What is Spiritual Malady?

Self-reliance can also be dangerous because it can lead to pride. Spiritually, we have a difficult time connecting to a higher power. It is common to find yourself spiritual malady being angry at God or saying things like “if God was real this wouldn’t have happened to me” or not understanding why things are the way they are.

These are all positive things that can help you on your journey to recovery, regardless of your beliefs. Finally, self-reliance can be dangerous because it can lead to complacency. When people become too self-reliant, they may stop working on their program entirely. This complacency can then lead to a sense of entitlement which is extremely dangerous for people in recovery. Entitlement leads to unrealistic expectations, which often leads to disappointment and resentment.

The Full Spectrum of Spirituality

The pursuit of them dominated our lives, destroyed relationships, and caused greater desperation than we ever thought possible. We became selfish and self-seeking, ever thirsting for more, and this lust warped us on every level. But we were never satisfied, because but the living presence of God can quench our parched souls. In general, humans, like most species, have four fundamental or primary phenotypes (even these can be subdivided), or genetic expressions, that are reflected in our chemical soup, mitochondria, cells, tissues, organs, emotions, thoughts, behaviors, and relationships.

• Foundational to this practice is the understanding of threat and defensive physiology versus safety and restorative physiology.
• But when a person is facing a loss, physical and emotional pain, or other challenges, they may experience spiritual distress.
• We often take them to grave sooner rather than later unless we decide to be open and share our secrets with another person.
• For instance, when breaking free of their negative thoughts, they may come to realize a newfound appreciation of things before unseen – such as the beauty of a sunset or the feeling of freshness of a morning spring rain.
• It might be with food, sex, gambling, or even something as nebulous as procrastination or a compulsion to gossip.

Finally, someone explained to me that those things are not the insanity that the Big Book talks about; nor are those things why the alcoholic’s life becomes unmanageable. These traits defy written or verbal description, as they convey an innate understanding of the cosmos and are also transient, meaning the experiences do not last forever. Also, they are passive, in the sense that people do not have an influence over the phenomenon. Alcoholics Anonymous bases the 12-step program on 12 affirmations, or what they call 12 traditions. These expressions that help people recovering from addiction regain a spiritual footing once again.

Ways to Address the Spiritual Malady and Heal in Glenwood Springs

Thankfully, the “spiritual malady” is no longer a “missing piece” of Step One for me. While a sense of spiritual emptiness is an experience familiar to many people, it is extremely common for those who struggle with addiction. While the absence of spirituality in no way causes addiction, it is generally accepted that addiction has a spiritual component.