Recent Posts
Hearing the Voice of God in the Voice of Others
When in the rooms of recovery, you often hear how people are depending on each other for support not only in staying sober, but for handling the difficult situations of life. The Twelve Steps are meant to guide us towards a God-reliance, which can be difficult to have...
Lust and Love: Two Sides of the Same Coin
Recently, I have been reflecting on how my porn addiction began in the first place. This took me back to a dark place in my life during college, when I had broken up with who I thought was the love of my life, which left me directionless and unstable. I had no passion...
A Step Two Reflection: The Gateway to Hope
Step Two: Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. I remember telling my sponsor early on that the first few steps in my 12-step program didn’t pose much of a challenge to me because I already believe in a “Higher Power.” I...
Theology of the Body and Recovering from the Harm of Pornography
"Every man who enters a brothel is looking for God.” This quote, attributed to G.K. Chesterton, is one of the foundational concepts of Saint John Paul II's “Theology of the Body,” which is a collection of talks the pope gave on human sexuality. Theology of the Body...
Mercy and Glorification in the Wounds of Christ
As I write this, the thought that comes to mind is: “How do you put something so vast, infinite, and truly marvelous as God’s mercy and love into words?” For those of you reading this who may not know me or my story, I am a revert to the Catholic faith. I attended...
The Value of a Catholic Approach to Recovery
Michael Murphy, Ed.D., writes as a Catholic psychologist with more than three decades of experience combining clinical psychology and the Catholic faith. He writes regularly for CIR on topics related to addiction recovery, mental health, and Catholicism. As we witness...
New Freedom, New Hope
I remember it clearly. I was a freshman in high school and an older teammate from the football team was having a “kegger” party. This wouldn’t be the first time I tasted alcohol, but it would be the first time I drank heavily and liked it. It was only one night but it...
The Living Heart of Service: Responding to God’s Call to Bring Mercy to Others
Love and service go hand in hand, whether it be within our families, communities, Catholic in Recovery groups, 12-step fellowships, or parish ministries. We are called to pour the love and blessings we have received from God out onto others. In recovery, we learn to...
A Step One Reflection: Relinquishing Our Self-Appointed Kingship
Step One: We admitted that we were powerless over [ ] - that our lives had become unmanageable. I like to say I walked into overeaters anonymous looking for help with my “diet” problems and walked away with something else entirely. Step One was a jarring experience...
Allowing God—Not Us!—To Order Our Steps Out of Addiction
As I started looking back on my grace-filled release from my porn addiction, I tried to understand and explain to others my escape route. Many have asked me over the last two years what the "secret" is. After almost 40 years of being trapped, now being at the point of...
Hearing the Voice of God in the Voice of Others
When in the rooms of recovery, you often hear how people are depending on each other for support not only in staying sober, but for handling the difficult situations of life. The Twelve Steps are meant to guide us towards a God-reliance, which can be difficult to have...
Lust and Love: Two Sides of the Same Coin
Recently, I have been reflecting on how my porn addiction began in the first place. This took me back to a dark place in my life during college, when I had broken up with who I thought was the love of my life, which left me directionless and unstable. I had no passion...
A Step Two Reflection: The Gateway to Hope
Step Two: Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. I remember telling my sponsor early on that the first few steps in my 12-step program didn’t pose much of a challenge to me because I already believe in a “Higher Power.” I...
Theology of the Body and Recovering from the Harm of Pornography
"Every man who enters a brothel is looking for God.” This quote, attributed to G.K. Chesterton, is one of the foundational concepts of Saint John Paul II's “Theology of the Body,” which is a collection of talks the pope gave on human sexuality. Theology of the Body...
Mercy and Glorification in the Wounds of Christ
As I write this, the thought that comes to mind is: “How do you put something so vast, infinite, and truly marvelous as God’s mercy and love into words?” For those of you reading this who may not know me or my story, I am a revert to the Catholic faith. I attended...
The Value of a Catholic Approach to Recovery
Michael Murphy, Ed.D., writes as a Catholic psychologist with more than three decades of experience combining clinical psychology and the Catholic faith. He writes regularly for CIR on topics related to addiction recovery, mental health, and Catholicism. As we witness...
New Freedom, New Hope
I remember it clearly. I was a freshman in high school and an older teammate from the football team was having a “kegger” party. This wouldn’t be the first time I tasted alcohol, but it would be the first time I drank heavily and liked it. It was only one night but it...
The Living Heart of Service: Responding to God’s Call to Bring Mercy to Others
Love and service go hand in hand, whether it be within our families, communities, Catholic in Recovery groups, 12-step fellowships, or parish ministries. We are called to pour the love and blessings we have received from God out onto others. In recovery, we learn to...
A Step One Reflection: Relinquishing Our Self-Appointed Kingship
Step One: We admitted that we were powerless over [ ] - that our lives had become unmanageable. I like to say I walked into overeaters anonymous looking for help with my “diet” problems and walked away with something else entirely. Step One was a jarring experience...
Allowing God—Not Us!—To Order Our Steps Out of Addiction
As I started looking back on my grace-filled release from my porn addiction, I tried to understand and explain to others my escape route. Many have asked me over the last two years what the "secret" is. After almost 40 years of being trapped, now being at the point of...