A Reflection on Attachment, Addiction, Psychology, and Spiritual Formation: Part Two
In my last article, I talked about “attachment” as a common thread among addiction, psychology, and spirituality. Attachment in all of these areas is about relationships, whether spiritual (God and the human being), psychological (mother and child), or self-destructive (a person and his or her compulsive, self-destructive behaviors). Healthy divine and human relationships bring about…
Read MoreNature’s Solace on the Journey of Recovery
In my effort to maintain sobriety, it has often been necessary to find time to be alone, away from the perceived and actual craziness that is life. For when things become too crazy there can come the sense of hopelessness. And if this is not tended to, an apathy can settle in that makes relapse…
Read MoreFor the Addict Who Still Suffers: How Recovery Brings About Unexpected Relationships
My first sponsor in SAA (Sex Addicts Anonymous) formed a relationship with me that included doing step work, but also included other activities not related to recovery. Seeing my youth, strength, and a willingness to help, he once asked me to come to his house in order to help move furniture. Not too much to…
Read MoreAllowing the Infinite Power of God to Save Us from Our Sinfulness and Addictions
Scripture tells us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:30). Too often, when we think of or talk about God, we speak of a being who is meek and mild. We see Him as completely approachable, and that there is nothing to fear in approaching Him. A program that I…
Read MoreRemembering the Truth of Christmas In Order to Stay Sober
The snow falls quietly. And slowly all is covered and blanketed in whiteness. The cold of winter is in the air, and it gets in your bones when outside. There is the anticipation of the holidays and all of the hopes and dreams of Christmas that come with the onset of the cold weather and…
Read MoreLove Is Coming: Preparing the Manger of Your Heart This Advent
As the church enters a new liturgical year, She also marks the beginning of Advent. This is made evident by the color purple, which adorns the worship space and also the priests’ vestments. Each Sunday, a candle is lit, illuminating a path that leads us to hope, love, joy (represented by the rose-colored candle on…
Read MoreCaught in the Hands of a Loving God
Those of us who have fought the battle of habitual sin often times have had difficulty with the feelings and consequences of being caught in our sins. When we think back to the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, after the Fall, we recall that they hid themselves because they saw…
Read MoreA Reflection on Attachment, Addiction, Psychology, and Spiritual Formation: Part One
I’ve confronted addiction from several directions in my life: as a therapist treating people in recovery, as a codependent in an alcoholic family, and as a Catholic man trying to discern God’s will and action in the midst of the fear, rage, and despair that addiction unleashes. Through all of these experiences, there is a…
Read MoreRemoving My “Shame Filter” and Finding Healing Through EMDR Therapy
I first came to learn about trauma through my first 12-step group. Many of the guys who had done intensive therapy would talk about it from time to time. Certainly, I had heard about PTSD, but my underdeveloped understanding of trauma led me to believe that only people who had gone through something “huge,” such…
Read MoreA Thanksgiving Message of Gratitude and Service
Reflecting upon my first Thanksgiving in recovery brings some vivid memories of a time in my life that was clearly full of grace. It had been about a month and a half since my last drink or use of any mind-altering drugs, and the fog that had been occupying space in my mind for quite…
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