Addiction, Shamanism, and 4 Assumptions About Surrender
The Practice - Lesson #18: The Power of Surrender
When I was first told that I’d have to surrender, my immediate default was to think it meant I was going to “lose.”
But then, when I did the work and actually surrendered...
I came out the other side feeling like I’d won.
How does this work?
What changes?
How can shamanism help make this happen?
Welcome to this edition of The Practice, where we go a little deeper into a Lesson from The Program. This week, we dig into Lesson 18: The Power of Surrender and explore how Surrender transforms losing into winning.
Below, you’ll find a brief introduction, followed by a video and podcast that dig deeper.
4 Assumptions About Surrender
The idea of Surrender carries a bunch of assumptions, so when someone in recovery is told that they’ll need to do this, of course some things immediately come to mind. Here are a few we’ll look at today:
Surrender = losing.
There’s some kind of conflict.
I’m losing to the “Other” in the conflict.
I must be weaker than the Other.
A Bit Deeper
Losing:
We assume that we’re losing to the addiction but not so…
Conflict:
We assume that it’s me vs. the addiction but, in this case, not so…
The Other:
Addiction is not the Other that we’re Surrendering to.
Weakness:
It’s a lie: this whole thing is a set-up…
The Flip & The Fix
Surrender does imply a loss…
but here, Surrender means release and letting go.
There is a conflict…
but here, it’s not with who you think it is.
There is an Other…
but here, the Other is your own will.
That will ain’t weak…
so this is what needs to soften, release, and Surrender.
Paradox: The Magic
Surrender occurs when someone admits that the way they’ve been doing things isn’t working.
This is a moment of magic because it breaks the cycle. It creates an invitation for something other than one’s own will to take over.
We’re not alone in this—and shamanism sends this invitation directly to our helping and compassionate spirits.
We go through the entire contents of this week’s Dig in the video and podcast below.
Watch here:
Listen here:
Now you.
What’s your relationship with surrender?
How has it shifted in recovery?
I’d love for you to share in comments and also welcome you to reach out by email: spirit@randallyons.com
With Blessings,
Randal
Surrender is such a critical piece to the sobriety journey and one I struggled with for a long time. Like many alcoholics/addicts, I have enduring control issues so surrendering felt too uncomfortable to even entertain. However, when I finally did, I felt empowered in a different way. I think more people need to understand how surrendering is not the loss of control but actually the opposite.