Over the past few months I’ve found myself getting a little frustrated with clients who say they are committed to transformation and being on a spiritual path, while at the same time they make very little time for the personal processing required to make such transformations occur.
It appears that our sense of the work required for personal and spiritual transformation is that it is somewhat magical & instantaneous – no mixing, stirring or messiness required. The truth, however, is that Discipline, Dedication, and Devotion are required – the 3 D’s of Spiritual Rehab.
What Most of us Need is a Spiritual Rehab Center
Rehabilitation centers for recovery from substance abuse, mental health, & physical challenges all have one thing in common: They provide foundational activities that are crucial to one’s rehabilitation and recovery. Recovery? Recovery of what? The answer for most of us is that we want to reclaim our essential self, and to know our core truths. We want to be the fullest expression of our natural and authentic self. So, some of us willingly head to retreat and recovery centers for the support they know they need to truly have what they say they want.
What is needed initially is a focused agenda, providing specific times for group processing, along with a regimen of seeing advisors, exercise, meditation, rest, nourishing food, and being outdoors. One is immersed in the rigors of personal evolution from morning until night.
The intended results of such a program is that the individual will become practiced in the art of discipline, willingly setting up a program at home that they can stick with to continue making progress. They empower themselves and dedicate themselves to actively engage in practices that generate greater degrees of personal accountability and self-discipline, only in service to what they say they want.
Most of us want full recovery of our lives – every single aspect of our lives, but few actually take on the task of becoming disciplined, dedicated, and devoted enough to their recovery of self to actually do it. What’s that about?!
Essentially, the greater the degree to which one willingly disciplines themselves to participate in activities, whether at a rehab center or at home, the greater the degree of recovery. How do you know you are recovering? Recovery will seem like transformation, which is sustainable and resilient to life’s challenges. You might want to check out – You Know You Are Transforming When….
Building a personal sustainable practice at home is really challenging for most of us; that’s why we go to the gym to exercise, or to 12 Step meetings, retreats, and recovery centers – even for the fun stuff we say we want to do, such as to write, paint, dance, sing, etc. It’s too damn hard. We just can’t seem to create that momentum on our own.
For me, self-empowerment is the one key ingredient that allows all of the other key ingredients to come together to support recovery of our spirit and our whole being. Like each of us, I have to discipline myself to self-empower to create dedicated time every single day to: sit, read and write in the morning, go outside and walk in nature, to eat better, to tune into feelings and thoughts that interfere with peace and presence. Through self-empowerment, I cultivate discipline and dedication. Devotion becomes more effortless, as I realize what is truly important to me.
Through self-empowerment, I look at the truth of what I want to avoid and distract myself from. To greater and greater degrees, I become accountable for my limitations, my failings, and the life I’ve created. And, the hardest practice of all, I willingly grieve, let go, and accept what I cannot change.
I was just about to write that I wish I had a little retreat center where people could come to for spiritual rehab . . . I then realized I do have a little retreat center where people could come to for spiritual rehab! I’ve had it all this time, on Orcas – Eagle’s Heart Sanctuary. Maybe it’s time to invite those who truly desire spiritual rehab to come for a visit.
The point of this piece is just to say, please, please, please, look at the desired outcome you want for your life, and create a discipline, a practice, a devotion, that you willingly dedicate yourself to, which will generate the momentum to make it so. If you can’t seem to make it happen, don’t give up. Hire a coach (ME!) or go to a spiritual rehab center, or create one at hope with the support of a spiritual teacher, coach or guide – (Um, Me!).
Empower yourself to bring your life into the spiritual/human balance you know you so want. Why put it off any longer? That’s a real question “ not just a rhetorical one! Give yourself the power, courage and strength to make your life exactly the way you want!
