The Mind-Body-Spirit Connection
Human beings are magnificently made. They are also creatures of great complexity. All aspects of one's humanity working in synchrony leads to balance. What a person thinks and feels emotionally can affect his physical and spiritual conditions. How he feels physically can affect thoughts, feelings, and spirituality. And spiritual health can help one rise above problems of the mind and body.
Recovery is an excellent opportunity to take a personal inventory. Self-reflection is the first step in this process. An addict often loses the ability to self-evaluate and may ignore internal clues as to her state of health. Self-reflection is the beginning of training herself to accurately discern her state of being.
Additionally, it may be wise to get professional opinions as to one's state of health. A thorough physical examination will be important to determine if there are any residual effects from addictions. If so, one's physician can make recommendations to further aid in physical recovery.
Once in recovery, will physical symptoms related to addictions go away?
It depends. With good health care, sobriety, and time, many of the physical symptoms brought on by addictions will resolve or, at the least, improve. For example, liver damage due to alcoholism is often reversible with sobriety. If symptoms persist after a significant time in recovery, a physician should be consulted.
Individual psychotherapy and a psychological evaluation, if indicated, can determine if there is any cognitive damage from addictions or lingering emotional problems. Consultation with a spiritual director or spiritual leader can help one evaluate spiritual health.
Even though it is important to learn to trust one's own perceptions and instincts, objective input from neutral professionals can help point out things one may have missed. Armed with information from all angles, one is ready to proceed to a balanced recovery.
