When people hear about spirituality, they often think of a higher power. While spirituality can include a higher power, it does not always have to. Spirituality, in essence, is seeking a deeper purpose of existing. It expands beyond self-seeking and strives to serve other people. Spirituality is meaning and purpose in one’s life and is centered around core values.

It is a part of human nature to seek meaning and desire to see what is beyond our limited selves. We may strive for many things such as love, connection, beauty, community, the supernatural, and other reasons to live. For healing to occur, we need a holistic approach that addresses all parts of ourselves. This includes taking care of our biological, psychological, social, and spiritual needs.

Addiction can impact all of these areas. When we struggle with an addiction, we may not be aligning with our core values and we may feel disconnected from a higher power or purpose. While substances can mimic spiritual states of consciousness such as feeling euphoric, peaceful, and creative, it often is a temporary relief and does not maintain once the person is no longer using or engaging in the behavior, potentially resulting in feelings of emptiness, disconnection, and shame. While we often do not remember spirituality in well-being, research shows that it is very important in recovery:

The National Institute on Drug Addiction found that those with high levels of spirituality had high levels of remission rates, while those with the lowest levels of spirituality had the highest relapse rates.
There is a positive association between spirituality and increased health with mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety.
Spirituality can help with problem solving capabilities, including finding ways to cope with and manage things that seem unmanageable.
Having a sense of spirituality may help to buffer against self-seeking behaviors, including substance misuse. It may redirect thoughts to have an increase in positivity towards life and have a purpose of helping others.

Struggling with a substance use disorder does not mean that a person is not spiritual. Addiction can be caused or exacerbated by a variety of factors such as biological predispositions, social and environmental concerns, trauma, mental health disorders, a lack of deeper purpose and meaning, and other issues. Regardless of the factors that contributed to addiction issues, it can negatively impact all of these areas.

Finding healing means addressing all aspects of ourselves, including finding a purpose and how to live out our values. What matters to you, and what do you want your life to be represented by? How can I live outside of myself and give back to others? What values do I have and how do I live by them? These are all important questions to ask and consider. As Holocaust survivor and psychotherapist Viktor Frankl said, “He who has a why to live, can bear with almost any how.” What is your “why” that gets you through challenges?

If you are interested in learning ways to manage biological, psychological, social and spiritual needs, Charmed Counseling has several therapists to reach out to. To schedule an appointment or request a consultation, call 509-768-6852.

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Written by Taylor Hocking, LMFTA, SUDP, Clinical Therapist at Charmed Counseling

References

Borgen, B. (2019). When need is greatest, help may be closest: Significance of the spiritual dimension in therapy mediated by interviewees. Cogent Psychology, 6(1). doi:10.1080/23311908.2019.1610223

Miller, W. R. (2013). Addiction and spirituality. Substance Use & Misuse, 48(12), 1258-1259. doi:10.10.3109/10826084.2013.799024

NAADAC. (2016). The spirituality of addiction. [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.naadac.org/the-spirituality-of-addiction