Awakening and Recovery

Spirituality in Addiction Recovery: A Narrative Review

In the area of addiction, Canada has been in a public health crisis since 2016. Addiction takes a toll on an individual's self-worth and identity. In this narrative literature review, the distinct nature of spirituality was addressed. Next, individualized conceptualizations of spirituality were outlined. Subsequently, the importance of fellowship in addiction recovery was detailed. Next, the significance of being of service was presented. Meaningful and authentic spirituality were discussed in the context of recovery identity. Lastly, spirituality as a personal journey is described. A narrative literature review of 70 manuscripts published between 1999 and 2021 was undertaken to determine multiple approaches to treating addiction recovery in the context of spiritual development. An understanding of spirituality can inform counsellors regarding spiritual development in addiction recovery. Implications for counselling include a roadmap to support clients developing an individualized spiritual connection and operating as a functional system.

Spontaneous Spiritual Awakenings: Phenomenology, Altered States, Individual Differences, and Well-Being

Spontaneous Spiritual Awakenings (SSAs) are subjective experiences characterised by a sudden sense of direct contact, union, or complete nondual merging (experience of oneness) with a perceived ultimate reality, the universe, "God," or the divine. These profound transformative experiences have scarcely been researched, despite extensive anecdotal evidence suggesting their potential to catalyse drastic, long-term, and often positive shifts in perception, world-view, and well-being. The aims of this study were to investigate the phenomenological variances of these experiences, including the potential differences between SSAs and Spontaneous Kundalini Awakenings (SKAs), a subset of awakening experiences that the authors postulate may produce a higher likelihood of both physical and negative effects; to explore how these experiences compare to other altered states of consciousness (ASCs), including those mediated by certain psychedelic substances; and understand their impact on well-being. Personality trait absorption and temporal lobe lability (TLL) were assessed as predictors of Spontaneous Spiritual and Kundalini Awakenings (SSA/SKAs). A mixed within and between-participants self-report survey design was adopted. A total of 152 participants reporting their most powerful SSA/SKAs completed questionnaires measuring nondual, kundalini, and mystical experience, as well as depth of ASC, and trait absorption and TLL. Spontaneous Kundalini Awakenings were found to be significantly more physical, but not significantly more negative than SSAs, and overall, both sets of experiences were perceived to be overwhelmingly more positive than negative, even in cases where the experience was initially challenging. The phenomenological distribution of SSA/SKAs was similar to other measured ASCs although greater in magnitude, and appeared most similar in distribution and in magnitude to drug-induced ASCs, particularly classic psychedelics DMT and psilocybin. Temporal lobe lability and trait absorption were found to predict the SSA/SKA experience. The limitations and implications of these findings are discussed.

An exploration of thriving over time in recovery

INTRODUCTION

Emerging models of recovery have redirected the traditional focus on relapse prevention to an emphasis on wellness. According to this new framework of recovery, aspects of thriving can strengthen recovery and prevent relapse in substance use. However, the empirical support for these models is sparse. To fill the gap in the literature, the authors sought to predict the risk of relapse based on factors of thriving.

METHOD

Participants consisted of a stratified sample of 412 adults in early, middle, and late stages of recovery (based on length of time in recovery) who the study recruited via Qualtrics Online Panels. We utilized a sequential regression to examine the ability of factors of thriving, the influence of time in recovery and demographic variables to predict relapse risk.

RESULTS

Thriving, length of recovery, and demographics significantly predicted risk of relapse (p < .001, R² = 65%), with Thriving accounting for 55% of the variance (ΔR² = 55%).

CONCLUSION

These findings demonstrate that the natural developmental process that comes from the passage of time dedicated to recovery is significant but thriving or the quality of that time serves as a stronger protective factor preventing relapse. Addiction treatment and prevention specialists could benefit from including thriving in conceptual models and interventions for recovery. Further, these findings provide support for holistic models of addiction recovery.