The creative theory of recovery and spiritual growth
Specifically, here is how the creative theory of recovery approaches spiritual growth:
1) Holistic approach – Shift in attitude from traditional “spiritual viewpoints” to an all-encompassing view of spirituality and opportunities for growth in our lives. Physical, mental, and emotional experiences and processes start falling under the “spiritual umbrella” and can teach us new things. Each person in our life becomes a potential carrier of new knowledge for us as we cultivate humility and try to learn from every interaction.
2) Use of multiple “lenses” through which we view our lives – gaining new truths through multiple perspectives. Also, ultimate truths and core beliefs can be seen to run parallel in multiple belief systems and philosophies. Thus we learn better what is truly useful in our spiritual growth and what is essentially “fluff.” For example, the practice of meditation that is almost universally found in all major religions and philosophies throughout the world, demonstrating a common thread. Other principles can be found in the same manner, such as forgiveness or the virtue of helping others.
3) Emphasis on learning and constantly seeking new knowledge. “What can I learn from this experience?” We are driven to grow from every failure; from virtually any experience.
4) Turning seemingly “negative” experiences into either a learning experience, or a way to connect with others and help them avoid the same mistakes. In recovery, our previous failure can become a valuable lesson for someone else, provided that we share that message.
5) A shift from self-centeredness towards a genuine interest in other people’s well being. This is one of the great gifts in recovery, that we can experience real joy from being able to reach out and help other addicts.
Spiritual growth is a process. I don’t think you can really wake up one day and say: “I’m going to grow spiritually today!” Instead, we embrace the creative life in recovery and start making progress on our journey, slowly. It is only after pausing later and looking back that we can see just how far we have come. This is how we grow spiritually.