Measuring Spiritual Recovery: The Spiritual Recovery Scale

Transcription

1 Measuring Spiritual Recovery: The Spiritual Recovery Scale SASH Annual Conference 2015 Workshop Michael Bohan M.D. and St. George Lee M.A. M.D

2 Disclosures and Conflicts of Interest Paid Consulting, Honorariums, or Financial Compensation from: Employment : No for both speakers Pharmaceutical: No for both speakers CSAT Supervisor Compensation / Other Financial Compensation: No for both speakers Speakers Bureau: No for both speakers Shareholder: No for both speakers Grant Funding / Research Compensation: No for both speakers Royalties from Books / Book Chapters Authored: No for Dr Bohan; Yes for Dr Lee for his book Light in the Darkness. Paid Articles / Paid Blogs: No for both speakers

3 : the Beginnings Dr Bohan noted when recovering sex addicts checked into group they gave as a spiritual check in, information about their prayer life and as to whether they had attended a religious meeting since their last group. He saw that information as important more like an objectives but not the spiritual goals. The next slide has the first Spiritual Recovery Scale showing contrasting items, spiritual deficiency items on the left and the spiritual recovery goals on the right. These goals are not original to the author, they come from meaningful participation in 12 step recovery programs and are widely covered in 12 step recovery literature.

4 The group check-in has each patient tell the group members where they stand on the scale for each item. The other group members and the group leaders may offer their opinion as to where they placed themselves after everyone has completed their check in. The scale is useful in counselling all recovering addicts and codependents. The scale is a succinct recovery tool, simple in presentation but far reaching in use

5 SPIRITUAL RECOVERY SCALE Control Surrender Self-Blame Self Acceptance Self-Pity Gratitude Loneliness Friendship/Solitude Resentment Forgiveness The left column is based in fear, no trust, and chaos. The right is based in love, trust and serenity, benefits of 12 step recovery.

6 Addiction: Patterns of the Disease and Patterns of Recovery All diseases have defining patterns. Disease Patterns and Recovery patterns Tolerance, Dependence and Sensitization (triggers) define the disease pattern of all addictions and create spiritual deficiency. The Addiction Recovery pattern consists of the absence of Tolerance, Dependence and Sensitization plus spiritual growth. The Spiritual Recovery Scale focuses on the spiritual deficiency and the spiritual growth aspects of Addiction and its recovery Some of the inspiration for the scale comes from The Promises in the book, Alcoholics Anonymous.

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8 The previous slide is made available by the AA Group services office. This presentation of The Promises is enhanced by contrasting it with the Bedevilments and for the same reason The Spiritual Scale has the spiritual deficits contrasted with the spiritual benefits. It gives the recovering person a chance to see that spiritual development is a process and gives them a chance to see where they are in the process.

9 The Spiritual Recovery Scale Two other texts were valuable in writing the Scale: The Spirituality of Imperfection by E. Kurtz and K Ketchum, 1992 and Light in the Darkness by St. George Lee, M.D Drs Lee and Bohan were co leaders in sexual addiction recovery groups for a number of years and Dr Lee made suggestions to the Spiritual Recovery Scale seen in the next slide. The Spiritual Recovery Scale has been in use with these doctors for the past 15 years. The Scale is on posters in their offices for easy access in the treatment of any patients using 12 step recovery in their lives, addicts and co-dependents. Many use the scale at home.

10 Control Surrender (secrecy, dishonesty) (honesty) Self-blame Self-acceptance Blame Acceptance of others Self-pity Gratitude Loneliness Friendship/solitude Resentment Forgiveness

11 In the interactive part of our program today we will discuss the merit of the concept, the value of our choices and possible inclusion of other contrasting choices. One of our patients added these items he found valuable in his sex addiction recovery: Indignation Remorse Pride Humility

12 Independent of Dr Bohan, Dr Lee, in his book, Light in the Darkness depicted the spiritual and emotional contrasts between addiction and recovery similar to the Spiritual Recovery Scale in the diagrams depicted in the next slide.

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14 Addiction co-opts memory and motivational systems not just pleasure pathways as a result the sufferers are not fully in touch with their losses. Consequences do not acquire meaning. Early use of the Spiritual Recovery Scale helps those newcomers in spiritual recovery find meaning in their losses. Much as Tolerance,Dependence and Sensitization dictate progressive and predictable losses, spiritual recovery, continuously sought, dictates progressive and predictable gains. The Recovery Scale helps

15 From the "Spirituality of Imperfection For women and men for alcoholics and non alcoholics spirituality is one of those realities that we have only as long as we seek it; as long as we stop seeking, we stop finding; as soon as we think we got it, we ve most certainly lost it. Ernest Kurtz & Katherine Ketchum, Spirituality of Imperfection page 143

16 Note the parallels between the Spiritual Recovery Scale and the 12 steps. Courage to Surrender relates to steps 1 to 3. Self Blame to Self acceptance relates to step 1 ( powerlessness). Self Pity to gratitude and Loneliness to Friendship relate to steps 4-7 ( identifying and dealing with character defects). Resentment to Forgiveness relates to all the steps. Blame of Others to Acceptance of Others relates to step 1 for codependent recovery and steps 8,9 and10 for all in recovery. Note the connection between the Spiritual Recovery Scale and the Three Circles from SAA where growth in the left side of the scale equals expansion of the healthy outer circle.

17 CONTROL SURRENDER

18 SELF-BLAME SELF-ACCEPTANCE

19 BLAME OF OTHERS ACCEPTANCE OF OTHERS

20 SELF-PITY GRATITUDE

21 LONELINESS FRIENDSHIP/SOLITUDE

22 RESENTMENT FORGIVENESS

23 Contact either of us with your ideas about the utility of the Spiritual Recovery Scale. Leave your address with either of us and we will get back to you with a summary of today s program.