Spirituality in Recovery

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The Psychospiritual Model of Growth And Development

Human beings are meaning-seeking animals. With the development of our cerebral cortex or our higher brain, we developed the capacity for self-awareness and conscious awareness of the world around us. With this awareness came the ability to formulate complex questions about ourselves and the world. Some of the most complex and interesting questions are:

•"Who are we?

•Why are we here?

•What is the meaning of our life?

•What is our purpose?

In an attempt to answer these questions, human beings became philosophers, developed concepts of spirituality, and became psychologists. We began to consciously think and document our thoughts about our human experiences approximately 5,000 years. The great thinkers have been aware of something we have already discussed - that human beings live in two realms: the physical and the non-physical. The physical world is filled with people, things, and events. It is a world of real of concrete objects that exist independent of our ability to perceive or think about them. A wall, for example, is there whether you perceive it or not. If you doubt that fact, close your eyes and walk into it. The wall does not disappear just because we stop thinking about it.

The non-physical world is filled with thoughts, images, and feelings. In the non-physical world, we can create fantasies about things that exist and create imagery things have never existed before. Everything becomes possible in the mind’s-eye of our imagination. These thoughts, feelings, and images are very real in that we experience them in our mind. We perceive them; we can manipulate and change them; they affect and influence our lives; but our nonphysical reality IS NOT real in the same sense that the people, things, and events in the physical world are. The ancient Greeks described this non-physical aspect of human existence as spiritual. Very simply, anything that does not directly pertain to the physical actions of our brains and our bodies pertains to the spiritual or the non-physical dimension of existence.

While many people are concerned about keeping physically healthy-- exercising, reducing stress, and getting proper nutrition, they are less concerned about their non-physical self-- how to manage their perceptions, thoughts, feelings, images, and how they can translate these nonphysical realities into their daily activities and relationships. Just as our bodies need a balance of activity, rest, and nourishment, so our spiritual non-physical self is designed to work in balance.

How This Model Was Developed

This model was developed as a result of over forty-years of experience in the addiction treatment profession. This model has been evolving for decades. It all started when I was an addiction counselor and a clinical supervisor. Then I began doing recovery workshops and advanced clinical skills training. I then had the privilege of being a consultant within the United States and a number of other countries. My life work has been devoted to helping chemically dependent and codependent and their families to achieve long-term recovery. The psychospiritual model represents a simple but useful integration of many theories of psychology, psychotherapy, and spirituality. To understand how it evolved, I would like to briefly share the history of my clinical practice.

My earliest training in psychotherapy was as a humanistic, client-centered therapist who relied heavily in Gestalt therapy principles. I was excited about what was known as the third wave of psychology, the movement from the Freudian understanding of the unconscious (The First Wave) and the behaviorist understanding of conditioned responses (The Second Wave) to an integrated understanding of how human beings develop and maintain a dynamic relationship with the world around them in the here and now (The Third Wave).

The Third Wave in psychology allowed me to see people as strong and powerful actors on the stage of life. I came to experience myself and others as more than mere victims of unconscious urges or environmentally conditioned reactions. I developed a deep respect for people’s ability to reach within and connect in powerful ways with their life energy and then direct that energy to improve their lives.

When I first started in the field of chemical dependency treatment, I integrated these forms of counseling and therapy with the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous and the disease model of alcoholism, chemical dependency, and addiction. This allowed me to confront the spiritual dimensions of human growth and development.

I came to see that human beings, in spite of our power to influence the world and regulate our own responses to it, operate within a bigger and more powerful universe. There are things that are beyond our control. There are bigger forces at work in our lives. In order to succeed, we must learn to understand what we have the power to influence and what is beyond our ability to influence. Then, we can realistically direct our energies.

Through Twelve Step Principles, I became impressed with the importance of understanding ourselves, our strengths (our power to influence and self-regulate), and our weaknesses (our limitations in the face of events and circumstances beyond our control). This made me realize how important the quest for self-knowledge was so that we could learn to tell the difference - learn to know what is within our power to change and what is not. These vital lessons are summarized in The Serenity Prayer: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

In my training as a Gestalt therapist, I was taught experiential techniques using both guided imagery and body therapies that produced intense emotional and cathartic experiences. I quickly found out that when these types of intense catharsis techniques are used with addicts’ too early recovery, they can have unpredictable results such as renewed cravings, high drop-out rates in therapy, and relapse. A major reason for this is because in early recovery, the alcoholic’s brain is toxic and is not working normally. As a result the toxic brain can’t integrate the intense imagery and powerful emotional experiences produced by these intense forms of cathartic therapy.

As a result of these experiences, I began expanding my regimen of therapy skills to include cognitive and behavioral therapy techniques. This was a major shift for someone committed to humanistic psychology. I began using transactional analysis, a cognitive therapy model. I worked in a clinic where we attempted to integrate Gestalt therapy (directed at the integration of feelings and emotions) with transactional analysis (directed at changing thinking and behavioral processes). I also learned Adlerian psychotherapy, which is a precursor of the modern cognitive therapy, that identifies the core mistaken beliefs which form the basis of repetitive, self-defeating, life style patterns and shows how these beliefs motivate us to move forward in certain ways into what would be an otherwise unknown future.

Over the years, I have evolved my methods and techniques and would now call myself a cognitive therapist. As a cognitive therapist, however, I put a lot more value on experiential and emotive techniques than many other cognitive therapists. I also strongly emphasized unconscious processes as they manifest themselves in automatic thinking, feelings, imagery, and actions. I strive to keep a well-balanced perspective that recognizes and values the role of many different therapy styles and techniques.

Spirituality In Recovery reflects this balance. It values thinking, as well as feeling, imaging, acting, and relating. Its spiritual component integrates a higher consciousness with the other psychological processes. An important aspect of the psychospiritual model is that you do not need to define yourself as sick too benefit from using this model. This model describes what normal human functioning is and how it can be improved. We can use this model as a guide to general human growth and development resulting in a fully functioning and self-actualized people. If you are a healthy and well-balanced individual, you can continue to develop and improve the skills you already have to derive more satisfaction from life.

This model, however, is also helpful for people who have serious life problems. Because the model is comprehensive, it can help people identify problem areas and set up specific plans to correct them.

There is a basic assumption upon which this model is based - the primary goal of human development is to expand consciousness. People grow as they become more aware of who they are, how they function, and the specific areas in which they can improve. Growth occurs as we turn on the lights and become more aware. The primary goal of Spirituality In Recovery is to achieve the ability to become fully conscious of who we are, what we are capable of, what we are doing, and its consequences. As we become better in working with our inner reality, we become better at understanding recognizing the reality of the external world that we live in. As human beings we have an innate drive toward social interest. We want to make the world a better place for people to live. As a result we begin to think critically about what is happening around us. We don’t blindly or passively accept what we are told. We become harder to manipulate.

As a result getting better clarity about what is really happening within us, in the world around us, and in the dynamic interaction between our inner and our outer worlds, we can learn to self-regulate our behavior and to create more meaningful and satisfying lives for ourselves, those we love, and other people who share the human experience. We can become a positive force for change in the world.

The goal of expanded consciousness does not mean you are conscious of everything all the time. No one can maintain full conscious awareness of everything all of the time. The goal is to learn how to become conscious of yourself when you are dealing with vital areas in your life or when you are involved in dealing with something of critical importance. The goal is to develop the capacity to focus your conscious attention upon yourself in such a way that you become aware of all of the important factors that are influencing the decisions you are about to make or behaviors you are about to use to implement those decisions. This process is especially important when you are learning to identify and change deeply habituated automatic reactions that are getting you into trouble. You need to be able to stop and become fully aware of what you are thinking, feeling, imaging, and doing, and you need to be able to make changes in those areas.

This brings us to mindfulness mediation. A tool for learning to relax and achieve a state of detached awareness of what is going on inside and outside of ourselves. In my own work in mindfulness, the first thing I became aware of is that I am a source of energy. There is a powerful energy coming from within me. I don’t fully understand it, but this is the first area I suggest that you focus upon in becoming mindfully aware. The mind is a powerful thing! We can do things that we never believed possible by learning simple disciplines that direct our own mental and spiritual energy effectively.

So let’s start by exploring a brief overview of the Psychospiritual Model, then explore each part of the model in more detail, and finally discuss how spirituality and recovery are described and how spirituality and psychology can fit well together.

An Overview of the Psychospiritual Model

The diagram below demonstrates the major dimensions or domains of psychological and spiritual functioning. I call these domains psychological systems. They include: Imagining, Perceiving, Thinking, Feeling, Imaging, Acting, Relating to Others, and the Higher Self. It is a simple bull’s eye picture, an inner circle and an outer circle, with all aspects of the circle connected. It is not a complete model. Many things fall through the cracks. This model does, however, give a general containing frame that is useful for making sense out of the human condition.

There are other aspects of the human condition that cannot be reduced to a diagram. In general, I have found this dynamic model of the nonphysical psychological systems is helpful in dealing with my own life. Many people who have leaned about this general system and used it in their lives have also found to it be helpful. Most people, of course, have had to adjust the system to fit their own reality, history, culture, and language. In short, everyone will need to take what fits and leave the rest.

I call this model a Psychospiritual Model of Growth and Development. It gives me a mental tool for bringing together information from the physical, psychological, and social sciences as well as philosophy, spirituality, and psychology. It describes a way of thinking bout how human beings can function as a whole person in spite of all these different parts.

This is a practical model. I designed it to give us a concrete understanding of how we operate as people. Its purpose is to help us to identify the areas of human functioning that are working well for us and those that need improvement. Most importantly, this model can show us what to do in order to grow and change in a way that strengthens a