While many people associate AA or NA programs with Christianity, the overarching mechanism behind most of the material used in these types of group therapy and support group sessions is grounded in spirituality.
Meditation and spirituality and sobriety are essential tools to emotional resilience, a positive attitude, a sense of purpose, and forgiveness.
The Impact of Meditation and Spirituality in Sobriety
What impact do meditation and spirituality have on sobriety?
Positive Thinking
Research indicates that positive thinking, focusing on your positive experiences and attributes, can lead to emotional resilience, especially in the face of unexpected problems. Positive psychology or positive thinking can also result in better enjoyment in life.
For those in recovery, this type of positive thinking is used as part of support group methodology to frame your existence and experiences in a positive light and help you enjoy Improvement.
A positive attitude has been shown to:
- Improve how others perceive you
- Increase your longevity
- Decrease the chance of stroke
- Improve heart health
- Reduce depression
The more positive thinking you incorporate through mindful meditation and spirituality, the more likely you are to comply with your recovery treatment plan and see vast Improvement in physical and mental well-being.
Feelings vs. Reality
One of the ways that meditation and spirituality in sobriety can be helpful is by offering a mindful, meditative practice for you to reflect on where you might have incorrect beliefs.
Often, in recovery, people hold on to incorrect or inaccurate beliefs, things that are not grounded in reality. Some examples include:
- Believing that everything you try to do fails
- Believing that people are always mad at you or disappointed in you
- Believing that you will never succeed in your sobriety or in any of your goals
- Believing that you can’t do better
It is not uncommon for people to develop these incorrect beliefs and maintain them despite the fact that reality proves otherwise. There might have been a time where you failed but that does not mean that you always fail. If you spend time meditating you might realize that there are several times where you haven’t failed and therefore that belief is simply incorrect.
Meditation can help you access a deeper wisdom, where you learn how the narratives you tell yourself are incompatible with your actual experience.
Knowing what is true versus what you have told yourself is true can be a difficult but rewarding practice.
Journaling after such a meditation session can help you integrate your thoughts.
Reduced Stress
Tangentially, studies indicate that prayer/meditation has a direct impact on physical and mental health. You don’t need to have direct faith in a specific deity in order to take advantage of meditation and spirituality in sobriety.
Meditation can be considered a form of prayer, something that is heavily associated with regulating anxiety. Research suggests that regular meditation lowers anxiety, especially when it is tied to spirituality and a belief that your meditation can help you change expectations, moderate emotions, and build emotional resilience.
Social Support
Meditation and spirituality in sobriety can also help you cultivate the right type of social support. Longitudinal studies have found that positive relationships and social engagement are associated with:
- Better emotional support
- Reduced cognitive decline over the age of 65
- Better immune system
- Reduced health impact from stressful events
- Better self-care
- Better self-esteem
Research into social ties formed in areas like AA or SMART recovery groups, as well as close personal relationships with family and friends, give you a buffering effect against stress as you perceive that you have support from other people. The spirituality of these groups and support groups facilitates better self-care as individuals within these groups are more likely to offer support and give assistance where needed.
Reaping the Benefits of Meditation and Spirituality with Sequoia Recovery
All of these benefits come from participation in some form of spirituality and meditation. Both of these concepts can be learned as part of your inpatient drug rehab or outpatient treatment plan. However, many people find that the foundation is crafted from participation in NA, AA, or SMART recovery programs.
When you participate in any of our levels of care, we will help you find a program that works and continue to participate in the support groups long after leaving our facility.
Call our admissions team today to start your drug rehab program and reap the benefits of meditation and spirituality in recovery.
