Millions of alcoholics and addicts recover through spirituality. In The Soul of Recovery: Uncovering the Spiritual Dimension in the Treatment of Addictions, author and journalist Christopher D. Ringwald tells how and why they seek and achieve these transformations. Ranging as far back as the Washingtonian Total Abstinence Society in 1840, Ringwald illuminates the use of spirituality within a wide range of treatment options--from the famous Twelve Step-style programs to those tailored to the needs of addicted women, Native Americans, or homeless teens not ready to quit. Focusing on the results rather than the validity of beliefs espoused by these programs, he demonstrates how addicts recover through practices such as self-examination, meditation, prayer and reliance on a self-defined higher power. But the most compelling evidence of spirituality's importance comes from those directly involved in the process. Ringwald traveled across the country to visit dozens of programs and interview hundreds of addicts, alcoholics, counselors, family members, doctors and scientists. Many share moving stories of suffering, survival, and redemption. A homeless man, a surgeon, a college student, a working mother-each describes the descent into addiction and how spirituality offered a practical, personal means to recovery. Ringwald also examines the controversies surrounding faith-based treatment and the recovery movement, from the conflict between science and spirituality, to skepticism about the "new age" brand of spirituality these programs encourage, to constitutional issues over court-mandated participation in allegedly religious treatment programs. Combining in-depth research with powerful personal accounts, this fascinating exploration of spirituality will provide a fuller understanding of the nature of addiction and how people overcome it.

"A Parable on Spiritual TransformationWhat is the purpose of human life? Who am I? What is the reality of this world I find myself in? Why do I find myself in the midst of certain troublesome circumstances? Who among us has not pondered some of these questions at times?On the outermost level, this book is a teaching metaphor similar to those used in all sacred traditions. But behind the parable is cosmic perspective on essence, individuality, and relationships. There is a view of human purpose, soul design, and divine direction that leads to a new look at the origin of suffering, healing, and the evolutionary dimensional shift. Through the voices of archetypes of consciousness, the book subliminally explores paths to power, love, beauty, strength, and mysticism. It moves through different dimensions of reality while simultaneously focusing on the mental, emotional, and physical aspects of life as instruments of expression that can be tuned to a higher purpose.The Soul Remembers is the expression of a spiritual journey that has assisted thousands in their own processes of self-remembrance, encouraging them to live more deeply and become personally responsible for cocreating heaven on earth."

In this extraordinary book, shamanic dream teacher Robert Moss shows us how to become shamans of our own souls and healers of our own lives. The greatest contribution of the ancient shamans to modern healing is the understanding that in the course of any life we are liable to suffer soul loss — the loss of parts of our vital energy and identity — and that to be whole and well, we must find the means of soul recovery. Moss teaches that our dreams give us maps we can use to find and bring home our lost or stolen soul parts. He shows how to recover animal spirits and ride the windhorse of spirit to places of healing and adventure in the larger reality. We discover how to heal ancestral wounds and open the way for cultural soul recovery. You’ll learn how to enter past lives, future lives, and the life experiences of parallel selves and bring back lessons and gifts. “It’s not just about keeping soul in the body,” Moss writes. “It’s about growing soul, becoming more than we ever were before.” With fierce joy, he incites us to take the creator’s leap and bring something new into our world.

Spiritually, one can lose a soul piece by giving power away to someone or something else. Soul recovery is about regaining the fragments of one’s soul energy that have been trapped, lost, or stolen either by another person or lost through a traumatic incident. The heart of this shamanistic healing method is taking back control of your life. Shamanism, in the simplest definition, is the ability of an individual to move into an altered state and travel the inner dimensions of what we call nonphysical reality. This technique is as old as human existence. It is practiced around the world, and in the past decade, it has been reintroduced to Western civilization, although among indigenous cultures shamanism continues to be practiced as a healing tool without interruption. Extraction is another tool within the shamanistic tradition that dissolves blocks from our bodies or the aura of electromagnetic energy that surrounds us. These blocks can affect us physically, as well as mentally, emotionally, or spiritually, and with a shaman’s expertise, they can be removed.

By offering a psycho-spiritual approach in dealing with the problem of suicide, Dr. Ken Stifler provides perspective, hope and the possibility of God's grace by speaking directly to the individual who is contemplating suicide, survivors who continue to struggle with suicidal thoughts, relatives, friends and colleagues who have been directly affected by another's suicide, individuals personally struggling with feelings of despair, helplessness and hopelessness, anyone who knows others affected by these issues. As William Sneck, SJ, pastoral counselor and spiritual director, notes in the Foreword: The book is very personally written, deriving as it does from [Dr. Stifler's] years of experience working with suicidal persons. It contains concrete, practical suggestions about how such persons can reframe their gloomy thoughts, and what they can do. This wonderfully wise and helpful book is a tool in learning to live one's life better, overcome the trials that everyone encounters in life and live a spiritually-oriented life. Book jacket.

The social scientific literature on the self has been marred by a general indifference to the levels of the self that escape observation. The literature, on the one hand, makes claims about the extent of individualism in American society or claims to see a narcissistic social character widespread in the American public. On the other hand, very little is known about the self at levels that escape observation, but these are the levels at which the self is both most vulnerable and, we argue, most vital. In this volume, the notion of the "soul" is put forward as a hypothesis with which to challenge social sciences to explore the self at depths well beyond that of social relationships.

From his first publication of hymns in 1707, common knowledge regarding Isaac Watts (1674–1748) often revolves around his hymn-writing legacy. Though Watts legacy as a hymnographer is significant, he also functions as a key transitional figure between the English Puritans and the Evangelicals during eighteenth-century English dissent. As a pastor, theologian, philosopher, and literary mainstay of his era, Watts' influence grew well beyond his early work in hymnody to impact scores of Christians on both sides of the Atlantic. Watts' approach to Christian spirituality is an area of his thought thats been unexplored. This book provides the first ever analysis of Watts' theological vision for the Christian spiritual life. In emphasizing the experience of holiness and happiness, Watts leans heavily upon his Reformed theological heritage to underscore how knowing and loving God are central to God's preparation of the soul for heaven.

We learn so much from our feline friends, and along the way they keep us company, provide unconditional love, and share in the ups and downs of our lives. What do we learn from our cats? Everything. Our cats make us better people. If we rescued them, they rescue us back. If we’re sad, they comfort us. If we need to have more fun, they show us how. They are our therapists, our role models, and our best friends. You’ll laugh a lot, tear up at times, and nod your head in recognition as you read these tales about the wonderful experience of sharing life with a cat. Life lessons from our cats come in many forms, from the hilarious to the heroic. You’ll enjoy a wide variety in these 101 entertaining stories.

Some major powers had made a prophecy, "Demons, descend! Kill all living creatures!" Born without a soul, three years old with a soul in the body. Open your eyes and look at the world. Slaughter is everywhere! They were the focus of the world from the moment they were born, and every force was looking for a way to kill them! As long as he wanted to protect himself and raise his cultivation as fast as possible, then he had to help the Zhuo Family who was in dire straits to escape. Become a monster and drive the enemy out of Ten Thousand Beast Mountain; His soul was ...