Twelve-Step spirituality is a search for the core of ones true

humanity. In addition to seeking integration of mind, body and

spirit, the addict also seeks spiritual well-being. This core is the
deepest center of the person; for this is where the person is open
to the transcendent dimension. During this spiritual quest one
seeks self-knowledge and enhanced relationships, and a mystery
of connection springs from inner strenghts beyond our rational
and emotional intelligences. Chandler et al. (1992) describe the
spiritual experience as the innate ability to transcend the point
of view of the ego from which people constantly experience,
evaluate, and judge their lives. When they can do this, they can
open up to a broader worldview, a greater capacity for loving, and
an increased motivation to enhance the greater good.
The first and primary cause of relapse is that many addiction
recovery programs do not use a comprehensive treatment
model, which includes looking at and developing our rational,
emotional, and spiritual intelligences (Miller, 2010, p. xvii).
Researchers and caregiving professionals often overlook the role
spirituality plays in recovery (Galanter, 2006), and any treatment
programs fail to teach vital thinking, feeling, social, stress, and
spiritual skills. Clients fail to find the meaning and purpose in life
as sober, conscious, and spiritually aware human beings who do
not need alcohol or other drugs in order to manage their internal
experiences or external challenges. If we want total recovery, we
must use a method that uses all parts of the brainthe rational,
the emotional, and the spiritual.
Twelve-Step spirituality can be divided into three stages of
growth: surrender/acceptance; self-examination; and discovery of
self-esteem and relational living. These three stages correspond
with those identified in other models of spirituality: purgative,
illuminative, and unitive (Underhill, 1955), and also relate to
the new model Souldrama. Souldrama aligns our ego and soul
by using group action and experiential methods to integrate all
three levels of intelligencerational (mind), emotional (body)
and spiritual (spirit)so we can act on our higher purpose.
Many methods rationally tell us that we need to align these two
aspects of ourselves, but few provide a psychotherapeutic group
action model to demonstrate how to do so. Souldrama provides
such a model.
The ability to experience a connection with another is central
to the healthy evolution of the self and this can be done within
a healthy group situation. In order to achieve oneness, one must
have the necessary developmental connective experiences to
unify a cohesive self. Spiritual recovery begins in the depths

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On Track

SOULDRAMA

Staff Update

A New Model for Putting the Twelve Steps into Action

of desperate isolation and spiritual bankruptcy and ascends

gradually toward healthy self-esteem and genuine concern for
others. As this process advances, the addict begins to experience
positive interaction between self, community and higher power.
As I demonstrate in my book Starve the Ego: Feed the Soul!
Souldrama: Ignite your Spiritual Intelligence, Souldrama offers
a developmental process for any individual by proceeding
through sequential stages, each integrating and building on those
that came before, using psychodrama as a experiential group
therapeutic modality. Souldramas stages in relation to the Twelve
Steps are as follows:
Stage One: Rational Intelligence (What I Think)
In the first stage our ego is at its strongest. Our rational
intelligence gives us access to the doorways of faith and truth
in order to develop clarity of purpose, build trust among group
members, and surrender to something higher than ourselves as
we face our shadow sides. In this stage, we use faith and truth
as tools to deconstruct the ego into its existential form. Adaptive
regression in the service of the ego is, in fact, one of the twelve
recognized healthy ego functions (Bellak & Goldsmith, 1984).
The surrender/acceptance stage is crucial because it begins the
transition away from self-entrapment. Step one is existential
neurosis: feelings of despair and anxiety that arise from living
inauthentically, that is from failing to take responsibility for ones
own life and to make choices and find meaning in living (APA,
2007). The turmoil for the addict in the first step includes the
duality of self-loathing and the longing for unconditional love
(May, 1982).
The corresponding steps to breaking through our rational
intelligence in stage one are steps 1-4 (AA, 2012):
1. Admitted we were powerless over our addiction and that our
lives were unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could
restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care
of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless inventory of ourselves.
Commitment requires the exercise of will. The gift of making
good choices begins immediately with step four. The choice is to
be in relationship with a higher power and to become a productive
member of the human race (May, 1987). Acceptance derives from
insight. Addiction is insanity. Acceptance of this fact leads to the
continued on page 10

Profile
Perspectives

By Connie Miller, MS, TEP, LPC, NCC

continued from page 9

insight that only a power greater than ourselves can restore us to

sanity. There is no other way forward. Acceptance is the decision
to turn your life over to the care of God as [you] [understand]
Him. Acceptance is the threshold of self-examination.
Our rational intelligence and the process of group help us
discover how we see ourselves and how we are seen by others.
This enables an understanding of the roles we played in our
family in order to stay safe and be loved, as well as our loyalty to
that process. As we reframe wounds received from our parents
and transform them into gifts for our souls purpose, we begin
to embrace the shadow side of ourselves. Once we identify and
recognize our old roles, we take responsibility for recreating
situations and dynamics in lives we no longer desire. As the group
gains cohesion and honest dialogue is encouraged, members
hold one another responsible for behavior within the group. Selfexamination leads to the discovery and reclamation of lost dignity,
self-esteem, and relational living.
Stage Two Emotional Intelligence (What I Feel)
Our emotional intelligence includes the doorways to forgiveness
and love. This stage corresponds steps to steps 5-8 (AA, 2012).
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and another human being the
exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of
character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of persons we had harmed, and became willing to
make amends to them all.
In this stage, participants move through a third door called
Forgiveness where they develop empathetic compassion and
begin to celebrate the diversity and uniqueness inherent in all
people. Compassion is defined as having an experience of feeling
with, a deep empathy for self and others. Employing their social
network to facilitate deep change, people are encouraged to
live out the Golden Rule by reversing roles and imagining what
it would be like to be the other person, thereby promoting
empathy, compassion, and self-reflection (Blatner, 2000). This
stage also helps us become conscious of our emotional triggers.
When were aware of our triggers, we shed light on our pain and
unhappiness, increasing our ability to take the necessary steps to
move forward.
Exploring different roles enables group members to understand
the different relationship dynamics in their lives. They could
be asked to take the role of God, family members, friends, or
individuals with whom they struggle. In order to find ones unique
path, it is necessary to become aware of the various unconscious
aspects of the self; through the discovery, affirmation, and
integration of these aspects, a person gradually moves toward a
higher sense of individuality.
As people become responsive to the voices emanating from
underdeveloped aspects of their personality, they develop a
clearer awareness of the self and a greater appreciation of others.
Hearing empathic recounts of their experiences within group will
facilitate the growing awareness members have of themselves and
encouraging empathy and understanding others perspectives will
10 Paradigm 2012

help members appreciate diversity and differences. If members

value others for their differences, they will begin to celebrate
diversity, and, consequently, value their own uniqueness. As a
result, the impulse to judge or criticize diminishes (Moreno,
1972). This combination of self and other awareness moves
members through the process of forgiveness as they let go of
judgments and resentments.
Next is the doorway to unconditional love. Balanced midway
between the ego and the soul resides the heart. Repairing damage
and restoring this balance requires attending to the practical, the
somatic, and the here and now experience and demands that
individuals let go of old roles, patterns, beliefs, and structures
in order to take on new ones. Once were able to do this, we
experience an open heart: we allow ourselves the vulnerability
of taking others in while putting ourselves out to others. This is
when we begin to see our problems in a wider context.
At this stage, members explore their relationship with a
higher power and gain a deeper sense of self-acceptance
and unconditional self-love. Souldrama builds on the idea
of interactive conversations with a higher power as a way to
live consciously and helps participants become aware of their
internalized image of God. In acting out the role of the higher
self or some other benevolent spirit or entity, individuals
find themselves embodying their own ego ideal. As a result,
statements made during role playing become affirmations which
group members then consciously associate with their emerging
sense of self. When the ego ideal is wise rather than clever, loving
rather than selfish, and giving rather than getting, individuals
move toward healthier goals.
Stage Three: Spiritual Intelligence (What I Am)
The doorways to humility and gratitude comprise the stage of
spiritual intelligence and correspond with steps 9-11 (AA, 2012):
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except
when to do so would injure others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory, and when we were
wrong, promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our
conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying
only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry
that out.
The main objectives in this stage for a clients spiritual development
include balancing a sense of empowerment with self-trust and
humility. Participants learn the value of staying true to their
convictions while honoring and respecting the perspectives
of others. Particularly in a Souldrama group, individuals feel
accepted even when expressing ideas that are contrary to the
groups as a whole. Members learn that they can belong to the
group without being forced to suppress their own feelings or ideas.
Central to the Souldrama method is allowing self-expression, both
unconventional and traditional, and for this reason, individuality
is encouraged over allegiance to group norms (Blatner, 2000). A
fundamental requirement for healthy mental processes, especially
exploratory ones, is containment: the ability to experience what
is happening in oneself and others with an accepting awareness
while tolerating direct experience without defensiveness or acting

out to discharge tension (Rand, 1996). Containment is a way of

providing secure support and honoring others boundaries as well
as learning not to take things personally.
The door to gratitude encourages self-worth and invites members
to deeply consider those things for which they are grateful. These
objectives are framed within the context of being in the here
and now, or by staying in the present. Here group members can
see themselves living with purpose and performing their souls
missions. In this phase, vision expands, imagination is freed,
consciousness grows, and fear and anxiety about mortality is
vanquished as the descending spirit unites with the ascending
soul. The individual is filled with faith, truth, compassion, love,
humility, and gratitude.
Stage Four: Intregration
The final stage is the transformation and integration of all three
intelligencesrational, emotional and spiritualand all twelve
steps, leading to the doorway of inspiration. Open to the present,
the ego and soul work in alignment toward co-creativity. Step 12
reflects this (AA, 2012):
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps,
we tried to carry this message to those that still suffer and to
practice these principles in all our affairs (AA, 2012).
Fitzgerald (1966) described the following personality traits as
components of openness to experience:
"(1) tolerance for regressive experiences (e.g., affects,
childishness, fantasy, daydreaming, etc.); (2) tolerance for
logical inconsistencies (e.g., seeming impossibilities or
bizarre implications); (3) constructive use of regression (e.g.,
uses fantasies in a creative way); (4) altered states (e.g.,
inspirational experiences with relative breakdowns of reality
orientation); (5) peak experiences (e.g., seeks experiences
which are overwhelming, enrapturing, and thrilling); (6)
capacity for regressive experiences (e.g., inquisitive into
the unusual, with rich imagination and not bound by
conventional categories of thought); (7) tolerance for the
irrational (i.e., acceptance of things which violate common
sense or science)." (pp. 655-663)

toward discovery of the true self. It is not an end to be achieved,

but a way of life. Surrender/acceptance, self-examination, and
the discovery of self-esteem and relational living are the TwelveStep stages of spiritual growth that support the addicts search
for purposeful living. Wholeness involves bringing together
what has been separated. This is the meaning of integration. A
soul under stress sacrifices parts of itself. True healing involves
helping a person to gradually re-own and reintegrate any of the
severed aspects of self-love, courage, empowerment, sexuality,
spiritual connectedness, humility, surrender, tenderness, and
independent thinking. Turning their focus inward toward their
divine selves, spontaneity, and creativity helps group members
develop a relationship with their higher selves.
In combination with the Twelve Steps, the action model of
Souldrama leads to an integration of the mind, body, and spirit
where the ego and soul are aligned to act as one. Robert D.
Warfield (1996) defined this integration as positive spirituality.
He suggests that a condition of negative spirituality underlies and
sustains alcoholism, and perhaps all addictions, and that a secure
recovery is not possible unless a spiritual awakening, such as is
envisioned by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), is achieved. Positive
spirituality is when we view ourselves as lovable, capable, and
deserving. It occurs when we allow others to enter and enrich
our lives without feeling a need to manipulate, use, or abuse
them. We find our world to be a safe place wherein we are able
to develop toward our full potential.
Connie Miller is the owner and founder of both the Spring Lake Heights Counseling
Center and the International Institute for Souldrama. Shes practiced individual,
marital, family, and group psychotherapy for adults and children for over 20 years
and is a trainer, educator, and practitioner of group psychotherapy and psychodrama.
Renowned in her field as an innovator, author, and teacher, Miller created Souldrama
in 1997. The author of two books and several articles, her work has been published
in numerous professional journals and in several languages. Miller has guest-lectured
at universities, professional conventions, and conducted workshops in England, Italy,
Greece, Portugal, India, Indonesia, Brazil, and throughout the United States. All profits
from her most recent publication, Starve the Ego: Feed the Soul, go to a scholarship
fund for training pastoral counselors in Indonesia. To schedule an appointment with
Miller or to request information about upcoming workshops, call: 732-974-1978 or
800-821-9199, or visit: www.centerforcounseling.com or www.souldrama.com.
References

Step 12 is about the profound conviction that something very

powerful has occurred. At this final doorway, members begin
to live in the moment, listening to the voice of their soul
and becoming co-creators with God. They live spontaneously,
responsive to the current moment and focused on their higher
purpose. Here members concentrate on the spiritual integration
of their experiences and perceptions, express humility, and
embrace uniqueness, all while understanding their inherent
spiritual journey. At last the addict is no longer the center of
the universe, and is now ready to tell others about the miracle
of recovery. The addict has discovered a wonderful new life of
positive self-regard and self-giving and service to others. Martin
Buber calls this the I/Thou relationship, the highest expression
of what it means to be truly human.

Alcoholics Anonymous (2012). Alcoholics Anonymous: The Big Book, 4th Edition.
American Psychological Association. (2007). APA dictionary of psychology. Washington, DC: American
Psychological Association.
Bellak, L. & Goldsmith, L.A. (1984). The broad scope of ego functions assessment. New York, NY: John
Wiley & Sons.
Blatner, A. (2000). Foundations of psychodrama. NY: Springer Publishing Company.
Chandler, C.K., Holden, J.M., & Kolander, C. A. (1992). Counseling for spiritual wellness: Theory and
practice. Journal of Counseling and Development, 71, 168-175.
Fitzgerald, E.T. (1966). Measurement of openness to experience: A study of regression in the service of
the ego. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 4, 655-663.
Galanter, M. (2006). Spirituality and addiction: A research and clinical perspective. The American Journal
on Addiction, 15, 286-292.
May, G.G. (1982). Care of mind-care of spirit: psychiatric dimensions of spiritual direction. San Francisco:
Harper & Row.
May, G.G. (1987). Will and spirit. New York, NY: Harper Collins.
Miller, C. (2010). Starve the ego: Feed the soul! Souldrama: Ignite your spiritual intelligence. Lulu.com.
Underhill, E. (1955). Mysticism. New York, NY: World Publishing.

Twelve-Step spirituality in combination with the Souldrama

model continually moves the addicted person from isolation

Warfield, R.D., & Goldstein, M.B. (1996). Spirituality: The key to recovery from alcoholism. Counseling
and Values, 40, 196-205.
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