Spirituality in Recovery

Recovery has given me a spiritual life. Although I grew up participating in a local Christian congregation and have fond memories of that experience, I wouldn’t say I developed a spirituality until later, after I got sober.

This experience is common for people in recovery. It’s true that recovery is multifaceted and usually involves medical, psychological, and social components. But spirituality can provide a sense of purpose, meaning, and support that are crucial to recovery. In this post, I want to explore spirituality and recovery and some of the ways spirituality helps many recovering people in their recovery journey.

Healing a Wounded Soul

Addiction fragments the self, cutting a person off from their core beliefs and values, separating them from their true self, substituting a false-self system that develops in order to keep the addiction going.

When one quits drinking or using substances or stops behaviors that have become destructive (such as compulsive shopping, eating, gambling or sexual/relationship addiction), it reveals an emptiness inside, now that the substance or behavior is removed.

Recovery is the process of redefining oneself apart from that substance or behavior and one’s relationship to it. Long-term recovery involves more than just restoring mental and physical health; it’s recovering and deepening one’s relationship with their true self.

Spirituality vs. Religion

A religion is a system of belief with shared rituals and some sort of institutional structure. A religion usually has designated behaviors and practices, sacred texts, moral/ethical principles, holy places, perhaps even a shared worldview.

Spirituality recognizes the sense or belief that there’s something greater than oneself, something more to the human condition than physical and sensory experience, and that we are all connected and a part of a greater whole, which gives our own individual life meaning.

You can have religion without spirituality: look at any of the current authoritarian versions of any major world religion. And you can have spirituality without religion. But often, over time, a spiritual journey begun alone will often need and seek out fellow travelers. A spiritual director or companion provides one answer to that seeking.

What’s the Role of Spirituality in Recovery?

For some people, spirituality is the first discovery upon surrender when one “hits bottom.” For others, it’s a dawning realization over time as they recover physical and mental health and discover there is a deeper reality of which they are a part.

Recovery programs help people develop the capacity to step outside themselves and see the impact of their words and actions on relationships. The process of self-examination and self-refection often uncovers thought patterns and stories we tell ourselves that are self-defeating.

Spirituality, too, can encourage introspection and self-discovery. One can not only explore the underlying causes of addiction, but also uncover past trauma, address dysfunctional family relationships going back to childhood, and work on personal growth.

Above all, spirituality in recovery goes deeper than just not drinking or using, to help people discover a new way of life and a new sense of self in which forgiveness and healing are regular occurrences and people can glimpse a new vision of their lives with meaning, purpose and significance.

What Does Spiritual Growth Look Like in Recovery?

Spirituality can help individuals find a sense of meaning and purpose in life beyond their addiction. This might mean a career change as a person discovers a sense of vocation beyond just a job—but even without drastic changes in career or living situation, the person inhabits their life, relationships, and occupation differently.

Spirituality in recovery often starts out as a personal and individualized journey. What works for one person may not work for another, and not everyone embraces a traditional religious or spiritual belief system. Most recovery programs that recognize the role of spirituality encourage people to define God or a higher power for themselves and develop a set of practices that works for them to support continued growth.

A person in recovery will often develop a way of framing their day with the awareness of a spiritual presence that desires wholeness and purpose for them. In many recovery programs that emphasize a spiritual approach, there are specific practices that involve silence and solitude, structured conversation with others, whether in meetings or counseling sessions, and written expressions of thoughts and feelings as an aid to developing habits of self-reflection and seeking wisdom.

A Spiritual Companion who Understands Recovery

Often, people in recovery are on a spiritual journey that reveals a life they never imagined existed, and yet they’re ready to go even deeper, maybe exploring other spiritual practices, even reconnecting with the faith of their childhood or trying a completely new religious community.

My mission as a spiritual director is to walk with people on their spiritual journeys and listen deeply with them to what their life is saying. Call me today at 612-470-2688 and find out how a spiritual companion can aid your spirituality in recovery!