1 / 18

The Upward Spiral: Women and Recovery

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. Definition of Spirituality. Oneness, wholeness Connection to the Universe

liam
Download Presentation

The Upward Spiral: Women and Recovery

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. 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

  2. Spirituality Religion

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

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

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

  6. Spiritual Awakening Several Buddhist and Taoist traditions describe four paths to awakening: • Sexual ecstasy • Meditation • Death • Trauma

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

  8. Stasis Flow

  9. 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

  10. Twelve Step Programs Radical Aspects • Free • Non-hierarchical • Spiritual

  11. Spiritual Principles • Letting Go • Surrender • Going with the Flow

  12. Spiritual Practices • Quiet time • Meditation • Prayer • Attending church, synagogue, mosque, temple • Centering activities such as singing, music • Attending Twelve Step meetings

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

  14. Sacred Precepts (or the Terms of Our Subordination) • 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.

  15. 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

  16. 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.

  17. 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

  18. “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

More Related