Spirituality in Dual Recovery

What does the concept of a “Higher Power” mean to you?

Spirituality and Religion – What’s the difference?

•

Spirituality

–

all-encompassing of any relationship with a Higher Power, including all religions, personal relationships with a HP, and contact with nature

•

Religion

–

an organized set of beliefs and guidelines for people to follow, whose beliefs are consistent with that religion

Spirituality and Religion

• “Spirituality is as unique to each

individual as one's thumbprint”

• “Religion is for people who are scared of Hell, and spirituality is for people who

have already been there . . .

”

“Whole-Person” View

• Philosophers and others have long held the view of humankind that we are each an integration of – Body (physical self) – Psyche / Soul (mind, will and emotion), and – Spirit (spiritual self) • In this view, tending to our spiritual needs is an important part of self-care . . .

Spirituality and Quality of Life

•

Is there a connection between spirituality and quality of life?

•

12 Questions to consider, from the World Health Organization’s “Quality of Life” Scale . . .

How important to you are your personal beliefs?

How important to you is it to feel connected to a spiritual being or force?

How important to you are your spiritual, religious or personal beliefs in understanding the meaning of life?

How important to you is it to feel awe?

How important to you is it that your spiritual, religious or personal beliefs help you to feel whole?

How important to you is it to have inner spiritual strength?

How important to you are your spiritual, religious or personal beliefs in helping you to feel hope and optimism?

How important to you is it to have faith?

How important to you is it to feel inner peace?

How important is it to you to have love and compassion?

How important is it for you to experience kindness to others without expecting anything in return?

How important to you are your spiritual, religious or personal beliefs in coming to terms with death and dying?

Spirituality and DRA’s 12 Steps

1.

We admitted we were powerless over our dual illness of chemical dependency and emotional or psychiatric illness - that our lives had become unmanageable.

2.

Came to believe that a

Higher Power of our understanding

could restore us to sanity.

3.

Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of our

Higher Power

, to help us to rebuild our lives in a positive and caring way. 4. Made a searching and fearless personal inventory of ourselves.

Spirituality and DRA’s 12 Steps

5.

Admitted to our and our assets.

Higher Power

, to ourselves, and to another human being, the exact nature of our liabilities

6.

Were entirely ready to have our

Higher Power

all our liabilities. remove

7.

Humbly asked our liabilities and to help us to strengthen our assets for recovery.

Higher Power

to remove these 8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all. 9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

Spirituality and DRA’s 12 Steps

10. Continued to take personal inventory and when wrong promptly admitted it, while continuing to recognize our progress in dual recovery.

11.

Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with our

Higher Power

, praying only for knowledge of our

Higher Power's

power to carry that out. will for us and the

12.

Having had a

spiritual awakening

principles in all our affairs.

as a result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to others who experience dual disorders and to practice these