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-- By Kevin Griffin
The Twelve Steps include the recommendation that we learn meditation—as part of Step Eleven—and for many people in recovery, this can seem like a daunting, and even irrelevant task. We give up drinking or drugs or overeating or sexual acting out—or whatever destructive habit pattern that led us to the Steps—and our life starts to straighten out. We’re told to go to meetings, which seems helpful, because we find others who share our problem and can give us support; we’re told to get a sponsor who guides us through the recovery process, passing on much of the received wisdom of the Twelve Step program. We try to gain some idea of a Higher Power so that we can let go of some of our obsessive control and self-centeredness. We do the hard work of looking at our failings in a “moral inventory” and even making amends to people we hurt with our destructive behavior. All of that makes a certain amount of sense and certainly brings some relief. But then we reach Step Eleven and we’re supposed to sit still with our eyes closed and follow our breath or repeat a mantra. What does that have to do with recovery?
Meditation has two central purposes: to help us become more relaxed, free of stress, and to help us to see our habits of mind more clearly and become less a slave to our reactivity. Sobriety is stressful—especially newfound sobriety. We’re used to numbing our feelings, and all of a sudden we’re feeling everything. Taking some time to just sit still—to stop all the frenetic activity—helps us decompress, to let go of some of the tension and anxiety that builds up during our day. It reminds us that there’s always time to breathe. Taking twenty minutes to practice meditation can shift our whole perspective on what’s important and where we want to spend our energy.
The second aspect of meditation—sometimes called insight—gives us a chance to look at our thoughts. When we sit down to meditate, what often happens is that our mind starts wandering. This is quite natural. If we take a moment each time we get distracted to notice what the thoughts are saying, we can often uncover habits of thinking—self-hatred, guilt, anxiety; fantasy, desire, planning—and these repeating thoughts underlie many of our destructive behaviors as we act out our anger, craving, and confusion. As we sit in meditation, drawing on the calm that develops, we start to be able to let go of some of these thoughts and become less of a victim to their destructive impulses.
For the person in recovery, whether a “newcomer” or an “oldtimer,” meditation offers a gateway to peace and wisdom. Daily practice as well as occasional meditation retreats—a few days up to a few months—strengthens our program and helps us to be “happy, joyous, and free.”
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"Meditation has two central purposes: to help us become more relaxed, free of stress, and to help us to see our habits of mind more clearly and become less a slave to our reactivity."
About the Author
Kevin Griffin is the author of “One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps” (Rodale Press). He has been clean and sober since 1985 and has been practicing meditation for over 25 years.
For more information you can contact see his website at www.kevingriffin.net.
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