The Healing Process

The definition of spirituality is usually difficult to define, as it has a distinct meaning, and form of experience for everybody. However, it is conventionally defined as the connection to a higher form of power or source which is possibly greater than all individuals. Some school of thoughts also have the definition of spirituality as Spirit, Universe, God and Oneness.

When it comes to the identifying with things that are spiritual, it is specific for each person, and it also validates the beliefs which are centered around spirituality. Hence, it would seem different for everyone.

As for addiction, it is basically defined as a brain disorder which is featured by engaging in a compulsive behaviour in a bid to satisfy oneself, irrespective of the consequences which could be disadvantageous in most cases.

Addiction and spirituality are two concepts which are interwoven. In an active addiction process, there is definitely the absence of the link to a spirit, which could take any form depending on the individual. During recovery, the spiritual practice is very important and it is usually the basis for remaining sober.

Addiction can be said to be a disease which is linked to isolation, and it makes the individual think that he or she is not having the connection which they used to have before they got addicted. During this phase, it seems as if there is no sense of understanding of spirituality and the higher power in general.

Then, we come to believe that there is nothing for use to be thankful for, and hence, we are seemingly shut-off from the present state of reality. Some people are of the opinion that for someone to be successful in breaking free from addiction, there is a need for toeing a certain spiritual path in recovery, and also having a family of support for the necessary support.

Why this is important is, the spirit of addiction in every individual wants the person to be left in the dark. However, the spiritual path wants the exact opposite, and alongside with the community of support, the light of recovery serves as the liberation channel.

Spirituality has a strong effect on our hearts and mind, and connecting to a higher power helps us to trounce shame and stop addictive thoughts.

A higher power refers to something greater than humans and can be seen as a connection and relation between human nature and living things. A higher power is believed to be a force to be reckoned with and the one that supersedes all influence. A belief or faith in a higher power can spur ones recovery from addiction and intense bondage of feeling disconnected. Spirituality which involves a confidence and conviction of the potency of a higher power can help in providing solution to addiction.

In the process of recovery, an addict should tend to have an intense purpose that provides a form of motivation to achieve moderation and modesty. Hence, believing in a higher power can help find such purpose and enables the addict have faith that they can find the peace and rest of mind they seek through the efficacy of the higher power. Since inspiration is required in maintaining a clear mind, a knowledge that a power or force exist that motivation can be drawn from enables the addict to be driven to quit the abuse of substance which causes addiction. Therefore a higher power plays the role of ensuring people are connected to something of significance.

Although, establishing a connection with a higher power can be an arduous task for a number of people for recovery purpose. Surrendering to a higher power seems to be challenging especially after dwelling on will and choice of the mind for a long period of time, but coming to a consciousness about the potency of the power, it becomes a pivotal constituent for recovery. Also when the reality that the cause of an addict’s craving or addiction was due to the fact that they had control of their will power, they tend to release their self to the influence of the higher power. When there is a failure to create a relationship with a higher power, it hampers the recovery process.

After being relieved from the burden of control of will, the addict is able to divert their strength in other spheres of affairs which is very important in the process of recovery which involves engaging in other activities that take their minds away from the things that make them addicts. Hence, having a sense of connection to a thing greater than oneself can provide a way from being free from the ruins of addiction.

Addiction can be regarded as a symptom of spiritual malady. When an individual loses connection from the environment and relationship with people around, there would be a sense of isolation and separation experienced by the individual. Spirituality which is a belief in a power that controls the world and supersedes human nature. In spirituality, one finds a connection with nature, a sense of belonging among the living and a purpose for which exists.

Hence, a lack of concordance with the principles of spirituality leads to feelings of emptiness and seclusion. An after effect involves an intense feeling of unhappiness, low self-esteem and this in turn causes a sequence of addictive behaviors. Addiction is a strong result of a deep suffering from disconnection from everything and everyone that relates to a person. As the individual sinks deeper into this disease of addiction, there is a negative tendency to become separated more from nature.

The spiritual malady of addiction tends to become complex and worsened after a long period of time if proper care is not taken. When one cannot find solution to the section of the mind which stores negative ideas and distress as a result for longing to be connected spiritually, there is need for urgent intervention. The addict continually seeks peace and satisfaction with intent of staying in connection but eventually finds pain and dissatisfaction.

Addiction constitutes a static effect on spirituality. When one is in an addictive situation, there is an urge to maintain the false moment of connection, not feeling the emptiness usually being felt. Therefore, addiction causes a stagnation in spirituality and makes one become in profound bondage with the abuse of substances. A separation from healthy spirituality and a higher power is increased by certain engagements considered immoral.

Addiction is a disease that can drive a person into unjust act. It is a form of deception, it allows addicts feel a deep need of completeness is solved and that they have found peace and accomplishment. It also makes them mistake their feelings for an intensity of intimacy and a delight for fulfilment.

No amount of substance or effect that can replace the satisfaction we get from feeling in touch with something that is higher than human’s personality. There is a sense of rest, assuredness and certainty that one is secured and indispensable when connected in spirituality but an absence of such connection leads to unimaginable acts of addiction.

Spirituality and its essence affects mental health in a number of ways. It plays a significant function in assisting people in sustaining a positive mental health and also help recover from mental health problems as the case may be. Although, Spirituality is a universally acknowledged concept, it is viewed by people differently and in diverse manners. Basically, it involves the belief and faith in a higher power and this forms a core aspect of an individual’s identity and purpose in life.

Spirituality and mental health are entities related together such that spirituality can help an individual in terms of emotional stress, mental disorders, pain due to loss etc. Spirituality focuses more on the healing of the individual and not just on the ailment or condition. Spirituality also provides a faster and more effective recovery of the person by concentrating more on recognition of strength and will to get better. Also, spirituality can instill a feeling of being attached to a bigger personality than one self hence, providing an extra effort to the individual’s mental strength in solving mental health problems.

People have diverse spiritual beliefs and this tends to influence their choice of mode of receiving support or treatment of mental health issues. Putting the spiritual needs of such people at a higher pedestal can help provide support for their recovery and help them make the best out of their mental health predicament.

However, it is important to note that spirituality doesn’t always have a positive effect on the mental health of people. The effect of spirituality depends on the individual’s beliefs and if such a person’s belief system is the one promoting negative tendencies such as hatred for other non-believers, this affects the thinking orientation and can lead to increased stress causing mental health disorders. Also, people tend to feel they are being chastised anytime they experience health difficulties or problems and due to this, they avoid getting treatment and this is turn leads to emotional distress and sometimes loss of life.

There are situations where patients would rely entirely on spirituality to solve mental issues and refuse to take treatment. For instance, a patient undergoing treatment for a mental disorder and discovers there is a slight improvement in the state of the illness and decides to stop the treatment because the patient believes he or she is healed. This may later aggravate into more serious mental health problems.

Mental disorder is a mishap which happens to an individual as negative effect after a failed attempt to solve issues relating to the mind. It holds the individual in bondage and captivity and makes the soul sick and under places it under a terrible oppression. Mental disorders can in a way emanate as a spiritual affliction, it is an occurrence of damage and attack caused by a life that is spiritually declined and disconnected. This leads to a wreck in the individual’s life, emotions, ambitions and hope.

The systems of the world are constantly in war against the essence of spirituality, the way of life of people deviates and are not aligned with the purpose of spirituality which is to be connected with a higher or a supreme force or power. The beliefs and attitudes accustomed to being worldly are hampering the ability to attain a successful spiritual life. The moment an individual stops seeking comfort and solace in the strength of a higher power and realm, it leads to weakness and susceptibility to negative acts such as substance abuse in order to acquire the strength craved for which. In the long run, the mental health is adversely affected.

The behavior of a person with mental disorder is that which is negative and as such they receive condemnations quite easily but it is imperial to understand that such people are influenced by terrible forces or terrors. This takes a negative toll on their lives and lifestyle. There is a negative power at work in the minds of people suffering from mental disorder that makes them vulnerable and defenseless and as such they don’t have a will power to withstand or fight against all negative behavioral attitudes that exhumes from that state of weakness.

The grip of mental disorder can cause a change and an overturn in the brain’s orientation of the addict and becomes a difficult task to battle. The drive to attain a sense of relief and pleasure or to take away a measure of discomfort causes the individual to find succor in the use of harmful and dangerous substances such as drugs and alcohol which can affect the brain.

Furthermore, the cause of mental illness is in the immediate and direct necessity to obtain satisfaction and rest from a troubled mind but it all ends on a false note. Hence, once an individual falls into this deception instead of trying to seek help spiritually and try to attain a spiritual connection, they end up living a life of pain and misery.

Addictions and disorders are often times considered spiritual problems. They are regarded as indications of a spiritual problem. Spirituality refers to a belief in a higher power which is greater than one’s personality and an avenue to discover one’s purpose in life. Addictions refer to a sense of disconnection and separation and when one launches deeper into this disease of addiction, they become more separated from others. The outcome is that it gets to stage where the addicted person avoids getting treatment.

A loss in connection to a higher power can lead to loneliness and desolation and a prevalent cause of depression and despair and this in turn can lead to one engaging in addictive behaviors that are most times detrimental to the well-being of the individual. This separation causes people to undergo some level of suffering. Therefore, it is a fact to state that close relationship with people and a deep connection to a higher power enables one maintain a balanced well-being and an adequate feeling of being among and not secluded.

Addicts are people who are extremely unsettled and cannot maintain a consciousness or a cognizance of the reality of a higher power, hence they are unbalanced and disturbed and this makes their lives dejected. To worsen the situation they find succor in the use of substances to get that relief in the consciousness they seek. There is an intense pressure to suppress the feelings of hopelessness and meaningless by an addict and also seek in-depth peace and satisfaction but always find emptiness and desolation.

The concept of Spirituality does not only find effect in the heart but in the mind as well which the center of reasoning is. Therefore it is imperative to note that an engagement in addiction causes one to feed the mind with negative vices which in turn causes dangerous reactions detrimental to the person. Since the mind is the central hub of reasoning of the human and there are some actions an addict might want to abstain from but they don’t have control over their actions because they have lost power over their will and mind.

Furthermore, while addiction could be a form of slavery spiritually, it reveals the bondage and captivity experienced by the addict and they become open and willing to seek help in the efficacy of the divine. They can now seek such connection they initially long for.

Spirituality may seem like an unlikely treatment option for addictions and mental disorders, but it actually is one of the most useful components in fighting addictions and mental disorders. Feeling a strong sense of having something to live for is very important to recovering from an addiction or a disorder, and spirituality is all about having a strong sense of something to live for. Every form of spirituality dictates that each individual is special, meaningful and purposeful in their own way. Spirituality helps people defeat addictions and disorders by giving them a sense of:

• Purpose. Like the book implies, a purpose driven life is a healthy life. Having a sense of purpose is necessary to good mental health because people possess talents and intelligence that they crave to put to use. Seeking a valid life purpose is part of our psychological make up. Many people who struggle with addiction or mental disorder have felt the negative effects of their condition on their purpose and goals, but by prioritizing purpose, they are taking steps to fight their mental illness.
• Hope. The belief that things will get better is very important to a person struggling with an addiction or mental disorder. It is the nature of these conditions to make the individual feel like their harmful condition is permanent, when in fact, recovery from them is completely possible. It is important that you nurture and foster hope in your life if you struggle with an addiction or a disorder.
• Optimism. Staying optimistic about one’s recovery is very important to its success. Simply remaining aware that attitude is a choice and attitude will largely dictate the outcome of your recovery makes an enormous difference. People largely do what they believe they can do, which is why a positive sense of self is essential.
• Balance. A strong principle of spirituality is that life was intended to be balanced. As an addict or a person with a mental disorder, it is very important to stay aware that life is intended to be balanced, and the ongoing pursuit of a balanced life is a key to good physical and mental health.

Always be aware that professional help is available to you and it is commendable to reach out for help. Professionals at a good quality Christian alcohol treatment center, Christian drug rehab or Christian counseling center are eager to help you conquer your addictions and mental disorders.

Do you struggle with mental health problems? Are you frustrated by a seeming inability to get on top of them? Have you tried counseling and medications and feel like nothing works? Perhaps it is time to think outside the box. The four main elements that make up a person’s quality of life are their physical health, relationships, purpose and spirituality. I would like to focus on the spirituality aspect as it relates to mental health.

A person’s spirituality is not their religious beliefs. It is what is at a person’s core about why they believe we are here, and why they believe they, in particular, are here. Another important component to spirituality is believing that our existence is significant on some level. This is what motivates a person to be effective and moral. This is a simple matter for some and a very complex matter for others.

Some people have never questioned what they believe about why we are here. People are often born into a community that holds spiritual beliefs and those being raised within the community adopt those beliefs for life. Others take the personal journey of discovering what they believe about why we are here very seriously and may try a number of different beliefs on for size.

The importance of spirituality to everyone – not just religious people – is this: it affects how you think about the meaning of your own life. You have probably seen the social media debate about whether or not religion is responsible for morality. Many people have taken offense to that claim, but the truth is that spirituality is responsible for morality, because spirituality informs all of us that our actions have consequences, and the actions we choose affect us and those around us for better or worse.

Those who embrace an uplifting form of spirituality in their lives, and have taken the care to develop their personal spirituality into something substantial, are far more likely to have good mental health because they believe in the meaning that their life carries. They also believe that their own spiritual state is bettered by healthy lifestyle choices and by their own attitude.

There is little that is more destructive to the life of the spirit than an addiction or a mental disorder. The embodiment of mental unhealthiness, addictions and disorders are serious conditions that keep a person from thinking in a healthy way and becoming who they are. They come in many shapes and sizes, but they are always destructive. A person who is suffering from an addiction or a disorder will have to undergo a great deal of spiritual healing before they can be healthy again.

Addiction, from a spiritual standpoint, is a major diversion away from a person’s true self. A person cannot become who they are and have an addiction, because addiction will always take over the person’s identity if it is allowed to survive. An addiction is like a cancer, eating away at all the things a person truly values and replacing them with an obsessive need to serve the addiction. This moves a person further and further away from having a healthy spirit.

Mental disorders are road blocks that keep a person from becoming who they are. Mental disorders are sources of low self-esteem and of underperformance. They have the effect of a toxin that inhibits a person from personal growth and keeps them stagnant and trapped by the disorder. People with mental disorders desperately want to end them, but there is no quick fix to a mental disorder. Only with time, perseverance, courage, spirituality and surrender will a person conquer their mental disorder.

Spiritual healing is necessary in order to grow out of addiction and mental disorder. Letting your spirit recover as well as your physical health and mental health is very important to the healing process. It takes time, and there is no one method of achieving spiritual growth, but there are basic principles of spiritual growth. Namely, your life should reflect what you believe in your heart about why we are here. Your beliefs should carry a sense of optimisim, as optimism is what moves all things forward. This optimism may come in many forms, so long as it allows you the strength you need to live a full life of purpose.

Spirituality is often mistaken for religion, but those who identify themselves as spiritual know that spirituality is very distinct from religion. A spiritualist usually comes in one of five different forms: religious, theist, deist, agnostic or spiritualist. All five represent unique ways of thinking and of believing why we are here.

• Spiritualist. A person who identifies themselves strictly as a spiritualist may have a more broad belief system than other kinds of spiritualists. Agnostics and theists are also spiritualists, but a person can be a spiritualist without being an agnostic or a theist. A spiritualist is simply someone who believes that the spirit realm is just as real as the realm of space, time and matter. They may be specific about the forms that spiritual beings take or they may believe that the forms of spirits are unknowable to people. One does not need to believe in God to be a spiritualist.
• Agnostic. A person who identifies themselves as an agnostic is a person who believes that there is a God but we cannot understand or know anything about him / her. They may believe that religious interpretations of God are a good effort at understanding him / her, but they put no stock in any one religion’s interpretation of God. They believe that God is mysterious and unknowable, and anyone who claims to understand God is foolish.
• Deist. A person who identifies themselves as a deist is someone who believes in a powerful God but does not believe that he interacts with people or oversees the affairs of people. A deist believes that we are inherently separated from God by circumstance.
• Theist. A person who identifies themselves as a theist is one who believes in a personal, all powerful God who governs his / her creation and is concerned for the affairs of people. This sounds similar to what some religions believe about God, but theism is not tied to any particular religion.
• Religious spirituality. It is true that not everyone who is religious is spiritual, however, a spiritual religious person channels their spiritualism into the beliefs that their religion defines.