Many people are becoming interested in the workings of the soul, and psychology is taking a turn toward a more psychospiritual approach in healing and well-being. The more spiritual aspect of ourselves has always been a meaningful component in addiction recovery. This is especially true of the 12-step movement, which has made addiction recovery a powerful process from which anyone can benefit. Transpersonal psychology and the 12-step philosophy fit hand-in-glove in how they view the human being. The hallmark of this new movement is the shift in focus from an ego-dominated psychology to one which sees us in our wholeness.
The need for Third Stage Recovery begins when people have achieved a stable sobriety (Stage One) and have done a fair amount of family-of-origin work (Stage Two). The symptom is: they will still be going to AA meetings for the sake of newcomers but are getting little from these meetings now to feed their own souls.
Third Stage Recovery does not replace the first and second stages but the seeds of it must be planted in the early treatment days. If the recovering addict is not taught from the beginning how to connect with his own inner wisdom, and leaves a treatment program believing an expert “healed” him, he will certainly become, once again, dependent on something or someone outside himself. And another addiction has set in. What would a Third Stage Recovery program actually contain? Here are a few ideas that can pique your creativity into thinking in this new way:
The program philosophy would view addiction in its larger context. What are the soul’s
lessons? Where is it stuck? And are you willing now to purify and go forward toward your
next unfolding?
The new group work is set in sacred space — a safety net surrounds this work with love and
spiritual intention where other soul brothers and sisters gather to gain strength and
self-knowledge. There is not a feeling of “over/under” superiority coming from the staff,
for healing ourselves and helping others is all one process. In such group work, we can
start to feel that we belong to our true “families of origin.”
Utilize meditation tools and processes that deepen the unconscious mind. Experience inner work that accesses old, repressed material by interacting with each other in loving, playfulness, and literature on various spiritual paths and the great wisdom teachings. The creative arts, such as drawing, painting and mask-making are made available — so the human psyche can express its deeper symbolic processes at play that are holding the addictive behavior in place. Guided imageries and other forms of symbolic work assist clients in letting go of their past and recognizing the new identity they are birthing.
These programs are long enough in duration to actually build up inner strengths and new habits to take home for the continuation of the healing process. Self-responsibility and support groups are made plain. Two weeks to one month are recommended.
Faith in this process and belief in the individuals going through it would be modeled by the staff. Elders and teachers in the group work model for others that service is that of “doing one’s being.” It’s not about “do-goodership” but about authentic and compassionate living.
This shift will require a re-thinking of our current philosophies and models that have become the comfortable norm. We are being called now to do what most addicts know as the cardinal rule of recovery: “to let go and let God” define us. We must have the willingness to flow through a time of uncertainty and experimentation while we learn to meet the incoming tide of new information about our evolving Self.
To change from living an unmanageable life to creating a life that works is the hallmark of every recovering person. But more than merely gaining an orderly life, we must feel our pain has been for a reason and our lives have a significance beyond meeting our ego-driven needs. Third Stage Recovery therefore entails an awareness of the meaning and spiritual significance of our life.
All disease is the soul’s inability to express! We’re being called to return to our roots, and to a path of the heart. The Self, or soul, when acknowledged as legitimate, has the power to bring Spirit back into our work, our families and our lives. Third Stage Recovery is the healing of addiction. Many are ready for this approach. It’s the shift from viewing our painful symptoms as pathology to those of birthing a new consciousness. Because humans beings are expanding, so will our psychologies and treatment philosophies.
Jacquelyn Small has degrees in psychology and clinical social work. A
well-known author and national speaker, Jacquelyn directs her own healing and training institute,
Eupsychia, in Austin, Texas. Her published books include “Becoming Naturally Therapeutic,”
“Embodying Spirit,” and “Becoming a Practical Mystic” (Fall 1998, Quest Books).