Spiritual Experiences Within Spiritual Awakening

Dr. Carl Jung once told a desperate man that, occasionally, some individuals were able to recover from the hopeless state of addiction to alcohol that this man was suffering from. In this story, we hear how Dr. Jung explained to this man that recovery from an alcoholic condition such as his did occur and that it usually involved, “…huge emotional displacements and rearrangements.”[1] He told him that, “Ideas, emotions, and attitudes which were once the guiding forces,” in the person are “suddenly cast to one side, and a completely new set of conceptions and motives begin to dominate them.” For this man, that did happen. Soon afterward, he passed on what he had learned to Bill Wilson, who eventually passed it on to Dr. Bob Smith, leading to the beginning of Alcoholics Anonymous.

The experiences of the early members of AA showed that for many individuals, this psychic change did not occur in a single “sudden” transformative event. They found that it usually occurred over some time, and we refer to this as a spiritual awakening. In 12 Step meetings, it is common for individuals to share their experiences and wisdom regarding this crucial facet of recovery from addiction.

On a Sunday during the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020, I participated in an online worship service with about twenty-five participant screens showing on the computer. Activity on one participant’s video feed caught my attention. This is what I saw: Four-year-old Kevin (both names are changed) walks over to his mother Maggie who is sitting in front of her computer. He stands beside her and looks up as he leans his shoulder against her. Maggie responds, gently bending over him like a tree in a soft wind. They are fully connected as their eyes gaze deeply into each other, their smiles expressions of pure joy. In that moment nothing else exists for them. Maggie continues to smile as words flow to Kevin. His smile grows as he coyly turns his head away, evidence of receiving a delightful message.

As I watched this blessed interaction between mother and child, I recognized that what I witnessed was an example of how God loves me. Perhaps many can say that they have had a similar experience—I have. But this awareness was more significant than I can express and went deep, filling a place that I had not been fully conscious. In that moment, I knew that God continuously loves me the way Maggie loves Kevin. What is more, I knew that this love, the complete and unconditional love of God for me, is all that I need and that I do not have to seek it from anyone. But I also had a strong sense that I must give this love to others, everyone, in fact.

In a minute or two, the scene on the screen changed as the service progressed. I knew that I had just had a spiritual experience and that this experience had changed me.  “Emotional displacements and rearrangements” occurred, and a psycho-spiritual problem resolved. Today, I am different because of this experience.

I have had other such experiences, but I cannot say that there has been any one that stands out as the spiritual experience that changed my life. They have all changed my life in some way. The way I see it is that within the mix of my life, which is a process of spiritual awakening, spiritual experiences occur that are acts of Grace that are specific to my condition. Spiritual experiences and spiritual awakening are part of the recipe. They are blended in such a way that, though they have distinguishing characteristics, they are part of the batter and are not separable, just as am I not separable from them or the Divine. When we live our lives using the “simple kit of spiritual tools laid at our feet,” we will come to know this. Then, like those who helped pen the Big Book, we can say that “We have found much of heaven and we have  been rocketed into a fourth dimension of existence of which we had not even dreamed.”

I often hear recovered alcoholics and addicts say that they are glad that they went through what they did. Their experiences brought them to the 12 Steps and the better life that results. One does not have to be an addict to use the 12 Steps. The 12 Steps are a set of spiritual principles and instructions on how to put them into practical use. One way to look at it is that Holy Scripture tells us what we need to live loving and purposeful lives, and the 12 Steps show us how. When we live a God-centered, God-led life, we find that the things we stand to lose are things that we don’t want anyway. The things we gain are what gives joy, purpose, and satisfaction.

“Vital spiritual experiences,” necessary for recovery from addictions, can be experienced by anyone. A transformation happens that, in turn, leads to loving service to others. This awareness of God that becomes the center of one’s life is available to any person who incorporates the simple spiritual principles used in AA into their daily living.

[1] Anon, Alcoholics Anonymous: Third Edition, Thirty-second Printing edition (Alcoholics Anonymous, 1976., 1976). All quotes are found on pp 25, 27.