Regardless of where you find yourself on the path of recovery—whether it’s looking to make that first big leap into sobriety, or keeping things rolling in the early stages, or even if you’ve got some time under your belt, have you ever wondered:
“Is something missing? It feels like something is missing.”
This inner gnawing arises and persists despite the many effective therapies and modern approaches that carried us this far. We keep doing all the usual “next right things” and they continue to deliver all of the usual next right results, but they don’t speak to this voice emanating from the Void and telling us we’re not quite getting all of it.
So, what exactly is missing?
A spiritual solution.
There’s no chemical solution to a spiritual problem.
This is a popular recovery saying that speaks to the fact that taking a pill will not fix concerns of the spirit.
I agree—and take it further.
There’s no thought-based solution to a spiritual problem.
We can’t think our way into fixing concerns of the spirit.
So, if we can’t use a pill or think our way into arriving at this spiritual solution, how exactly do we go about doing it? What exactly does this look like?
Let’s get more complicated before we make it very, very simple.
We don’t need a middleman to access the divine.
In order to begin our search for the spiritual solution, we must first address an elephant-in-the-room-sized issue. This is the issue of our beliefs.
In the West, many believe that we do not have the ability, or the right, to establish and maintain a direct relationship with our helping and compassionate spirits.
Centuries of religious persecution have told us that engaging in direct revelation with spirit is wrong, bad, weird, or impossible.
With spirit replaced by science and “true facts,” it’s no wonder our “spirit muscle” has been ignored and left to atrophy.
Then, “experts” tell us we need them as intermediaries, standing between us and the divine to safely deliver and accurately interpret “the information,” so we aren’t led astray.
This is a lie.
Every one of us has the inherent human ability, and birthright, to receive knowledge, information, and healing power from our compassionate and helping spirits.
So, how do we go against the tide of false messaging and receive these benefits as a spiritual solution to our addiction?
Stop searching. Start trusting.
Trust the truth you already know.
This is what…
Speaks to your heart,
Touches your soul,
Resides in your bones.
I believe every one of us has the right and the ability to do exactly this.
When you embark on this path, you learn how to:
Hear what speaks to your heart
Feel what touches your soul
Understand what resides in your bones
It’s that simple. Simple, but not easy—because it goes against what we’ve been programmed to believe. Years of Catholic schooling left grooves on my psyche, and mainstream society’s derogatory, dismissive terms for those I admired who encouraged trusting oneself created confusion. But when I chose sobriety, I also chose to trust my spiritual beliefs.
Because of this, I can say with some certainty, that the answer is not out there somewhere, so stop searching. We already possess the solution, so start trusting.
Where do we begin? At the beginning.
The following is a parable that speaks to this truth. Its exact origins are unknown, as many traditions, religions, and beliefs have versions pointing to the same essential wisdom.
It goes something like this…
Kicking it with the angels
In the beginning, when God was finished creating the universe, they were kicking it with their angels and had an idea.
God said, “You know, I’d like to show myself to the people but I want to make it challenging and rewarding. I think I’ll hide myself and make them work for it. Hey angels, where do you think a good hiding spot would be?”
Angel 1 suggested, “We could bury you deep within the earth.”
God thought for a minute, then replied, “No, I don’t think that’ll do. It won’t be long before they dig up all the treasures I’ve got in there and soon enough, they’ll get to me too.”
Angel 2 said, “Hey, we could put you on the moon.”
God thought about this one for a minute and said, “Not bad Number 2 but sooner or later those pesky people will fly up there and make it look too easy. We’ve got to make it just a bit more difficult.”
This caused a long silence with no other options coming from the angels.
Then, from the rear, Angel 13 cried out, “I’ve got it. Why don’t we hide you within their own heart. They’ll never look there!”
“Brilliant!” God exclaimed. “That’s the perfect hiding place.”
And so, there we have it, God is hiding within each of our hearts. And they will stay hidden until we’re ready to acknowledge this truth and take our courageous adventure to this place deep within.
To do so, we must first go through broken-heartedness.
A Shamanic Journey to Your Broken Heart
The method I use to access the realm of spirit is known as the shamanic journey. It’s a simple yet profound method that is learned, practiced, and personally mastered. It appears throughout history, is on every continent, and each culture has its own particular ways of achieving success.
With a little training, this method can become a path that opens the spiritual realms to just about anyone.1
I adapted this approach for clients at addiction treatment centers. Given participants’ diverse beliefs and each center’s unique focus, I clarified that one could engage from an atheist or psychological perspective. For those approaching it as a spiritual journey, I emphasized that this non-denominational method can actually deepen one’s existing religious beliefs.
Below, you’ll find an audio for this guided Journey to Your Broken Heart.2
If you desire, go ahead and undertake the journey for yourself or offer it to a client. I’ve included a list of post-journey questions, which I recommend answering immediately upon your return.
The Journey to Your Broken Heart
PDF with Post-Journey Questions (pp. 16-19)
I’ve done this journey with thousands of clients through the years and I’ve never gotten the same broken heart twice.
Yet our broken-heartedness manifests in strikingly similar ways. Our human responses to pain follow predictable patterns, often planting the seeds that lead to and perpetuate the cycle of addiction.3
Trusting our heart, soul, and bones
The shamanic journey is one way of accessing the realm of spirit. It allows us to request the support of our helping spirits, venture into the “hiding places of God,” and return from our explorations with experiential wisdom. No one can give this to us, and no one can take it away.
It can only come from our personal and direct relationship with the divine.
From this place of connection, we learn to trust what is inherently known in our heart, soul, and bones and apply these spiritual solutions to our recovery.
With Blessings,
Randal
Some people with severe mental health issues should not undertake the journey. This is especially the case if they’re having trouble remaining in, and fully functioning in, the realm of ordinary reality. Please consult your mental healthcare professional if you have any questions or concerns.
While this is the version I presented at addiction treatment centers, including to those without special training, I recommend first taking a look at The Sober Shaman’s Guide to the Shamanic Journey. A free download is included in the Welcome email when you subscribe to The Sober Shaman.
By subscribing to The Sober Shaman, you’ll gain access to The Program, which includes 52 lessons, each featuring a unique shamanic journey.
Share this post