Addiction can affect all aspects of your life: mental, physical, and spiritual. Your spirit is what sets you apart from everyone else. Your emotions, your outlook on life, and your personality all combine to make you unique. Many people with addiction have had their spirits wounded in some way–emotional abuse, sexual trauma, and tragic events can make a person hopeless about their future. However, using drugs and alcohol to heal these wounds only does more damage to your spirit. While mind and body healing is essential to the recovery process, so is the healing of the spirit.
The Importance of Healing Your Spirit
When you are spiritually healthy, you are also living in harmony with your value system. If your behavior aligns with your personal ethics and morals, you are more likely to experience inner peace. Anyone can be spiritually healthy, whether or not they believe in a particular religion or spiritual tradition.
When our thoughts, behaviors, and emotions are in alignment, we are at our strongest. Spiritual wellness supports our abilities to overcome adversity and heal, and we are better equipped to deal with emotional struggles, physical pain, or cravings. Our spiritual alignment reinforces our commitment to recovery, too.
Some people rely on faith to provide awareness, cope with challenges, teach them to seek a calling, and show support for others in their community. Spirituality can also be a technique to help you stay present, interact positively in the world, have a guiding purpose, and intend to be your best self. In reality, being spiritual embodies all of these characteristics–how they’re achieved simply differs from person to person.
Spirituality Does Not Always Mean Religious
For some, practice of a particular religious tradition helps increase spiritual health. However, spirituality does not require adherence to organized religion. Instead, it means discovering how to live your life in ways that foster an inner harmony between your beliefs, thoughts, and actions.
However, if you are inclined, finding a religious faith you connect with can help heal your spirit. If you had any connection with any God before addiction, religion could be the catalyst to finding your sense of self again. While a crisis of faith can make recovery from addiction feel out of reach, incorporating your belief in a God into treatment can provide support, comfort, and guidance on your path to sobriety.
The Power of 12-Step Programs
Today, there are many 12-Step programs, and all are created based on the 12-Steps founded by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). The primary purpose of 12-Step programs is to help those struggling with addiction remain sober by guiding them through the 12-Steps, each designed to help those in recovery grows spiritually and emotionally.
Throughout the 12-Steps, there are many references to “God,” which have been criticized for years. However, the reference to God does not have religious meaning; it is up to the individual what God means to them. Instead of God, many people use the term “Higher Power.” Acknowledging a Higher Power’s ability to help restore wellness is often a key component of 12-Step programs. However, 12-Step programs are not the only way to heal the spirit.
Practice Mindfulness Meditation
Spiritual awareness starts with being honest and kind and committing to becoming the best human being we can be. When we are mindful of our actions, we pay more attention to what we are doing. It’s the opposite of going through the motions. Instead, you are tuned into your senses, noticing your thoughts and emotions. Using mindfulness as a spiritual practice is paying attention on purpose. We all have the ability to be mindful of the present moment.
When you focus on being present, thoughts may appear, but you don’t dwell on them. You’re able to stay focused on one observation without falling into worry or challenging memories. Most importantly, you don’t immediately react–you stay focused on the current moment.
Choose Gratitude
Another aspect of spirituality is being grateful. There are many ways to practice this in your daily life, and you reap many benefits when you do.
Make a list of what you’re grateful for and say thank you for the positive results that haven’t happened yet. Keep your list on your phone or in your pocket, making your gratitude available to you at all times. Change “I should” to “I want” statements, even when considering the most mundane tasks. “I should do dishes” becomes “I want to do dishes.” Doing this allows you to focus on why doing dishes may be necessary to you and why you’re grateful to achieve that goal.
Other Helpful Tips
Spiritual practice is anything you do to induce inner and personal growth and cultivation. Other practices that foster spiritual wellness can include:
- Practicing yoga or deep breathing
- Reading or watching inspirational and positive stories
- Spending time outdoors, communicating with nature
- Creative self-expression like art, dance, music, or writing
- Practicing acceptance and forgiveness
While mind and body healing is essential to the recovery process, so is the healing of the spirit. When you are spiritually healthy, you are also living in harmony with your value system. Spiritual wellness supports our abilities to overcome adversity and heal, and we are better equipped to deal with emotional struggles, physical pain, or cravings. Spirituality does not mean you have to be religious, but it can if you want it to. There are many other ways to heal the spirit, including attending 12-Step meetings, mindfulness meditation, practicing gratitude, and more. At Rancho Milagro, we believe in healing the mind, body, and spirit through evidence-based treatment modalities, alternative therapies, and our unique principles and values. We also offer religious services for those who wish to use religion to heal their spirits. Our treatment programs are tailored to the needs of every individual, offering learning experiences for life-long recovery. Make your spiritual healing your own. Call Rancho Milagro today at (951) 526-4582. Hope starts here.