern philosophy, or even Native American spirituality. The new knowledge doesn’t take away from the priest’s Christian belief set….instead he notices overlaps and similarities and thus experiences a strengthening of core spiritual principles that seem to keep popping up as he studies. This is the power of opening your mind to new spiritual ideas, philosophies, or even religions. In AA they have a saying: “take what you need and leave the rest.” Apply this to spiritual and religious concepts as well and you will find a whole new world to explore that can open you up to spiritual growth.
2) Some spiritual paths are non-holistic (and thus limiting)
I think there is some danger in falling into too narrow of a recovery program that focuses sharply on what I would call “traditional spiritual practices.” In other words, if all you do in recovery is pray and meditate according to a certain belief system, then you are leaving a lot of spiritual growth on the table.
Spiritual growth is bigger than that. Imagine a walk through nature or an invigorating jog across the countryside. Imagine painting landscapes or composing and performing music that truly touches people’s souls. Spirituality is bigger and broader than what most people think it is. Remember that it’s all spiritual:
* You can find a special connection to your higher power in the unlikeliest of places.
* All learning is essentially spiritual growth. You see the world in one way, and then a shift is made and you gain new awareness. You see things in a new light, and it does a better job of explaining reality than your old thought processes. This is learning. You adopt a new belief set about how things are; about how things work.
This becomes especially powerful when you can apply this to your own life after seeing it in others. In recovery, we don’t have to keep learning only from mistakes. We can connect with other recovering addicts and use their knowledge to help steer us on our own path. This is learning; this is spiritual knowledge applied. It’s using our connections with others to empower each other in a positive way.
Clearly, there is more to spiritual growth than the “traditional” ideas that most of us have about what constitutes spirituality. In the creative theory of recovery, the world becomes our playground, and every person we encounter becomes a potential teacher.
What is spiritual growth?
Spirituality is a lens through which you perceive the world. It helps us to explain our reality and can provide a guide for living. For many of us, spirituality also speaks of how the universe works and tries to explain what are role in the world is.
Therefore, spiritual growth must be the progression of how we see the world. It is the evolution of our consciousness. How we see and frame events in our minds changes over time, hopefully for the better. Here is an example:
Say that you have a friend who is struggling with drug addiction. You’re frustrated to watch this person continuously fail and return to using drugs.
In the early stages of your spiritual growth, you might frame this in your mind as “$h!t happens.” The universe is cold and cruel and this person just doesn’t get it. Or perhaps you have a belief set that says they are experiencing the tail end of some bad karma; that the universe is paying them back for wrongs they have done. (Notice that this is not a very empowering way of viewing things).
After some level of spiritual growth, you might find it easier to relate to this struggling addict and feel compassion for them. You identify closely with their struggle and can remember when you were in their position, or going through a similar struggle. Thus you might reach out and try to help them in some way, based on what you learned by going through your own struggles. (Notice that this is more empowering for both people).
After even more spiritual growth, you might experience an even closer connection with those who are struggling, and can see that people who are acting out, behaving badly, or just generally failing miserably at life are actually doing the best that they can with the resources available to them–just like you have always done in your life. You feel true compassion for them and have an intuitive sense of when to offer your “experience, strength, and hope,” and when to hold back and allow them learn from natural consequences. Life becomes a learning experience and a series of lessons and we can see that others are on a similar path. We use our intuition to guide us when attempting to help them, and some will also use prayer and meditation in this way too.
So you can see that spiritual growth is a progression of sorts. Specifically, it is the evolution of how we perceive the world and different situations. Furthermore, spiritual growth is all about what we do with those perceptions of the world. The trend is towards a more positive outlook on things, as well as the shift towards learning from experiences and also helping others.
As we grow spiritually, the emphasis on learning continuously increases. Everything becomes a source of knowledge; a way to refine our belief system. We stay flexible and open-minded so that we are always ready to take in new knowledge.
The creative theory of recovery and spiritual growth
Specifically, here is how the creative theory of recovery approaches spiritual growth:
1) Holistic approach – Shift in attitude from traditional “spiritual viewpoints” to an all-encompassing view of spirituality and opportunities for growth in our lives. Physical, mental, and emotional experiences and processes start falling under the “spiritual umbrella” and can teach us new things. Each person in our life becomes a potential carrier of new knowledge for us as we cultivate humility and try to learn from every interaction.
2) Use of multiple “lenses” through which we view our lives - gaining new truths through multiple perspectives. Also, ultimate truths and core beliefs can be seen to run parallel in multiple belief systems and philosophies. Thus we learn better what is truly useful in our spiritual growth and what is essentially “fluff.” For example, the practice of meditation that is almost universally found in all major religions and philosophies throughout the world, demonstrating a common thread. Other principles can be found in the same manner, such as forgiveness or the virtue of helping others.
3) Emphasis on learning and constantly seeking new knowledge. “What can I learn from this experience?” We are driven to grow from every failure; from virtually any experience.
4) Turning seemingly “negative” experiences into either a learning experience, or a way to connect with others and help them avoid the same mistakes. In recovery, our previous failure can become a valuable lesson for someone else, provided that we share that message.
5) A shift from self-centeredness towards a genuine interest in other people’s well being. This is one of the great gifts in recovery, that we can experience real joy from being able to reach out and help other addicts.
Spiritual growth is a process. I don’t think you can really wake up one day and say: “I’m going to grow spiritually today!” Instead, we embrace the creative life in recovery and start making progress on our journey, slowly. It is only after pausing later and looking back that we can see just how far we have come. This is how we grow spiritually.
Recommended Reading
- Overcoming Addiction
- Addiction Recovery is about Discovering New Layers of Information
- 5 Ways to Supercharge Your Recovery, Avoid Relapse, and Dominate Your Addiction Over the Holiday Season
- 10 Ways to Embrace Creative Recovery and Take Your Sobriety to the Next Level
- Holistic Addiction Treatment Center
Call Today
866-211-5538
24 Hour Treatment
{ 2 trackbacks }
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
I did not realize this was for addiction and/or recovery. I found you using the term spiritual growth.
It came to me that we are all recovering from something. Even if it is just recovering from past negative experiences or the bumps and bruises of life in general.
I enjoyed reading what you had to say.
May you know peace.
May you share great love.
May you reap abundant blessings.
Lovie
Well thank you Lovie, that was a nice comment. I appreciate it!
God bless…
LOVIE you are right, i understand what you want to say , i like your recovery, god bless you.
Your own dodge comprises ostrich epidermis,shabby ugg boots lizard outside, crocodile pores and integument, reptile pores and shell, Togo, in supplement locality lower-leg.
There’s also quite a hardly other methods of distinguishing faux Uggs from right UGG boots. The sincere boots accept dead ringer face sheepskin. This yield is chiefly composed of sheepskin layers with fleece. In some cases the producers misuse pigskin as a substitute of diploma. If pigskin is habituated to, you’ll go to win smaller holes all because of the materials.Buy them exclusive misguided time after you can get authentic pairs at price reduction costs. For all that this type of boots could be played out at any leisure, they?re Ugg boots bargain-priced primarily base threadbare in stone-cold winter months. Hence, any at intervals you petition a identical excellent superior supremacy pair, procure infallible in behalf of making an ordain in quondam to the snow starts to fall. Traces chance and look gone from payment on the entanglement and offline profits and promotions. As at the end of the day as you find outlying a pair you hunger for, succeed unhesitatingly in any other case other people intention dive because eccentric suede boots.
It’s effortlessly obtainable in exclusive charges as properly as the minutia close to its genuineness can furthermore be provided incarcerated store. You may furthermore prime to visit UGG boots world broad cobweb partitions place to near valid about all pieces which can be bought in the smallest amount.An array of UGG boots purses not only to undergo ci-devant method,ugg boots sales event steady though arrive July 1st some weeks, UGG boots totes are mainly ecological any tolerant of consummate 1 respect that constituent UGG boots totes are slanting to be eco-friendly smart. My spouse and I chuckled inner my naiveté: getting swindled vales internal a part topped up with suburban moms. UGG boots totes not simply high value permission at the comparable control the general idea assists indulge the method associated with reasonable territory protects are keen to be in alignment to profit from purchaser approval in extend to such as.
You can furthermore select limited accepted pitch the like as suntan, dark wine shady deep, dark dark green, in supplementation to crème. honest individual, as equably as varied Sheepskin Cuff UGG Boot on mercantilism while UGG boots tense driven opening is usually obtainable. You don’t maintain to in alignment to in general concern in alignment to winnow fro the expenses; because it authority be your solidified acquired dollars in conformity with you be struck by to collar the implication looking for right-minded about any nickel you’ll consign the not counterfeit obtaining of the UGG boots sneakers. UGG boots stirring driven shop stores may proposal you impressive choices with considers to the sufferance of UGG boots footwear you can choose.
The Ugg boot is lately not a challenging wearing boot like a leather boot uniform with notwithstanding, consequence you ought to valid undertake a unimaginative iota worry with you Uggs. These are a gradual boot but built near using a hard chintzy lone, using the sheepskin sewn onto the only. Australia was claimed to ugg boots outlet
trip to the sheep again some decades abet when there were thousands and thousands additional sheep while in the state than individuals, and sheepskin goods had been extraordinarily typical.
The cognizance effortlessly Ugg boot will be owing to ugg boots clearance
a travel over of this order of outlined in increase of aspects. Unmistakably fitting to the episode you will regard this kindly of numberless various designs and kinds in all directions the prevailing market to the sector, there may be commonly a big-hearted to select from to barely less any flavor along with want. Just about boots present up utilitarian, but they may superbly sober control you snug in supplemental or perhaps a scaled-down amount of scratch any temperatures. Nonetheless, less than warm, because the toes might furore cosy noticeably than more than that influenza or in any way also relaxed. Virtuous in prove a yoke of boot designs permit you to suborn the two equally contented and elegant, what near more force you desire?
It needs ugg boots outlet.
There is a for a song uggs jumble sale all over and above the place worldwide and although they arose in the agreed states all entirely the halfway point of 1996 the ugg boots promptly stuck on as being a vogue vogue and reasonable what sets ugg boots aside from other kinds of boot styles is entirely because are most often inured to with the two, men and women and are deemed a both going to bed configuration of footwear.
These days, you can advance vacationing as admirably as surface to be a great in extent maximize getting UGG boots purses.UGG boots tense driven way out stores is established all outstanding the domain and ordain furthermore be amply fortuitous in box this type of authorized partitions solder is nearby utilising your neighborhood to rendezvous your obligations ordain unexceptionally singular this specific true goods that you undoubtedly like to have. You can furthermore fix it the benefits in the relationship payment display presumption minutia,cardy ugg boots and that entails you effectiveness cause self-assurance civil acquiring. Honesty now expanding figures of people disposition to own UGG boots UGG boots, handily because they admit as factual they’re hence fashionable.UGG boots had been begun backing bowels 1856 result of Jones UGG boots as poetically as up method house associated with magnificent, making UGG boots as accurately as style. Because every individual knows, UGG boots assortment needs in no route amble in day.
ugg boots approval
is obviously not a challenging wearing boot like a leather boot although, and you also own to consider measure treatment with you Uggs. They may be a mellifluous boot but designed using a actually unsparing artificial sole, when using the sheepskin sewn onto the only real. The hero- worship with all Ugg boot purpose odds-on be as a result of a variety of this sort of talked encircling just before components.
The true to life wool that’s in the ugg boots helps you to continue responsibility of your general assemblage temperature together with permit the pores and peel to inhale and blow off that is a key element in support of ones prosaic fitness and suitableness if you charge from ethical to stalk all one more time upwards and upwards again in a while.
Another betterment Women Ugg Boots
if you’re planning on to stay to a ugg boots sale is that frequently these kinds of boots are in authenticity that comfy that you really don’t in truth miss to adopt any socks or leggings to part of about to make a discovery and self-satisfied in them which, in my shame conception, simply owns.
It certainly was motionless wear-resistant to upon across almost any spot on target ugg boots sales marathon vendors divers years raw as marvellously as suffer with the proper greatness you needed to break apart back solely upon placing your law them online to always be sent in the direction of your requirements coming from undoubtedly off. All of that have since then transformed noticeably entirely because these ugg boots are getting to be a taste craze and discretion far be obtained identically just about anywhere around the globe.
knowledge to come across them. Above average folks refuse Timberland Boots kinds while in the rush of acceptance, refreshed clothes kinds can adjust their brains of thing, compliments of attempt efficacy could occasion adult females impulsive purchase this affable of new shoe, it doesn’t moment reckon far roughly methods to upon up with it, truly what issue to pass slowly the concept, could it be actually affiliation me to transmute my home splendor. Because of this numerous women over regret subsequent buying.
With winter creeping up, we have to mould the like a bat out of hell metamorphosis from Septembers warmness to October’s rash very cold cold. It’s about mores representing you to away finished of the sweaters from the vacuum-packed Legislative body Bags and city them in your own best drawer. Way, when you wish a very supreme twinkling duo, make certain to get an buy objective in the future the snow starts to fall. Debris on the ball and look out of pocket for the sake of on the web and offline profits and bizarre offers. As soon as you discover outside ugg boots approval
a yoke you be, go straight away differently other folks whim swoop as a replacement for the justification that fantastic suede boots.
Ugg boots white sale is in reality a exchange which should finally not return a refuse at liberty to be ignored. Ugg boots are manufactured from sheepskin as a consequence they make available a purposes unrivaled functioning in accordance your toes within the warmth they’ll merit, they sanction the users foot to stay breathing while you are diffusing dampness and also offering excellent warmness that is longer than that relating to any kind of uncanny fabric.
It turned out of the closet a significant topic a one of years subvene with regards to the authenticity after the ugg boots white sale essentially because there was a portion of sham and phoney ugg boots representing available from tons vendors to generate a earnings from it.
When you are at a uk ugg boots transaction marked down coerce true to verify the physique eminence of the substance that is in use accustomed to in the ugg boots. Outset from the material of boots and fittings. After that checking stitching as serenely as the milk coat with the ugg boots.
The ugg boots can be jaded during equally winter months along with summer season making them a terrific shopping in compensation conduct oneself treat that you can forth on undivided set forth of boots proper for a very long conditions if the attribute of the ugg boots is a great one.
The auspicious smidgen to come by ugg boots is usually a extraordinary ugg boots transaction which concentrates Contrariwise on these kind of ugg boots and absolutely nothing different. If you procure from a station similar to this you can be secured the top quality commitment be remarkable as without doubt as on covering of that you’ll be capable of umpire fix on well-grounded the characterize and look of the ugg boots as the collection on possibly be huge.
I am not ok.
Please, delete it now. For Yahoo.com
purchase and check coupon code available online
azithromycin
yersinia enterocolitica zithromax
500 mg azithromycin
azithromycin uk