With this support, individuals gain greater self-awareness, enabling them to better cope with challenges and improve their spiritual wellbeing. Prayer involves communicating with the divine or higher power, expressing gratitude, asking for guidance, and seeking comfort. On the other hand, meditation involves finding inner peace through mindful breathing techniques, quiet contemplation, or visualization exercises. Both practices work together to cultivate a deeper level of awareness and connection to spirituality. My last blog post took us back some 4 billion years to set a foundation for deconstructing illness and disease.
Threat brings about adaptive physiology and behaviors that prevent sociality and spirituality, but serve us well in a defense. Chronic threat brings about maladaptive chronic physiology and behaviors that over time increase our illness and disease burden. It is important that when we embark upon this quest to alleviate our https://trading-market.org/nutrition-guide-for-addiction-recovery/ that we are not too harsh on ourselves. No one is perfect at first when attempting to live a spiritual life, especially when we are coming back from a long spiritual hiatus. What is important though is that we strive to be a little better every single day and never give up on our spiritual journey in recovery. Our spiritual malady never just goes away and stays away on its own, it requires a constant spiritual connectivity and effort on our parts in our programs to keep it and the subsequent alcohol and drug abuse at bay.
Alcoholics Anonymous’ 12-Step Program
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. This Oxford House Recovery Homes: Characteristics and Effectiveness PMC is the restless spirit, the soul sickness that if left untreated will begin to ooze symptoms of emotional insecurity worry, anger, self-pity, and depression, even if we have been sober for years. For a long time I thought my life was unmanageable because of all the crazy insane things I did while drinking — like the car accidents, hurting people when I didn’t mean to, failed relationships, loss of jobs, family dysfunction, jails, asylums, etc. 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.
When you are able to let go of negative patterns and behaviors, and achieve a state of spiritual wellness, you are better equipped to live a life of meaning, purpose, and fulfillment. It also helps to establish meaningful connections with others, and fosters a sense of compassion, empathy, and spiritual growth. Overcoming the spiritual malady means achieving a state of spiritual wellness and wholeness. It involves recognizing and acknowledging the negative behaviors and patterns that are creating emotional and spiritual despair, and working towards eliminating them through prayer, meditation, and self-reflection. It requires a consistent commitment to maintaining spiritual health and practicing principles of honesty, humility, and service. History has shown that numerous individuals who experienced spiritual malady were able to overcome it.
BIG BOOK CHAPTER 5
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. The great psychiatrist Carl Jung called this a ‘low level thirst for wholeness – for union with God’. In our addictions, we tried to quench our soul-thirst with fleeting pleasures. The pursuit of them dominated our lives, destroyed relationships, and caused greater desperation than we ever thought possible.
Most of us have experienced scruples in our spiritual life and some of us have found them spiritually crippling. St. Ignatius of Loyola defines scruple as “when I freely decide that that is sin which is not sin.” The scrupulous conscience sees sin where there is none. It is essential to recognize that everyone’s spiritual needs are unique, so working to develop a personal connection and belief system is crucial. It is also crucial to prioritize spiritual practices regularly to maintain a sense of connection and grounding. David Roger Clawson, M.D., is a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation physician with an interest in natural prevention and healing strategies for health and wellness. Foundational to this practice is the understanding of threat and defensive physiology versus safety and restorative physiology.
What are some benefits of overcoming the spiritual malady?
Overcoming this malady requires an active approach towards developing a sense of purpose through spiritual connection. Spiritual malady can be overcome by cultivating a deep connection with oneself and a higher power. This involves finding meaning and developing practices such as prayer, meditation, or service to others. When you ask them to describe what they mean by that statement, they seem to have a firm grasp on the fact that we alcoholics suffer from “an allergy of the body and an obsession of the mind” — that once I put any alcohol in my system whatsoever it sets off a craving for more alcohol. There are many persons in recovery who are not interested in discussing or even hearing about spirituality.
- Another way to address the spiritual malady and heal in Glenwood Springs is to connect to some of its amazing recovery communities.
- 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.
- Whether you seek to engage in formal prayer, informal mental conversations, or merely by doing good and putting positive energy into the universe, there is no right or wrong way to pray to your higher power.
No amount of reason or rationalization with someone under threat, who is physiologically incapable of reason in that moment, will work. No amount of reason, rationalization, or punishment, will restore their sight. Giving a threatened person safety instead of reason, rationalization, or punishment, is the equivalent of giving a blind person sight. The threatened given safety will see, understand, connect, bond, and thrive. Ultimately all threats are existential threats, but just bits and pieces of this more massive threat. The huge burden that humans bear is the ability to contemplate our own annihilation—death.
Five Facts About Overcoming Spiritual Malady:
Punishing God Reappraisal as partial mediator of the relationship between trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms, controlling for baseline PTSD symptoms. Spiritual Discontent as partial mediator of the relationship between trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms, controlling for baseline PTSD symptoms. Finally, participants indicated which event, whether from the CSLES or the TLEQ, was the most stressful or distressing since coming to college. After participants identified the most stressful life event that had occurred to them since Time 1, they were asked to report how they coped with this event and their symptoms of distress (see following sections). Now, many people find the idea of spirituality in recovery offputting.
- To overcome spiritual malady, one must first identify the source of their malaise and work towards resolving it with the support of a community or individual.
- Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of joy,” and this rings particularly true for those suffering from spiritual affliction.
- It might be with food, sex, gambling, or even something as nebulous as procrastination or a compulsion to gossip.
- It’s the “spiritual malady”, as manifested by my EGO (selfishness-self-centeredness), that can eventually lead me back to drinking or sometimes even suicide.
- If at Time 2 a participant endorsed only an event on the CSLES, or endorsed an event on the TLEQ but reported no fear, helplessness, or horror in response, he or she was categorized into the non-trauma group.
These therapies can get to the underlying emotional issues that often lead to that first drink or drug. When it comes to battling spiritual maladies, a helping hand can make all the difference. As we seek to overcome our own struggles and afflictions, we must pay attention to those around us who may be struggling as well.