One of the greatest tools for living life and spiritual
growth that I have seen or experienced is the Twelve Step program, developed by
the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous in 1935.
Larry and I have been working these steps for more than two decades, and
the path has become an anchor in our lives, even when some huge waves hit our
ship.
Before I, Janelle, came to a recovery program, I studied the
subjects of Bible, church history, and various forms of counseling therapy
while attending seminary. Part of our
training as counseling students was to be in our own therapy process, so
self-awareness and self examination were not new to me. But I was surprised to find that working
through the Twelve Step process went deeper than all my other training and
therapy. Perhaps it came together more
completely because of the previous work I’d done, and yes, perhaps I was more
ready. But the twelve step journey led me to look deeper into my spiritual
condition as displayed in my behaviors and self-beliefs. Through working with a brilliant, inspiring
sponsor, I was able to see and accept my part and my responsibility in my life. It was both refreshing and freeing for me!
The wonderful centering factor for me personally has been
that the Twelve Steps weave the spiritual with the psychological elements of
being human. I always had the intuition
that God HAD to be a part of growth, both personally and spiritually – even
when humanists focused on being more human; Freudians focused on
sex as our basic foundation; and behaviorists focused on rats and
experiments! Now, at this point in my
life, I can see how all these have their place and contribution to our
understanding of human beings. What I
love is that all the research only confirms what God has said about humankind –
research just says it more clinically!
Twelve Step programs and the fellowships that follow them
utilize and blend many therapeutic methodologies and perspectives, such as
Reality Therapy, Transactional Analysis, Cognitive- Behavioral Therapy, and
more. Of course, there is the added
element of having a spiritual experience, and living by spiritual principles,
which makes them more profound and I believe enables them to have a deeper
impact on one’s life.
I am grateful for the contribution of the Twelve Step
Programs of the 20th Century, both professionally and personally.
They have certainly been a light on the path for my life and for my profession!
And thank you, God…
Janelle
