Is Spirituality Required for Recovery?
The Buddha famously said, “We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.” This sentiment is emblematic of what spirituality can mean to one’s recovery. However, many people also ask, “Is spirituality required for recovery?” The answer is no. The only requirement for recovery is a willingness to do the work – what that “work” looks like is up to the individual.
Better Understanding Addiction
Addiction affects millions of people every day. This is both in the U.S. and abroad. Addiction remains one of the deadliest diseases in the world. Now, many people may be surprised to hear addiction is referred to as a “disease.” However, it is widely agreed upon that addiction is a chronic disease that affects both body and mind.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), “Addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing disorder characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use despite adverse consequences. It is considered a brain disorder because it involves functional changes to brain circuits involved in reward, stress, and self-control. Those changes may last a long time after a person has stopped taking drugs.” Addiction is also considered a “family disease.” The reason that addiction is often referred to as a family disease is that addiction does not just affect the individual who is struggling; it affects everyone and everything it comes into contact with.
According to the peer-reviewed journal Social Work in Public Health, “The family remains the primary source of attachment, nurturing, and socialization for humans in our current society. Therefore, the impact of substance use disorders (SUDs) on the family and individual family members merits attention. Each family and each family member is uniquely affected by the individual using substances, including but not limited to having unmet developmental needs, impaired attachment, economic hardship, legal problems, emotional distress, and sometimes violence being perpetrated against him or her.” It is also important that while family dynamics are never the sole cause of addiction, they can sometimes play a part.
What Causes Addiction?
Addiction has many potential causes. They can be biological, environmental, and developmental (to name a few). According to NIDA, “No one factor can predict if a person will become addicted to drugs. A combination of factors influences the risk for addiction. The more risk factors a person has, the greater the chance that taking drugs can lead to addiction.”
There are also some causes that may be more social. For example, it has been shown that individuals who grow up below the poverty level are more susceptible to addiction. There are also many marginalized groups of people who are more at risk for addiction – this includes the LGBTQAI+ and BIPOC communities. However, regardless of what may be the initial cause of addiction, the signs and symptoms are often universal.
The Signs and Symptoms of Addiction
Now, of course, the signs and symptoms of addiction are going to vary from person to person. However, there are some universal signs and symptoms that one can look out for. The following are just a few of those signs and symptoms:
- Isolating away from family and close friends
- Losing interest in activities once enjoyed
- Having trouble with sleep cycles, including excessive sleep and not sleeping enough (hypersomnia and insomnia)
- Feeling overly depressed and worried
- Using alcohol and substances and not being able to stop once started
- Experiencing trouble at work or school
- Feeling overly “stressed out”
- Experiencing trouble with both short-term and long-term memory
- Having feelings like one wants to commit self-harm
- Experiencing suicidal ideations
As one can see, addiction can cause some very serious and even deadly symptoms. This is why if any, many, or all of these symptoms are present, it is critical to seek professional help sooner than later. Doing so could mean the difference between short-term and long-term effects.
What Is Required for Recovery?
As is often said in 12-Step recovery meetings – “The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking and using.” The same is true for what is required for recovery in other treatment realms.
The key to recovery is “willingness.” This includes a willingness to get help and a willingness to allow others to help. Of course, there are other logistical factors when it comes to what is required for recovery.
For example, one needs to be connected to a program that focuses on sobriety. This may be something more independent, like finding a 12-Step group and working the Twelve Steps, or it may be more official, like finding a recovery center that specializes in addiction treatment. It is also important to note that the two methods often intersect. One variance, however, may be that a recovery center will focus more on “traditional” therapies like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).
Better Understanding ‘Traditional’ Therapy
While it is important to have a multi-angled approach to recovery, it is also important that the foundation of that approach be “evidence-based.” This is primarily what is meant by “traditional” therapy. It simply means that there have been enough studies to show that the therapy is effective.
There are many effective types of traditional psychotherapies. However, CBT and DBT tend to be the most popular. This is because these therapies often work best to get to the underlying issues of what is going on with one’s addiction. They also help an individual to address the underlying negative thoughts that they have about themself and the world around them. Once these negative thoughts are addressed, real healing at the cellular level can begin.
Another critical and effective aspect of CBT is that it is often “goal-oriented.” According to the peer-reviewed thesis Cognitive Behavior Therapy by Doctors Chand, Kuckel, and Huecker, “Cognitive behavior therapy is a structured, didactic, and goal-oriented form of therapy. The approach is hands-on and practical, wherein the therapist and patient work in a collaborative manner with the goal of modifying patterns of thinking and behavior to bring about a beneficial change in the patient’s mood and way of living his/her life. It is used to help a wide range of problems, and appropriate treatment protocols are applied depending on the diagnosis and problems the patient is facing.” Another important therapy that can help with addiction recovery is experiential therapy.
Better Understanding Experiential Therapy
The key to experiential therapy is derived from its name. It is about having experiences rather than merely talking about them. There are also many different types of experiential therapies. These can be nature-based and creative-based.
Nature can be particularly helpful when it comes to recovery. It is also a good way to connect with a sense of spirituality (if that is what one wants as part of their recovery journey). Nature also offers many other types of benefits. According to the U.S. National Park Service, “5 minutes walking in nature improves mood, self-esteem, and relaxation. Frequent exposure to nature reduces anxiety and depression while promoting a sense of well-being and fulfillment.” Also, “Physical activity in a green space can reduce stress and lower cortisol levels by 15%.” Another excellent type of experiential therapy is horticulture therapy.
The Benefits of Horticulture Therapy
When one walks onto the luxury 30-acre property at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, they are greeted with some of the most amazing landscapes of the Hamakua Coast. These landscapes are also covered with amazing fruits and vegetables, from rows of citrus trees to bursting guava bushes to bursting vegetable boxes. All of this amazing vegetation is just waiting to be utilized for horticulture therapy. Also, horticulture has been used for thousands of years as a way of creating a sense of serenity.
Horticulture therapy also offers a myriad of other benefits. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “People’s interactions with plants, through goal-orientated horticultural activities in the form of active gardening, as well as the passive appreciation of nature, could be therapeutic to people with mental disorders in many ways. First, horticulture could have emotional benefits, such as reducing stress, reducing psychiatric symptoms, stabilizing mood, and increasing the sense of tranquility, spirituality, and enjoyment. Second, it could help people to reduce fatigue and restore attention and cognitive ability.” Horticulture therapy can also help one find a sense of spirituality in recovery (if that is what they so desire).
Is Spirituality Required for Recovery?
The Buddha also famously said, “You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection.” Now, one may think that spirituality is required to follow that doctrine, but this is simply not the case.
The fact of the matter is that many people do adopt a sense of spirituality during their addiction recovery. However, there are also just as many people who choose to focus on a more secular sense of recovery, and that is absolutely fine. The key is to find what works for the individual and stick to it.
Many people choose to make helping other people their “spiritual purpose in recovery.” This works extremely well for many people because assisting people to not only helps the helped, but it helps the helper too. This is even discussed in the primary text of 12-Step recovery (commonly referred to as the Big Book). The Big Book states, “Practical experience shows that nothing will so much ensure immunity from drinking [and using] as intensive work with other [people in recovery]. It works when other activities fail…. You can help when no one else can.” Another practice that can be either spiritual or not is yoga.
Is Yoga Required for Recovery?
The Buddha also once said, “It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.” This statement can be emblematic of how one approaches their yoga practice in recovery.
Yoga has been practiced for thousands of years. Initially, it was solely a religious or spiritual practice, but it has since moved into secular realms such as fitness and online influencing. Yoga has also moved into the realm of recovery.
Yoga offers many benefits beyond spirituality. Yoga can help people with pain management, mental clarity, inner peace, breathing, flexibility, strength, focus, and overall sense of mood. It has even been shown to increase grey matter in the brain. Many people also attribute yoga to helping them with their sleep cycles and nutrition.
Is Meditation Required for Recovery?
Regarding meditation, the Buddha famously said, “To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one’s family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one’s own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him.” This is a statement that can apply to both those who wish to be spiritual or not. It essentially has to do with clearing one’s mind so one can make better decisions. Of course, this is ideal for recovery.
Like yoga, meditation started out as solely a religious or spiritual practice, but it is also used by many people as a logistical way of finding a sense of inner peace and quiet. Meditation also has many other quantifiable benefits. Meditation offers an opportunity to gain a sense of serenity, brings about essential relaxation, aids in calm breathing, reduces anxiety, and has even been shown to alleviate physical stress. Also, like yoga, meditation has been shown to help with sleep and may also reduce the potential for relapses. Lastly, meditation works as a helpful supplement to psychotherapies like CBT and DBT – an excellent combination of Eastern and Western medicine.
The Importance of Individualized Addiction Care
Regardless of whether one uses spiritual or secular means, methods, or modalities for recovery, one should always make sure that one’s treatment plan is individualized for one’s needs. There are far too many predatory recovery centers out there that solely focus on broad overarching recovery plans. These plans rarely meet the needs of all of their clients.
It is also important that all recovery plans be comprehensive and use a multi-angled approach. This means that modalities are used from all areas of the recovery realm. Many of them have been previously mentioned. These methods include CBT, DBT, nature immersion therapy, horticulture therapy, yoga therapy, and mindfulness meditation. Using a combination of modalities is also the best way to ensure that an individual gets to the root/core cause of their addiction issues. It is also one of the best ways to heal at the cellular level.
The Importance of Long-Term Recovery at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab
Is spirituality required for recovery? Absolutely not. However, what is required is that the next right steps be made toward long-term success. There is no better place to take these steps than right here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab.
Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we believe in long-term success over short-term “fixes.” That is also why all of our recovery plans are individualized, comprehensive, and have a focus on the future.
The Buddha also said, “When one has the feeling of dislike for evil, when one feels tranquil, one finds pleasure in listening to good teachings; when one has these feelings and appreciates them, one is free of fear.” The key is to overcome the fear of change and head toward the freedom that is recovery. There are many paths to recovery. The key is to find the right one and start heading down it. Recovery is out there. Go out there and get it.
Many people opt to bring spirituality into their recovery. However, this is not a requirement. Everyone has their own path toward recovery. The key is to find what works for the individual and to stick with it. Many people also find that yoga therapy and meditation are ideal for their recovery. If you feel like you or a loved one is struggling with issues of addiction, mental illness, or both, we can help get you on the right road to long-term recovery right away. You don’t have to go through this process alone. For more information about spirituality in recovery, please reach out to Exclusive Hawaii Rehab today at (808) 775-0200.