Some thoughts from Gerald May’s “Addiction & Grace” compiled by David Vraza MA.
I’m spending a couple of weeks examining May’s thesis that self-deception lies at the heart of addiction. As our fallen nature has turned towards denial, repression, and rationalization repeatedly, “there comes a time one resolves to master it.” This is a significant marker in the Stages of Change model where the addicted person begins contemplating the possibility of a better life without their addiction. And every intention to move forward is met with resistance. The body and brain sense a threat to the current equilibrium. May warns, “the mind comes up with the most cunning, inventive strategies possible. The more creative and intelligent the person, the more agonizing this process will be.” These sinister delay tactics drain our motivation to seek positive change now. This mind trick can prevent or delay any real change for years! Again, these mind tricks “all have a single purpose: to keep the addictive behavior going.”
Frankly, an authentic decision to fight addiction is terrifying. Our addiction behaviors have become dependable soothers to our stressors, our fears, and our wounds. The thought of moving forward without them feels like a death. And it is! But the life on the other side of that death is superior, and we are called toward by through grace and love.
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