The Upward Spiral: Women and Recovery Stephanie S. Covington, Ph.D., L.C.S.W. Spirituality: A Powerful Force in Women’s Recovery September 15-16, 2003 San Francisco, CA

Spirituality Religion Spirituality Religion

Definition of Spirituality Oneness, wholeness Oneness, wholeness Connection to the Universe Connection to the Universe Belief in something greater than ourselves Belief in something greater than ourselves Energy, power, source Energy, power, source Trust in a higher or deeper part of self Trust in a higher or deeper part of self

Addiction (constriction) Recovery (expansion) Transformation Spiral of Recovery

Spiral of Healing Trauma (constriction) Healing (expansion) Transformation

Spiritual Awakening Several Buddhist and Taoist traditions describe four paths to awakening: Sexual ecstasy MeditationDeathTrauma

Transformation Change form Deforming to reforming Change happens when the story changes Transformation happens in story, poetry, art, myth Possibility lies in the imagination

Stasis Flow Stasis Flow

Tenets of Women’s Spirituality Recognizing the interrelatedness of all life Honoring the dignity of the female Appreciating the human body as the container of the spirit Cultivating sensitivity to diverse multicultural experiences. Discovering the power of creating ritual Perceiving work for ecological and social justice as a spiritual responsibility

Twelve Step Programs Radical Aspects FreeNon-hierarchicalSpiritual

Letting Go Surrender Going with the Flow Spiritual Principles

Spiritual Practices Quiet time MeditationPrayer Attending church, synagogue, mosque, temple Centering activities such as singing, music Attending Twelve Step meetings

Spiritual Practices Being out in nature Keeping a journal Helping others in need Creating personal altars Learning from others Celebrations

Be silent. Curb speech, but still the mind as well, particularly thoughts of “I” and “my”. He who speaks does not know,” says the Tao. “He who knows does not speak.” Put yourself last, or, in the words of Thomas a Kempis, “Seek always the lowest place, and to be [sic] inferior to everyone.” Unseat the ego. Sacred Precepts (or the Terms of Our Subordination)

Resist and rechannel your desires. Disidentify yourself with your body and senses. Learn, indeed, that your body does not belong to you. Enclose yourself. Turn inward, and move into a protective “container.” Disentangle yourself from as much external and public activity as you can. Source: Flinders (1998) At the Root of this Longing

Precepts of a Woman’s Growth and Development Find your voice. Tell your story and make yourself heard at the highest levels of every institution that affects your life. Know who you are. Establish your authentic identity or selfhood. Identify your needs and learn how to meet them.

Reclaim you body, and its desires, from all who would objectify and demean it, whether it is the fashion industry, pornographers, or even the medical establishment. Recognize the hatred of the female body that pervades contemporary culture, and oppose it. Move about freely and fearlessly. Take back the streets. Take back the night and the day. Source: Flinders (1998) At the Root of this Longing

“It is far more useful to be aware of a single shortcoming in ourselves than is to be aware of a thousand in somebody else. For when the fault is our own, we are in a position to correct it.” Dalai Lama in Ethics for a New Millennium Dalai Lama in Ethics for a New Millennium