spiritual recovery

Spiritual Pathways to Recovery:
Spiritual Tools for Your 12-Step Program



Spiritual Pathways to Recovery: Spiritual Tools for Your 12-Step Program is an indispensable resource for anyone in the process of recovery from an addiction. Spiritual Pathways was fashioned from the ongoing dialogue which occurred during six years of a spiritual support group for individuals in 12 Step programs. In this concise, yet powerful manual Rabbi Kravitz presents his deep insights into the 12 steps of AA, NA and other recovery programs, along with a variety of wisdom teachings and practical exercises. Spiritual Pathways to Recovery is designed to give you the tools you need for lasting recovery and to help you:
• Acquire deep insights into the spiritual dimension of recovery,
• Compare modern and traditional perspectives on each step,
• Use imagery and other spiritual exercises for every step to strengthen relapse prevention.

Guidelines for starting your own support group will make this book a valuable reference for clergy, mental health professionals or anyone seeking to start their own support groups for those in recovery.

Contents

Preface: A Journey into the 12 Steps
How to Use This Book
Introduction: A Biblical/Spiritual 12 step model
STEP 1 Admitted we were powerless over our addiction - that our lives had become unmanageable. Addiction as slavery; Sources; Where are you now? Exercise; Visualization: The Old and the New You; Life Values Review.
STEP 2 Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. Hopelessness and Meaning; Belief vs. Concept of God; Sources; Exercises: Thinking about your Higher Power; Learning about your Higher Power; Strengthening belief; Meditation; Imagery.
STEP 3: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understand Him/Her. Decision and Commitment; the Power of Values; Surrender; Sources; Exercises: Understanding your decision; Acceptance through speech; Imagery exercise; prayer for acceptance.

Introduction to Steps 4 - 9
STEP 4: Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. Discerning what is moral; action and intention; Sources; A Basic Daily Inventory; Spiritual Inventory; Life Review Inventory.
STEP 5: Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. Admission and confession; shame and guilt; Sources; journaling; understanding how you think about your wrongs.
STEP 6: Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
STEP 7: Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings.
Self, character and humility; Sources; talking to your Higher Power; HEART imagery exercise. 59.
STEP 8: Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them.
STEP 9: Made direct amends to such people where ever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. Making amends to others and to yourself; forgiving others; forgiving yourself; Imagery exercise.
STEP 10: Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. Values and expectations; Nightly inventory and prayer.
STEP 11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. Prayer, meditation and blessing; recovery as constant awareness of Higher Power; Sources; Exercises: Relaxation Response, meditation on one thing; using a mantra.
STEP 12: Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to anyone with an addiction and to practice these principles in all our affairs. Responsibility; interconnection; community; Sources; Review your 12 step work; Imagery exercise: creating your future.
Appendices
HEART
Codependency
Relaxation response
Tools for Groups
SHOFAR Meeting Format
Bibliography